DFW Fiber Fest 2025 Sept 19-21, 2025 Irving Convention Center Texas

2025 Teachers

Dawn Barker •  Alissa  Barton •  Diana Beard •  Carla Billingsley •  Jenny Brown •  Alyssa Compton •  Francoise Danoy •  Alexandra Davidoff •  André De Castro •  Linda Dean •  Peggy Doney •  Kira Dulaney •  Cori Eichelberger •  Ami Esterly •  Jean Elizabeth Glass •  Margo Lynn Hablutzel •  Cynthia Haney •  Joyce Hazlerig •  Kelly Jones •  Galina Khmeleva •  Lyndsey Langley •  Toni Lipsey •  Christine K. Miller  •  Marla Senter Morris •  John Mullarkey •  Martha Myre •  Xandy Peters •  Abigail Ratliff •  Lesley Anne Robinson •  Sarah Schira •  Care Sharpin •  Rita Tobianski •  Mary Toon •  Misty Urech •  Una Walker •  Elizabeth Whitton •  Karen Whooley •  Liza Q Wirtz

Dawn Barker

dawn barker
What are your areas of expertise?
Crochet & Knitting
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest, Knit Stars Masterclass Season 8, Jimmy Beans Wool Retreat, Hill Country Weavers Retreat, multiple guilds and LYSs, both online and in person
Online presence
Website: BarkerWool.com Instagram: @Barker.Wool Ravelry: Dawn Barker
About Dawn
Dawn Barker is a wool dyer and knitwear designer known for her innovative work in assigned pooling, rhythmic slipped stitch colorwork, texture knitting, and color theory for knitters. Her designs are characterized by clean, modern shapes, featuring classic, deeply saturated colors. A lifelong fiber enthusiast with a background in fine arts, Dawn founded Barker Wool in 2017, where she shares her hand-dyed yarns and unique knitting designs. She enjoys balancing the creative freedom of dyeing with the structured discipline of designing practical, wearable knitwear. Residing in Amarillo, Texas with her husband and two sons, Dawn continues to push the boundaries of knitting, leaving an indelible mark on the worldwide fiber community.
Dawn will be teaching
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Alissa Barton

alissa barton
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting, Crocheting, Spinning, Lace, Tatting
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest and Various fiber fests, events and guilds around the country as well as on knitting cruises.
Online presence
Patreon: Knitting Fairy  Ravelry: Knitting Fairy  Instagram: @theKnittingFairy  Facebook: Knitting Fairy  X:@KnittingFairy

About Alissa
Alissa Barton, AKA Knitting Fairy, has been creating unusual and unique knitting patterns since 1994. She is a traveling knitting teacher, author, and indie designer. Alissa learned to drop spin using a stick and half a potato as the whorl. She likes the color purple (the color, not the movie- though the movie is cool). She is the past president of the Arlington Knitter’s Guild and the Dallas Lace Society. She learned to knit and spin as a child and took up lacemaking and tatting as a young adult over 30 years ago
Alissa will be teaching
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Diana Beard

Diana Beard
What are your areas of expertise?
Sewing and Knitting
Where have you taught?
University settings, local fabric shops, and DFW Fiber Fest
Online presence
Website: dianacouturestudio.com  Instagram: @dianacouturestudio  Facebook: dianacouturestudio 

About Diana
After years of creative projects -including 3 amazing daughters- Diana pursued a BFA in fashion design, follwed by a master's degree in merchandising. Along the way, she started a business designing and selling fabulously functional bags and things for knitters and crocheters. Now, she shares her knowledge on bag making through teaching and selling patterns. Diana combined her love for knitting and sewing into a business making marvelous functional bags and accessories for yarn enthusiasts. She has designed over 35 bags and items for knitters and crocheters. She designed her first knitting bag, the Yarn Owl yarn holder, after she taught her daughter to knit and couldn’t find a good skein holder. She uses her BFA in fashion design to create wearable art.
Diana will be teaching
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Carla Billingsley

Carla Billingsley
What are your areas of expertise?
Crochet, Knitting, Dyeing
Where have you taught?
Dallas Handknitters Guild Retreat, Fiber Fun in the Sip, Quixotic Fibers (Texas and Florida)
Online presence
Website: QuixoticFibers.com  Instagram: @quixoticfibers & @carlaknitsandcrochets 
About Carla
Carla rediscovered knitting shortly after her 40th birthday and quickly became captivated by hand-painted and novelty yarns. She started with simple scarves, throws, and shawls before moving to lace and socks. The moment she mastered turning a heel, she realized that anything is possible with the right mindset-and a great teacher! In 2014 she and her husband, Curtis, moved to Texas and in June 2015 they opened Quixotic Fibers. From the beginning, her vision for the shop was not just a place to buy yarn and fiber, but as a community resource dedicated to the preservation and development of the fiber arts:, a place where knitters, crocheters, weavers, and spinners can gather to learn from and to inspire each other. In 2024 Carla and Curtis returned to Florida, and opened a little sister shop to the Texas store in Zephyrhills, Florida - leaving the Texas store in Emilie Petty's capable hands.
Carla will be teaching
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Jenny Brown

