Stories – Fiber Folio

Bowdoinham Garden Tour

August 13, 2026August 13, 2026

“Not Your Mother’s Garden Tour” is held to benefit the Library. On a beautiful summer’s day in July, I participated in a special garden tour in Bowdoinham. “Not Your Mother’s …

Maine MILL Opens in Lewiston

August 12, 2026July 23, 2026

Preserving Modern and Historic Textiles, and more In late June, I attended the opening of the Maine MILL, “a museum dedicated to Maine’s rich history, innovation and community.” The term …

Spinning Soft Singles and Carding Luxuriant Batts

July 22, 2026July 16, 2026

Two Workshops with Christina Boucher, Fantastic Farm Yarn In June, I took two workshops through Pleasant Mountain Fiber Arts with Christina Boucher. Christina creates soft, luxurious handspun, hand dyed yarns …

Jeremy Frey: Woven

November 11, 2025August 22, 2025

Basketry at Portland Museum of Art Date: posted on August 2025, for September 13, 2024 Artist Jeremy Frey has been making baskets in the tradition of his Passamaquoddy tribe for …

Bowdoinham Farm and Studio Day

August 22, 2025July 27, 2025

Perennials, Sheep and Paintings For many years, I lived in Bowdoinham, so I had a keen interest in meeting the farmers and artists opening their doors for Bowdoinham Farm & …

Natural Dye Day

August 26, 2025July 22, 2025

With Midcoast Spinners Midcoast Spinners is a very active and creative group of textile enthusiasts meeting at the Congregational Church in Waldoboro on the second Thursday of each month. Since …

Spinning in Vermont this June

August 25, 2025June 28, 2025

Newbury School of Weaving A few handspinners from Maine traveled to Vermont this June to visit the Newbury School of Weaving. The School—the former Marshfield School of Weaving—was founded in …

Washburn/Norlands

March 26, 2026June 6, 2025

A Trip Through Time:  Washburn-Norlands Living History Center Washburn-Northlands Living History Center is located in Livermore, Maine. The estate exists to recreate life as it was lived in the 1800s. …

Fabric, Books and Fiber Weekend

April 8, 2025

On a weekend in April, I chose three events from Maine Fiberarts’ newsletter to attend: the Fiber Arts Marketplace and The Yarn Sellar in York; Portsmouth Fabric Company in New …

The Curious World of Barbara Bean

December 26, 2024September 29, 2024

I am an artist who earned a living as a social worker for 35 years before settling in Brunswick and turning to art full time. My husband, a biologist, taught …

Lissa Hunter: materials + meaning

November 14, 2024August 15, 2024

Fibers, Clay, Basketry, Paint, Ideas Lissa Hunter spends her life working in and around fibers. She has worked as a painter, weaver, basketmaker, coiler, papermaker, and assemblage artist. She also …

Morris David Dorenfeld: Tapestry Artist

January 2, 2025August 2, 2024

Morris David Dorenfeld: Tapestry Artist (3/30/1937-2/13/2023) Long after studying painting at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York City, Morris David (Morrie) Dorenfeld found …

Maine Quilts 2024

December 27, 2024July 27, 2024

Pine Tree Quilters Guild, operating since 1978 in Maine, is the organizer for the Maine Quilts Show. This event, held annually in July at the Augusta Civic Center features special …

Harpswell Studio Tour I

December 28, 2024July 13, 2024

The inaugural Harpswell Open Studio Tour took place July 13-14, 2024 and included “Open Studios and Display Spaces” in and around Harpswell Neck: Sebascodegan Island, Orrs Island and Bailey Island. …

Harpswell Studio Tour II

December 28, 2024July 13, 2024

Here is a continuation of the Harpswell Studio Tour I took this past July (see Harpswell Studio Tour I) . In these travels, I visited the home and studio of …

Ed Musholt’s Art: Whimsy With Punch

July 31, 2024April 12, 2024

Arlene and I visited the studio of Ed Musholt in Portland after seeing three of his sculptures in an exhibition at Maine Fiberarts. Ed can draw and paint, but prefers …

Revisiting Rhinebeck 2023

November 3, 2023

Four of us rented a house near Rhinebeck to visit the New York Sheep and Wool Festival this past October. The area is beautiful at this time of year and …

Students with glue sticks

November 2, 2023November 2, 2023

Here’s a look at results of the October 2023 workshop—“Create an 8-Page Book: Unconventional Construction Centered Around Glue Sticks”—with painter, bookmaker and graphic designer Meredith Mustard from Two Imagine Studios …

Making Gelprints

December 7, 2023October 25, 2023

Low-tech, analog printmaking with a gelatin plate. A One-Day Hands-On Workshop offered by Meredith Mustard and sponsored by Maine Fiberarts. Dates and Times: Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. …

