Upcoming Community Events
Courtesy Post: Textile Society of America Colloquium 2026
(re)Generation: Fibers of Resilience & Renewal
The Textile Society of America invites you to join a special half-day virtual gathering featuring artists, scholars, makers, and cultural leaders engaging the urgent intersections of textiles, equity, and collective futures.
This gathering will bring together an extraordinary cohort of artists and scholars whose work embodies these questions. Featuring illuminating keynote speakers, the 2026 recipient of the Branford Elliott Award for Excellence in Fiber Art, and “Warp Speed” presentations by 3 peer-selected fellows from TSA’s The Lab mentorship program.
Join members of the TSA Board of Directors as we report on TSA’s finances and activities over the past several years. This session also welcomes questions from our members! There will be reports from TSA’s various committees and working groups: Finance; Communications; Membership, Programming, and Volunteers; Awards; and Leadership.
Registration fees:
Individual: $52
Student: $25
Basic Classroom: $45
Premium Classroom: $75
Save the Date! Piedmont Fibershed Winter Gathering
Save the date for Piedmont Fibershed’s 2026 Winter Gathering!
Mark your calendars for our annual cozy get-together of crafting, storytelling, and community to celebrate winter. Registration coming soon!
Courtesy Post: NCSPA Wool Meeting & Fiber Day
Join the North Carolina Sheep and Wool Producers (NCSPA) for a Wool Meeting & Fiber Day at Shepherd’s Gate Artisan Fiber Mill in Youngsville, NC.
The afternoon will include mill tours, hands-on fiber preparation demonstrations, fleece evaluation, a portable micron tester demonstration, discussion of wool pellets, and a focused conversation about strengthening North Carolina’s wool industry.
Choose Your Tour & Demonstrations Session:
Session A: 1:00–2:30 PM
Session B: 3:30–5:00 PM
Each session is limited to 20 participants.
All registrants will attend the NC Wool Industry Discussion from 2:30–3:30 PM.
Registration
NCSPA Members*: FREE
Non-Members: $25
*Not an NCSPA member yet? Annual membership is only $35. For just $10 more than the non-member event fee, you can become an NCSPA member, attend this event FREE, enjoy member benefits throughout the year, and receive member savings at our Annual Meeting in November. Join NCSPA here. After joining and completing payment, return to the event registration page and select the FREE NCSPA Member ticket.
Piedmont Fibershed Community Meetup
Get together with other folks interested in building a sustainable regional fiber economy in central North Carolina!
Join us for crafting and connection at Back Table, a cafe and creative space in Greensboro, NC. You'll have the opportunity to meet others in our community passionate about local fiber and textiles, discuss Piedmont Fibershed's ongoing projects, and share your ideas for growing a better-connected fiber community in the Greensboro area.
Anyone interested in the fiber and textile economy and sustainability are welcome: farmers, artisans, educators, retailers, community organizers, hobbyists, etc. Children are welcome with adult supervision.
Courtesy Post: Alpaca My Wheel
Join Two Dachshund Farm for a celebration of fiber animals and the art and handcraft they inspire. Come to watch, learn, try your hand, and meet the animals and artists. And, of course, spinning wheels are welcome but optional.
From live demonstrations to hands-on crafts, there's something for everyone —fiber lovers, animal lovers, art lovers, nature lovers, craft enthusiasts, bargain hunters, or anyone looking for a fun fall adventure.
Admission is free.
Courtesy Post: Threads of Tradition — Ancestral Arts & Textile Retreat
Join Nebedaye Farms for a hands-on weekend exploring traditional textile arts, natural indigo dyeing, and seed-to-cloth preparation.
Immerse yourself in the foundational skills of our ancestors at the Threads of Tradition retreat, hosted by Nebedaye Farms in Mount Croghan, SC.
From September 18–20, 2026, gather with fellow makers, growers, and historians for a hands-on weekend dedicated to the meditative, sustainable rhythms of traditional textile arts. Step away from the modern pace and experience a complete, tactile journey from raw fiber to finished cloth.
Throughout the retreat, participants will engage directly in:
Fiber Preparation: Master traditional cotton ginning, carding, and spinning techniques.