Jenny Brown
What are your areas of expertise?
Dyeing
Where have you taught?
Flock Fiber Fest, DFW Fiber Fest, Midwest Fiber Fest, & my local botanical gardens.
Online presence
Website: 316DyeStudio.com  Instagram: @316DyeStudio  Facebook: 316DyeStudio 

About Jenny
Jenny Brown is the creative force behind 316 Dye Studio. After nearly a decade immersed in the world of indie dyeing, she has become a multi-faceted dyer on a continuous quest for color. Whether tending her dye garden, spinning, or knitting, Jenny is always exploring new ways to bring color to life.
Jenny will be teaching
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Alyssa Compton

Alyssa Compton
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting
Where have you taught?
Juju Knits, Leaves Book and Tea, and DFW Fiber Fest
Online presence
Instagram: @Multicraftual 

About Alyssa
Alyssa Compton is a passionate knitting instructor and expert sock knitter with nearly 7 years of knitting experience and 3 years of teaching. Known for her patient and encouraging teaching style, she believes that no knitting project is too challenging—just a little practice and patience are all it takes to master any technique. Specializing in sock knitting, Alyssa has helped countless students discover the joy and satisfaction of creating custom, hand-knit socks. Her classes earned her a reputation for making complex techniques feel accessible to knitters of all levels. Whether you’re knitting your first pair of socks or looking to fine-tune your technique, Alyssa fosters a welcoming and supportive environment where every student can grow their skills and gain confidence in their craft. She is excited to share her love of knitting with you and to help you achieve your knitting goals—one stitch at a time!
Alyssa will be teaching
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Françoise Danoy

Francoise Danoy
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting & Punch Needle
Where have you taught?
Vogue Knitting Live, Makers Festival, Flagstaff Fiber Festival, Melissa Leapman’s Knitting Retreat, FibreX, Perth Fiber Festival, DFW Fiber Fest
Online presence
Website: thepracticeoffibre.com   Instagram: @thepracticeoffibre 

About Françoise
Françoise, with a decade in the fiber industry as both a knitwear designer and design coach, blends her rich Franco-Māori heritage into her work, creating pieces that resonate globally through their beauty and narrative depth. Residing in San Antonio, Texas, she is a skilled creator and mentor, guiding others in unlocking their creative potential. Her multifaceted background informs her vibrant, textured designs and her approach to coaching, makes her a sought-after voice in the fiber arts community.
Francoise will be teaching
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Alexandra Davidoff

Alexandra Davidoff
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting, crochet, designing
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest, Guilds across Texas, Stitches, Vogue Knitting Live
Online presence
Facebook: StudioDavidoff, Instagram: @alexandra.davidoff.studio, Ravelry: Alexandra Davidoff, Website: www.alexandradavidoff.com
About Alexandra
Blends textures, colors, cultures and techniques to create unique pieces of wearable and decorative art. Her knitwear designs appear in Vogue Knitting, Noro book, Malabrigo book, Creative Knitting, Knitter’s and Knitty magazines. She has worked with yarn companies and online websites, including Lion Brand Yarn Co., Annie’s Crafts and Simplicity. Before becoming an indie knitwear designer, she designed garments and accessories for Coldwater Creek and Soft Surrounding. Alexandra as a Fashion Design degree from The Art Institute of Dallas. Alexandra lives and works in North Texas, together with her husband, two daughters and adorable cocker spaniel.
Alexandra will be teaching
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André De Castro

André De Castro
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting
Where have you taught?
André regularly teaches in international festivals: Stitches Events (US), Barcelona Knits (Barcelona), Wool Monty in Sheffield, Swiss Yarn festival. He teaches for Craft Cruises and a lot of knitting retreats. For the last 3 years he has been a regular teacher for Vogue Knitting Live (US).
Online presence
Website: AndreKnits.com  Instagram: @andreknits 

About André
André is a knitwear/ hand knitting designer, researcher and instructor based in Porto, Portugal. His first training is as a classical violinist, but love of textiles and clothes led him to studying Fashion Design and Illustration. Other passions include history and knitting traditions from around the world. Devoting some years traveling around Europe, he learned to develop in depth the most diverse aspects of knitting traditions, including the most unknown ones. A knitting "geek" who loves design, math, he makes the complex things seem simple to students, knitting and teaching in all knitting styles: English, Continental, Portuguese, Left Handed... even with a knitting belt! André’s designs can be found under the brand AndreKnits and in his book of patterns released in 2022 KNITTING AROUND EUROPE.
André will be teaching
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Linda Dean

