Ana Buzzalino
Stories Folded in Cloth Online Workshop
Create a Personal Textile Concertina Book
February 6, 2027
9 am to 3:30 pm MST
$200
A concertina book is more than folded pages covered in cloth. This is a place to gather memories, cherish special textiles, celebrate important moments, and share stories that words can’t fully tell.
Spend six inspiring hours with textile artist Ana Buzzalino in this online workshop. Use fabric, thread, and your imagination to make a unique textile concertina book. Working with your favorite fabrics, vintage linens, lace, buttons and meaningful keepsakes, you’ll begin a book that reflects your own creative journey and the stories only you can tell.
There is no pattern to follow and no two books will ever be alike. Your concertina book will become a personal canvas, shaped by the colors, textures and memories that are special to you.
Ana will share her own collection of concertina books to inspire ideas and show how you can transform this simple folded structure in countless ways. Learn to make the concertina foundation, craft lovely front and back covers, and enhance your pages with lace, trims, pockets, buttons, beads, and simple hand stitches for extra texture.
You’ll learn how to use transfer paper to add photos, handwriting, old documents, and other keepsakes to your pages, blending memories into your book.
This is a class about slowing down and creating with intention. As each page unfolds, you’ll discover how the quiet rhythm of hand stitching allows memories, ideas, and stories to emerge naturally. Whether you find inspiration in family history, travel, nature, vintage textiles, or just enjoy working with fabric, your book will reflect your creativity.
The techniques you’ll learn extend far beyond a single project. Once you try the concertina format, you’ll discover many ways to use it. Make travel journals, family keepsakes, stitch samplers, and fabric collections. There are endless story possibilities open to you with this technique.
You shouldn’t rush when creating a concertina book. While we’re together, you’ll create the base for your book, learn new methods, and get lots of ideas to keep going on your own. Over days or weeks, as you add treasured fabrics, meaningful details, and quiet stitches, your book will grow into a personal keepsake that tells a story only you know.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the Stories Folded in Cloth online workshop, participants will be able to:
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Construct the foundation of a textile concertina book that you can add your layers to.
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Assemble the front and back covers of the concertina book using your selected fabrics and the construction techniques demonstrated in class.
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Apply fabric, lace, trims, and other textile embellishments to create layers, texture, and visual dimension.
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Demonstrate at least three simple hand stitching techniques to add texture and personal meaning to your book.
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Use transfer paper to incorporate at least one photograph, handwritten element, image, or piece of ephemera into your textile book page.
Skill Level
This workshop is suitable for all skill levels.
Class Schedule
Duration: 6 hours
Instructor: Ana Buzzalino
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Welcome and introduction to the concertina format
Presentation of Ana’s textile concertina books for inspiration
Exploring fabrics, vintage textiles, lace, buttons, and personal materials
Understanding the structure of the concertina book
Preparing and beginning the foundation of the book
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Understanding ways to add layers, texture, and dimension
Demonstration of incorporating fabric, lace, trims, and other embellishments
Time for students to begin developing their own pages and personal design choices
Creating front and back covers
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Demonstration of simple hand stitches and decorative details
Using transfer paper to add photographs, images, handwriting, and ephemera
Exploring ways to create meaning and connection within the pages
Guided work time and discussion
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Sharing ideas and troubleshooting
Exploring possibilities for completing and expanding the book beyond the class
Inspiration for future concertina books and variations
Final questions and reflections
Students will leave with the foundation of their own textile concertina book, a collection of techniques to continue exploring, and inspiration to keep adding layers, stories, and stitches at their own pace.
About Ana Buzzalino
Ana Buzzalino is a fiber artist, textile storyteller, teacher, and lecturer whose work is defined by layers, texture, and a deep connection to the stories held within materials. Her creative process blends traditional and contemporary textile techniques, resulting in pieces that feel both timeless and strikingly modern.
Ana is drawn to the stories carried by materials—the marks left by time, the beauty of imperfection, and the memories embedded in objects and textiles. While her earlier work explored the textures and narratives found in weathered buildings, aged surfaces, and forgotten structures, her recent work has turned increasingly toward vintage fabrics, antique linens, lace, buttons, and found materials. Through quilts, textile books, and mixed media works, she honors the makers and hands that came before us, transforming treasured textiles into contemporary pieces that celebrate memory, connection, and the quiet beauty of slow making.
