Valerie Goodwin
Layered Compositions Mixed Media
A Five-Day Retreat
Sunday, June 20th, 5:30 pm: Meet & Greet
June 21 - 25, 2027
$1395
In this mixed-media workshop, you’ll make layered textile art. You’ll explore how cut pieces, sheer materials, and stitching can create depth, movement, and visual excitement.
Using shapes from geometry, nature, and maps, you’ll create a mixed-media surface that balances planned design with spontaneous creation, where layers hide, show, and change each other.
We will use the Silhouette Cameo to produce precise cut elements, along with a curated set of pre-cut laser shapes for further experimentation. We will combine these components with fabric, collage materials, and hand stitching to build a richly layered composition.
Techniques include electronic and hand-cutting, collage construction, layering strategies, slow stitching, and surface development. The retreat will emphasize composition, material relationships, and the evolution of a cohesive visual structure.
You will develop your own visual style by exploring processes, layering, and materials. By the end of the workshop, you will have finished mixed-media textile pieces.
Materials: Silk organza, kimono scraps, and non-woven fabrics are some of the ingredients we’ll use.
Techniques: Electronic cutting, hand stitching, painting, fusing, and other mixed-media methods.
Design Goals: To create light and lacy compositions based on exploration and experimentation.
The instructor will teach you step-by-step to use the Silhouette Cameo software to cut hand-sketched and downloaded copyright-free designs and shapes. Students will learn how to use these images in the Cameo software and cut them with the machine. You will incorporate these cut elements into your artwork to create lace-like fiber art. You will have ample opportunity for experimentation, which is the essence of mixed-media art.
The Layered Compositions Mixed-Media Retreat offers a comprehensive learning experience focused on textile art. The key learning objectives for participants include:
Learning Objectives
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Create layered textile compositions using cut shapes, translucent materials, and stitched marks to build depth, rhythm, and visual tension.
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Blend intentional design with improvisation, allowing layers to interact, reveal, conceal, and transform.
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Employ the Silhouette Cameo for precise cutting of design elements and integrate pre-cut laser shapes with fabric and collage materials.
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Apply techniques including electronic and hand-cutting, collage construction, layering, slow stitching, and surface development for richly layered outcomes.
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Complete finished mixed media textile pieces that reflect a personal aesthetic, developed through process, material exploration, and cohesive visual structuring.
Skill Level
This workshop is suitable for all skill levels.
What's Included In The Retreat
Meet and greet with hors d'oeuvres on Sunday, September 12th at 5:30 pm
Five days of instruction--Monday through Friday
Five lunches
For information on renting a sewing machine, click here.
Retreat Schedule
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Sunday, June 20th
5:30 pm
Join us for an informal gathering with the instructors and participants. Hors d'oeuvres will be served.
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Monday, June 21st
9 am to 4 pm
Materials, Tools & Techniques
Morning: Welcome and workshop introduction. Presentation on the digital-to-fabric process, followed by a brief demo using the Silhouette Cameo Cutter.
Afternoon: A quick hands-on project using curated cut fabrics and sheer materials. Explore how cut shapes, translucency, and stitched marks create layered compositions. Share work in a group critique. -
Tuesday, June 22nd
9 am to 4 pm
Composition Development & Digital Cutting
Morning: Presentation on composition in design, followed by sketching and collage studies to develop ideas for a small composition project. Combine fusible shapes from the instructor’s stash with shapes each student cuts on the Silhouette Cameo. Explore relationships among shape, color, and material.
Afternoon: Continue developing compositions, guided by design principles and insights from the first day’s exercise. Conclude with group critique and discussion.
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Wednesday, June 23rd
9 am to 4 pm
Layered Construction & Surface Design
Morning: Introduction to the final project. Translate ideas into layered fabric compositions using digitally cut elements.
Afternoon: Use wet media to enhance fabrics. Studio time for creating painted fabrics and developing materials for the final composition.
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Thursday, June 24th
9 am to 4 pm
From Idea to Composition
Morning:Discuss project ideas, design challenges, and creative direction, then begin focused work on individual compositions.
Afternoon: Extended studio time for building, layering, and stitching, with individual guidance throughout.
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Friday, June 25th
9 am to 4 pm
Refinement & Completion
Morning:
Continue refining compositions, focusing on visual relationships, layering, and surface detail.
Afternoon: Final studio session for finishing artwork, making design decisions, and preparing pieces for review. Participants reflect on the week, share their work, and celebrate the distinct voices that emerged along the way.
Meet Your Instructor
Valerie Goodwin
Valerie Goodwin is a mixed media fiber artist, architect, and retired architectural professor. Her fine art is featured in both museum and private collections. Much of her work draws inspiration from her fascination with aerial views of landscapes and cities, with many of her designs based on maps.
She received degrees in architecture from Washington University and Yale University. Her award-winning work has been widely published and exhibited. She also lectures and gives workshops nationally and internationally. For over 26 years, she taught architectural design at Florida A & M University.
Her book, Art Quilt Maps: Capture a Sense of Place with Fiber Collage-A Visual Guide is widely available.