Linda Dean
What are your areas of expertise?
Crochet, Spinning, Felting, Dyeing
Where have you taught?
Crochet Guild Australia annual conference 2024, Melbourne VIC; Jimmy Beans Wool annual retreat 2019-2024, Reno, NV; Lambtown Fiber Festival 2022-2024, Dixon, CA; Crochet Guild of America annual retreat & Masters Day 2014-2020, Various locations including virtual; DFW Fiber Fest 2019, Irving, TX; Interweave Yarnfest 2022, Loveland, CO; Lofty Lou's Yarn Shop weekly 2015-current, Placerville, CA; Jimmy Beans Wool Yarn Shop weekly 2022-current, Reno, NV.
Online presence
Website:  LindaDeanCrochet.com  Instagram: @lindadeancrochet  Facebook: LindaDeanCrochet  

About Linda
Linda enjoys creating and designing new ways to put stitches together in fiber arts, finding it relaxing and rejuvenating. Believing that the work through a piece is just as important as the finished product, Linda has been teaching since 2010, and designing for publishing since 2012. In addition to her teaching in her spare time, she is an avid reader, and constantly learning new hobbies while fitting in travel with her family.
Linda will be teaching
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Peggy Doney

Peggy Doney
What are your areas of expertise?
Dyeing, Spinning

Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest, Santa Fe, Estes Park, and Maryland Sheep and Wool

Online presence
Website:  The100thSheep.com  Instagram: @The100thSheep  Facebook: the100thsheep  

About Peggy
Peggy has always been fascinated with color - since her first box of crayons. After 20 years of homeschooling, she wondered what to do with all of the left-over chemistry equipment. The answer came after taking a spinning class with a neighbor. Now she enjoys spinning, knitting, silk fusion, and dyeing. For many years, she has been discovering color recipes using triad studies. These studies allow exploration in hue as well as value and support Peggy’s special interest in making accurate recipes that are starting points for matching colors in nature. The yarns Peggy creates celebrate the texture and luster of a wide variety of natural and synthetic fibers and gives a medium to combine those textures with the color she loves. Peggy’s skill with the dye pot led to a stint as one of the regular dyers for Treenway Silks. If there is anything that Peggy enjoys as much as creating with fiber and color it’s sharing that passion with others. From an annual fiber-arts gathering in her back yard to teaching workshops for guilds and at festivals like the Taos Wool Festival to one-on-one sharing, she likes to pass on her excitement for fiber and color. Peggy knows all the dyeing jokes, has a herd of wheels and dye pots, and now uses her big box of crayons as reference material. She makes her home in Colorado Springs with her fiber-enabler husband, Jeff, and two undyed white dogs.

Peggy will be teaching
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Kira Dulaney

Kira Dulaney
What are your areas of expertise?
Crochet, Knitting, Felting, Spinning, Weaving, Visible Mending, Embroidery
Where have you taught?
Estes Park Wool Market, Flag Wool, Flock Fiber Festival, Interweave Yarn Fest, Lambtown Festival, Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, the Natural Fiber Fair, Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival, Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat, Stitches events, and TNNA, as well as numerous guilds and yarn shops
Online presence
Website: KiraKDesigns.com  Instagram: @kirakdesigns  Facebook: kirakdesigns   Ravelry: Kira-Dulaney

About Kira
Kira has been teaching fiber arts classes and hosting crafty events in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond since 2002. As a teacher, her focus is on providing valuable information in a stress-free environment, and supporting students through the learning process. She is also the designer behind Kira K Designs, a line of original knitting, crochet patterns and kits featuring clean lines and intriguing details that are both interesting to make and easy to wear.
Kira will be teaching
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Cori Eichelberger

Cori Eichelberger
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting
Where have you taught?
Interweave Yarnfest Colorado 2022, 2023, 2024 & Pennsylvania 2024; Longmont Yarn Shoppe Fiberside Chat 2024; Minnesota Knitter's Guild Yarnover Convention 2023; Dallas Hand Knitters Guild; 13 area yarns stores in Minneapolis/St Paul; Knitting Up North Retreat
Online presence
Website: irocknits.com  Instagram: @irocknits  Facebook: irocknits   Ravelry: irocknits

About Cori
Cori is a former high school English teacher to at-risk students, whom she also taught to knit. She has spent 20 years teaching beginning knitting and technique classes and co-authored the knitting pattern book: Minnesota 52: 16 Knits Inspired by the Road (2017) and wrote Knitword: 8 Designs to Celebrate the Knitter (2021). Her high energy classes are extremely popular at yarn stores and retreats throughout the United States. Cori hosts a YouTube knitting vlog since 2018 with an emphasis on inspiring knitters, sharing knowledge and making you laugh. You can find her colorful designs on Ravelry and her website at www.irocknits.com.
Cori will be teaching
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Ami Esterly

Ami Esterly
What are your areas of expertise?
Macrame
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest
Online presence
Instagram: @amicakerly 

