Fiber Club* July 2025 Announcements
Thanks to everyone who showed up on Tuesday, July 15 for a nourishing dialogue and fantastic updates on what everyone’s excited to accomplish this summer!
Onto the announcements.
Fiber Club* Stuff
» Art Detroit Now: Art Crawl - Sunday, July 20, 11AM-4PM
Fiber Club* will have a pop-up as part of the upcoming Art Detroit Now: Art Crawl on Sunday, July 20 from 11AM-4PM. Drop in for a sampling of demonstrations and hands-on experiences!
Sunday, July 20
11AM-4PM
2857 E Grand Blvd #103, Detroit, MI 48202
ALL DAY: Stuff Swap w/ Kris Jaramillo
Clean out your arts & crafts storage and drop off items to find new homes. Taking donations of fabric, yarn, tools, supplies and more. We recommend dropping off earlier in the day to allow others to re-home your treasures! All are invited to swing through and find something new-to-you! Always, our stuff swaps are completely free, and all remaining items will be donated to Arts & Scraps.
11AM-1PM: Spinning Demonstration + Experience w/ Kelly Darke
Watch how wool is spun into yarn; experience a variety of fibers for spinning, a drum carder, a mini electric spinner, finished hand spun yarn. Bring your scraps of old fabric and cut offs of yarn from old projects to see it blended into new yarn.
1-2:30PM: Ikat Warp Demonstration + Experience w/ Amanda Thatch
Anyone who can tie a knot can participate in this live demonstration of how to prepare an Ikat weaving warp. Visitors can tie Ikat resists to create an unplanned, emergent community resist pattern.
1-2:30PM: Digital Weaving Demo & Display w/ Jeffrey Evergreen
Jeff will have his 'network weavings' on hand, along with a related video synth piece on a CRT monitor.
2:30-4PM: Acrylic Painting on Fabric Experience w/ Amy Unger
Learn how to use acrylic paint and paint markers on fabrics for quilting. Amy will demonstrate her process and allow for plenty of time for visitors to play and find their vibe painting on fabric.
2:30-4PM: Disruptive Camo Display & Talk w/ Sophia Brueckner
Sophia is bringing her latest Disruptive Camo work developed in the last year and will talk about her inspiration and process.
CALLS + OPPORTUNITIES
» DaJanier is starting a project called Thrive Art Collective to help underrepresented artists expand their entrepreneurial skills. This will include workshops and more - sign up on the Thrive website to stay in the loop.
» Margaret Hull shared a call for quilt squares for an upcoming project in conjunction with the bicentennial:
Join the National Quilt Project for America’s 250th Anniversary!
Artist Mary Milne is a textile artist in central New York who is launching a large grassroots project: a “National Quilt” to be made by people from all over the United States.
This project is an opportunity to repair our torn social fabric by bringing people together through the shared love of textiles, and to create a meaningful symbol of unity. The National Quilt Project will officially launch on July 4th, 2026 on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Organizers will spread out a selection of early quilt squares from around the country upon the National Mall. As this collective art project develops, more displays will follow, leading to a target final exhibition date in 2030.
Participate by making 18” quilt squares and share the idea with others. All skill levels, techniques and designs are welcome!
See the website for more info: NationalQuiltProject.org
Contact Mary: NationalQuiltProject@gmail.com
» The Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment program will award grants of $1,000–$5,000 to individual craft artists to purchase artistic tools and equipment that support their ability to make object-based work. Submissions due August 8.
» The City of Novi, MI, has an artist in residency program at the Villa Barr Art Park, and applications are now open for the next round. They contacted Fiber Club* because they recently acquired a floor loom for the studio! There are six open slots each session for local and visiting artists, with private studios and access to a shared woodshop and welding studio. Each resident receives a $500 materials stipend and access to the private studio space. Get the details and apply: cityofnovi.org/villabarr
» Bas Blue in Detroit has an open call for women and non-binary artists from across Michigan to submit original works that explore and express “The Concept of Home.”Submissions due Friday, July 18!
GATHER, MAKE + LEARN
» You’re invited to a community dye party, hosted by The Eastside Handweavers Guild, sponsored by The Michigan League of Handweavers!
Saturday, August 9, 12-5PM, at Spread Art
Please bring something to dye (yarn, fabric, etc) that will fit in a 1-gallon ziploc bag. SILK, SYNTHETIC, OR PLANT-BASED FIBERS ONLY. We will provide the dyes and one bag per guest, you will seal your dyed object in the ziploc bag and rinse it out at home 24 hours later.
RSVP here!
The group is also holding a Yard Sale fundraiser on July 19, 11-3, at 21617 Briarcliff in St. Clair Shores — expect to find yarns, threads, and more weaving supplies.
