fashion – The Fábrica

This Weekend: Art Show, Market, & Workshop

This is just a reminder about all the lovely events coming up this weekend at the Fábrica. We hope you’ll join us!

Also, please think of us this year as you’re shopping for gifts or making charitable contributions. We have several holiday sales in the next few weeks where you can find homemade and sustainable gifts for friends, family, and kiddos. As always, we appreciate every contribution, no matter the size. Find more information on the Donation Page.

Events at the Fábrica:

First Friday Art Show:

“Tidelines”

Kai Dalgleish

Friday, December 5, 2025
6 pm – 9pm

@ The Fábrica, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA

Kai Dalgleish is an artist and engineer who recently returned home to Santa Cruz after spending time in Oakland and Southern Oregon. Their art practice revolves around finding beauty in rust and rot, and creating immersive experiences through mixed-media storytelling. They have a deep appreciation for the cast aside, the softly decaying, the long-forgotten, and the constancy of change.

Read the full description on our Events page.

Night Market:

Holiday Bazaar & Craft Sale

Friday, December 5, 2025
6 pm – 9pm

@ Subrosa, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA

We’re excited to host some local makers and vendors during the Frist Friday Art Show. This part of the even will take place in Subrosa, but we’ll have the door open between the spaces for maximum festive friendliess.

Stop by to peruse locally made jewelry and art, vintage clothing, and other crafts or grab a snack and a warm drink.

Class & Mutual Aid:

Cloth Pad-Making Workshop

w/ Campesina Womb Justice & The Fábrica

Sunday, December 7, 2025
11 am – 1pm

@ The Fábrica, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA

Learn to make a set of washable cloth menstrual pads and waterproof storage pouch. Optionally, you can also create a set of pads for distribution by Campesina Womb Justice, a mutual aid project dedicated to reproductive and healing justice. You can find Campesina Womb Justice on social media @campensinawombjustice and Link Tree.

Read the full description on our Events page.

Fundraiser

Holiday Art & Gift Sale

Saturday, December 13, 2025

@ Little Giant Collective

We’ll be selling all sorts of handmade and sustainable gifts, including stuffed animals, totes and tees, zipper pouches, hankies, ornaments, and vintage clothing. More info coming soon!

The Workshop is Open!

Open Hours:

Saturdays 2pm – 5pm
Sundays 3pm – 6pm
Mondays 12pm – 3pm

CLOSED 12/23 /25 through 1/2/26 for Winter Holidays

Please check the Hours/Calendar page for the most current information.

Miscellanea:

Our lovely neighbors Subrosa are a small arts venue and meeting space that hosts concerts and classes almost daily.
Our other neighbors The Bike Church are like the Fábrica for bikes! If you’re new to bike maintenance, check out their monthly “Intro to Bikes” workshop.
Check out the Free Skool Calendar.

Support The Fábrica !

Are you interested in volunteering with The Fábrica? There are lots of ways you can help out around the shop or at events. If you have some free time you’d like to spend with us, fill out the volunteer interest form.

Making a recurring donation of $5 or more helps us a lot! Thank you for your support!

Follow us on Instagram!

November News

It’s getting colder and darker lately. The holiday season is upon us! It’s time for rest, sharing meals with loved ones, and finding a cozy place to knit or sew.

And yet, we are in the midst of some busy months, both at the Fábrica and in our own lives. The shop will be closed for some holidays, but we have events and classes coming up too.

Please think of us this year as you’re shopping for gifts or donating money. We have several holiday sales in the next few weeks where you can find home-made and sustainable gifts for friends, family, and kiddos. As always, we appreciate every contribution, no matter the size. Find more information on the Donation Page.

Events at the Fábrica:

First Friday Art Show:

“Tidelines”

Kai Dalgleish

Friday, December 5, 2025
6 pm – 9pm

@ The Fábrica, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA

Fundraiser:

Holiday Night Market

Friday, December 5, 2025
6 pm – 9pm

@ Subrosa, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA

We’re excited to host some local makers and vendors during the Frist Friday Art Show. This part of the even will take place in Subrosa and the courtyard, but we’ll have the door open between the spaces for maximum festive friendliess.

This will be a cozy holiday sale featuring hand-made gifts and sundries, supporting local artists and community organizations. Prints, jewelry, vintage, baked goods, herbal remedies, knit/crochet, stuffed toys, and more!

Class & Mutual Aid:

Cloth Pad-Making Workshop

w/ Campesina Womb Justice & The Fábrica

Sunday, December 7, 2025
11 am – 1pm

@ The Fábrica, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA

Fundraiser

Holiday Art & Gift Sale

Saturday, December 13, 2025

@ Little Giant Collective

We’ll be selling all sorts of handmade and sustainable gifts, including stuffed animals, totes and tees, zipper pouches, hankies, ornaments, and vintage clothing. More info coming soon!

The Workshop is Open!