About Ami
Ami has been making macrame projects for a few years now. While loving a traditional wall hanging, she says it is fun to experiment with new ideas and techniques. This past year she started working with more macra-weaving techniques, and dying her own cords. She loves to crochet, and enjoys finding ways to use leftover yarn within macrame works.
Ami will be teaching
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Jean Elizabeth Glass

Jean Elizabeth Glass
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting, Beading
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest, New York Sheep and Wool Festival, Stitches West, Madrona Fiber Arts retreat, Vogue Knitting Live, Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair, Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival, Southern Animal Fiber Festival, Maryland Alpaca Festival, Fiber Festival of New England, Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival, Blizzard Yarn and Fiber, and numerous yarn shops and retreats
Online presence
Website: BeadBiz.org  Instagram: @beadbiz  Facebook: BeadBiz  

About Jean
Jean Elizabeth Glass has been playing with beads and fiber in one way or another for over 30 years. She was brought to knitting by friends who told her that she could knit with beads thus marrying two wonderful crafts and making her smile. She loves to share her passion with anyone who is interested and has generously shared her knowledge during demonstrations and teaching classes all over the world. #BetterWithBeads
Jean will be teaching
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Margo Lynn Hablutzel

Margo Lynn Hablutzel
What are your areas of expertise?
Dyeing, Crochet, Knitting, Sewing, Embroidery
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest, Dallas Hand Knitters Guild, Knit One and Crochet Too in Dallas. local meetups, Society for Creative Anachronism, MakeHartford, etc.
Online presence

About Margo
Margo’s mother says she learned to knit around age four or five, and to crochet when about ten. In between she picked up sewing and embroidery, and soon after was weaving, spinning, and dyeing at a living history site. She has had patterns published by the House of White Birches and won the My Mountain Man Hat competition in 2015 with her Binary Language Beanie. She is often found volunteering when not in a class. Margo is a founding member of DFW Fiber Fest, and was the first president of our event.
Margo will be teaching
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Joyce Hazlerig

Joyce Hazlerig
What are your areas of expertise?
Dyeing, Felting, Spinning, Nuno felting
Where have you taught?
Texas Fleece and Fiber, DFW Fiber Fest, Houston Fiber Festival
Online presence

Website: joyharte.etsy.com  Instagram: @joycehazlerig 

About Joyce
Joyce started Needle Felting in 2008 and in 2010 she won Living Felt’s Alice in Wonderland contest with her psychedelic Cheshire cat, who glows under black light! She teaches needle felting and fiber art workshops across the country. Most recently she has become a Sarafina Certified Instructor and her original winged dragon tutorial, “Here There Be Dragons” is featured on feltingtutorials.com, a platform sponsored by Living Felt. Joyce is known for her fantasy woodland style, her creations come alive with their own whimsical magic. Joyce demos at various Renaissance Festivals and shows her creations at Indie Craft fairs throughout Texas. She taught and vended at DFW Fiber Fest in September 2024.
Joyce will be teaching
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Cynthia Haney

Cynthia Haney
What are your areas of expertise?
Spinning
Where have you taught?
Central Virginia Fiberarts Guild, Camaj School of Fiber Arts, Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair, Maryland Sheep and Wool, and the MidAtlantic Fiber Association
Online presence

Website: CynthiaWoodSpinner.com   Instagram: @cynthia_wood_spinner   Facebook: CynthiaWoodSpinner   YouTube: CynthiaWoodSpinner  

About Cynthia
Cynthia Dianne Haney, a spindle maker, is passionate about teaching people how to spin. She designs spindles and turns them on the lathe to aid students with high quality performance, enabling students to make the yarn they want with a spindle. Cynthia has been teaching beginning spinners, of all ages and abilities, since 2011, using methods such as individual lessons to specialized group classes. A Virginia native her woodshop and Cynthia Wood Spinner business is in Nelson County.
Cynthia will be teaching
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Kelly Jones

Kelly Jones
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting, Weaving
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest, Midwest Fiber Festival, NWA Fiber Fest, Hoosier Hills, Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival and Birchwood Fiber Fest, as well as many others over the years.
Online presence

Website: KissLooms.com  Facebook: Kiss Looms Knitting and Weaving Club  

About Kelly
Kelly has been knitting and weaving for over 17 years. She is the owner of Kiss Looms Adjustable Gauge Knitting and Weaving Looms. She loves to teach new people to knit or weave and believes that looms are a great resource for those with hand difficulties, enabling them to continue the hobbies they love.
Kelly will be teaching
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Galina Khmeleva

Galina Khmeleva
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting, Spinning
Where have you taught?
All over the US (except for Hawaii) and Canada, Craft Cruises Baltic Cruise Worldwide to include Australia, Great Britain, and Italy
Online presence
Website: GalinaKhmeleva.com  Instagram: @galina_khmeleva_lace 