» Linda Kentoffio is teaching intro to paper making workshops out of their studio at 40 W. Howard in Pontiac. Linda will give a brief history on paper, the properties and uses of different fibers, and a look at some paper samples to show examples of what you can do with paper. Then we will get making! Plan for it to get wet! Linda will show basic sheet formation, how to create inclusions in the paper, and pulp painting.
One day workshops for beginners from 10AM-4PM cost $75, and will take place on the following Saturdays: July 26, August 9, August 30, September 13, September 27. Bring lunch and anything you might wish to embed in your paper (thread, leaves fabric, etc.) Email Linda to sign up!
» D’Artillery in Hamtramck has a bunch of stuff going on related to sewing and fashion. Also check out their upcoming information session about Woventures, a 12-week program for creative and entrepreneurial women.
» Heather Macali announced the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan, MI, August 13-17. Heather is teaching a couple workshops and there will be many more, plus plenty of yarn and fiber to see and buy! The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival is the weekend after Labor Day - it’s even bigger and will have more animals! (and workshops and fiber)
» Kaylah El-Amin inquired about resources to learn how to use a sewing machine. We pulled together a few and you’ve added some, too! The round-up is here - add any other resources worth shouting out.
» Meghan Navoy from Rosemarine Textiles is teaching a sewing machine for complete beginners class on Sunday, July 20!
» Angela Zachary is teaching more sewing workshops at POST in the coming months. Check out Sewing Essentials and make your own bag - or learn how to sew your own cross-body bag!
» Scarlett Crane has two upcoming natural dye + screenprinting workshops coming up - one features indigo (August 9) and the other features natural dyes (July 26).
» Kira Keck is teaching Woven Structures: Interpreting the Classics from July 25-29 at Peter’s Valley School of Craft in NJ.
» Check out the upcoming Textile Talks presented by SAQA and Surface Design Magazine.
Looking for opportunities to make work in community with others? Our Soft Studies series is on hiatus, but there are lots of other spaces and times to get together:
Tea Johnson is planning a BYOP (Bring Your Own Project) park meet-up Friday, July 18 from 6–8pm at Mt. Elliott Park. Chill vibe — bring whatever you’re working on (crochet, knitting, embroidery, beadwork, etc.), a blanket or chair, snacks, and come hang out in good company! Hop in the Substack chat to let her know if you can swing by!
POST hosts free Thursday knit nights from 6-8PM.
SHOWS
» MOUSE Gallery has an exhibit of small works up for the Art Crawl. See work by Kira Keck, Jane Sasso, and more at this gallery run by Ardele Monk.
» DaJanier has work in the Detroit Breakfast Club Auction as part of the Art Crawl at Jam Handy on July 20. Another great stop to add to your day!
» Katie Shulman is part of a two-person show, Intertwined, at Stephenson Ceramic Studio in Ann Arbor. Opening Reception is July 26, 1-4PM!
» Kelly Darke has work in the upcoming ArtPrize show in Grand Rapids! Stop by Courage and Sword to see her work if you’re visiting the show.
» Rosie Sharp is curating a show called Reciprocity at the Downtown Synagogue, opening on August 17. It will include many artists you may already know, plus a fun art scavenger hunt.
» Melanie Manos has work up at the Hellenic Museum of Michigan exhibition Odyssey of Colors featuring work of the regional Hellenic diaspora. Her digital collages feature body and built environment patterns and clusters of the self-reliant shero.*
*Melanie adds food for thought: to gender "hero" or not - or is it inherently gendered? OED definition - note the 1830s origin!; one brief discussion here: Boston College Career Center
» Arts in Bloom, an exhibition by Lisa S. Anderson is now open and continues to evolve at the Detroit Main Library on Woodward and runs until the end of the summer.
Where else can we see your work?! Email us to be added.
CLASSIFIEDS
» Margaret Hull has a big roll of polyester batting available!
» Sophie Yan is creating an art installation using a pin-felting machine during her residency at ISAIC and she NEEDS FABRIC! The fabric will be upcycled through the pin-felting process. Contact Sophie if you have woven fabrics of almost all kinds! Preferably natural fibers (cotton, linen, wool) like old bedding, clothing, and fabric scraps. (No stretchy knits or synthetics.) (Pssstt: Sophie also said she’d like to teach a free pin-felting workshop in September - stay tuned!)
» Mariko Brenner is always looking for volunteers at her urban garden, KB Home Gardens, in Farmington Hills!
» Find a knitting machine, spinning wheel and calls for help with sewing in the Substack Chat: Classifieds! Have something to sell or give? Need something? Add yours to the roundup.
Share any updates you’d like for us to add and/or re-post on Instagram!