Crafting Workshops

Let's take another field trip out of SW. [Merry Pin](https://www.merrypindc.com/) at 7350 Georgia Ave., NW is kindly allowing us to crash their monthly Sip and Stitch, where we can indulge in adult drinks and light snacks as we craft. And as well-situated as the library is, the atmosphere is rather austere whereas Merry Pin is.... merry. And crafty. Their event starts at 5:30pm but they're open until 9 so don't feel pressured to get there early. I intend to get to Georgia Ave-Petworth station around 5-5:15 and make a judgment call about taking the D40 for 20 minutes up Georgia ave or a lyft/uber for a 15 minute ride. Depending on how many of us make it at 5 (I know it's early), I might just pay for a car and make all of our lives easier. If you rsvp and want to meet me at the station, please leave a message in the comments so I know to look for you. Note: The crafting area is up a flight of stairs if that poses any issues.

Come Craft with us. Don't let the lack of RSVPs stop you, they aren't required, nor is membership to our group. Bring your project and join a boisterous group of crafters in the Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery - American Art Museum. This glass roofed space is climate controlled and has the most beautiful light for crafting. (If there's an event in Courtyard head over to the MLK library Cafe.)

There’s a beautiful outdoor beer garden in the heart of Del Ray. Let’s take advantage of the nice mild weather this week and try something new. I’ll bring a few social games that aren’t packed yet if anyone wants to play, or just come make some new friends and unwind. Friendly pups are welcome too!

***In Person Location:*** Rockville Library, second floor meeting room (Collaboration Room 3). Will recreate our Preamp circuit board inside EasyEDA to make it shareable for others. This ideally will also allow us to finish up design enough to submit for a materials grant program. We are experimenting with a new virtual join link - [https://meet.jit.si/mocomakers](https://meet.jit.si/mocomakers) If you can make it in person, that's always recommended! Let's resume repeated full end-to-end testing cycles and continue to iterate our design and resolution. We are getting close. Our community is building (and documenting for other teams) how to build a scanning tunneling microscope using a mix of common and 3D printed parts. This will allow us to scan and visualize a single atom - an ambitious we are doing over the course of a few months. The MoCo Makers community is one of the most innovative and competent groups in Maryland, and we've done everything from [publishing cancer research](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38136356/), to [launching products](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gotim/cozy-curvy-multi-contour-pillow), [winning grants](https://covidinfocommons.datascience.columbia.edu/awards/2014255), and inspiring thousands. Now our biggest challenge yet has appeared. We are building a Scanning Tunneling Microscope, that will allow us to scan and visualize single atoms. Does it sound hard? Perhaps.. However! I have every confidence that we are now operating at a level were we can take on this mean, cross-functional project. We continue to build on our past successes, and a key technology we previously applied was increasing the signal of small voltages using OpAmps - which we did during our custom pH Probe project - [https://www.mocomakers.com/ph-probe/](https://www.mocomakers.com/ph-probe/) \- That technology is exactly what we need to get this machine working\, and at a high precision\! To get a better idea of what we are doing, see our reference project here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N3OqTEq08g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N3OqTEq08g) All starting CAD, code, and reference files should exist. However, let's be the first Maker community to document the build process and share it with learners around the world. We have a bit over $2,000 in materials costs, so if you want to sponsor this project, and get banners at events with 20K attendees, and access to our email broadcast of 30K members, please contact matt@mocomakers.com We are also open to university, lab, or community partnerships so feel to reach out if you want to be part of this project. Together, we can do incredible things. ***In Person Location:*** Rockville Library, second floor meeting room (Meeting Room 3). To Join Virtually: https://meet.jit.si/mocomakers

Attendance is $35 (cash, credit/debit card, or ApplePay - paid at the door), which includes water/soda/coffee, bread, choice of a plated lunch entrée, and a dessert assortment. Parking is also validated in the Reston Station garages (3 hours of validation). Join one of Northern Virginia's most successful business networking groups (part of BNI). Open to the public and is typically attended by business owners, business developers, and entrepreneurs. Meetings are typically attended by 30-40 members and guests. \*\*\*PLEASE RSVP here: [REGISTER HERE](https://square.link/u/0WvC6Eir) \*\*\*If you do not register on the BNI website, there may not be a seat available for you.

