Weave A Real Peace - WARP

12/10/2026

🧶 What happens when women are paid to learn new textile skills while building on the knowledge they already bring?

Join WARP this Thursday for a FREE virtual panel with Stitch Buffalo, a nonprofit textile arts center empowering refugee and immigrant women through creativity, education, and economic opportunity.

Learn about Stitch Buffalo's innovative paid weaving training program, which supports refugee women in developing traditional and contemporary weaving skills while earning income. Hear what the team learned about creating meaningful opportunities for skill-building, creative expression, and economic growth.

🎤 Meet our panelists:
• Dawne Hoeg: Founder and Executive Director of Stitch Buffalo
• Panela Palma: fiber artist and educator who led the weaving training program
• Freweini: an artisan from Eritrea who participated in the program and now creates embroidery and woven textiles for sale through Stitch Buffalo

📅 Thursday, October 15 | 2:00 PM Eastern
💻 FREE and open to everyone!
🔗 Register here: https://members.weavearealpeace.org/event/stitch-buffalo/

Can't attend live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording!

01/10/2026

What do weaving, community, activism, travel, and a career in family therapy have in common? They’re all threads in the story of longtime WARP member Susan Weltman !

Join us for our October Fireside Chat, here we’ll get to know Susan and hear about the experiences that have shaped her life and creative practice—from discovering weaving at the Newark Museum to finding artistic inspiration through textiles, color, travel, and fiber communities around the world.

📅 Wed, October 7, 3PM ET
🔗 Register today at: https://weavearealpeace.org/warp-events/meet-a-member-fireside-chat-susan-weltman/?occurrence=2026-10-07

Come spend some time with the WARP community and get to know one of our members a little better!

Can’t make it live? Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording afterward.

29/09/2026

WARP is proud to support this special fundraising event benefiting one of our organizational members, Friendship Bridge!

Join WARP cofounder, weaver, and author Deborah Chandler on October 3 for a virtual conversation reflecting on the relationships, experiences, and lessons she has gained through decades of working alongside Maya weavers in Guatemala.

Your registration gift supports the important work of Friendship Bridge in Guatemala!

@topfans

The first weaver Deborah Chandler spent time with in Guatemala showed her a world she had never imagined.

And when she was with him, she could feel the importance of weaving in her bones.

"Weaving oozes out of their pores, it is so much a part of them," Deborah explained. "It’s just something they do, every day, always, as much a part of life as breathing. And that matters."

Deborah believes that to really understand weaving, one must become involved and connected with the weaving community on a deeper level. On October 3, you can have this chance.

Join Deborah for the live virtual event, What I've Learned from Mayan Women: A Conversation with Deborah Chandler, hosted by the Global Satellite Friendship Circle.

Reserve your spot today! https://loom.ly/1rM8JlU

20/09/2026

A brand-new textile museum has opened in the heart of Mexico City—and WARP Board Member Rocío Mena Gutiérrez takes us inside for our September blog!

The Museo Textil de los Pueblos Indígenas y Afromexicanos is Mexico City’s only museum dedicated entirely to textiles. Across 12 galleries, visitors can explore everything from backstrap weaving and natural dyes to silk, wool, tapestries, and a remarkable recreation of an 18th-century Nahua tilma woven using traditional techniques.

Rocío shares highlights from her visit, the pieces and exhibits that caught her attention as a natural dyer, and her perspective on what this new museum gets right—and where she hopes to see it grow.

Head to the WARP blog to take the tour with her!
https://weavearealpeace.org/visiting-the-new-textile-museum-in-mexico-city/

✍️ Writing and photography by WARP Board Member Rocío Mena Gutiérrez (Zikuri)

15/09/2026

How can textile traditions help shape the future for women and girls? 🧶

Naari was founded on the belief that women in rural India possess inherent value and dignity, despite being constrained by limited social roles. Through the development of the Naari woolen crafts enterprise, the artisans have created a supportive community committed to educating and providing for their families, thereby transforming the future for women and girls in this remote region.

Learn more about the organization this Thursday during the Weave a Real Peace panel discussion with Himalayan Naari leaders Dr. Kathleen Bollerud, Manvee Vaid, and Mamta (Mana) Takula.

📅 Thursday, September 17, 2026
🕑 2:00 PM US Eastern Time
💻 Free and open to all!

