With sewing machines in hand and bundles of fabric tucked under their arms, local queer-identifying makers shuffled into The MILL one sunny evening in April to participate in the fourth installment of Queer Maker Meet-Up. Queer Maker Meet-Up is a small bi-monthly grassroots effort to build inclusive and friendly spaces for local queer makers to build community, skill-share, and have the chance to be exposed to new mediums and techniques.
A dual effort of MVSCH’s marketing specialist, Kacey Montgomery, and Corvallis’ Highland Woodshop co-owner, Katherine Edmonds. The two makers felt there was a need for queer creatives to have a free, welcoming, and accessible space to network.
The most recent event in April at The MILL was themed around fabric arts. The Queer Maker Meet-Up team invited the community into the makerspace to bring their sewing, weaving, and crocheting projects to share and work on. Some themes from previous meet-ups included pyrography and holiday decorations.
The small turnout fruited a wide variety of projects and tutorials. One attendee was spinning their own yarn and demonstrating how to use a spin wheel. Another was creating a quilted pattern out of canvas that they would sew into a tote bag. Yet another participant was learning to use a sewing machine for the first time to make a back patch for their jacket by upcycling an old t-shirt (pictured below).
If you are interested in joining in the parallel play of a Queer Maker Meet-Up, look out for a flyer in June. Location, dates, and times have yet to be determined, but you can keep watch for the next event’s announcement in the ‘Events’ section of the MVSCH website.
