Megan Tomlinson always enjoyed crocheting by herself at a coffee shop every Saturday morning in Bend, Oregon. After moving to Yelm last April, she longed for a community with whom to share her craft.
One day, she stumbled across a Facebook post in a Yelm group from resident Sarah Gundel McGinty asking who would be interested in creating a fiber arts group in the city. Tomlinson finally had her community, which agreed to meet twice a week. The group, called Yelm Needleworks, welcomes anyone with an interest in fiber arts, whether it is knitting, quilting, crocheting or cross-stitching. One person specializes in making costumes for cosplay.
Their first meeting was on Aug. 24 at Prestige Senior Living Rosemont, and about 40 people attended to learn how to crochet basic patterns.
“We started off with little crochet pumpkins. It was very much a meeting to learn how to crochet because it’s super easy to do,” Tomlinson said. “Other people were helping and teaching people who were new. It was pretty big.”
Yelm Needleworks now meets at 6 p.m. every Tuesday at Rosemont and at 2 p.m. every Saturday at Worthy Coffee Co. in Roy. The crowds have decreased in size since the inaugural meeting, but a dedicated few attend most meetings to work on their own crafts and help others with theirs.
Virginia Green, who has cross-stitched for about 25 years, joined the group in its infancy and has made both new crafts and new friends.
“I’m happy to share any knowledge that I have. That’s how you learn, and I learn new things all the time, even though I’ve been stitching for a while,” she said. “We have lovely ladies that are more than willing to help you learn how to do whichever skill you want.”
Green added that she met people that she never would have met otherwise through the group, and she appreciates sharing a common love with people of all ages and backgrounds.
“They’re all much younger than I am, but we share a common love of making things, and that’s been fun. I encourage ladies and gentlemen of all ages to give it a try,” she said. “They may enjoy it and find a new hobby.”
Shawna Plevyak joined the group early on and invited Green to join. More recently, she invited her aunt, Teresa Neumann, and her daughters to stop by a meeting at Worthy Coffee Co. She enjoys cross-stitching while Neumann was open to learning any of the skills.
“When I was younger, my mom tried to show me how to crochet, and I wasn’t overly interested. I joined this group because there were people that had the knowledge of so many different arts,” Neumann said. “I never learned how to crochet from my mother, so here’s a group that could teach me. It’s kind of a lost art form.”
Plevyak was intrigued by the community aspect of Yelm Needleworks and said that every town needs a group like it.
“It’s unique talents that are handed down, oftentimes through families, and those can get lost if you don’t necessarily have those connections,” she said. “It can be challenging to meet people with these interests. I don’t think it’s as common today as it used to be maybe 20-30 years ago. It’s nice to be able to build relationships with folks who have the same interests so that these arts don’t disappear.”
While Tomlinson acknowledges that the fiber arts can be perceived as a “grandma activity,” she said the skills translate into a number of creative projects and can be relaxing.
“Everybody that shows up is willing to teach. There’s not a single person that wouldn’t be able to teach you some skills if you’re interested in learning it. I think that’s a big selling point,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to try something new, even if you’re slightly interested.”
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To learn more about Yelm Needleworks, join its public Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/828756452154076.