Open Hours:

Saturdays 2pm – 5pm
Sundays 3pm – 6pm
Mondays 12pm – 3pm

CLOSED Sunday 12/2 for La Peña Alegria (BIPOC event at Subrosa)
CLOSED Saturday 11/29 and Sunday 11/30
CLOSED 12/23 /25 through 1/2/26 for Winter Holidays

Please check the Hours/Calendar page for the most current information.

Protest Banner Lending Library

We gathered a bunch of friends and comrades on Halloween to help document some of the Protest Banners. Here’s a few of the photos.

Support The Fábrica !

Making a recurring donation of $5 or more helps us a lot! Thank you for your support!

Miscellanea:

Our lovely neighbors Subrosa are a small arts venue and meeting space that hosts concerts and classes almost daily.
Our other neighbors The Bike Church are like the Fábrica for bikes! If you’re new to bike maintenance, check out their monthly “Intro to Bikes” workshop.
Check out the Free Skool Calendar.

Follow us on Instagram!

(Handmade) Spooky Season w/ The Fábrica

Hi everyone! Happy Spooky Season to all who celebrate. We’ve been very, very busy during open hours at the workshop lately. Lots of friendly new faces are showing up to look for costume-making supplies! There are a few more days to come in for supplies before the big day! Of course, big day = Halloween! Stop by this weekend: Saturday, Sunday, or Monday for costume supplies & support!

As you know, the Fábrica is a community project run by a collective of volunteers and supported logistically and financially by its users. That means you! And us! As always, thank you for subscribing and for supporting us. Please share this newsletter with anyone you know who might enjoy spending time at The Fábrica or hearing about what’s going on in the Santa Cruz fabric arts scene.

The Workshop is Open!

Open Hours:

Saturdays 2pm – 5pm
Sundays 3pm – 6pm
Mondays 12pm – 3pm

CLOSED Sunday 11/2 for La Peña Alegria (BIPOC event at Subrosa)
CLOSED Saturday 11/29 and Sunday 11/30

Please check the Hours/Calendar page for the most current information.

Events at the Fábrica:

Halloween x Aulinta

Banner Procession

Friday, October 31, 2025

Meet at 5:15pm @ The Fábrica
Procession at 5:45pm Pacific Avenue

Join us for a spooky parade through Downtown Santa Cruz on Halloween night. The streets will be closed for trick-or-treat, so we will have a silly, small, low-key parade to show off the protest banners and mingle with the spirits. There’s more info on the Events page.

First Friday Art Show:

“Leaky Bodies, Vadose Zones”

Joy Schendledecker, Ann Altstatt, and Avi Conant

Friday, November 7, 2025
6 pm – 9pm

@ The Fábrica, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA

At the heart of the project is fluorite: a cosmic mineral refined into PFAS, the toxic “forever chemicals” now found in soil, water, fungi, plants, animals, dust, rain, snow—in everything, everywhere.

Through textiles, mixed media, collage, found objects, specimens, field stations, and visual poetics, this work invites you into an electrical ecology of tears, spores, and signals—where healing metabolizes through sympoesis, seeping, recombining, and remembering.

Read the full description on our Events page.

YARR: Documentation and Resistance in Solidarity with our Immigrant Neighbors

Last month we helped Your Area Rapid Response (YARR) to design and create an adorable, durable, and purposeful fabric banner.

Now more than ever, it’s a great time to connect with YARR to see how you can stay informed and lend support to our immigrant neighbors. You can find more info on their website.

We highly recommend saving their number in your phone so you can report an ICE raid or other incident that merits legal observers. You can also join their email list or sign up for a legal observer training.

Support The Fábrica !

Making a recurring donation of $5 or more helps us a lot! Thank you for your support!

Textile Arts Events Around Santa Cruz:

Socialist Stitch & Bitch w/ DSA

Every third Saturday, 2 – 4pm

@ Lúpulo
233 Cathcart St, Santa Cruz

This event is organized my our comrades at the Santa Cruz chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

Miscellanea:

Our lovely neighbors Subrosa are a small arts venue and meeting space that hosts concerts and classes almost daily.
Our other neighbors The Bike Church are like the Fábrica for bikes! If you’re new to bike maintenance, check out their monthly “Intro to Bikes” workshop.
Check out the Free Skool Calendar.

Follow us on Instagram!

Events with YARR & Redwood Records + New Hours

Greetings, friends and lovers! We’re creeping towards fall. School has started; university starts next week. The days are just a little shorter. This is a time of transition! Please read on to see what’s new and what’s changing for the Fall season.

New Sunday Hours Start Next Week!

Open Hours:

Saturdays 2pm – 5pm
Sundays 3pm – 6pm
Mondays 12pm – 3pm

CLOSED Sunday 9/14 for the Really Really Free Market
CLOSED Sunday 10/4 for La Peña Alegria (BIPOC event at Subrosa)

NOTE: We make every effort to make our open hours consistent and reliable, but sometimes life does get in the way! Please check the Hours/Calendar page for the most current information.

