Learn how to hand-sew a small soft sculpture of a native bird of New York. To create our birds, we will be hand-sewing using fabric pieces, scraps, string, and, yarn. We will work together to pattern each bird individually using reference images and 3D pattern skills, creating an approximately life-sized pieces. Come and learn some sculpture and embroidery techniques to bring home into your own creative practice such as slip stitch, boro-inspired texture, feather stitch, and more.
Through this intuitive process of creative exploration, we will decorate and piece together a bird to keep. Whether a toy, ornament, or decorative piece, this small winged friend will bring joy and curiosity about the nature surrounding our shared city.
Date
Sunday, December 5th, 2026
Time
10:00-2:00 pm ET
Location
Tatter Textile Library: 505 Carroll Street, #2B, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Cost
$150
Class Materials
All materials will be provided.
Our Teacher
Dante Gonzalez (he/they) is a material storyteller through textiles and costume. Crafting with a mix of used, off-cut, and new materials, they create soft works and garments, drawing inspiration from the natural world and their pluralistic background as a Mexican-Iranian-German-American. His work focuses on curious joys, intimate transformations, and the power of the fabulous. He has been designing, performing, and writing in Brooklyn for the past few years, and is originally from Denton, Texas. Recent theatre shows he has contributed to include Dad Don’t Read This, Calf Scramble, Bad Kreyol, and Orpheus in the Overworld. In their free time, Dante enjoys dancing, cooking for their loved ones, and watching the birds.