Loom Weaving: Explore foundational weaving structures and create textured cloth.
Natural Dyeing: Dive into the deep history of botanical colors and indigo vats to dye rich, living hues.
Whether you are looking to deepen your craft, explore sustainable agricultural textiles, or share space in a vibrant community, this retreat offers a welcoming, intimate environment for all skill levels.
Registration fee: $450 - $750 sliding scale
Community Approaches to Mills for Small Wool Producers in North Carolina
Learn about exciting research into sustainable ways to establish mills that serve small-scale wool producers in North Carolina.
What will it take to create sustainable mill infrastructure in North Carolina that supports small wool producers? Last year, Emily Burghart partnered with Piedmont Fibershed to conduct research to answer this question for her master's thesis at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment.
Emily brought her combined experience as a spinner/textile maker and as a biologist to conduct community-engaged research, including field visits, interviews, and surveys with members of the NC fiber community.
In this online presentation and Q&A, Emily will share her findings, which offer important insights and practical suggestions for our regional fiber community, including:
the best locations for a wool pellet mill and a fiber processing mill
opportunities and barriers to running cooperatived managed mill infrastructure
approaches NC farmers are using to reduce parasite prevalence and maintain soil quality
community approaches to reaching consumers throughout the state
Courtesy Post: Lending for Small Producers Webinar
Join Foodshed Capital and Croatan Institute for this FARMWISE Hub Webinar!
Foodshed Capital will discuss alternative lending opportunities for small and beginning farmers, with an emphasis on bridge lending to support reimbursable grant awards. Attendees will learn about capital access opportunities to enable participation in EQIP, SWCD, State, and Federal grant programs, how to prepare for effective execution, and what to expect in loan servicing and repayment.
The FARMWISE Hub is an interactive platform supporting underserved farmers, ranchers and foresters to access financial knowledge and overcome barriers to accessing USDA programs. The FARMWISE Hub offers financial literacy courses in both English and Spanish, curated USDA resources, an agrotourism directory, and Equitable Foodshed Map.
Eco-Printing a Bandana
Discover the magic of eco-printing on fabric with flowers and plants! You'll select your plants, arrange them on a bandana, and steam them to set the color—creating a beautiful, one-of-a-kind piece reflecting the color of the season.
This workshop is a collaboration between Piedmont Fibershed and Riverside Collective, a community of makers, artists, and innovators in Saxapahaw, NC. The artist of Riverside Collective embrace the "slow art" movement, akin to slow food, which prioritizes sustainability and community engagement over mass production.
About the Instructor
Courtney Lockemer is an artist and designer who works in fashion, textiles, photography, video, and performance. She is the executive director of Piedmont Fibershed, a nonprofit dedicated to building a sustainable fiber and textile economy in central North Carolina and surrounding regions. Her past work experiences include developing production-scale natural dye services for TS Designs in Burlington, NC and operating a small business designing and making sustainable women’s clothing. She is particularly interested in working with locally-available dye plants and reclaimed materials. Courtney has a Master of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and a bachelor’s degree in English and a certificate in Visual Art from Princeton University.
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Crafting Your Path: A Business Startup Guide
Crafting Your Path: A Hands-On Look at Business Models & Mindsets
Offered in partnership with Mountain BizWork’s Craft Your Commerce program
Saturday, August 1st | 10am - 4pm
Sunday, August 2nd | 10am - 4pm, 1:1 coaching sessions
Registration deadline: July 26, 2026
In this two-day interactive workshop, we’ll explore your mission, vision, and values—then apply them to real-world business structures using the Business Model Canvas. Together, we’ll dive into pricing strategies, marketing approaches, and sustainable models tailored to your goals. Expect engaging group discussions, practical takeaways, and a supportive space to refine your current business—or bring a new idea to life. Come ready to dig in and collaborate!
1:1 Coaching Hours
Sunday, August 2nd | 10am - 4pm | 30-minute sessions available to workshop participants for 1:1 assistance. You will sign up for your coaching slot on Saturday during the workshop.
