kwartzlab

09/03/2026

08/28/2026

On the LAST Saturday each month, drop in to kwartzlab to participate in "Be Gay Do Crafts" gathering :-)

08/20/2026

Ever wanted to try to tie-dye a piece of clothing? Drop by the Button Factory Arts Centre for their community Open House!

You are invited to our Community Tie-dye and Open House Event!🌈✨

Drop by anytime between 1 - 4 pm on Saturday, September 12th to give old clothes a new life with tie-dye! Make sure the clothes you bring in are 100% cotton for most vibrant results.

Stick around to check out our space and explore our upcoming programming at the Button!

Some recommended white or light-coloured items include:
- Bucket hats
-Shirts
- Leggings
- Socks
- Pillow cases

All materials beyond the item to be dyed are supplied. This event is free, but donations are greatly appreciated!💛

08/20/2026

Creative magic often happens when kwartzlab members start collaborating on ideas. Check out Creatures of Whimsy at the Toronto CNE this year!

Lost a dragon? Misplaced a unicorn? Accidentally adopted a Grumble-Badger? You’ve come to the right fellow! Meet Mr. Ripley, Keeper of the Weird and devoted caretaker of the Enchanted Forest’s most curious creatures. Part wizard, part creature keeper, and entirely one-of-a-kind, Mr. Ripley has d...

08/17/2026

Kwartzlab is excited to share that we are planning a fall open house and skill-share during Ontario Culture Days! Drop-in on September 19th from 10-4 to see our wide collection of in-house tools, watch demonstrations and explore hands-on activities across our 9,000 square foot space.

Areas include textiles, woodshop, 3D printing, electronics, laser cutting, metal shop, pottery and more!

08/11/2026

What would you do with the William Street Pumping Station? How about a Maker Space 😉

Built in 1899, the Pumping Station played an important role in Waterloo's history, providing drinking water to the community for more than 125 years. With water operations moving to a new facility in 2025, the heritage building is no longer needed for its original purpose.

This creates an opportunity to preserve this important landmark while exploring how it can continue serving the community in a new way.

Help us imagine the future of the William Street Pumping Station. Your feedback will:

✅ Help shape the criteria used to identify a future use for the pumping station building
✅ Inform planning for the surrounding area as we explore opportunities to create more public space around City Hall
✅ Inspire a temporary public art installation at the upcoming 2026 Lumen Festival, which will creatively reflect what we learned from the community while planning for the project continues.

Share your ideas here and make sure to follow the page for project updates: https://www.engagewr.ca/pump-station-future

08/09/2026

One of our members, Ryan Wicks, and his daughter finished putting together a 10" dobsonian telescope that packs down into an easily transportable case. The design was made by a member of the local astronomy club (it's called a "perfect 10"), and the mirror was hand ground by another member over 3 weeks. He decided he would never build it and gave Ryan the mirror and some of the other optics. They used it during their family trip to Nova Scotia, and it worked great. They still need to make some light shrouds and a couple of optics adjustments

08/03/2026

With our wonderful looms, many members at kwartzlab have been making beautiful cotton tea towels. They took classes with the weavers guild to learn the "ropes" and have been making rugs and blankets and tea towels. The maker bug is highly contagious so whenever new equipment arrives, many people start developing new hobbies!