MAFAThe MidAtlantic Fiber Association

Welcome to the MAFA page on Lessonface.

MAFA

About MAFA

The MidAtlantic Fiber Association (MAFA) represents and supports a community of fiber arts guilds in the greater Mid-Atlantic region. Although MAFA is best known for its biennial conference - and now for virtual programs - the all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization also provides ongoing financial grants, fellowships and scholarships to promote education, development and public outreach in the fiber arts.

For more information on registration access and closure, class cancellations, refund policy & more, please visit the MAFA FAQS page. Also check out MAFA's virtual landing page: mafafiber.org/virtual

If you are a member of a fiber arts guild in the Mid-Atlantic region, check the Find a Guild page to see if your guild is a MAFA member (which makes you a member). If not, or if you live out of the area, please consider joining MAFA as an Associate member here.

Upcoming MAFA Classes and Lectures

Tee Shirt to Table: Weft-Faced Placemats

with Deborah Jarchow

Learning to weave or reviewing basic skills is even more fun when you can make an exciting project. These placemats are a wonderful way to turn old tee shirts into beautiful, functional home accessories.

Saturday, March 23, at 10 am ET | 7 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Exploring the Long Thread of Korean Textile Arts

with Anne Choi

Travel with Anne Choi, NJ Shepherd, on her adventures discovering the crafts, culture, foods etc. of Korea.

Tuesday, March 26, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Digital Record Keeping with GoodNotes

with Lisa Graves

Learn how to keep organized and efficient digital records on an iPad/tablet using the GoodNotes app. Always have access to all your records on all of your devices!

Saturday, April 13, at 10 am ET | 7 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

The Magic of Canva + Dissolvable Paper for Unique Embroidering

with Jessica Kaufman

Modern technology at your fingertips, for pennies on the dollar! Watch and learn from a fiber and surface design artist - you'll see on screen how to use Canva's free services to create images and fonts that please you, and print them on water-soluble stick-on embroidery papers that work in a home printer.

Sunday, April 14, at 2 pm ET | 11 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Making Zipper Bags using Handwoven Fabric

with Mary Mandarino and Ginny Hamilton

We know you all have containers of leftover handwoven fabric – just waiting for some inspiration. Learn how to make zipper bags using remnants of handwoven fabric with complementary lining material and a zipper!

Saturday, April 20, at 2 pm ET | 11 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Pin Loom Weaving From Scratch: 4x4" Squares

with Florencia Campos

Learn the basics of weaving on a 4x4” pin loom, as well as how to design your own patterns, and use your woven squares.

Starts Saturday, April 27, at 2 pm ET | 11 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Cell Weaves on 8 Shafts

with Martha Town

A simple repeat threading on paired shafts creates 4 “cells” which can be woven as Lace, Deflected Double Weave, Honeycomb, and Monks Belt! Weave a unique sampler that includes all these structures; play with bold color effects, and gain confidence in fabric design.

Starts Thursday, May 9, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Let's Look at Long Draw Spinning Part 1 - Fiber Prep

with Michelle Boyd

The key to stress-free long draw spinning is preparing your fibres for effortless drafting. There are several ways we can prepare fibres for this style of spinning and this lecture/demonstration session will explain the pros and cons of each style of preparation.

Saturday, May 18, at 1 pm ET | 10 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Let's Look at Long Draw Spinning Part 2 - Drafting

with Michelle Boyd

The key to stress-free long draw spinning is preparing your fibres for effortless drafting. There are several ways we can prepare fibres for this style of spinning and this lecture/demonstration session will explain the pros and cons of each style of preparation.

Sunday, May 19, at 1 pm ET | 10 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

The Art of Plying: From Basic Foundations to Beautiful Yarns

with Alanna Wilcox

Are you a new or self-taught spinner curious about plying? Dive into how it can elevate your yarn game in this workshop led by Alanna Wilcox. Moving from "How do I do this?" to "I've got this!" is our goal. Alanna will demystify the basics of plying, explaining why it's crucial and how it enhances both the look and functionality of your yarns.

Saturday, June 1, at 10 am ET | 7 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Here Comes the Sun - Cyanotype Printing

with David Heustess

Have fun in the sun and create art work as well with this fun and versatile photography technique cyanotype. Discovered in 1842, cyanotype is a slow-reacting, economical photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print on paper, fabric and other prepared surfaces.

Starts Saturday, June 1, at 2 pm ET | 11 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Incredible Ice Dye

with Jessica Kaufman

Explore an incredibly easy and effective way to use fiber reactive dyes that result in gorgeous pieces–you won't believe what the ice can do! Even the simplest patterns are captivating in ice dyeing. Results are ephemeral, reminiscent of watercolors on cloth.

