Fiber Designers Anonymous crafts weekly art opportunities

Clubs of Delta: A Delta Collegiate monthly series

By: Norman Corrion

The Fiber Designers Anonymous club creates the perfect mix of relaxation, laughs, stories and art every Wednesday, 3:30 p.m. at Delta’s main campus in room S104.

“You don’t have to be an art student to come hang out with us and dabble your feet in those waters,” says club advisor Sherri Archer. “A lot of times it’s hard to get in those prereqs, you know you have certain prereq you have to get and you try to pick your electives so they make sense, and what if you want to take an art class and can’t fit it in? Well this is your opportunity.”

While members in attendance pointed out they were not art majors their passion and enjoyment of the arts was obvious. In the club meeting on Nov. 1, the group did book bindings, crafting hardcover decorative books with blank pages. While crafting the group would frequently share stories, having laughs with relaxing jazz playing in the background. The group would gather around Archer to see required techniques demonstrated, hearing insightful and entertaining background on the techniques.

Rebecca Jackson and Sam Keeler share a laugh while discussing the book binding techniques with Sherri Archer during the Fiber Designers Anonymous meeting at the Delta College Main Campus, Nov. 1, 2023; Photo Credit: Norman Corrion

Sam Keeler, club vice president explained one of his favorite things of fiber arts is being able to use materials that would otherwise be discarded. Keeler said, “To this day I’ve never made any garment or any fabric thing out of anything except for discarded things from other people’s projects.”

While the group is centered around fiber arts including knitting, weaving, sewing, spinning and more, it also provides studio space for non-fiber projects. Club members are free to work on whatever projects they choose.

Rebecca Jackson works on a book binding during the Fiber Designers Anonymous meeting at the Delta College Main Campus, Nov. 1, 2023; Photo Credit: Norman Corrion

No crafting is required in the meetings though, the group welcomes all to just hang out and socialize. Rebecca Jackson, club president, says “That’s its just very relaxed and its not like oh we have to do this craft or we have to do that craft, if you wanna just hang out, you can hang out.”

Jackson took an Art Experience class and enjoyed the class so much she decided to start and run the current iteration of the club to continue her art journey. Jackson explained many members are often just meeting other members for the first time and create good bonds in their friendly club environment.