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.

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! 

​

Outreach Opportunities

, A special shout-out to members Catherine, Lisa and Kathleen who stepped up to champion our guild outreach and membership initiative! They're doing an amazing job finding opportunities and coordinating members to demonstrate their talents. The first opportunity this year occurred on May 17th at the Ruby Ellen Farm Plough Day! Catherine demonstrated weaving on her floor loom and Lisa on her antique Structo loom. Both had a line of future weavers all day anxious to throw a shuttle. Dee Dee had the opportunity to introduce future fiber artists to spinning yarn on a spinning wheel. Although the weather was a little chilly, hearts were warmed by the interest in the craft that we love so much! Our outreach team will be demonstrating and representing our guild at the Fresh Coast Fiber Festival at the Traverse City Civic Center May 30th/31th and at Old Mission Peninsula Log Cabin Day on June 28th, Lake Ann Homecoming on July 18th and at the Northern Michigan Fair August 11-15. If you are a member and would like to be involved in any outreach program, contact Lisa or Catherine. If you are not yet a member, please stop by and check out all our guild has to offer!

Upcoming Events

2025 Guild Sponsored Workshops

 ​September 17, 2026 - Monthly Guild Meeting - Kathy Forzely presentation on felting

September 18, 2026 - Forest Floor Journal Cover - Kathy Forzley

September 19, 2026 - Painting with Wool - Kathy Forzley

September 26, 2026 - Rainbow Farms Alpaca Day 10am-4pm - Guild member demonstrations

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

October 4, 2026 - Ruby Ellen Farms 12pm-4pm - 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 

This past year the Northland Weavers and Fiber Arts Guild was proud to host two nationally known fiber artists, Mary Zicafoose and Janney Simpson. Guild members were treated to fun filled days of learning and exploring the techniques of iKat and Sakiori. Be sure to visit our "Workshops" tab to learn more!