Register today at: https://members.weavearealpeace.org/event/continuing-textile-traditions-himalayan-naari/

Can’t join live? Register to receive the recording by email.

Manvee Vaid TerraKlay - Artisan Handmade Home Goods & Decor Kathleen Bollerud

07/09/2026

🧶 Meet the people behind the textiles! Join WARP this Wednesday for a Fireside Chat with Hedy Hollyfield, co-founder of Ayni, Inc.

Learn how Ayni supports artisans in Ayacucho, Peru, helping preserve rich textile traditions and directing proceeds from sales back into community education and social welfare projects. Hedy will also share Ayni’s work with ANFASEP to teach needle felting to widows affected by Peru’s period of political violence and help sell their creations.

📅 Wednesday, September 9, 2026
🕒 3:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time

Come get to know Hedy and connect with our textile community!

👉 Register today at: https://weavearealpeace.org/warp-events/meet-a-member-fireside-chat-with-hedy-hollyfield/?occurrence=2026-09-09

Can’t join us live? Register anyway to receive the recording when it’s available.

17/08/2026

🧵 This Thursday at WARP: Building Bridges Through Textiles

What happens when traditional textile art creates new opportunities for Indigenous women and their families?

Join us Thursday, August 20 at 2:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time for a free, virtual conversation with Martha Carmen López Nimacachi, a Kaqchikel textile artist from Santa Catarina Palopó, Guatemala, whose weaving journey began as a child and grew into a thriving textile business.

👉 Register today to receive the link to join and the recording to your inbox: https://weavearealpeace.org/warp-events/threads-of-community/?occurrence=2026-08-20

Martha will share her story, her experience mastering the backstrap loom, and how her work with Handmade By Friendship Bridge has connected her traditional craft with new markets and opportunities—while helping create jobs and support education for the next generation.

The conversation will also feature Nicole Eubanks and Sussan Hrozek from Friendship Bridge.

🌎 This event is free and open to all! We hope to see you there!

11/08/2026

What can traditional Indian woodblock carving teach us about preserving cultural heritage?

Join WARP on Thursday, August 13, for our next Fireside Chat with member Trisha Gupta! Register today at: https://weavearealpeace.org/warp-events/meet-a-member-fireside-chat-with-trisha-gupta/?occurrence=2026-08-13

Trisha is an interdisciplinary artist and educator specializing in Indian woodblock carving and natural dyeing—traditional practices she studied through an apprenticeship with master craftspeople in Ahmedabad, India. In her work as an educator, she explores how these heritage practices can be shared with new audiences while preserving their authenticity and cultural significance.

During this informal conversation, we’ll get to know Trisha, hear more about her artistic journey, and learn how she brings traditional Indian woodblock printing into classrooms and community workshops.

Can’t make it live? Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording!

Come meet Trisha, learn more about her work, and connect with fellow WARP members. We hope to see you there!

19/07/2026

Join us for an inspiring conversation as we reflect on this year's WARP Annual Gathering in Guelph, Ontario!

📅 Thursday, July 23
🕐 1:00 PM Eastern
💻 Free & open to everyone
Register today: https://weavearealpeace.org/warp-events/what-did-we-gather/?occurrence=2026-07-23

Hear firsthand from Annual Gathering participants Linda Johnson, Gwendolyn Fiske, and Kate Colwell as they share memorable moments, meaningful connections, creative inspiration, and the lessons they brought home from this year's event.

Whether you attended the Gathering, are curious about what makes it so special, or are looking for inspiration from fellow textile enthusiasts, this panel is for you.

Can't join us live? Register anyway! Everyone who registers will receive a recording after the event.

06/07/2026

Join us this Wednesday, July 8 for WARP's Meet a Member: Fireside Chat with Liz Gipson!

As the founder and owner of Yarnworker Liz has inspired thousands of weavers through her teaching, books, and passion for rigid-heddle weaving. She's also a longtime WARP member, serves on our Board of Directors, and is the editor of the WARP Quarterly.

Come hear about Liz's weaving journey, what fuels her creativity, and her dedication to making weaving more accessible for everyone. Register today at: https://weavearealpeace.org/warp-events/meet-a-member-fireside-chat-with-liz-gipson/?occurrence=2026-07-08

Can't attend live? Register anyway, and we'll send you the recording!