Includes access to four self-paced online courses, so that you can continue working on your business skills after the workshop:
Pricing Your Work
Photographing Your Work
Optimizing Your Web Presence
Grant Writing for Artists
This workshop package is being offered at a discounted rate of $50 per participant (normally $125).
Instructor Bio: Deanna Lynch is a professional handweaver and part-time bookkeeper for small businesses. She has worked with a variety of industries over the years and is well versed in Quickbooks and helping businesses get set-up with appropriate record keeping systems. With both a creative and business background, her approach to financials and information management is approachable. She emphasizes the use of systems that are flexible and can grow with your business and are tailored to each business's unique needs.
Textile and Fiber Entrepreneur Meetup (In-Person)
Join other creatives passionate about working in local fibers and textiles to connect, get feedback, and share ideas.
Courtesy Post: Artist Talk - Holly Guertin, “Hand in Hand”
Hand in Hand is debut solo art exhibition of fiber artist Holly Guertin, showing works in wool felt, embroidery, and crochet. Guertin, a native of Salisbury, NC, is now based in the Philadelphia area and is an active member of PA Fibershed.
Hand in Hand is presented at Waterworks Visual Arts Center in Salisbury, NC in partnership with Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026 by Craft in America. In this exhibition, Guertin explores themes of repetition, labor, symbol, and material through wool artworks that are crocheted, felted, and embroidered. In all of them, the artist hopes to spread awareness about the beauty and possibilities within wool.
Hand in Hand will be on view July 6 -October 10. An artist talk, “In the Gallery with Holly Guertin,” will take place July 11 at 11:00AM.
Piedmont Fiber Lab Open House
Come visit Piedmont Fiber Lab, our new fiber and textile makerspace! We’ll give you a tour of the space, show you the selection of tools and materials available, demonstrate weaving on an Industrial Dobby Loom, and discuss how you can use the Fiber Lab to support your craft practice or small business.
Textile and Fiber Entrepreneur Meetup (Virtual)
Join other creatives passionate about working in local fibers and textiles to connect, get feedback, and share ideas.
Flax Harvest & Field Day
We’re seeking volunteers to help local farmer Zeke Overbaugh harvest fiber flax in Mebane, NC!
Last year, Zeke and other community members started the Sax Flax Project—growing, harvesting, and processing a small plot of fiber flax in Saxapahaw and Haw River. This year we’re building on what we learned in 2025, and we’d love your help on this journey growing a more resilient, local textile future!
Attendees will help harvest flax, and there will also be tubs of water on site to have a refreshing retting activity for a break.
Please dress appropriately for working in plants and heat. Gloves, closed-toed shoes, long pants/sleeves, bug repellent, sun hats, and sun screen are recommended. Water will be provided. Snacks are always welcome.
Email Zeke Overbaugh to sign up.
Flax Harvest & Field Day
We’re seeking volunteers to help local farmer Zeke Overbaugh harvest fiber flax in Mebane, NC!
Last year, Zeke and other community members started the Sax Flax Project—growing, harvesting, and processing a small plot of fiber flax in Saxapahaw and Haw River. This year we’re building on what we learned in 2025, and we’d love your help on this journey growing a more resilient, local textile future!
Attendees will help harvest flax, and there will also be tubs of water on site to have a refreshing retting activity for a break.
Please dress appropriately for working in plants and heat. Gloves, closed-toed shoes, long pants/sleeves, bug repellent, sun hats, and sun screen are recommended. Water will be provided. Snacks are always welcome.
Email Zeke Overbaugh to sign up.
Courtesy Post: Alpaca Farm Tour & Needle Felting Workshop
Spend a fun, creative day at the ranch surrounded by friendly alpacas and soft fiber! Guests will enjoy an interactive alpaca farm tour, learn about these amazing animals, and take part in a beginner-friendly needle felting workshop using real alpaca fiber from the farm.