About Galina
Galina, lace knitter, spinner and educator extraordinaire, is the author of Gossamer Webs, The History and Techniques of Orenburg Lace Shawls and Gossamer Webs, and The Design Collection. Born in 1950 in Leningrad, today’s St. Petersburg, Russia, Galina was educated there. It soon became clear that her interests lie more in the field of art and less in science or mathematics. She took advantage of every opportunity to participate in special after school art programs. Galina’s work has appeared in the industry’s leading magazines including Piecework, Interweave Knits, Spin-Off, Knitting Traditions, Knitter’s Magazine, Cast On, Wild Fibers and Verena USA.
Galina will be teaching
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Lyndsey Langley

Lyndsey Langley
What are your areas of expertise?
Crochet, Knitting, Macrame, Sewing, Weaving, Nalbinding
Where have you taught?
Dallas Maker Space, Sherwood Forest Faire Renaissance Festival
Online presence
None provided

About Lyndsey
Lyndsey will be teaching at DFW Fiber Fest for the first time. As a grad student studying Cell and Molecular biology, she grew up in an era when fidgets in class were a big no-no. Needing some way to keep active during lectures while still paying attention, she learned how to knit. After meeting her significant other at Sherwood Forest Faire, she started checking out the Viking crafts that would work with his Viking performances, discovering both Nalbinding and tablet weaving.
Lyndsey will be teaching
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Toni Lipsey

Toni Lipsey
What are your areas of expertise?
Crochet
Where have you taught?
Vogue Knitting Live, Stitches, WEBS Spring Virtual Knitting Retreat, Various Local Yarn Shops, Online Courses on her website and YouTube Channel.
Online presence

Website: tlycblog.com  Instagram: @tlyarncrafts Facebook: Toni Lipsey YouTube: @tlyarncrafts   Ravelry: Toni Lipsey

About Toni
Since turning her crochet passion into a career nearly a decade ago, Toni has built a catalog of crafty knowledge that includes hundreds of beginner-friendly patterns and easy-to-follow tutorials. She draws her inspiration from the desire to immerse herself in a cozy life bursting with color. Her current obsessions are temperature blankets, Tunisian crochet, and anything granny squares. When she’s not crocheting, you can find Toni cuddled with her fur babes Sheba and Pepper, as well as her husband, watching true-crime thrillers in their metro Detroit home. Follow her daily crochet journey on Instagram, @TLYarnCrafts, and pick up her book, The Tunisian Crochet Handbook, and patterns on tlyarncrafts.com.
Toni will be teaching
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Chistine K. Miller

Chistine K. Miller
What are your areas of expertise?
Weaving, Sewing, Basketry, Embroidery, Felting, Dyeing, Knitting, Crochet, and Fiber Sculpture.
Where have you taught?
Weaving and fiber arts guilds around the U.S., the Craft Guild of Dallas, state and national weaving conventions, and in her private studio.
Online presence
Websites: christinekmiller.com, christinekmillercourses.com  Instagram: @christinekmillerfiberartist  Facebook: christinekmillerfiberartist  YouTube: ExploreFiber

About Chistine
Christine is a life long fiber artist and has been weaving for over 50 years, 30 of those years with wire. She is author of Weaving with Wire: Creating Woven Metal Cloth. She teaches her specialty of weaving with wire to in person workshops and through her online courses. She is a former visual arts educator with local, state, and national arts education recognition. She continues teaching in k12 programs through her Visiting Artist presentations. Christine conducts fiber related classes, presentations, and workshops and is available for art commissions. Christine is also an authorized Schacht dealer.
Christine K. Miller and Martha Myre will be teaching
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Marla Senter Morris

Marla Senter Morris
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting, Designing
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest, Houston Fiber Fest, Fiber Fun in the Sip, Yellow Rose, Fiber Christmas in July Kellyville OK, Winter Fiber Fun Retreat, various local retreats, local yarn/craft stores: Yarn Store Boutique Houston, JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts, The Lamb Shoppe
Online presence
Instagram: @marlasm 

About Marla
Marla picked up a needle and started sewing and weaving at age 5. In October 2023, Marla got to sit and stitch at the Betsy Ross home in Philadelphia!
Marla will be teaching
    Learn to Knit
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John Mullarkey

John Mullarkey
What are your areas of expertise?
Weaving
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest and Around the world
Online presence
Website: MalarkyCrafts.com  Instagram: @Malarky.Crafts 

About John
John is passionate about teaching tablet weaving and exploring new ways to make the art form more contemporary. Tablet weaving is a primitive weaving style that creates simple weave structures but offers great variation in possible patterns. John loves to push tablet weaving outside the norm and historical limits to create his own interpretation of traditional patterns. He is a nationally recognized teacher and is valued for the patience, clarity and organization he brings to his classes. After beginning to teach in 2009, John left a part-time software development career to focus on weaving and teach full time. John has won many awards, is a frequent contributor to national weaving publications and has authored books and videos about the craft. His creations have appeared in international fashion shows and been displayed at museums. The Schacht Zoom Loom is based on John’s design.
John will be teaching
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Martha Myre

