First Fashion Fiber Festival Comes to EL This Saturday

Calling all crafters, sewists, and fashionistas! Seams, a local East Lansing business specializing in natural fibers, fashion fabric, garment patterns, and sustainable textiles, has an event creatives will want to add to their calendars.

This Saturday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., is the Fashion Fiber Festival, presented by Seams and Woven Art Yarn Shop. The free event includes handmade fashion and features live demonstrations, local independent business vendors, a virtual fashion show, and more. The event will take place outdoors between Seams and Woven Art and can be moved into the nearby parking ramp if weather requires.

Danielle Jenson, Seams’ event coordinator, spoke to ELi about the event’s goal to bring fashion and fiber together.

“It’s celebrating slow, self-made fashion and garments of any kind, and local fashion too,” Jenson said. “Michigan has a surprising amount of wool stores here and fiber content.”

Seams owner Jessy Gregg, who is also Mayor of the City of East Lansing and previously reported for ELi, curated a lineup of local vendors. Attendees will see Urban Lavender, Flock Home, Color Square Vintage Garments, Supernova Dyeworks, Downy Tree Art, Natural Cycles Farm, Junk Male Treasures, Cross Wind Farm, Happy Goat Lucky Ewe Fiber Farm & Michigan Merinos, Dirty Paws Mixed Media, Sew Angry, Purl You Crazy, Why Knot Fibers, Solstice Handmade, Divine Xtraordinarian, SarahJean Sews, and Oddment Apparel.

Originally, the idea was to include a fashion show, but due to health and safety concerns, Seams is hosting a virtual fashion show, complete with backdrop selfie stations. Douglas J. Aveda Institute is bringing students to help attendees show off their fashion with freshly-done hair and makeup for the virtual fashion show.

Sean with Downy Tree Art will be on site doing a rug tufting demo starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Community Darkroom 517 will be doing cyanotypes (weather permitting) and button making from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Woven Art and Seams owners will both be hosting a sustainable dying demo, using walnuts and onion skins, throughout the day. Emily with Bricolage Studios will be doing a spinning demo at 4 p.m., and Lansing Makers Network will be doing a street printing demo with Odd Nodd Art Supply.

“We encourage people to wear their self-made fashion. We really want to embrace that as much as possible and encourage people to show it off,” Jenson said.

Local Lansing vendor Sarah Williams is the sassy persona behind SarahJean Sews and will be selling her linens, pillows, and various items that are created from thrifted materials at the event.

Williams spoke about the tight-knit fiber and fabric community.

“So many local makers and sewists are supportive of each other,” she said. “We have shared fabric/donated much, and support each other in endeavors and events. It feels very much like a community.”

“I have met quite a few local makers and sewists, there is so much talent in this area. The pandemic brought many of us together during massive mask-making,” said Williams.

Williams is excited to participate in a Seams event, meet other makers, and watch textile demonstrations.

“This will be the first kind of event like this that I’ve been a part of; it will be cool,” she said.