Craftivism, or socially engaged making, is HOT. It got even hotter in Fall 2013 in the high desert of Joshua Tree (CA) where Marci Rae McDade observed some major thinkers – and makers – “activating the potential of communal craft engagement as a powerful tool for political awareness.” Find out more and get recruited for good with CARPA!…

Well-known weaver/educator Bhakti Ziek gives a big thumbs up to this new book in print by SDA Member Julie Holyoke. Let Master Weaver Ziek take you through her experience of the gorgeous photography and comprehensive technical information provided by this important new weaving resource….

Who doesn’t need good advice and mentoring when navigating a career in academia? Georgia State University Professor Jess Jones takes us inside Southeast Fiber Educators Association’s annual meetings, offering a model for other college-level educators who could benefit from their agenda and example. …

Cyber-surfer Mickie McCormic has bagged a new bunch of links to fascinating work; this time with a mixed media theme. A dazzling beaded skull, kinetic metal “couture”, quilted maps – and more. Get stoked on this wave of fresh work from around the WWW….

Turkey is a major textile center and hosts textile-focused conferences each year. SDA Member (and costume designer) Connie Strayer attended “Green Textiles; Slow Fashion” event in Antalya at Akdeniz University to experience – and give us an overview of – a textile arts conference à la Turque. …

This mixed-media issue showcases provocative combinations of textiles with unexpected materials and disciplines….

Textile designers don’t get much attention – or recognition. Bard Graduate Center Gallery (NYC) has put the design process front and center in an extraordinary show about a unique collaboration between anthropologists & designers in early 20th c. USA. Susanne Goetz of FIT gives an overview of where inspiration comes from – then and now….

Canadian SDA Member Pat Loucks found an artist’s residency in Portugal, then a nearby gallery in a castle that offered her a solo exhibition. Exploring botanicals as stains, dyes and pigments, after attending Karen Casselman workshops & a lecture by India Flint, Loucks created her show of “Skin Deep” textiles. Find out how….

Get wired in the New Year with WireKnitz – a new product with major mixed media mojo. Get inspired by work, ranging from jewelry adornments to sculpture and assemblage, using the ultra-flexible and many-hued tubular knit. Let Kathie Kerler get you in the loop about the wonders of this new material, here….

Wrap your mind – and some wrapping paper – around this remarkable range of recently-published books about textiles. Make the textile tribe members on your holiday list very happy or add to your own library of ideas. All are available via Amazon.com link, inside, which gives back to SDA at no cost to you….