What to do in DeKalb County: Explore the arts with classes

Pictured here are participants in a class at Darliene’s Backporch.

C

lasses are being held for various forms of art at Darliene's Backporch in Fort Payne. Darliene Carter teaches sewing, embroidery, flower pounding onto fabric, quilting, alterations, and painting classes.

"Customers can bring their own sewing machine or I

have ma-

chines here

at the shop

to teach

students

how to

sew," said

Carter. "We do many unique sewing projects." One of the projects Darliene teaches is how to make keepsakes from memorable fabrics.

Carter has her students bring in a garment a loved one wore and she teaches them how to make a teddy bear, pillow, or quilt from the fabric. "Customers like using their grandpa's or father's shirt to make a pillow or bear as a keepsake," said Carter.

Carter said she also does sublimation of photo's onto fabric to allow her clients to transfer a favorite photo of a pet, family member, or place so they can make a quilt or pillow.

Flower pounding, or Tatakizome, is an ancient Japanese technique of hammering plants to create patterns on fabric. The best results come from using flowers that are mostly flat and have a lot of color, such as rose petals, petunias, and pansies. The best fabrics for transferring flower patterns are cotton and linen. Carter teaches this technique at her shop.

"Customers particularly like to use flowers from a special bouquet," said Carter.

Carter said she does not do alterations for customers, but she does teach them how to make alterations to their garments. She also instructs students on how to use their own sewing machines. "Some people have sewing machines that have the ability to do monogramming and the owner does not know how to get their machine to monogram," said Carter. "I can teach others how to get the most out of their own sewing machine."

The shop offers an array of fabrics that may be purchased as well as art supplies for painting. Carter teaches painting classes on Tuesday and Saturday 10 a.m. -2 p.m. and Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday are by appointment only. Students help select the type of picture they would like to paint.

Painting parties for Girls' Nite Out, Mommy & Me, church groups, and other celebrations may be booked. "I have had multi-generation parties, where five generations in one family came together to take a painting class," said Carter. "I have students from age 4 to 84."

Duration of class and price is determined at time of booking. "Some classes are a one-and-done, while other students prefer to work on a project for several weeks" said Carter.

Darliene's Backporch is a recipient of the Best of DeKalb 2023 contest by the Times-Journal. Follow on Facebook at Darlienes Backporch, or call 256-364-2019. The store is located at 2109 Gault Ave. N. Fort Payne.

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