Who am I? Arpillera Self-Portrait Dolls (Beginner)

Friday, August 28 | 1-4 PM
FREE

This workshop has been developed exclusively for Immigrant, Refugee, and Newcomer participants, with thanks to Toronto Arts Council Funding via their Newcomer and Refugee Arts Engagement program.

Spend an afternoon learning the Chilean textile tradition of arpilleras – hand-stitched textile artworks made with fabric scraps, embroidery and appliqué. Guided by Andrea Idrobo, participants will learn the basic techniques used to create an arpillera doll, a small textile figure traditionally made by layering fabric and adding stitched details to tell stories about everyday life, memories, and personal experiences.

This workshop will guide participants through the basic structure and construction of the doll, providing a foundation that everyone can follow. Participants will have the opportunity to personalize their work by adding clothing, hairstyles, colours, textures, objects, and details that reflect their own identity. Additional textile objects can be created to further tell their own stories, such as a favourite object, plant, animal, food, landscape, or symbol.

This is a free workshop for participants who identify as a member of the Immigrant, Refugee, and Newcomer community.

For any accessibility needs, please email Marium Durrani (mdurrani@textilemuseum.ca).

Type: Program

Date: Aug 28, 2026, 1pm - Aug 28, 2026, 4pm

This workshop is part of the Museum’s workshop series: Liminal Threads. In this workshop series, the Museum aims to create space for newcomers, refugees, and newcomers, cultivating a space where they can bridge the divide of settling in Canada. Taught by local Immigrant, Refugee, and Newcomer artists, participants are taught new modes of sustainable thinking, textile making techniques, and creating new community. We would like to thank the Toronto Arts Council Strategic Funding: Newcomer and Refugee Arts Engagement, for funding this program.

Facilitator Bio

The workshop is facilitated by Andrea Idrobo, an Ecuadorian Chilean visual and textile artist from Watermelon Seeds Collective

Andrea Idrobo is an Ecuadorian-Chilean visual and textile artist based in Toronto. Working with embroidery, textiles, and repurposed materials, she explores memory and identity through making. Inspired by everyday stories and textile traditions, her work reflects on the ways handmade objects carry memory and connect us to one another.

Andrea is interested in how textiles create spaces for conversation and learning. Her work is shaped by cultural heritage and the quiet exchanges that happen when people make things together.

Alongside her independent practice, Andrea works as an art assistant and facilitates community workshops that invite people of all backgrounds to experiment, learn new skills, and create together. She is also an active member of Watermelon Seeds Collective and Tatreez Circle, where she helps organize collaborative textile projects, workshops, and community initiatives.