History

Founders

We gratefully acknowledge the following fiber artists as founders of our organization:

Ruthie Powers Mary Macaulay Diane Barney Meg Wilson
Diane Sandlin Carol Ikard Martha Tsihlas Linda Miles
Jean Dahlgren Sue Foss Malissa Long Vivian Mahlab

Timeline

Here are the significant accomplishments throughout the years that AFA has been active.

  • 2007
    • The Austin Fiber Artists Yahoo Group is established
    • “Play-dates” at member’s homes are held to share fiber techniques and encouragement
    • Austin Fiber Artists Bylaws are developed
  • 2008
    • The first Austin Fiber Artists e-newsletter is published by Sandi Smith
    • The first members’ exhibit at Wesley Gallery in Dripping Springs
    • Austin Fiber Artists website is developed http://austinfiberartists.org/
  • 2009
    • Austin Fiber Artists was invited to exhibit at Austin Bergstrom International Airport
    • Diane Sandlin is elected as president and serves 2 one-year terms
    • The second non-juried exhibition at Wesley Gallery is held
  • 2010
    • Austin Fiber Artists’ first juried show is held at Tokyo Electron in Austin.
    • The interactive fiber art exhibit, To Be Touched, is displayed in four senior facilities in Austin
    • The annual non-juried exhibition at Wesley Gallery is held
  • 2011
    • The annual non-juried exhibition at Wesley Gallery in April is held
    • Austin Fiber Artists participates in a “Knitted Wonderland” at the University of Texas, Blanton Museum Plaza
    • Austin Fiber Artists is accepted by the City of Austin to exhibit in August, at the Dougherty Arts Center, Butridge Gallery
    • Austin Fiber Artists is invited to exhibit at Arts for Rural Texas in Fayetteville and re-invited with a juried exhibit in 2012
    • Austin Fiber Artists Bylaws are revised
    • Pam Farley is elected president and serves two one-year terms.
  • 2012
    • The annual non-juried exhibition at Wesley Gallery is held
    • AFA’s first Style Show, Fashion Fusion, is presented in collaboration with the Weavers and Spinners Society of Austin
    • Sherri Lipman McCauley (4 year term) and Pam Farley (2 year term) were elected as representatives to the Texas Federation of Fiber Artists
    • AFA participates at Badgerdog Literary Summer Camp.
  • 2013
    • A juried members’ exhibition is held at Tokyo Electron in February
    • The annual non-juried exhibition at Wesley Gallery is held
    • A juried exhibit at the Dougherty Arts Center is displayed in August
    • Dee Merrill is elected President and serves one and a half terms
    • The group receives approval to become a 501(c)3 organization
  • 2014
    • A three-month long juried exhibit is displayed at Austin Bergstrom airport
    • AFA participates in the Texas Federation of Fiber Artists’ “Fiber Explosion” exhibit
    • The annual non-juried exhibition at Wesley Gallery is held in April
    • AFA supports hands-on creativity with a booth at Makefaire.  Kids of all ages enjoy creating fiber collage bookmarks.
    • This years’ workshops include textile painting with Judy Coates Perez, shibori dying with Joy-Lily, and repetitive patterns and stamp-making with Beverly Pedersen
    • Lorraine Bier succeeds Dee Merrill as President
  • 2015
    • We held an Open House in June, full of demonstrations and participatory fiber arts as well as food, drink, and good fun.
    • The northern group started meeting on the 2nd Tuesdays of the month in Round Rock
    • We filled the Buttridge Gallery with “Threads in the Tapestry of Austin”, juried by Mickie Rodriquez. The members’ wall held work depicting motifs of Austin life, done in black, white and one color
    • The Carver Library’s glass exhibit case held examples of all types of fiber art in our “Make It Small” show
    • The annual non-juried exhibition at Wesley Gallery is held in April
    • AFA members returned to MakerFaire with the fiber collage bookmarks and added a vertical burlap frame to stitch with colorful yarn.  Felting, weaving and spinning were demonstrated.
    • This years’ workshops include Nicole Brown’s 2-day felting workshop, Susie Monday’s nature-inspired surface design, and Nina Mihm’s multi-media collage project workshop
  • 2016
    • AFA held a booth at Quiltfest, allowing members to show their skills and sell their works.  The booth was filled with attractive items and had a steady stream of visitors over the 3 day show.
    • AFA supported MakerFaire for the 3rd year, returning with the popular fiber collage bookmarks and stitching panel and adding finger knitting.  We demonstrated triangle loom weaving, regular loom weaving, and spinning as well.
    • AFA offered 4 workshops throughout the year.  Miki Rodriquez taught us how to use non-traditional techniques and materials.  Sue Foss led a nozome fabric painting session.  Marinda Steward taught the art of making 3 dimensional flowers and vines, and Meg Wilson taught a nunofelting class, where beautiful silk and wool scarves were created.
    • AFA members showed their skills in using all types of fiber techniques and media at the Pflugerville library’s show “Referencing Fiber”.
  • 2017
    • AFA joined with the Weavers and Spinners Society of Austin (WSSA) to host a lecture by California writer Stephen Yafa.  He spoke about cotton and the place it has in American history.
    • AFA offered 3 workshops;
      • painting with dye on silk by Washington artist Beverly Pedersen,
      • making baskets with Cricket Rose, and
      • learning how to design from your strengths with San Antonio artist Susie Monday.
    • AFA held three exhibits of work at three places:
      • the Austin airport,
      • the Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top, and
      • the Gallery At The J – Shalom Austin
  • 2018
    • AFA continued its tradition of combining education with fun by giving all members fiber challenge boxes. Each box contained similar bits and pieces of textiles and embellishments, which the artists combined to create art that was uniquely their own.
