Category: Textiles

Everything to do with the textiles room at AMT: sewing, leatherwork, silkscreening, all that.

mask and sewing machine

Learn to Sew While Making Masks

Make masks for under-resourced folks in Oakland while learning to sew!
This is part sewing workshop and part mask-making party. Ace Makerspace provides masks to the community via our program Oakland Community PPE. We focus on distributing masks by partnering with existing social good organizations in Oakland. Learn more about where masks go on the Oakland Community PPE page.
You will learn or improve your sewing skills guided by experienced instructors. We split this offering into one virtual event and one live event at Ace Makerspace. We highly recommend that folks who have never sewn attend the virtual class before coming to the mask-making workshop.

Learn to sew while Making Masks Virtual Prep Class

During this 1-hour virtual class you will learn:

  • A sewing machine overview
  • How sewing machines work
  • Common sewing tools and what they are for
  • What goes into to making a mask

Demonstrations will include:

  • Straight stitching
  • Changing the needle
  • Seam ripping
  • Troubles shooting

There will be the time in this workshop to ask questions!

Learn to sew mask-making workshop

This event at Ace Makerspace is a combination of Class and Mask Making party. You will learn or improve your sewing skills guided by experienced instructors. Folks will work in rotation at stations giving everyone a chance to work on all aspects of mask-making. Lessons will be projected as the come up in real working situations.

Prerequisites

  • COVID-19 Safety
  • Are you brand new to sewing? Take the Virtual Prep class.
  • Experienced sewists looking to gain practice or just help make masks can skip the prep class that goes over the basics.

What you will learn

  • Sewing basics
  • Machine control
  • Chain stitching
  • Basic machine upkeep for volume stewing
  • Volume Sewing
  • Factory methods
  • Mask assembly
  • Reading assembly markings

Tools we will use

  • Sewing machines
  • Threaders
  • Clips

More about COVID Safety

In Order to stay COVID safety, we do much of the teaching using a “jumbotron” to project lessons on the wall. We also ask that all students take the COVID-19 safety course and masks are required.

Made at AMT-June 2019

NOMCOM Fob All The Things dashboard | AMT Software • Bodie/Crafty
Hand Built Speaker | Workshop • David
Recycling Game | Workshop/Laser • Bernard M.
Solid wood credenza | Workshop | Raj J.
Tiny electronic brass jewelry | Electronics | Ray A.
RFID Mint Dispensing Box | Laser+Electronics | Crafty
Wood Signage | CNC Router | James L.
Fabric Kraken stuffed with 720 LEDs | Textiles + Electronics | Crafty

Programmable LED Costume Props at the Library

At the Golden Gate Library, we got together with folks to make programmable LED costume props.

We had a variety of laser-cut kits for folks to choose from, including cuff bracelets, tiaras, and more. Folks then sewed conductive thread, microcontrollers, and LEDs to create and customize their programmable costume prop. This project is geared toward makers 14 and up.

nevertheless she persisited

Laser Cut Custom Jewelry

So this was an ambitious workshop where each person got to make a few pieces of custom laser cut jewelry out of wood or leather.

We learned a lot at this workshop. With a bit of restructuring, I would be interested in doing this again. All proceeds went to the new serger fund.

laser cut oakland tree pendants
Oakland tree
Makers
Cutting Leather
leather stars
Red leather bracelet with etched Oakland skyline
Oakland Sky
hands scrubbing pink leather cut like stars
laser cut folded leather earing
pile of colorful leathers

DIY Burner Fashion Week – July 23-31

Before you know it it will be time for the burn. AMT has a workshop line-up designed to help folks make smashing gear and finish up those last minute projects.

Monday the 23rd | 7-9pm | Headgear! Make amazing fashions for your noggin.
Tuesday the 24th | 7:30-9-8:30pm | Laser Cutting Faux Fur
Thursday the 26th | 7-9pm | EL Wire for Playa Gear
Saturday the 28th | 11am-2pm | Manskirts and Kimono making Workshop
Saturday the 28th | 12-3pm | Painted leather feathers
Sunday the 29th | 10am-2pm | Finish this Fashion: Project Completion Lab
Monday the 30th | 7-9pm | DIY Fairy Wings Workshop
Tuesday the 31 | 7-9pm | Textile Tuesday

And more!

Big empty room

AMT Expansion 2018

This month AMT turns 8 years old and we are growing! We have rented an additional 1200sqft suite in the building. We have a Work Party Weekend planned June 1-3 to upgrade and reconfigure all of AMT. All the key areas at AMT are getting an upgrade :

CoWorking and Classroom are moving in to the new suite. Rad wifi, chill space away from the big machines, and core office amenities are planned for CoWorking. The new Classroom will be reconfigurable and have double the capacity.

Textiles is moving upstairs into the light. The room will now be a clean fabrication hub with Electronics and 3D Printing both expanding into the space made available. Photo printing may or may not stay upstairs — plans are still forming up.

Metal working, bike parking, and new storage including the old lockers will be moving into the old classroom. But before they move in the room is getting a face lift by returning to the cement floors and the walls will get a new coat of paint.

The CNC room and workshop will then be reconfigured to take advantage of the space Metal vacated. We aren’t sure what that is going to look like beyond more workspace and possibly affordable storage for larger short term projects.

Town Hall Meeting May 17th • 7:30PM • Plan the New Space

What expansion means to membership

The other thing that happened in May is after 8 years our rent finally went up. It is still affordable enough that we get to expand. Expansion also means increasing membership volume to cover the new rents and to take advantage of all the upgrades. We are looking to add another 30 members by winter.  Our total capacity before we hit the cap will be 200 members. We feel that offering more classes and the best bargain in co-working will allow us to do this. Please help get the word out!

The New Suite in the Raw

Big empty room

sewing icon

2016 Textiles Program

We are beefing up our Textiles program in 2016. January’s Sewing 101 is a crash course on a Saturday. February’s Sewing 101 will be a 3 class series in the evenings. This monthly series will continue in this alternating format as long as we have interest from the community.

As part of the sewing 101 class folks will be making two projects. One of those projects will be a square of fabric with stitch techniques that will be added to a 2016 AMT Quilt to be displayed in the textiles room.

We have also had a make over in the textiles room. Check out this sneak peak.