Artists Statement:
Her work explores the connections between architecture, mapping, and the stories carried within built spaces. Trained first as an architect and now working as a textile artist, she reimagines familiar structures through layered fabric, stitching, and mixed-media processes. Inspired by a lifelong fascination with aerial views of cities and landscapes, she creates detailed works that combine architectural imagery with textile techniques. By blending digital tools such as a laser cutter with careful handwork, she builds compositions that balance structure with experimentation.
Sometimes research is an important part of her process. She looks into the historical, cultural, and social histories of the places she explores, searching for overlooked stories and unexpected connections. These discoveries often shape the direction of her work. At other times, she works more intuitively, allowing the materials and the process itself to guide the piece as it develops.
Using fabric, thread, and other tactile materials, she creates layered surfaces that reflect the complexity and diversity of urban environments. Fragments of maps, street grids, and architectural forms overlap and intersect, echoing the many histories and lived experiences that exist within cities.
Website:valeriegoodwinart.com
Social Media
Instagram: @valeriegoodwinart
Facebook: ValerieGoodwinArt
Supply List
Supply Fee: $50
This fee provides each student with a kit containing off-white silk organza, Pellon 830, fusibles, an assortment of laser cut lines and shapes plus other materials we’ll use in class.
Required Materials to Purchase from Valerie on First Day of Workshop
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Notebook and/or sketchbook
Pencil and/or pen
Jacquard Dye-Na-Flow — 8-Color Set (or similar)Setacolor Initiation Set - Light Fabrics 6 x 20ml (or similar)
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Sewing machine with walking foot and free-motion foot
Note: Some students may choose to sew by machine, some by hand, and others may prefer to fuse. I encourage you to explore all three options.
Small pair of very sharp fabric scissors
Small pair of paper scissors
Needles for hand sewing
Pins
An assortment of embroidery and quilting needles
Sewing machine thread you like to use — please include black, white, and gray
Decorative threads for hand stitching
Thimble
Seam ripper
FlexiFuse Lightweight Fusible Web -- 10 Sheets (8" x 10.5”)
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Inexpensive flat artist bushes, ¼"–1"
Inexpensive 2" (±) house painter’s brush
Inexpensive rubber gloves (optional, for those who prefer clean hands)
A few plastic plates and cups, plus garbage bags
Teflon sheet or parchment paper
Iron (if not provided by the venue)
Medium-sized rotary cutter
Gridded rotary cutter ruler
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Although white silk organza is included in the class kit, please bring additional silk organza—a few half-yards in colors you like.
Polyester organza is not recommended.
Allow for shipping time. Recommended sources:
https://fabrics-fabrics.com/collections/silk-organza-fabrics
https://www.thaisilks.com//index.php?cPath=1_11
(search “silk organza”—many vendors carry it)
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Bring any colors you like. Consider:
Commercial or hand-dyed solids
Marbled fabric
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Rent a Sewing Machine
Retreat Sewing Machine Rental
We rent the Bernina 350 Ricky Tims' Special Edition which is a great machine for quilters. Standard accessories for the sewing machine includes the slide-on extension table, the practical Free Hand System (FHS), the BERNINA walking foot as well as two additional feet for quilting and patchwork.
There are a limited number of machines available for rent, so reserve yours when you book your retreat. If you don't see a machine rental option, it means all the machines have already been rented.
$100 per retreat
Important Information Read Before Registering
Cancellation Policy
If the Estelle Center cancels a retreat, you will receive a full refund of all payments made.
The $500 deposit is non-refundable.
If you cancel your reservation and the Estelle Center is able to fill your space with another participant, your $500 deposit will be refunded minus a $100 cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 45 days of the retreat's Meet & Greet date, no refunds will be issued unless the Estelle Center is able to fill your spot. In that case, any refund will be subject to the $100 cancellation fee.
We have limited guest accommodations. If you cancel your room reservation at any time, you will be refunded your payment minus a $150 cancellation fee.
Payments
A deposit of $500 is required to register. The balance of $895 is due by April 21st 2027, 60 days before the start of the retreat.
After April 21, 2027, the full retreat cost of $1,395 is required to register.
Meals & Lodging
The Layered Compositions Mixed Media Retreat includes meet and greet with appetizers, five lunches, and five days of instruction. Other meals and lodging are not included in the registration fee.
Guest rooms at Estelle's Upstairs are available for retreat participants. There are single, double, and triple occupancy rooms that share a large bathroom down the hall. To book a guest room, scroll down to the payment section below.
Click here to learn more about our guest rooms.
Click here to find other accommodations in La Veta.
What To Expect Next
Please add sunshine@estellecreativearts.com to your safe senders list to make sure you receive our emails.
Service Animal Policy
To preserve a calm and welcoming space for creativity and connection, we ask that guests do not bring pets or emotional support animals.
Service dogs, trained to assist and supported by law, are always welcome. Thank you for helping us hold this space with care. If you have questions or specific needs, we invite you to reach out ahead of your visit.
Click here to learn more about the The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Service Animal Policy.