    • AFA offered workshops;
      • So, What’s It Worth? Appraising and Pricing Textiles with Cheryl Christian
      • Felting Workshop with Marie Spaulding, owner of “Living Felt” felting supply company
      • Boro – Japanese mending technique workshop with Carol Ziogas
    • AFA contributed to the community through educational projects;
      • AFA had a booth at Sunset Valley’s Art Fest, where kids of all ages could learn about weaving, embroidery and make fiber collage bookmarks to take home
      • AFA contributed fashion fabrics to the Bertha Sadler Means Young Women’s Academy
      • AFA created hand-made fiber arts holiday cards for all of Holy Cross Lutheran Church’s Meals on Wheels recipients
    • AFA held exhibits of work at:
      • Our own traveling Trunk Show
      • Images of Austin- “Framed in Fiber”
  • 2019
    • AFA contributed to the community through educational projects:
      • Valentines: We donated hand-made valentines to people in state-supported housing.
      • Clothing repair fix-it clinic: We succeeded in using our talents and materials at a clothing fix-it clinic at Ruiz Library and had fun doing it.
      • Austin Arts Fair Activity Booth: we ran an activity for people to make fiber collage bookmarks.
      • Donations: we gave art supplies to various teachers and schools around Austin.
    • AFA held exhibits of work at:
      • West Austin Studio Tour at WSSA’s site
      • Jerry’s Art-a-Rama
      • Images of Austin
      • Additionally, the AFA trunk show was displayed several times this year
    • We held a workshop on Silk Ribbon Embroidery with Marinda Stewart
  • 2020
      This year started out promising to be an action-packed fiber arts fun house, with multiple shows and workshops scheduled. Unfortunately, Covid derailed some really exciting plans, but we still got our monthly fiber inspiration. Here’s what happened…
    • At the north meeting in January, Linda Miles lead us in hands-on gelliprinting on fabrics. Meanwhile, in the south, Maggie deSart showed her embroidery work featuring flower motifs and vintage fabrics.
    • February meetings were going strong- well-known quilter Susan Hoppenworth returned to the north meeting to show her whimiscal quilts. It was the south’s turn to do hands-on gelliprinting, this time lead by member Naomi.
    • In March, the north group explored alcohol inks on fabric with Linda Miles, just before the south meeting was canceled by Covid!
    • We regrouped on line with a single group meeting. In April, Lori Bier demonstrated soap bubble printing on paper and silk.
    • For May’s meeting we saw a virtual exhibit of ‘stick art’ curated by Cricket Rose, with hands-on session on free-form vine basketry
    • In June, Mary Macauley described the process of rust dyeing instructions and shared the results of her experimentation.
    • In July, Lori Bier presented examples of nalbinding, an ancient needle art the predates knitting. She then demonstrated how it’s done.
    • Rebecca Switzer led the group in August, creating cardbook books using the 3-hole pamphlet stitch.
    • September’s meeting got “tips From a Certified Judge”, where we learned how show judging works and what it takes to become a certified judge, from Nancy Fuka. Nancy is a NACQJ Certified Quilt Judge living outside Santa Fe, but she used to be an AFA member!
    • In October we saw the works of multi-fiber media artist Rebecca Mattingly Shanks. She weaves, quilts and does basketry, and she shared some of the interesting techniques she uses.
    • In November, member Susan Axel-Bedsaul showed us examples of her cyanoprinting and explained the process for doing it.
    • December is always our party month. This time we did it virtually. It was nice to see the gang, even if the traditional gift exchange morphed into an exchange of season’s greetings.
  • 2021
      Dispite the continuing pandemic, AFA carried on a full year’s worth of programming in 2021. Most were zoom meetings, but depending on infection levels, we felt able to meet in person as well. Here are our meeting topics for the year:
    • In January, California artist Joy Swift talked about the challenges of being in fiber arts in the 1960s, calling them Paintings In Thread to get them shown. She then read a story about quilting to the group.
    • In February, AFA president Gene Looman gave us valuable information about thread choices, backed up with plentiful handouts to keep the facts straight.
    • In March, Hallie Rae Ward shared her art background and training, and spoke about her commercial fiber arts activities, particularly her yarn-wrapped light bars that give soft glows.
    • In April, Katy Schmader explained how she creates her abstract paper landscape collages and talked about the connection she finds between the physical environment and the symbols that have traditionally been drived from them.
    • In May, Hannah Busekrus explained tufting and punch needle rug making, followed by an impressive demonstration of the power tools she uses to create large rugs.
    • In June, Laura Maclay shared the collection of one-of-a-kind art dolls she’s made.
    • In July, the pandemic relented enough for us to meet in person for an open house.
    • In August, covid surged again and we met virtually, viewing a SAQA video about native American made quilts.
    • In September, Sondra Primeaux showed her clothing made from recycle fabrics.
      We also had a basket-making workshop with Dani Sue, which had been postponed from mid-2020.
    • In October, Jade Walker discussed her embroidery works and other ambitious large-scale fiber projects.
    • In November, Mary Baughman shared her lifetime love and expertise of books in south Austin.
    • In December, we had a end-of-year party at a member’s home, which was a cozy and comfortable way to see 2021 out.