Northland Weavers & Fiber Arts Guild

​Welcome to the Northland Weavers & Fiber Arts Guild. We are a group of avid weavers and fiber artists living and creating in Northern Michigan. Our guild meets monthly and hosts a variety of fiber-related workshops to further our experience and enhance our creative knowledge in all of the fiber arts. We meet to share our work, inspire each other, learn a new skill or technique, and collaborate with like-minded fiber enthusiasts. Our members represent all areas of the fiber arts as we have weavers, spinners, knitters, dyers, felters to name just a few. So come join us. Learn a new skill and share your talents! 

​Monthly Guild Meetings

​Meeting Dates: The Guild meets the third Thursday of every month. January and February meetings are via Zoom only.
Meeting Times: 5:00 - 7:00pm (approximate ending time)
Meeting Location: Grace Episcopal Church. 341 Washington Street, Traverse City. The parking lot and the church entry is accessible through the alley between State and Washington.
Topic/Presentation: Topics vary. After our business meeting there is sometimes a presenter or a slide show. There is almost always a "show and tell" - so bring a fiber arts project you created and share! All are welcome.

Note: Meetings are often hybrid with Zoom. Invites will be emailed to current members.

The Weft Ikat Sampler Workshop - Mary Zicafoose

Marilyn couldn't contain her enthusiasm (and neither could we) as we welcomed world renowned textile artist, Mary Zicafoose, back to our guild this summer! We are incredibly fortunate that Mary visits friends in the Traverse City area each year and is willing to spend a few days with guild members interested in learning ikat.

Ikat is a dyeing and weaving technique where either the warp threads (warp ikat) or weft threads (weft ikat) are tightly wrapped in patterns before dyeing and then woven into cloth. Last year members learned the technique of warp ikat and were anxious for Mary's return to teach weft ikat this year!. It's amazing the patterns you can create with this technique. Just check out Dee Dee's weft ikat designs in the photo to the right. 

Workshops such as Mary's creating a weft ikat sampler is just one of the benefits of joining a guild! Can't wait to see the finished projects at our next guild meeting.

Kathy Forzley's FeltingWorkshops 

Our guild was thrilled to welcome Kathy Forzley to Northern Michigan this September for two fun filled days of learning the skills and techniques of felting with wool. The workshops were perfect for those who have never felted as well as experienced felters.

Kathy's first workshop, Forest Floor Journal, had participants creating a lovely journal cover. Members were able to express their creativity during day two where many created landscapes or floral arrangements inspired by nature. Kathy's expert teaching and demonstrating the techniques of creating specific effects with wool and embellishments had us all inspired! 

Thank you so much, Kathy, for sharing your art with us and for all our members who made these two days so much fun!

The NEW Guild Challenge

Our VP/Program Director, Jenny, and Secretary, Barbara, teamed up to develop our new guild challenge! This challenge is bound to stretch our imagination. Members are asked to create a self portrait or a self representation using any fiber arts media. We just can't wait to see what our very talented and creative members share at our monthly meeting in November!  Yes, that's right! You have all summer to work on your self portrait! 

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Upcoming Events

The Dot Challenge Display

September 2026 - Dot Challenge Display at the Traverse City Public Library

October 4, 2026 - Ruby Ellen Farms 12pm-4pm - Guild member demonstrations

October 10, 2026 - Heritage Day Celebration 1pm-4pm - Empire Area Museum - Guild member demonstrations

October 15, 2026 - Monthly Guild Meeting. Terry Tarnow's presentation on Guatemalan textiles

October 24th, 2026 - Playgroup 10am-4pm - Empire Town Hall 

​November 19, 2026 - Monthly Guild Meeting

A special thank you to guild member, Marty, for coordinating our Dot Challenge display at the Traverse City Public Library in celebration of Dot Day during the month of September! Be sure to stop on by see what our talented artists created.