Meet & feed the alpacas
Learn the basics of needle felting
Create your own handcrafted alpaca to take home
Enjoy photo opportunities of the alpacas
Shop alpaca gifts, yarn, and handmade goods
Perfect for beginners, animal lovers, fiber enthusiasts, and anyone looking for a unique hands-on experience! Workshop Includes:
Guided alpaca farm tour
All needle felting materials provided
Alpaca fiber from the ranch
Step-by-step instruction provided by The Woolen Palette
Your finished felted alpaca creation to keep
What to Expect: Get up close with the alpacas, learn about their fiber and settle into a relaxing workshop where creativity meets farm charm. No experience needed — just bring your imagination!
Piedmont Fiber Lab Open House
Come visit Piedmont Fiber Lab, our new fiber and textile makerspace! We’ll give you a tour of the space, show you the selection of tools and materials available, demonstrate weaving on an Industrial Dobby Loom, and discuss how you can use the Fiber Lab to support your craft practice or small business.
Courtesy Post: Blue Ridge Fiber Fest 2026
Admission is free!
Take a break in the foothills at Blue Ridge Fiber Fest, an annual event bringing together farmers, vendors, and fiber artists for a celebration of the fiber arts in beautiful downtown Sparta, NC. Dozens of classes will be available - knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving and more. Demonstrations will include both traditional and modern fiber techniques as well as farming operations.
Get more info, see a list of vendors, and register for workshops at www.blueridgefiberfest.com.
Courtesy Post: Fiber Flax Field Day
Come learn about fiber flax!
The NC State Alternative Crops Program in partnership with the PA Flax Project is hosting a fiber flax field day! We will discuss fiber flax production, harvest, and end use.
This is a FREE event but attendees must register to participate.
The event will be held at the Cherry Research Farm and is outdoors so please dress accordingly (e.g., closed-toe shoes, hat, bring sunscreen and bugspray).
PF @ Piedmont Farm Tour
Stop by the makerspace during the Piedmont Farm tour and see what we’re up to!
Courtesy Post: Project Threadways Symposium
Since 2019, Project Threadways has hosted annual symposia exploring the intersections of design, art, making, power, labor, and community. Each gathering has expanded on a central inquiry: how can making—especially through design and textiles—help us better understand the social, economic, and environmental systems we live within?
Held April 24-25 in Florence, Alabama, the 2026 Project Threadways Symposium continues this exploration of textiles through the theme of Regeneration. Presentations, workshops, and exhibitions center cotton, from soil to shelf to symbol—who grows it, how it is nurtured, who benefits in the global marketplace, and its generational legacy. Speakers explore power and representation in the supply chain, connect craft and culture, and showcase pioneers who are restoring health and humanity to the world’s most ubiquitous fiber.
Courtesy Post: South Appalachian Placemaking Conference
Creative Placemaking Communities and Community LIFT are excited to announce the 2026 South and Appalachian Creative Placemaking Summit! Explore Memphis April 21-24, 2026 for the FINAL South & Appalachian Summit produced by Creative Placemaking Communities.
The Summit, entitled BUILDING BRIDGES: Connecting Communities through Culture and Commerce, will explore how communities throughout the South and beyond use arts, culture and creative placemaking as a strategy for community and economic development, revitalization and collaborative action to strengthen our cities and towns. Building resiliency and sustainability for our communities is a key component of what we will examine.
Host Sponsor, Community LIFT supports Memphis neighborhoods by investing in building capacity, empowering residents and growing businesses, particularly in distressed neighborhoods. Arts, culture and creative placemaking are embedded throughout all their investment strategies.
Courtesy Post: Craft and Chat Textiles
Craft and Chat: Textiles
Bring your handheld fiber art project to the Weatherspoon Art Museum for an hour of crafting, chatting, and snacking! This UNC Greensboro Wellness Day activity is inspired by the quilting and knitting communities represented in Salt and Spirit, Harriet’s Powers, and Pattern Recognition. Crochet, knitting, embroidery, quilting, hand sewing, and more welcome. A simple friendship bracelet activity will be available for folks without a craft. Snacks and beverages will be provided during the event.
Fiber and Folk Info Session #2
Still considering joining Fiber & Folk Weekend? Curious what the experience holds?
Join us for an upcoming virtual info session to learn more about the weekend’s schedule, workshops, and the spirit of the gathering.
Come as you are, bring your curiosity, and get a glimpse of the creative community waiting for you.