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Upcoming events

    • Thursday, September 11, 2025
    • 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    • Zoom Only

    Right Choice Shearing
    Katie and Darian


    The sheep in Texas are blessed with an expert pair of sheep shearers who really care.

    In the heart of the Texan countryside, an unexpected agricultural endeavor is turning heads and winning hearts. Right Choice Shearing, led by Katie and Darian McRose, is a business dedicated to the well-being and care of sheep, llamas, and alpacas. Their story is one of passion, perseverance, and education. In this exclusive interview, Katie McRose shares her remarkable journey and the vital message she's spreading through the power of social media.("From shear inexperience to social media stardom: The remarkable journey of Texas' Right Choice Shearing")

    Serving the Central Texas area first, Right Choice Shearing now serves a large geographical area across several states. But it's their commitment to spreading compassion and education that has made this pair superstars in the shearing community, with over 2 million subscribers to their YouTube channel.

    In this presentation, Katie and Darian will talk about their business, the reality and rewards and what brought them to this work.

    Katie and Darian here! We are a married, traveling shearing team servicing Texas. Our focus is to spread compassion and education through and about our misunderstood industry. Help us crush misconceptions and celebrate the beauty in the relationship between humans and the animals that evolved with us. Wool doesn’t have to be cruel. #ShearingIsCaring rightchoiceshearing.com

    • Thursday, October 09, 2025
    • 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    • Zoom Only

    Haʻa Ka Uluhala i Keaʻau (The Dancing Pandanus Groves in Keaʻau)
    Kekaiokalani Naone


    Have you ever presented someone with one of your handwoven kitchen towels, only to find that it’s never used, and instead hangs as artwork on the wall? Then you’ll relate to the transition of lauhala items - items woven from the leaves of the hala tree in Hawaiian culture:

    Prior to Western contact, items made from lau hala—the leaves of the hala tree—were ubiquitous in everyday life. Floor mats, sleeping pads, baskets, cordage, and house thatching were all made from lau hala, and weaving was held as a point of pride as each family often had carefully guarded techniques. Over time, however, with the rapid decline of the Hawaiian population post-contact and imported materials becoming more commonly used, lau hala goods came to be seen as works of art meant to be treasured, not regularly used. (A Hawai‘i Island Practitioner Is Weaving New Legacies)

    With a fresh take on a traditional practice, Kekai Naone has reintroduced functionality to ulana lau hala, weaving hats, purses, stools, water bottle sleeves, bowties(!), with every piece meant to be used daily.

    “I think people forget that back in the day everyone had weavers in their family. It wasn’t only special people. It was very utilitarian. If you didn’t know a weaver, I don’t know how you’re going to sleep—no pillow, no mat—it’s going to be a pretty junk life. It’s just about seeing what you’re good at, what you’re pulled to, and just going with it.”


    In this presentation, Kekai will talk about his path to this weaving and how it’s moving beyond just preservation of tradition but part of everyday life and contemporary work.

    Kekaiokalani Naone is a Native Hawaiian artist and cultural practitioner dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of the land and ancestors through lauhala weaving. Rooted in Hawaiian traditions, his work emphasizes the deep connection between people and place, using the art of weaving to honor history and inspire stewardship. Each creation serves as a reminder that the well-being of the natural world is inseparable from our collective prosperity. Through the interlacing of hala leaves, he strives to foster meaningful relationships between people and their environment, ensuring that these ancestral practices continue to thrive for future generations. www.firstnations.org/gallery/kekaiokalani-naone

    • Thursday, November 13, 2025
    • 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    • Zoom Only

    Samples and Swatches and Sewing, Oh My! Textile Books in the Winterthur Library
    Allie Alvis

    “Lace is having a fashion moment and it’s not the first time…”

    “A book of pants? This delightful little sewing exercise book, created by a Decatur, IL girl named Estella M. Lichtenberger in the 1890s, is full of fun surprises…”

    “It was the best of times, it was the “worst” of times These textile samples are examples of worsted fabric, named for the type of wool yarn they’re woven from. Can you believe these vibrant swatches date back to the 1790s??”


    These are examples from the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, located in northern Delaware and a premier museum of American decorative arts, with an unparalleled collection of nearly 90,000 objects made or used in America since 1640. The collection is displayed in the magnificent 175-room house, much as it was when the family of founder Henry Francis du Pont called it home.

    The samples come from trade catalogs, sales sample books, a book of block printed papers intended for calico printing, any many others, and are presented by a pink haired historian name Allie Alvis - better known as Book Historia on Instagram. IN this presentation, Allie will show us examples of textile related books from the Winterthur Library rare book collection.

    Allie Alvis is Curator of Special Collections of the Winterthur Library, where they are responsible for the stewardship and engagement of the collection. You may be more familiar with Allie as Book Historia on various social media platforms, where they post informational videos about books as objects, highlighting exciting objects from libraries around the world. Allie's research is diverse and far-reaching, with interests in physical patterns of use in books, the history of ephemera, and Arts and Crafts bookbindings. They have published on topics including the history of rebinding illuminated manuscripts, the reuse of type ornaments in 16th and 17th century England, the work of bookbinders Douglas Cockerell and Son, and the use of arsenical green pigments in bookbinding. winterthur.org

Past events

Thursday, July 10, 2025 July Program Night
Thursday, May 08, 2025 May Program Night
Thursday, April 10, 2025 April Program Night
Sunday, March 23, 2025 Spinning for a Project with Jillian Moreno
Thursday, March 13, 2025 March Program Night
Thursday, February 13, 2025 February Program Night
Saturday, February 08, 2025 Workshop: 4-shaft Krokbragd and Summer & Winter Rug Weaves with Janet Phillips
Thursday, January 09, 2025 January Program Night
Thursday, November 14, 2024 November Program Night
Thursday, October 10, 2024 October Program Night
Thursday, September 12, 2024 September Program Night
Saturday, September 07, 2024 Special Presentation: Summer’s End - Show and Tell 2024
Thursday, July 11, 2024 July Program Night
Thursday, May 09, 2024 May Program Night
Thursday, April 11, 2024 April Program Night
Saturday, April 06, 2024 Start to Finish: Circular Woven Sampler Workshop
Thursday, March 14, 2024 March Program Night
Thursday, February 08, 2024 February Program Night
Thursday, January 11, 2024 January Program Night
Thursday, November 09, 2023 November Program Night
Thursday, October 12, 2023 October Program Night
Thursday, September 14, 2023 September Program Night
Thursday, July 13, 2023 July Program Night
Thursday, June 22, 2023 Hands-on Project Night
Thursday, May 25, 2023 Hands-on Project Night
Thursday, May 11, 2023 May Program Night
Thursday, April 27, 2023 Hands-on Project Night
Thursday, April 13, 2023 April Program Night
Thursday, March 23, 2023 Hands-on Project Night
Thursday, March 09, 2023 March Program Night
Thursday, February 23, 2023 Hands-on Project Night
Thursday, February 09, 2023 February Program Night
Thursday, January 26, 2023 Hands-on Project Night
Thursday, January 12, 2023 January Program Night


Keeping Austin Warped Since 1972

Weavers and Spinners Society of Austin is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
WSSA, P.O. Box 301167, Austin, Texas 78703

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