A Lovely Retreat
in the Great Lakes

We are in the early planning stages for our 2027 conference and so our website is a little “in between”.  We’ve updated the pages for our next event where possible, but decided to leave some of our 2025 information in place so that you can get an idea of what’s in store.  All of our content should be entirely updated for 2027 by mid-summer.  We can’t wait to show you what we have planned!

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Experience up close and personal workshops — much better than Zoom! The opportunity to be inspired and in-person with world class instructors and your fellow students is at the heart of a great fiber conference.

Color, texture, and weaving our lives together in an actual — not virtual — community. That’s what is at the heart of the  Eastern Great Lakes Fiber Conference!

Our small size and intimate setting provide opportunities to make fiber friends from other guilds, especially around New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Ontario, Canada as well as with participants who haven’t yet joined a guild. Instructors and students share lunch and dinner together in dining rooms at the university, with classes a short walk (or drive) away. Our conference lodging is at two near-by hotels where FREE hot breakfasts will be provided each day.

There are five, 2.5 day workshops to choose from:  weaving, felting, tapestry, spinning and sewing with handwovens, from Saturday morning to noon on Monday (Indigenous/Columbus Day). See our exciting lineup of instructors and class descriptions on our Classes page.

The weekend also includes:

• Friday evening Meet & Greet slide presentations by our instructors, once you have arrived/had dinner at a local restaurant.
• Saturday evening Studio Bonanza fundraiser to unload your no-longer-needed equipment, books and stash.  The fun is contagious as we drop tickets into baskets next to our hoped for prize.  Will you be a winner?
• Sunday night Banquet and Fashion Show. Don’t be shy! It’s a low key time for participants of all levels to show off wearables (from scarves to full garments) on our “runway” following dinner.
• All weekend Exhibit Tables feature work from volunteer participants – let’s see what you’ve been working on!
• Time to relax with others at your hotel, take a walk around the campus Allegheny River Valley Trail or gather at our late afternoon Social Hour.

Unlike other fiber conferences, there are NO extra fees for these additional events.

Held on the campus of St. Bonaventure University, nestled in the foothills of the Alleghenies, and one of the most beautiful in the Northeast.  The campus of 500 acres serves an undergraduate enrollment of almost 2000 students. However, many students will be away for the holiday weekend.

Wondering why we won’t be at Chautauqua in 2025?  Bellinger Hall is being renovated.  We were thrilled to discover St. Bonaventure’s conference facilities, another beautiful place to learn and grow.

It’s all part of a terrific time, and it only happens once every two years!  Come back in 2027 for a whole new slate of fiber instructors!