Her work has been recognized nationally and internationally, receiving awards at Quilt Canada, the Festival of Quilts in the UK, and the International Quilt Festival in Houston, including 1st Prize in Abstract (2017) and 3rd Prize in Abstract (2019). More recently, one of her textile books was juried into the Grand National Fibre Art Exhibition – Textures of Canada, reflecting her ongoing exploration of textiles as a medium for storytelling, memory, and connection.
Beyond creating, Ana shares her passion through writing and teaching. She is a regular contributor to Quilting Arts Magazine and A Needle Pulling Thread and has made multiple appearances on Quilting Arts TV. In 2019, Ana was named Quilter of Distinction at Heritage Park Festival of Quilts, and in 2022 she was invited to appear on The Quilt Show, further highlighting her contribution to the quilting and fibre art community.
With over four decades of experience working with textiles, Ana encourages students to slow down, experiment, and discover their own stories through cloth, stitch, and creative exploration.
Ana’s Website: anabuzzalino.com
Instagram: @ana_buzzalino
Supply List
Your concertina book will become a reflection of your own story, so begin by gathering fabrics and materials that inspire you. There is no need to purchase new fabrics - some of the most beautiful results come from textiles that already carry a history. Start by using what you have on hand.
Look through your collections and gather pieces that speak to you: fabrics you love, textiles you have saved, or materials that hold a special memory. Your book will be unique because it will be created from your own choices.
Fabrics & Textile Materials
A selection of favorite fabrics, scraps, and textile remnants for your pages
Pieces approximately 5" (12.5 cm) or larger are recommended where possible
Consider using patchwork cottons, designer fabric remnants, hand-dyed fabrics, vintage linens, lace, embroidery fragments, or pieces cut from clothing and household textiles
Old, worn, washed, and loved fabrics are especially welcome—their history and imperfections add character and meaning
Fabric pieces for the front and back covers of your book
Choose a favorite fabric from your collection or create a cover that is completely your own
Optional embellishments:
Buttons
Beads
Ribbons
Trims
Additional lace or decorative textile pieces
You may wish to work with a particular color palette or theme or simply allow your materials to guide you.
Foundation Fabric
One strip of fabric 40" long x 7" wide (96 cm x 18 cm) to create the concertina structure
Choose a fabric that holds a crease well, such as cotton, muslin or calico, or linen. A neutral or colored fabric may be used, depending on the look you want to create.
Use a finished edge, decorative border, or interesting selvedge as part of your design
Let the fabric guide your choices. Finished edges, raw edges, and small imperfections can all become part of the story of your book.
Threads & Stitching Supplies
Sewing thread to match your fabrics, or a favorite neutral thread color that can be used throughout
Threads for embellishing in colors that complement your textiles, such as:
Stranded embroidery threads
Perle cotton no. 12 or 8 in solid or variegated colors
Silk, etc.
A variety of hand sewing needles suitable for both sewing and embroidery threads
Tools
Fabric scissors
Embroidery scissors
Pins
A thimble – if you use one
A needle threader – if needed
Glue stick
Optional Elements & Embellishments
Bring any small treasures or materials that help tell your story and add personality to your book. Consider including:
Buttons
Beads
Charms or small found objects
Ribbons, trims, or decorative threads
Additional lace or textile fragments
Stamps and stamping supplies for adding marks, patterns, or images
Printed photographs, images, handwriting, postcards, or paper ephemera
These elements are optional and should reflect your own style and story.
Most importantly, bring materials that inspire you. Your concertina book will not be a copy of anyone else’s - it will become a place where your own fabrics, stitches, and memories come together.
A place where stories find a home.
Important Information Read Before Registering for Your Online Workshop
Cancellation Policy
If the Estelle Center must cancel a retreat, you will receive a full refund.
Your $200 fee is non-refundable. However, if you cancel your reservation and the Estelle Center is able to fill your space, your payment of $200 will be refunded less a $100 cancellation fee.
Payments
The entire workshop fee of $200 is required to register. This is an online workshop. You will receive the meeting URL one week before the workshop.
What To Expect Next
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