Ausonie Guillot, ’26, came to Lehigh with 10 years of experience in knitting and five years in crocheting. She was looking to find a community of creatives at the fall 2022 club fair and was disappointed to see there were few organizations dedicated to the arts.
Guillot took this as an opportunity to create her own.
She started the Lehigh Fiber Arts Club in February 2023 as a place for people to practice fiber arts.
The club welcomes people of all skill levels, she said, from people with prior skills in fiber arts to those with no experience.
“It’s nice to have a community for an underserved hobby like ours,” Guillot said.
She said their first meeting on Feb. 3 had a few attendees with a lot of experience, but even more who came ready and willing to learn.
Fiber Arts Club President Ausonie Guillot, ’26, instructs graduate student Shirin Lotfaliani how to begin a new project at a club meeting, Feb. 10, 2023, in Drown Hall. Guillot only recently started teaching others what she has learned about fiber arts but said she enjoys the challenge. (Connor Malinger/B&W Staff)
The club provides threads, yarns, needles, tool kits and instructional pamphlets for all participants.
Secretary and treasurer Michele De Guzman Murata, ‘26, said she purchased all of the supplies herself, as funding is limited for the new club.
More than half of the members, including Murata, picked up their hobby during quarantine. She said she does both crochet (the interlocking of looped stitches formed with a single thread and needle) and embroidery (forming decorative designs by hand) but mainly focuses on needle-felt (manipulating wool fibers with specific needles).
“I really like seeing all the people there enjoying their own art,” Murata said. “I haven’t really come across a lot of art clubs on campus, so it’s great to share that kind of hobby with others.”
Guillot and Alex Margulies, ‘26, vice president of the club, said they hope the club can provide members the space to unwind and de-stress from schoolwork while allowing them to meet new people.
Margulies said they started cross-stitching when they came to Lehigh half a year ago. They said it was something they had always been interested in but figured it was a good way to spend their free time in college.
“It’s a cool way to get other people into the hobby,” Margulies said.
Murata agreed and said she loves the fiber arts as a creative outlet and thinks the club will offer a community for those who want to create in a social setting.
During meetings, participants may bring things they are already working on or use provided materials to tackle new projects.
Guillot said she is in contact with the Community Service Office to get the club more involved with the Bethlehem community.
She is particularly interested in initiatives towards sustainability and charity, such as donating crafted goods to those in need.
She also would like to donate crocheted or knitted clothes to senior citizens homes. She said she has donated crocheted items and toys to children’s hospitals in the past and would like to have members do the same with their projects.
“Having the club be a force for social good will be a great thing for us,” Margulies said.
Guillot said the club hopes to collaborate with environmental organizations like the student Eco-Reps in creating “plarn”: plastic yarn.
Hoping to further the social aspect of the club, Margulies said they hope to work with Lehigh After Dark to host late night events like knitting circles or movie nights.
“It’s nice to be able to incorporate my hobby into school involvement,” Guillot said. “I really do just love what I do.”
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