The Textile Arts Center of Madison on the city’s east side awaits the arrival of students for the textile workshop of the night. 

As they walk through the doors, they are immediately met with an array of color. There are all different kinds of materials, from quilts to silk scarves, hanging from the walls. Piles of material sit in the corners waiting to be transformed into an entirely new design.

In the minutes before the class starts, the empty seats at each of the work tables slowly fill up. There is a light chatter in the air as the students greet each other. On nights like tonight, the warehouse is filled with different folks who have at least one thing in common: a passion for textiles.

The textile center draws in makers who feel an elemental desire to create, providing a unique space for artists to fulfill that desire.

Fiber art projects can require expensive equipment and training that may not be accessible to everyone. While there are other textile centers located across the country, there is no place quite like this one in Wisconsin. This center serves as more than just a hub for textile art; it is a beacon for accessible artistry, allowing artists of different backgrounds to pursue their creative dreams.

The Textile Arts Center of Madison, which opened in October 2023, strives to make fiber art accessible to anyone who wants to get involved, its founders say. That can mean anything from providing second-hand supplies at a discounted rate to being a place where artists of any experience level can showcase their designs.

The space seems like it came straight from a fiber artist’s dreams — because it did.

Heather Kohlmeier and Elizabeth Tucker wanted to do something in textiles. While Tucker had studied and worked in art-related fields, Kohlmeier had just taken the leap to go back to school and get her master’s degree in design studies. 

Kohlmeier remembers starting to wonder what she was going to do once she graduated from her master’s program when Tucker suggested creating a place to sell and recycle high-quality fabrics. That conversation opened up their minds to a world of possibilities.

“What about exhibition programming? And what about a place for people to teach, and workshops? And what about access to equipment?” Kohlmeier says. “And we just sort of looked at each other. And I was like ‘Elizabeth, are we going to start a textile arts center?’”

If it were the beginning of the week, there is a good chance you would walk straight into a “Maker Monday.” Twice each month, the textile center hosts a free meetup for makers of all kinds to gather and share their current projects and have the chance to work among other artists. This group sometimes ranges from textile artists in their 20s to fiber enthusiasts in their 70s, Kohlmeier says.

If it were Wednesday, the same tables would be holding the materials of the “Feisty Fibers,” the weekly maker meetup that focuses on hand-stitching. Many of these artists are between the ages of 60 and 80 who have been creating together for years, but the meetup is open to anyone.

While today is neither Monday nor Wednesday, the room is still filled with makers and a mountain of fabric spread across the tables. Upon closer examination, it becomes clear it is not just any fabric, but a collection of vintage quilt scraps to be used for the night’s workshop.

As the workshop students begin to trickle in, the instructor, Sarah Mullins, greets them enthusiastically. Each student arrives with a sweatshirt, ready to learn how to apply a vintage quilt applique. Students were encouraged to bring a sweatshirt they do not wear anymore, whether it’s stained, has a hole or is just not their style. The goal of this night is to repurpose the garment rather than throwing it out.

“I love the second life that we’re giving quilts,” Mullins says, holding up a handful of vibrant quilt scraps from the table. “I think having grown up with them and not having been a quilter myself, I see and know the time that goes into them, I appreciate them.” 

Mullins is a local artist who primarily creates and sells at marketplaces in the Madison area. Her mother sewed for a living and was a quilter. Although Mullins did not get into sewing until she was a bit older, she says she has fond memories of watching her mother create.

This is only Mullins’ second time teaching a sewing class, but she is not the only beginner in the warehouse today. As a beginner class, there are students like Torie Neff, who says she has not touched a sewing machine in 15 years, or Mera Charnecki, who says she has been sewing Halloween costumes for her children for longer than they can remember.

Especially for beginners, textile equipment can be quite a splurge. Alongside being a space for artists to gather, the textile center also acts as a center for donations, taking in fabric, yarn, notions, machines and other equipment. 

Some of this equipment is then donated to local schools, educators and nonprofits that may otherwise not have the funds to purchase it, Kohlmeier says. While a few of the students today brought sewing machines, there were many who did not. For beginner classes like this one, the textile institute provides the necessary equipment for their students to use during class.

Before they can get to work on their machines, each student must choose which fabric to use. Many students head straight to the fabric table, carefully sifting through the pile. 

There is one student who does not make it to the fabric table at all.

Sherri Shokler is a longtime crafter, having been in a stitch group for the last 15 years. While she doesn’t get her hands on a sewing machine often, she does quite a bit of hand stitching. 

Shokler doesn’t give a second look to the fabrics on the table — she brought her own. She came in with vintage scraps she says were passed down from her great grandmothers, both of whom were quilters.

“I inherited so much of their stuff, like a lot of my hand stitching, or my embroidery, it’s done on vintage textiles,” Shokler says. “So that’s one way I’ve repurposed those instead of just having them sit in a trunk forever and then end up at the Dig and Save.” 

She was a few steps ahead of the rest of the group all night and ended up finishing two sweatshirts in the time it took everyone else to finish one.

After gathering for a quick group picture with everyone’s finished projects, the students wave goodbye to each other and walk out the door with a new, unique garment they made themselves. 

But they also leave with something much more meaningful: a sense of belonging. They are part of a community that lifts them up regardless of their background or experience. That is exactly what brings people back to the Textile Arts Center of Madison.

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Mullins’ Magic: Scraps to Sweatshirt

Sarah Mullins leads a reverse applique workshop at the Textile Arts Center of Madison.

During a workshop at the Textile Arts Center of Madison, Sarah Mullins leads students through the process of creating a vintage quilt reverse applique sweatshirt. This project allows them to reuse fabric and create an entirely new and unique garment to wear.

Cover photo and tile photo: Sherri Shokler cutting fabric on sweatshirt. Photo by Ella Buffalo.