Join us for the return of our Makers Market this February during our Fiber Art for All week, featuring the work of 25 local artists and makers!

Saturday, February 24, 2024, from 12 – 4 pm

Celebrating all things fiber art, it will be a fun-filled day of events at Textile Center, with the MarketMarket, our Flora Borealis community winter garden project, warm beverages from Misfit Coffee, fiber art demos, a Fiber Finds sale in our shop, and more.

At the Makers Market, we aim to showcase a diverse range of handmade fiber artwork that showcases a range of techniques; work by emerging artists; work by artists who identify as persons of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and members of other historically marginalized groups; work that embraces sustainability, accessibility, and creativity; and goods of varying price points.

2024 MAKER LINEUP

Allison Keirstead (she/her) Jones is a Saint Paul artist, craftsperson, and editor of the zine Social Fabric. Her hand-embroidered earrings are inspired by medieval heraldry and 19th century masonic art with a contemporary twist. Her Makers Market offerings include mix-and-match earrings, stickers, and zines.

Lydia Hansen (she/her), based in Rochester, MN, crochets art inspired by nature and exploring 3D space. Her specialty is crochet stuffed animals, also known as amigurumi (hence her business name, Amigurumi Horde), but she’s in the middle of a two-year love affair with fungi and coral, and those themes creep into her work more often than not. Shop from a range of unique and detailed crochet art at the Makers Market.

Natalie Novacek (she/her) learned to sew when she was five years old on her great-grandmother’s treadle sewing machine and she’s been making ever since. Between then and now, she’s dabbled in just about every craft under the sun, but quilting has her heart. Natalie lives in Minneapolis where she teaches classes for quilters of all experience levels. In addition to making quilted goods and teaching, she is also a longarmer.

Liz Burwell (she/they) is a tufting fiber artist based in Minneapolis, MN. Her wool rugs and wall hangings explore geometric shapes and patterns with vibrant neons and contrasting colors. She hand tufts all of these rugs in her home-based studio. Shop her art at the Makers Market in February.

E Holt (they/them) is a Minnesota based artist, maker, and educator working in a broad mix of mediums. Their hand spun yarn highlights stunning wool and fiber produced by local small farms raising well-loved animals. Their work is always an adventurous exploration of vivid color and spectacular texture, and their mixed media fiber collages explore the beauty of reclaimed materials. No two pieces are ever quite the same. Pick up some cozy color to bring into your life!

Gray Arel (they/them) makes tote bags and apparel from vintage and recycled textiles in Minneapolis, MN. The process of sourcing materials is central to their work. Gray searches for secondhand fabric at thrift stores, online, in relatives’ living rooms, or wherever unwanted textiles end up. Each FILESIZETOOLARGE.CO bag is a unique pairing of textures, colors, and patterns. Corduroy, upholstery, and other thick fabrics create durable tote bags that can carry more than 10 lbs. Shop a selection of bags at the Maker’s Market on Feb 24 or at filesizetoolarge.com/bags.

Designer and maker Jayme Markus (she/her) began Freedom Fibers out of a craving to minimize “screen time” and maximize giving back. For her, that has come to fruition through a needle and thread. Having previously worked in the anti-trafficking sector, embroidery became a way to extend support to the women her prior co-workers are serving at Restore NYC. 15% of sales support Restore NYC, an anti-trafficking organization based out of New York City. Read more about their work at restorenyc.org.

Annie Chen (she/they) is a Queer, second generation Taiwanese/Chinese American based in the Homeland of the Dakota people, Minneapolis. A youth worker focused on disparities in race, gender, and education, she is a multidisciplinary artist focused mainly on fiber arts. She enjoys exploring the intersections of art and identity through her craft as well as using it as a catalyst for change with other BIPOC artists. When not crafting, she can be found snuggling her dog, Ziggy Stardust, playing dungeons & dragons and taking naps.

J.E.M. Arts Collective is a new queer and BIPOC led collective based in NE Minneapolis. Its members, Jelani Ellis (she/her), Elyse Lodermeier (she/her), and Margaret Vergara (all pronouns), make a variety of beaded and crocheted jewelry as well as hand-made paper products.

Lightning Stone Arts is a business created by two sisters Zoe Allen (she/her) and Sadie Allen (she/her). The two are both citizens of the Rosebud Sioux nation, as well as descendants of the White Earth Ojibwe. Currently, Lightning Stone Arts is located in South Minneapolis. Zoe and Sadie do a mixture of beadwork, quillwork, among other contemporary Indigenous art forms. The business was created to preserve the memory of their late grandmother Helen Allen who was also a beadwork artist. Together Zoe and Sadie work to keep her memory alive through their art.