Martha Myre
What are your areas of expertise?
Weaving
Where have you taught?
Fiber Frolics Studio, The Craft Guild
Online presence
Website: fiberfrolics.com/  Instagram: @marthasfiberfrolics 

About Martha
I am a fiber artist and educator who has been creating and teaching most of my life. I homeschooled my three children and have taught classes and tutored many kids. Though most of my tutoring has been in math, science, and writing, in my retirement, I decided I wanted to share my love for the fiber arts - spinning, weaving, felting, dyeing, knitting, crochet, sewing - with the next generation. Having acquired a studio space large enough both for my own creative works and for teaching others, I am excited to offer instruction to both children and adults who want to learn and want a space to come and practice what they are learning. With a background in science, I am fascinated by the biology, chemistry and physics involved in the production of my art. My background in theology leads me to consider the spiritual aspects of creativity. I invite you to join me on a journey of creating, experimenting, and exploring how the fiber arts can enhance your life.
Christine K. Miller and Martha Myre will be teaching
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Xandy Peters

Xandy Peters
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting
Where have you taught?
Vogue, Red Alder, Bazzar Girls, Fibre Space, knit New Haven, Knit Maine, Australia, Rowan Connect, Melissa Leapman, WEBS, Yarnover and more
Online presence

Website: XandyPeters.com  Instagram: @XandyPeters Facebook: XandyPeters   Ravelry: Xandy-Peters

About Xandy
Xandy is a knitting designer and teacher, best known as the innovator of the stacked stitch technique and for the Fox Paws pattern. Starting out as a footwear and product designer, he turned to knitting as a way to explore textiles and surfaces without using factory production and has since made a career out of publishing new patterns and teaching workshops. Xandy has been published in magazines such as Vogue Knitting, Twist Collective, Knitscene, Knitty, and Pom Pom Quarterly, has a Craftsy class teaching the stacked stitch technique and continues to self publish patterns on a regular basis.
Xandy will be teaching
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Abigail Ratliff

Abigail Ratliff
What are your areas of expertise?
Crochet
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest, and Taught children in pre-K and above to crochet
Online presence

None provided

About Abigail
Abigail is teaching our Learn to Crochet classes. In her real life, she is a pre-K teacher with special expertise in pocket rocks, bees, dinosaurs, and pasta sauce. She is the master of Puns and Dad Jokes, and will have you in literal stitches by the time you’re done in her class.
Abigail will be teaching
    Learn to Crochet
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Lesley Anne Robinson

Lesley Anne Robinson
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest, Camp Starlight, Craftsy, Dallas Hand Knitters Guild, Do Ewe Knit?, Fibre Space, Four Purls, Fuzzy Goat, Hill Country Weavers, Houston Fiber Fest, Knitting in the Hills Retreat, Knotty Lamb, Online Courses, San Diego Hand Knitters Guild, The Farmer's Daughter Fibers, The Modern Skein, Vogue Knitting Live
Online presence

Website: KnitGraffiti.com  Instagram: @KnitGraffiti Patreon: KnitGraffiti   YouTube: @KnitGraffiti Ravelry: KnitGraffiti

About Lesley
Lesley Anne Robinson is the knitting pattern designer behind Knit Graffiti Designs. She loves to create knitting patterns that focus on modern style with a flair for something different. After graduating from the College for Creative Studies (located in Detroit, Michigan) with a degree in Interior Design and a minor in Fiber Design in 2006, she moved to New York City, where she spent several years there working as a commercial Interior Designer for Spin Design. She started knitting in college, but in 2015 began self-publishing knitting designs. Brioche knitting is her main passion. She fell in love with the technique and just hasn’t gotten sick of it yet. Lesley loves to teach others how to knit those beautiful brioche stitches, and spends her days swatching out new brioche stitch patterns. Lesley is currently living in South Texas with her husband and two boys, designing in her small home studio, where she also films her online classes. You can find Lesley on Ravelry and Instagram as @knitgraffiti.
Lesley will be teaching
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Sarah Schira

Sarah Schira
What are your areas of expertise?
Knitting
Where have you taught?
Super Summer Knit Together Retreat, Manitoba Fibre Festival, numerous online classes including Maryland Sheep and Wool Winterfest, Modern Daily Knitting, Yarniversity, in-person LYS classes including Hank and Purl, The Endless Skein, Das Mondschaf
Online presence

Website: ImaginedLandscapes.com  Instagram: @imagined_landscapes YouTube: @ImaginedLandscapes   Ravelry: Sarah Schira