Braiding Squares and Rectangles

December 7, 2023October 13, 2023

In this live and in person workshop, you will learn to braid a square or rectangle shape that can become a wall piece, a rug, a chair pad, a covering …

Create an 8-Page Book

December 7, 2023October 11, 2023

Unconventional Construction Centered Around Glue Sticks What and Who A One-Day Hands-On Workshop offered by Meredith Mustard When Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 11-3 p.m. Where Maine Fiberarts13 Main StreetTopsham, ME …

Stephanie Crossman

December 13, 2023August 7, 2023

Traditional Knotted Netting Stephanie Crossman is one of a handful of artists throughout the U.S. using traditional knotted netting to create art. She learned the technique in 1992, when she …

Creativity at Two Imagine Studios

September 8, 2024August 4, 2023

In July, Two Imagine Studios held an Open House to announce their new gallery in Farmington called “This Is It.” I traveled the backroads of Litchfield, Monmouth, Readfield, and Mt. …

Fiber Art Book List

July 10, 2023

This book list is a compilation of books recommended by members, artists, friends and staff. It is certainly not exhaustive, and it only lists the information we were given. You …

Her Life in Braiding

May 31, 2023May 20, 2023

Read about Master Braider, Nancy Young, how she got her start in braiding, how she held Braiding Camps attracting makers from all over the U.S. and beyond, and view pages …

Interviewing Bobbi Mahler

December 8, 2023April 1, 2023

Braiding in Belgrade. Rug braider, demonstrator and teacher, Bobbi Mahler of Belgrade has been braiding since 2004. She began doing decorative wood craft: birdhouses, household items, and cat or bear …

Rug Braiders Meet in Kennebunkport

March 10, 2023March 9, 2023

During February, Arlene Morris and Christine Macchi from Maine Fiberarts went to visit a gathering of rug braiders who meet each year in Kennebunkport. Many belong to different rug braiding …

A Visit With Renu

November 7, 2022October 8, 2022

Enjoy these photos of the studio of Renuka O’Connell. Full interview of her work coming soon.

Fiber at Common Ground 2022

October 7, 2022

Common Ground Country Fair, sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener Association, was held September 23-25, 2022. Because of the pandemic, this was the first time the Fair welcomed …

Maine Quilt Show 2022

September 21, 2022August 12, 2022

This past July, Maine Quilts presented its 45th Annual Show at the Augusta Civic Center in Maine. A beautiful variety of work greeted visitors who were delighted to once again …

Far Western Maine – Day Two

August 3, 2022June 27, 2022

Fiber & Vine, McLaughlin Gardens, Parris House Wool Works: When in Norway, Maine, a must-stop is the beautiful yarn and wine shop of Kimberly Hamlin called Fiber & Vine. We …

Far Western Maine – Day One

March 26, 2026June 27, 2022

Jagger Spun, Maker’s Way, Kimberly Crichton Studio: We set out on a lovely Spring day to visit Stash, a yarn shop adjacent to the Jagger Spun Spinnery in Springvale, Maine. …

Alfred at Oceanwood

August 3, 2022May 16, 2022

Rug Hookers from several Northeast states have been meeting annually in Alfred, Maine for years, but this year’s event was held at Oceanwood Conference Center in Ocean Park. Dubbed “Alfred at Oceanwood,” the event was coordinated by Lauri Troutman and attended by over 20 people who came to enjoy and to hook with friends.

Maine Tin Pedlars

October 16, 2022April 28, 2022

Maine Tin Pedlars has been meeting for over 40 years in and around Southern Maine. The Chapter is a member of the national group—Association of Traditional Hooking Artists. Back in …

Wiscasset Fiber Group

April 27, 2022April 27, 2022

On a Friday in April, Christine visited a regular monthly meeting of the Wiscasset Fiber Group at the Wiscasset Community Center. The 12 members present included Pamela Riml, Pat Ringston, …

Remembering Elizabeth Stoyko

October 4, 2022April 3, 2022

“After a lifetime of pursuing various art and craft media, I started rug hooking in 2004 and found my passion. I began by doing portraits of family pets, and developed a style which …

Seacoast Ruggers of York Maine: Part I

April 11, 2022April 2, 2022

Notes on March 2022 meeting Seacoast Ruggers has been meeting for over 50 years, most recently at the Fellowship Hall of the First Parish Congregational Church in York. The group …

Seacoast Ruggers of York Maine: Part II

April 9, 2022March 31, 2022

Notes on March 2022 meeting continued… LeAnn Hodgson, owner of Camp Wool in Milbridge, sent a rug along with a friend to the meeting. This is a small detail of …

Seacoast Ruggers of York Maine: Part III

May 13, 2022March 30, 2022

About the history of rug hooking in Maine

with Grace Collette and Jane Sittnick of the Seacoast Ruggers