Events at the Fábrica:

SEPTEMBER OPEN HOUSE:

“Last Friday”

Friday, September 26, 2025
6 pm – 9 pm

@ The Fábrica, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA

We’re really excited about this little open house! And we hope you’ll stop by to say hi or stay for some stitching and a cuppa tea.

We’re hosting our friends from YARR to create a banner for the organization. YARR, which stands for “Your Area Rapid Response,” is a hotline and community network created “to document, resist and prevent actions by ICE or other oppressive forces that would harm our fellow human beings.” You can find more info on their social media. Save their phone number to report ICE in your community: (831) 439-2389.

You can also check out new work from Ann Altstatt: quilted works Ann created during a recent residency at the Winslow House Project in Vallejo.

Join us to help with the banners, schmooze with our YARR comrades, relax in the courtyard with a friend, peruse the rack of vintage clothing and homemade gifts, and, as always, there will be tea.

STREET FAIR w/ REDWOOD RECORDS

“Cedar Street Festival”

Sunday, September 28, 2025
1 pm – 6 pm

@ the streets near Redwood Records, 320 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA

Come visit us at the Cedar Street Festival, sponsored by Redwood Records. Live music, food, art and more… plus a Fábrica fundraiser sale!

First Friday Art Shows:

Bending

Clare Bathum’s Fiber Works + Matt Baldwin’s “How to Play Guitar”

Friday, October 3, 2025
7 pm – 10 pm

@ The Fábrica & Subrosa, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA

In October, we’re hosting two artists in The Fábrica and Subrosa. Clare Bathum is a fiber artist and digital-physical collager. Matt Baldwin is a writer and musician.

They describe their upcoming show: “What are the correlations between bending over a stitch and bending a guitar string? Come find out at our SubRosa x Fabrica x SCUM First Friday event, October 3 from 6 – 9 pm. clare bathum’s fiber works and digital collages will be on display, along with a special reading and performance from Matt Baldwin, on tour from Los Angeles with his new book/collected zines “How to Play Guitar”. DJ leshy and friends will be spinning tunes throughout the evening. Read more about the artists below.” You can find more info on our Events Page.

November: Joy Schendeldecker

Friday, November 7, 2025
6 pm – 9 pm

@ The Fábrica, 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA

In November, we’ll be hosting mixed media, quilt-adjacent works by Joy Schendeldecker. More info coming soon!

Sewing Machines For Sale:

Newly Refurbished Vintage Machines

We have a few machines for sale in the shop. They are newly refurbished and ready to sew! They are reliable and durable. And, of course, we’d be happy to teach you how to use your new machine during our open hours!

Support The Fábrica !

Making a recurring donation of $5 or more helps us a lot! Thank you for your support!

Textile Arts Events Around Santa Cruz:

Socialist Stitch & Bitch w/ DSA

Every third Saturday, 2 – 4pm

@ Lúpulo
233 Cathcart St, Santa Cruz

This event is organized my our comrades at the Santa Cruz chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

Miscellanea:

Our lovely neighbors Subrosa are a small arts venue and meeting space that hosts concerts and classes almost daily.
Our other neighbors The Bike Church are like the Fábrica for bikes! If you’re new to bike maintenance, check out their monthly “Intro to Bikes” workshop.
Check out the Free Skool Calendar.

Follow us on Instagram!

Hand-Printed, From Mumbai

This lovely hand-made fabric spent some time in the bin labled “Handmade Fabrics from Around the World.”

There’s a lot to criticize about how technology and capitalism have affected textile arts (and every other aspect of our lives!). However, technology sometimes allows us to learn and discover things that we wouldn’t otherwise have access too.

A gorgeous handmade cloth with an intricate printed design had been living in the “Handmade Fabrics from Around the World” bin at the The Fábrica. The cloth had a crispy, old-looking paper label affixed to one corner. With the help of a language translation app, we were able to take a picture of the label and discover more about the cloth. Of course, language translation apps are not always very accurate, but this is what we think we’ve learned:

First of all, the label is written in Hindi, using the Devanagari script. The cloth comes from the Mumbai Sapanagar Village Industries Association. Applying our own understanding of fabric production (weaving, dying and printing, etc.) to the words we see on the translation, it seems this label included places for the worker to write in various characteristics of the fabric. Those included thread count, cloth length, printing method, fabric content, dye lot, and retail price. Although the worker’s beautiful script can still be read in some places (the original piece was 1.85 meters), most of it has faded or worn away.

This translated label gives us a few answers about its origins, but there’s so much more to know about the making of a textile! How many people were involved? What is the Village Industry Association? How did the fabric end up in Santa Cruz? And so much more! What questions do you have about how a piece of cloth is made?