Lucia Vasquez (she/her) is a queer Guatemalan multimedia artist residing in St.Paul, MN. Her creations are wearable art using repurposed materials and yarn. Lucia’s main mediums are crochet, tie dye, cyanotype printing, and painting on thrifted articles of clothing. She creates looks for people to feel happy and vibrant.

Madden Reed (they/them) lives in Ely, MN and operates Mayhem — a small sewing and repair business. Mayhem provides various camping gear, clothing and everyday goods made from salvaged materials, and offers industrial sewing and repair services to Ely locals and outfitters during every season. Maintaining the functional integrity of existing textiles is a constant goal at Mayhem.

Melissa N. (she/her) is an interdisciplinary and textile artist based in St. Paul, MN. Her textile work utilizes quilting, appliqué, embroidery, beads, and printing to embellish hand made, one-of-a-kind functional objects such as bags, pouches, and wearables.

Zoe Lautz (she/her) is a Rochester, MN based fiber artist who uses fabric and thread to create pictorial collage quilts in her maximalist, color-forward style. She also makes embroidered and beaded works, as well as draws stickers in her uniquely colorful aesthetic.

Mx Apparel, founded by Maxine Britt (she/they), is on a mission to produce bold gender-neutral clothing in sizes XS-6X. This line prioritizes trans and nonbinary folks in fashion while expanding clothing options for all. Many garments are reversible. Check out the brand at the Makers Market!

Natalie Woodlock (she/her) is a printmaker and artist based in Minneapolis. She makes commemorative and celebratory works on both paper and fabric, often collaborating with queer friends to produce her imagery.

Nicole Thomas (they/she) based out of Minneapolis, MN, uses a combination of knitting and ceramic techniques to construct decorative vessels and cozy coasters. Offering a variety of colors and designs inspired by art history, painter’s palettes, and modern living spaces. These pieces will add elements of comfort and style to your desk, bookshelf, or bedside table. The vessels are a warm hug for your potted plant or a cozy home for your keys. The coaster sets add a soft and eccentric feel to your coffee table.

Jamie Brodd (she/her) is a maker from Woodbury, MN. She designs upcycled mittens with playful embellishments. She also uses shibori snow dye techniques to create bright and joyful functional items such as dishtowels, totes, and scarves.

Rebecca Diwan (she/her) is based in Rochester, MN. As a knitter and fiber artist, she has always been taken with the wonders of fiber and that first glimpse of what can be created… the feel, the smell, the joy in your art. Fiber has been with her in her greatest successes and joys and in her greatest sadness. She is happy that her small farm is working towards bringing back what once was: the art that fiber creates, Teeswater sheep, and a better understanding of the environmental footprint we carry.

Inspired by the wonder of nature and her own human mess, Petra Guenthner Johnson (she/her) creates woven art using ripped-up, beat-up, cast-off, and reborn materials. By weaving these transformations, she hopes to foster deeper understanding, connection, and beauty in herself, others, and the world around her. Petra loves, lives, and works near the Kinnickinnic River in River Falls, WI.

Nina Karachunski (they/them) is a textile artist born and raised in Minneapolis focusing on sustainability and creating texture. Sourcing second-hand and recycled materials inspires Nina to experiment with various mediums and interdisciplinary art forms to create clothing, accessories, and trinkets.

Macey LeVahn (she/her) is a macrame artist based in Hopkins, MN. Her vibrant color combinations and unique designs bring a modern spin to the 70’s-classic macrame style. She carefully handcrafts each piece using every color of the rainbow and loves to test her creativity with new techniques and materials. Shop her whimsical creations at the Maker’s Market!

Ivy Morrison, (she/her) is a dye artist based out of northeast Minneapolis, MN. She ice dyes by hand — making one-of-a-kind wearable pieces of art on all natural fibers. When it comes to dye, Ivy is most drawn to the science and mystery behind ice/snow dyeing, in which the combined pigments within various shades of dye are separated, refracted, and imprinted onto the fabric in unexpected and magical ways.

Alicia De La Cruz (she/her) is a two spirit Ojibwe artist enrolled in the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. She utilizes her cultural art form of beadwork to create both traditional and modern works. Most important to her is continuing the utilization of this art form for future generations of native youths to learn and love.

Kathy Wilson (she/her), a resident of Duluth, is a self-taught, 30+ year sewist who tries to use repurposed fabrics whenever possible. She has a small network of seamstresses who pass on their scraps, a huge stack of denim jeans that need new life, and spends time thrifting for other textiles. Her other passion is hiking the North Shore and surrounding areas, and these two interests combine in her art as she reimagines North Shore scenery in textiles. Shop her selection of textile landscapes at the Makers Market!

This event is a part of a week-long series of events during the last week of February, titled Fiber Art for All, featuring artist demos, a collaborative community project, exhibitions, and more. Learn more about Fiber Art for All here!