Meetings are held on the second Wednesday morning of the month September through June. Most of our meetings are held at the Mid-County Senior Center in Capitola. Click on the link provided with each meeting and workshop for location and directions. Note: This page lists only Guild meetings and workshops. Click here for the full calendar.
Long-Term Closure of Southbound Highway 1 Off-ramp at Bay Ave. Begins August 2
Click here for more information and suggested detour.
Please scroll down past the Upcoming Events to see information about past events.
Upcoming Events
November – Make and Take
This year we will be offering 3 workshops: Weaving a Reindeer, Making Woven Cards and Making Earrings from Thrums. Members will be able to choose two of the three workshops. We will be circulating sign-up sheets during the September and October meetings.
Click on the “More Info” button to see photos of other workshop projects.
December – Holiday Get Together
Knit, Stich, Glue, Felt, Shop to create your own Holiday Hat for our Holiday Hat Contest
This year we will also continue the Place Setting Decorating Contest along with a few fun games.
There will be an optional gift exchange. If you would like to participate, bring a small handmade gift.
Bring a potluck dish to share and your own place setting. We will provide coffee, tea and water.
January – Sashiko: The Japanese art of simple stitches
Speaker: Kris Nardello
In Japan the art of sashiko has been used for hundreds of years to add warmth, to mend or embellish fabric. Learn about how to add sashiko to your toolbox of fiber techniques.
January Workshop – Sashiko: The Japanese art of simple stitches
Speaker: Kris Nardello
Using tools and techniques introduced in the presentation, students will practice a stitch pattern on a sampler. Afterwards, they will mark a larger piece of linen for stitching on their own.
Cost: Members, $100.00 – Non-members $135.00 – includes materials
Sorry, this workshop has been filled, click here to add you name to our wait list.
February – Silk: From Silkworms to Fabric
Speaker: Esther Peregrine
Esther Peregrine began raising silkworms in 2006 and she fell in love with the whole progression of watching the silkworms grow and make their cocoons, transforming the cocoons into yarn or thread and ultimately weaving or knitting a finished silk scarf or shirt. She also had the opportunity to participate in a Silk Study Tour to Japan in 2023. Join her for an overview of Bombyx mori silkworm rearing, silk reeling, and weaving from ancient times to the present.
February Workshop – Introduction to Silk Reeling
Speaker: Esther Peregrine
Title: Introduction to Silk Reeling
Experience the ancient art of reeling silk thread from cocoons. Use traditional Japanese silk reels (zaguris) and learn simpler options, too. With the reeled silk, learn how to make 3 types of silk thread: flat silk, silk tram, and silk organzine. Spinning is required to make tram and organzine.
Cost of Workshop: Members – $130.00 plus $40.00 materials fee. Non-Members – TBD
Click here to register.
March – The World from Here
Textile artist Janet Pollock will speak about her work salvaging, researching, recreating and translating textiles of diverse domestic and ritual traditions from around the world. Relying primarily on local resources, Janet has cultivated a deliberate practice that includes weaving, stitching, montage and assembly.
April – "What If…?"
Speaker: Barbara Osborne
Barbara Osborne is a Seattle based basketry artist with a long history in basket making. Her baskets involve both engineering and artistry. This presentation covers Barbara’s evolution as a pine needle coiler from small, simple bowls to sculptural shapes using both traditional and invented basketry techniques. Small bowls with wood bases became larger bowls with rock slice bases that became tall multi-shaped vessels that became vessels that challenge gravity that became complex geometric shapes. Her inspiration is driven by the question “What if…?”
April Workshop – Pineneedle Basket
Speaker: Barbara Osborne
Title: Margarita Stitch Pineneedle Basket with Stone Base
Registration is not yet open for this workshop/
Registration Fee: TBD
May – Showcasing Painted Warps
Speaker: Tien Chu
Title: Showcasing Painted Warps
Tien Chiu is an award-winning textile artist, author, and co-founder of the Handweaving Academy. Tien’s presentation will explain the basics of how color works in weaving and she will cover how to apply these principles to showcase beautiful painted warps.
Past Events
October Workshop – Wet Felting
Speaker: Sahar Jabr
Title: Bowl/Vessel Making
Discover the art of welt felting by creating a sculptural bowl or small vessel using merino wool, silk, and textured fibers. Participants will explore layering, color and resist techniques. This hands on workshop is playful, relaxing and suitable for beginners as well as experienced fiber artist curious about felt making.
Click here to register
October – Wet Felting
Speaker: Sahar Jabr
Title: Painting with wool: Stories, Texture and Felted Art
Fiber artist Sahar shares her journey into wet felting and contemporary art, showing how wool, silk, recycled fabrics can be transformed into expressive textiles pieces inspired by memory, nature and personal stories.
September – Annual Sharing Meeting
September is our annual Sharing Meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity to see what we’ve been working on over the summer, to hear from our interest groups, and to share summer fiber events you may have attended. Following a short business meeting, we will devote the rest of our time to having fun looking at and talking about fiber. Please note that this meeting will take place at our normal Mid-County Social Center venue instead of the Fair Grounds. As a reminder, the County Fair runs from Wednesday, September 16th to the 20th, where many of our members’ work will be on display.
June – Annual Potluck Picnic and Sale
Please join us for our annual Potluck Picnic on June 10th. This is in place of our regular Guild meeting, and it will be at Anna Jean Cummings County Park. Don’t forget to bring whatever you have been working on to share with us.
May Workshop – Sculptural Tapestry with Beads and Wire
Instructor: Rebecca Smith
Dates: May 18, 2026 – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
May 19, 2026 – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Location: TBD. Location will be provided to all registrants at least one month before workshop dates.
Important Information: Click the More Info button for pre-workshop preparation requirements and to register.
May – From Tapestry to Transparency
Speaker: Rebecca Smith
San Diego artist, Rebecca Smith, is a nationally known teacher whose work has been shown in numerous juried shows throughout the US. She will share her weaving journey from workshops she took with master tapestry weaver, Archie Brennan in 1999 to her current work with woven transparencies.
April – How to Upcycle a Man's Shirt
Speaker: Patti Wells
This demonstration will take the group through each of the steps used to modify a man’s shirt. The removal of the top half of the collar, and substituting a mandarin collar instead; the addition of pockets in several places along the front; altering the hem line; changing the sleeve length and creating a gathered band; installing a placket to allow for various button placements.
SCTAG October Meeting
Open to the public, please join members for the monthly Guild meeting at the Heritage Hall, Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Watsonville.
The September topic will include discussion of the Guild’s annual participation at the Fair exhibiting various textile arts in process, and exhibit of completed textile arts by members.