Sunday, June 9, at 2 pm ET | 11 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Summer and Winter in Fiberworks

with Maryse Giroux

Summer and Winter is a block method of designing and weaving, and the basics of it will be explained to you so that you can work out your drawdowns on four shafts in Fiberworks.

Starts Saturday, June 15, at 2 pm ET | 11 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Colors in Fiberworks for Mac

with Maryse Giroux

Fiberworks for Mac has several ways of drawing color into your weave layouts and contains several color palettes and gradients. Learn how to use these wonderful colors in this class.

Tuesday, June 25, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

The Business Side of Fiber Arts

with Margery Erickson

Fiber artists who decide to sell their work face unique challenges - pricing, creating good images, shows, and websites/social media. Join this class to learn more about resources that fit your needs.

Starts Monday, September 9, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Learn to Weave on a Rigid Heddle Loom and Make a Tote Bag

with Deborah Jarchow

Build your skills as you weave this good-looking and useful market tote. If you’re just learning weaving basics on your rigid heddle loom or want to strengthen your basic skills, join us for a fun and productive class!

Starts Thursday, September 12, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

The Magic of Illumination Paste

with David Heustess

Join us in an exploration into the magic of “illumination paste”. It’s a bit of chemistry, a magical twist at times and a lot of fun as we discover different methods to apply illumination paste to various fabrics using an array of application techniques.

Saturday, September 14, at 2 pm ET | 11 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Blending and Spinning for Super Socks

with Michelle Boyd

The key to stress-free long draw spinning is preparing your fibres for effortless drafting. There are several ways we can prepare fibres for this style of spinning and this lecture/demonstration session will explain the pros and cons of each style of preparation.

Starts Thursday, September 26, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Four-Shaft Double Weave - Part 1

with Lisa Graves

Learn the basics of 4-shaft double weave in this 4-part class. This workshop will cover: two separate layers, double width, tubular and colour and weave techniques.

Starts Tuesday, October 1, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Using Pick Up Sticks

with Deborah Jarchow

Take it to the next level! If you already know the basics on your rigid heddle loom, create beautiful patterns while learning to use pick-up sticks.

Starts Wednesday, October 23, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Introduction to Sprang: Part 1 Flat Warp

with Carol James

Explore an ancient technique to make a stretchy fabric. There is no weft. Your fingers manipulate the threads to create the structure. Receive expert assistance to explore the basic stitch and some of its many variations for surface designs.

Starts Wednesday, October 30, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Creating Carded Blends

with Alanna Wilcox

Explore best practices of fiber blending for spinning using hand carders and drum carders. Whether you're a novice looking to understand the full potential of your hand carders or drum carder, or an experienced spinner aiming to refine your skills, this workshop is designed to reveal all the necessary tips and tricks.

Starts Saturday, November 2, at 10 am ET | 7 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Square, Triangle and Rectangle Bias Weaving

with Florencia Campos

Learn this fun and fast bias weaving technique on a pin loom, and gain inspiration for how to use your woven shapes.

Starts Saturday, November 9, at 2 pm ET | 11 am PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Four-Shaft Double Weave - Part 2

with Lisa Graves

Continue on from Part 1 or join in for our second double weave series exploring 4-shaft double weave. This workshop will cover: lace techniques (Leno and Brook's bouquet), quilting and pick-up.

Starts Tuesday, November 12, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Batiking with Beeswax & Fiber Reactive Dyes

with Jessica Kaufman

Join a professional batik artist in her studio to learn the basics of beeswax batik, including an overview of the tools & materials needed for this type of batik practice, applying beeswax to cloth, tools, stamps, dyeing with fiber reactive dyes, and removing wax using the boil-out method.

Starts Saturday, November 16, at 3 pm ET | 12 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

More End Finishing Techniques and Edge Treatments

with Deborah Jarchow

In this lecture/demo class, learn several ways to finish the ends of woven pieces, including: picking up edges to knit or crochet and edge trim, felted edges, decorative (netted) fringes, wrapped edges, looped fringe, and double row figure-8 stitch.

Thursday, November 21, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

Introduction to Sprang: Part 2 Circular Warp

with Carol James

In flat warp sprang, cloth grows from the outer edges to a place at the center, and the maximum length of the cloth is limited by the length of the frame. Another way to work is circular warp sprang which allows you to create a piece of cloth that is almost twice the length of the frame.

Starts Wednesday, December 4, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

A Block for Every Structure

with Marcy Petrini

Some weaving structures are naturally organized into blocks, but their characteristics vary. We can develop blocks for other structures as well. We will discuss the major structures that we can weave into blocks.

Thursday, December 5, at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT - Learn More and Sign Up

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