**NOTE: AN RSVP ON MEETUP DOES NOT SERVE AS A BOOKED SPOT. YOU MUST BOOK VIA LINK BELOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT.** **You must book your spot through our website: [[Booking Link Here](https://www.lesbifriendstravel.com/events/craft-and-spark)]** Spring is here, let’s meet it with creativity, intention, and connection. Lesbifriends Travel invites you to Craft & Spark, a fun and flirty afternoon designed for Black queer women and non-binary singles ready to step into the season with ease and possibility. We’re transforming a private residence into a warm, interactive space where good energy meets thoughtful play. This isn’t your typical social, no loud bars, no awkward hovering, just art, crafts, good music, guided moments of connection, and the kind of space where introductions flow naturally. Hosted in collaboration with Happy Trees Entertainment, you’ll choose your own craft, create something tangible, and maybe even meet someone whose spark feels just right. **Event Details You Should Know:** 📅 **Date:** Sunday, April 19, 2026 ⏰ **Time:** 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM 📍 **Location:** Private Residence in Southeast DC (exact address shared with confirmed guests) 💸 **Cost:** $40 **What to Expect:** * One guided craft workshop of your choice * Water and juice refreshments * Music, structured icebreakers, and social flow moments When you check in, you’ll choose *which craft* you want to make: • **Terrarium Workshop** – Build your own succulent garden in a wooden or glass planter with care tips included OR • **Stained Glass Art Workshop** – Design 3–5 stained glass pieces you can display in your window or space at home **Plus:** 💬 A short intentional icebreaker to spark conversation 🎶 Cozy house party vibes with music 📸 Time to mingle, create, and capture moments at the end **Who This Event Is For:** Black queer women and non-binary singles craving a relaxed, intentional, and creative way to meet new people and connect in real life. ✨ Lesbifriends Travel invites you to breathe, be present, make something beautiful, and let the laughter (and maybe flirtation) unfold naturally. Learn more details and claim your spot here: **[Craft & Spark](https://www.lesbifriendstravel.com/events/craft-and-spark)**! **Note:** By attending this event, you agree to being photographed. However, if communicated, we will try our best not to capture you in photos and post you publicly. That request must be communicated ahead of time/at the beginning of the event to photographer and host.

Let's get together virtually! We can chat, show off our current projects, and get some support from our fellow yarn addicts. I have set up a Zoom meeting that anyone with a computer (phones count) with the free Zoom app can access. By Saturday, I will send a meeting ID to all attendees through meetup.

Julie B Booth is a fellow Creative Mind, and past teacher at Artistic Artifacts, excited to join us again for our annual Creative Minds Summit. Create a hand stitched landscape/cityscape that expresses the essence of a special-to-you place. Julie will guide you through the process of designing an abstracted version of your special place based on personal photos that you bring to class. Along the way, you’ll learn Julie’s approach to layered fabric collage, choosing interesting hand stitches to fill in the spaces of your scape (including needle lace and ruching), free style bead embroidery and attaching place-related natural objects using thread nets. Julie will also demo some finishing techniques. (This class is suitable for all levels, though some experience with hand-stitching is helpful.) Learn more about this class, your student supply kit fee & list via Artistic Artifacts’ secure online website: [https://artisticartifacts.com/products/cms-sensing-place-with-julie-booth](https://artisticartifacts.com/products/cms-sensing-place-with-julie-booth) \*\*\* Due to the size or other requirements of the class or concurrent scheduling, some classes are in our second-floor space: access is via stairs only. Registrations for all Artistic Artifacts classes MUST be paid for [through our website](https://artisticartifacts.com/collections/wk), or via a visit to our shop at 4750 Eisenhower Avenue. We encourage you to RSVP here, but to ensure your seat you MUST follow through via our website. [View our complete class policies »](https://artisticartifacts.com/pages/class-policies)

