Everything Fiber, All in One Place!
If you’re drawn to the color and feel of a skein of colorful wool or a beautifully textured fabric, BARN’s Fiber Arts Studio is where you want to be! You’ll find classes in a variety of disciplines, including basketry, dyeing, felting, embroidery, knitting, sewing, surface design, weaving, and more.
The studio features a wide range of equipment including looms large and small, state-of-the-art sewing and embroidery machines, and a lab for dyeing and felting. Most importantly, we have a growing community of fiber enthusiasts eager to share ideas and knowledge. Join us!
Getting Started in the Studio
Sewing
Sewing at BARN encompasses garment-making, quilting, bag-making, and creating home decor. Never learned to sew? We’ll show you how to use BARN’s sewing machines and help you develop and practice new skills. More experienced sewists can hone skills in classes with guest instructors. Our embroidery machine brings sewing and technology together, leading to all kinds of creative possibilities.
Novice and experienced sewists alike can join a Sew-Along or Quilt-Along to make something along with a group, sharing tips along the way. A community of quilters at BARN collaborates on a variety of projects.
Weaving
Celebrate the art of weaving and revel in the different techniques and materials that can be used to produce cloth. The methods and tools are as varied as the world’s weaving cultures, and you’ll meet weavers at BARN who continue to innovate.
You can find classes and Weave-Alongs and other events using floor looms, rigid heddle looms, frame looms, and tapestry looms. You can prep your yarn with our professional-level tools and reserve a loom to start your own project. You’ll soon be part of BARN’s active community of weavers, all of whom are eager to share their knowledge. We meet for Weaving Wednesday every week in the studio, or join us monthly for for various other study groups.
Basketry
People the world over have made baskets for thousands of years, producing functional and beautiful vessels, mats, bags, and other artifacts. Today’s basketmakers use a range of fibers from natural to contemporary.
BARN basketry artists keep tradition alive and drive with both traditional and modern techniques. We’re also starting a basketry garden on the property to grow some of the materials. Watch the Fiber Studio schedule for upcoming classes and join us for Open Weave every month.
Needle Arts
Knitting, hand embroidery, and spinning are BARN’s most common needle arts, and you’ll find fiber folks skilled in other techniques, too.
Brush up your knit and purl stitches—and advance to creating cables or knitting with multiple colors—in one of our knitting classes or Knit-Alongs. Or join a Knitting Circle to share knowledge with like-minded makers. Use BARN’s carding equipment to prepare your fleece for spinning, and then join us at a spinning session with your own spinning wheel or use one of BARN’s wheels to spin that fleece into yarn. Come to a weekly “Slow Stitch” session—choose from the virtual session or come in person or join both—for stitching and socializing. Our Hand Embroidery Study Group meets monthly.
Surface Design
From block printing to traditional Japanese Shibori techniques, screen printing, felting, and indigo and natural dyeing, Surface Design at BARN covers a wide variety of techniques for creating color and texture on fiber.
Want to collect fungi and turn it into dye? Fiber’s Lab for wet work is fully equipped to support any dyeing project. A garden outside the studio provides plants for making natural dyes. Would you like to embroider a hand-made doll? There’s a class for that, and more, in Surface Design at the Fiber Studio.
Upcoming Fiber Arts Events
Open Studios
Work on independent projects and meet with other fiber artists at our free and frequent Open Studios. Learn more »
FAQ
Wondering how to get started in the Fiber Arts Studio? Have a question about our programs? Fiber Arts FAQ»
Volunteer
Volunteering knits the Fiber Arts Studio together. Help our studio thrive! View volunteer opportunities»
Fiber Arts Resources
Follow us on Instagram and join our Facebook group
Join our community on BARN Circle
Contact Us
Send us a message using our form
Fiber Arts office phone: 206-842-4475 x209
Sara Bantle
Fiber Arts Studio Lead
Fiber Arts News
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