About Sarah
Sarah is a knitting designer who loves making knitting patterns for everyday adventures. She and her husband live in Manitoba, Canada, on Treaty 2 lands, where they’ve raised their two kids to adulthood but still have the shenanigans of two cats to contend with. These two fiendish charmers mean that her gnomes live protected lives in glass cabinets. She has - at last count - over 160 gnomes. Sarah’s husband is German and they love to travel. When they're abroad, she misses the big prairie skies; when she’s home, she misses the cobblestone streets and moss-strewn forests. Sarah’s eyes are drawn to the textures and lines of the landscapes - translating them into knitting patterns and the folds of fabric. More than one of her designs is explicitly inspired by something she’s seen and needed to capture on her needles, hence the name Imagined Landscapes. When Sarah’s not knitting gnomes, she’s working on knitting accessories and sweaters to stay warm, filming knitting tutorials for her YouTube channel, and planning cycling and hiking trips.
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Care Sharpin

Care Sharpin
What are your areas of expertise?
Crochet, Dyeing, Felting, Sewing, Spinning, Weaving, Rug Hooking
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest, Texas Fleece & Fiber, Yarn and You, Fancy Fibers, Millhouse McKinney, Joann's, Hobby Lobby
Online presence

Website: sharpindesigns.com  Instagram: @sharpindesigns Ravelry: CareSharpin Etsy: SharpinDesigns

About Care
If it has to do with yarn, fabric, or beads, Care is happy. If it's sparkly, textured, or has eyeballs (hello Amigurumi!), you'll hear her giggle! Care started quilting at a young age and had her own children's boutique clothing line for several years. She loves to sew, crochet, weave, bead weave (off and on loom), rug hook, dye yarn, and embroider. Care works full-time as an IT program manager, so helping other makers stay organized and maximizing craft time is a passion. When not crafting herself, she's designing items targeted to crochet artists.
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Rita Tobianski

What are your areas of expertise?
Tatting and Embroidery
Where have you taught?
DFW Fiber Fest (esp in the Fiberatory)
Online presence
Instagram: @RitaTobianski
Fiber enthusiast fun facts
  • Rita is from the Show-Me-State (Missouri)
  • Rita has always been in love with threads: tatting and embroidery.
  • Rita has been tatting since she was 9 years old!
  • Rita is visually impaired, and has been tatting "blind" since the age of 23.
  • Rita has a boyfriend (Bobby) that is with her all the time and is always so helpful!
    • Rita will be teaching
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    Mary Toon

    Mary Toon
    What are your areas of expertise?
    Spinning, Silk Ribbon Embroidery
    Where have you taught?
    Local yarn shops, Winter Fiber Fun Retreat, DFW FiberFest, and other retreats
    Online presence

    Website: butterflygirldesigns.net  Instagram: @ButterflyGirlDesigns   Facebook: ButterflyGirlDesigns  

    About Mary
    Mary has been crocheting, knitting, and sewing since she was a child, but her true fiber arts passion began when she learned to spin. Soon after Butterfly Girl Designs was born. Mary is known for her sparkly batts and her handspun art yarns. In 2020, she was married in a dress that she adorned with silk ribbon embroidery. She loves sparkle and texture and incorporates that into her fiber arts creations.
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    Misty Urech

    Misty Urech
    What are your areas of expertise?
    Knitting, Basket Weaving
    Where have you taught?
    DFW Fiber Fest, Kid n Ewe, Yellow Rose and Within the Fiber Arts Community
    Online presence

    Instagram: @mistyu

    About Misty
    Misty has been teaching, vending and participating with DFW Fiber Fest in one way or another since the beginning. She has been a knitter and spinner for over 20 years and also a jewelry maker. She is a mother to 4 girls (quads), 2 dogs, and 3 cats.
    Misty will be teaching
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    Una Walker

    Una Walker
    What are your areas of expertise?
    Punch needle rug hooking
    Where have you taught?
    DFW, Estes Park Wool Market, Lambtown, Black Sheep Gathering, OFFF, Great Basin Fiber Festival, Copper K Fiber Fest, Fiber Fusion NW, many others including fiber guilds and private classes.
    Online presence

    Website: WoolyWalkers.com   Instagram: @woolywalkers   Facebook: WoolyWalkers   YouTube: @WoolyWalkers  