We are honored to host Jaime Echt from The Crafter's Workshop for our annual Creative Minds Summit. Whether you’re new to Stencil Butters® or a longtime fan, this class is going to bring your Mixed-Media/Art Journaling game up a notch. You’re going to start by making a color swatch ring of all your favorite colors (and there are over 40 colors to choose from.) This’ll give you a chance to see how colors interact with water and other modifiers. Plus it’ll be a great reference tool to take home with you. From there you’ll create one or more frameable pieces of art. Jaime will walk you through technique after technique, from mark-making to stenciling, from dry brush to wet palette knife, and everything in between. You’ll leave with the swatch ring and at least one finished piece. Feel free to bring your art journal to work in. Learn more about this class, your student supply kit fee & list via Artistic Artifacts’ secure online website: [https://artisticartifacts.com/products/cms-color-mapping-abstract-art-with-jaime-echt](https://artisticartifacts.com/products/cms-color-mapping-abstract-art-with-jaime-echt) \*\*\* Due to the size or other requirements of the class or concurrent scheduling, some classes are in our second-floor space: access is via stairs only. Registrations for all Artistic Artifacts classes MUST be paid for [through our website](https://artisticartifacts.com/collections/wk), or via a visit to our shop at 4750 Eisenhower Avenue. We encourage you to RSVP here, but to ensure your seat you MUST follow through via our website. [View our complete class policies »](https://artisticartifacts.com/pages/class-policies)

Many of you look forward to our annual Creative Minds Summit as a chance to learn from the shop owner herself, Judy Gula. Learn Judy’s favorite collage and alteration techniques in this embellishing class. We begin with copies of vintage cabinet cards on card stock and give these folks the freedom to live in a vibrant, artsy world using paint, collage, stitching and a heaping dose of inspiration and imagination! This class will take place in our warehouse attached to the retail store. Learn more about this class, your student supply kit fee & list via Artistic Artifacts’ secure online website: [https://artisticartifacts.com/products/cms-mixed-media-cabinet-cards-with-judy-gula](https://artisticartifacts.com/products/cms-mixed-media-cabinet-cards-with-judy-gula) \*\*\* Due to the size or other requirements of the class or concurrent scheduling, some classes are in our second-floor space: access is via stairs only. Registrations for all Artistic Artifacts classes MUST be paid for [through our website](https://artisticartifacts.com/collections/wk), or via a visit to our shop at 4750 Eisenhower Avenue. We encourage you to RSVP here, but to ensure your seat you MUST follow through via our website. [View our complete class policies »](https://artisticartifacts.com/pages/class-policies)

5:45-7:45 in Conference Room B, Library lower level. Bring your yarn projects, meet new friends. If you plan to attend, please RSVP yes. If you can’t attend, please change your RSVP to no. This helps anyone who is waitlisted and it allows me to have an accurate count of attendees as our space is quite limited. Plenty of parking in the lot, in the overflow lot across the street, and on the street. See you there!

5:45-7:45 in Conference Room B, Library lower level. Bring your yarn projects, meet new friends. If you plan to attend, please RSVP yes. If you can’t attend, please change your RSVP to no. This helps anyone who is waitlisted and it allows me to have an accurate count of attendees as our space is quite limited. Plenty of parking in the lot, in the overflow lot across the street, and on the street. See you there!

12:45-3:45 p.m. in Conference Room A, Library lower level. Bring your yarn projects, meet new friends. If you plan to attend, please RSVP yes. If you can’t attend, please change your RSVP to no. This helps anyone who is waitlisted and it allows me to have an accurate count of attendees as our space is quite limited. Plenty of parking in the lot, in the overflow lot across the street, and on the street. See you there!

12:45-3:45 p.m. in the Meeting Room, library lowest level, by the drinking fountain. Bring your yarn projects, meet new friends. If you plan to attend, please RSVP yes. If you can’t attend, please change your RSVP to no. This helps anyone who is waitlisted and it allows me to have an accurate count of attendees as our space is quite limited. Plenty of parking in the lot, in the overflow lot across the street, and on the street. See you there!

**Let’s catch up and take an afternoon break.** **Grab a coffee or snack and let’s chit chat! Gayle and I will bring adult coloring books and/or a simple craft if you’d like to unwind and relax.😊**

Let's Crop!