In 1977 a small group of interested women came together to start the Weaving and Spinning Guild of Idaho Falls. At first, they met in each other’s homes, but after some time found a basement room for rent in the Professional Office Building downtown, where they set up a studio for teaching and helping others learn to weave and spin. They got grants to buy looms and spinning wheels and began to grow in membership. In May of 1988 they incorporated, and in 1998 became a designated 501-(C) (3) organization. 

In the late 1990s/early 2000s, they started looking for ways to raise money to pay rent for the studio, and they decided to put together a Fiber Fair. This was held annually for many years and included classes that were taught by professional teachers who specialized in a variety of subjects. The event was open to members and the public, and vendors from all over the Northwest states came with hand spun/dyed yarns, unique handmade equipment and various fiber related items. The Fiber Fair proved to be very popular in the Idaho Falls community and the money it made kept the Guild going. 

Today the Guild carries on with the basic principles and goals that the original group outlined and followed, embodied in the mission: To promote and better the art of hand weaving, spinning, and other fiber arts through education, inspiration, and sharing of skills.

Members still educate those who want to learn new skills and are often invited into schools to show children how yarn and cloth were made before the age of mechanization. 

The equipment we use are modern versions of the same tools that our ancestors used, and with very few exceptions, none of them use electricity. 

Even though the Snake River Fiber Arts Fair is no longer happening, the Guild continues to offer local classes based on interest and the availability of a teacher.

Guild members also demonstrate weaving and spinning at local events, such as the state fair, and the Snake River Historical Homestead.

But there have also been some changes.

The Guild Studio is now located in a ground floor room at 569 3rd St, which is handicapped accessible, more convenient for carrying equipment in and out, and has plenty of parking. The space is light and welcoming, with lots of windows.

We’ve also expanded the crafts that our members do, and we now include fiber arts more generally. Today we have members who enjoy not only weaving and spinning, but also rug-hooking, needle felting, knitting, crocheting, and tatting. 

We are one of the few Fiber Arts Guilds in the area to maintain dedicated studio space that can be used for members and non-members to gather and work on their project individually, as well as take classes. Specific study groups meet monthly to educate those interested in a particular fiber art. 

We gladly welcome visitors and newcomers to drop-in during Open Studio hours, and we are happy to schedule tours at other times. See the monthly Calendar Page for the schedule of events, including Open Studio hours. 

In the Studio, the Guild maintains a large variety of equipment such as looms, spinning wheels and other fiber related equipment. Members may lease the equipment, some of which may only be used at the studio while others can be temporarily taken home. 

We also maintain an extensive library of books and magazines with instructions, suggestions, patterns and all sorts of interesting history and information on all the fiber arts.

The Guild frequently receives fiber art related donations from community members who no longer have use for them. Many of these donations are offered to our members and then to the community.