    About Una
    Una is a Fiber Artist from La Grande, Oregon whose fashion and artwork has been exhibited nationally to rave reviews. As a sought after fiber arts teacher, her classes range from beginning to advanced techniques in a variety of mediums. Una grew up in her parents’ craft supply store where she gained experience in a wide range of crafts as both an artist and teacher. An example being her appearance on HGTV’s ‘That’s Clever’ in 2009, making a pair of shoes! She got started punching over a decade ago at a craft show “make and take” where she first worked with the Oxford Punch Needle. Combining unique materials is Una’s most inspiring challenge in her work; she loves “figuring it all out”. From raw wool, to sewing the finishing stitch, she is always looking ahead to new and creative approaches. Una’s latest fiber experiments include explorations in dyeing and seeing how the color and texture bring life to her designs.
    Una’s work has been exhibited at craft shows across the country where she also sells under her business name of Wooly Walkers. She was the 2024 International Punch Needle Rug Hooking Ambassador and writes articles about the craft of Punch Needle for Rug Hooking magazine. Una has completed her Advanced Oxford Punch Needle training and has been teaching it for the past 10 years. She teaches with both patience and attention to detail, that combined with her easy-going sense of humor results in a fun and rewarding experience. Una thrives on problem solving and she loves working with beginners. She can be reached through her website, www.woolywalkers.com.
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    Elizabeth Whitton

    Elizabeth Whitton
    What are your areas of expertise?
    Felting
    Where have you taught?
    Fiber Festivals: Rhinebeck, Maryland, Wisconsin Sheep & Wool, Midwest Fiber Festival, Michigan Fiber Festival, etc.
    Online presence

    Website: feltedsky.com Instagram: @FeltedSkyStudio

    About Elizabeth
    Elizabeth is a mompreneur who turned her love of wool into a thriving family-run needle felting business called Felted Sky. She and her husband have managed the business together full time since 2019. Elizabeth enjoys teaching through her kits, in person and online. Her needle felting tutorials have over 400k views on YouTube. Her work has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Do It Yourself magazine and on the Etsy blog. She has been teaching needle felting for 11 years at a variety of fiber festivals, schools, local yarn shops, and maker spaces. She loves that she is able to promote stress-relief, creativity and joy through needle felting.
    Elizabeth will be teaching
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    Karen Whooley

    Karen Whooley
    What are your areas of expertise?
    Crochet
    Where have you taught?
    DFW Fiber Fest (3 times), Crochet guild of America (Many times since 2004), Stitches West 2X, Local shops and Events
    Online presence

    Website: KarenWhooley.com   Instagram: @karenwhooleydesigns   YouTube: karenwhooleydesigns  

    About Karen
    Karen is an award-winning, internationally-known crochet designer, author, and instructor. She develops patterns and teaches classes for crocheters who want simplicity and elegance wrapped up in adventure. Karen is the author of Modern Italian Lace Crochet, Coastal Crochet, and 24 other books with many of her patterns published in books and magazines. Her online and live classes are some of the most sought-after in the crochet genre. Crochet is her passion and she wants to take that passion and inspire her students in any way she can. Most importantly, Karen wants to bring each student self-confidence and enable her students to take what they have learned so that they can happily create whatever spurs their crochet passion.
    Karen will be teaching
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    Liza Q Wirtz

    Liza Q Wirtz
    What are your areas of expertise?
    Spinning, Weaving, Carding
    Where have you taught?
    Oxford Fiber Festival (Oxford, MS); Carolina Fiber Festival (Raleigh, NC); Eureka! Fiber in the Ozarks (Eureka Springs, AR); Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival (Dickson, TN); Midwest Fiber Festival (St. Louis, MO); Birchwood Fiber Festival (Birchwood, TN); Kentucky Sheep & Fiber Festival (Lexington, KY); Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival (Franklin, IN); Estes Park Wool Market (Estes Park, CO); Mid-Atlantic Fiber Association biannual conference (Millersville, PA); Southern Comforts Fiber Market (Charlotte, NC); Michigan Fiber Festival (Allegan, MI); DFW Fiber Fest (Irving, TX); Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival (Berryville, VA); New York Sheep & Wool Festival (Rhinebeck, NY); Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (Asheville, NC); Alabama Fiber Festival (Brierfield, AL)
    Online presence

    Website: Foldoutcat.com   Instagram: @Foldoutcat   Facebook: Foldoutcat  

    About Liza Q
    Liza, better known as Q (aka the Chief Feline), runs a multifaceted fiber-arts business, The Foldout Cat, from her home studio in Alabama with the frequent and welcome assistance of partners Fiber J and Maker J and the help of a fluctuating number of cats. Q has been weaving in a freestyle/free-spirited tradition since 2015, carding multi-fiber batts and rolags since 2018, spinning since 2018, and dyeing since 2021. She teaches freestyle weaving, art-batt carding, and basic experiential spinning with the same philosophy that infuses her praxis: create from your heart, make what gives you joy, and put beauty into the world. Q wholeheartedly believes that everyone's an artist and that giving people access to fiber-arts tools and learning lets them prove it to themselves. Q also sells one-of-a-kind art batts built from the Foldout Cat's unique Batt Buffet, handspun yarn, hand-dyed microbatch yarn and fiber, simple fiber-arts tools, and handwoven finished items. She has taught, vended, or both at fiber events and workshops in multiple states.. Find her as FoldoutCat on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok and on her website, foldoutcat.com.
    Liza Q will be teaching
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