From HOOPLA to BUBBLEVERSE: Community Fiber Arts Projects on the Move

HOOPLA, the largest piece that has ever been created by the Washington fiber art community, was installed at the Washington Public Library during Fiber Arts February 2025 and now it is "on tour!" A portion of the HOOPLA hoops are now on exhibit for viewing at Halcyon House through the end of December.

During the summer of 2024, I distributed 15 inch plastic hoops to members of Sticks & Strings, a group of local fiber artists that gather monthly at the library to work on their projects and share them. The group has existed for over 20 years and I asked them, as well as any other interested fiber artists in the community, to create a piece of fiber art by crocheting, knitting, sewing, weaving, etc. within their hoop. During the 6 month span, 81 individual hoop art pieces by 18 fiber artists were submitted.

In early January 2025, five of the artists spent two days, over four hours total, putting the parts into one whole. We had to figure out color and style combinations, the engineering and construction aspect, and then assemble and install these in the skylight shaft area of the library. Hoops were strung on fishing line and hung in strips across the shaft. Some hoops were also hung on the shaft walls and in the second level windows. We named it HOOPLA and it was a grand and colorful exhibit that carried the spirit of Fiber Arts February.

HOOPLA brought in many visitors to the library during February and the following six months. In September the exhibit was disassembled. The artists were allowed to take their individual pieces home and several of them are repurposing their creations for the upcoming 2026 Community Fiber Art Project that was recently launched.

The concept for the newest dream fiber art exhibit is BUBBLEVERSE and I am calling for individual fiber artists to create "stiffened" bubbles, orbs, spheres, globes that will be united into one giant fiber art piece for Fiber Arts February 2026. If you would like to participate, please create your pieces by knitting, crocheting, sewing, weaving, etc. Pieces can be a variety of sizes but should hold their shape. Drop them off at the library with your name and contact information by Jan. 15, 2026. Volunteers from Sticks & Strings will be assembling them into one giant piece in the skylight shaft for exhibition.

Help us create the next big thing for Fiber Arts February!