Unlock Your Creativity in the FabLab’s Textile Area
Are you looking to mend a hole in your favorite shirt or create a custom outfit that reflects your personal style? The UTA Libraries FabLab textile area provides the tools and support to turn your creative ideas into reality.
Perla Vargas, a FabLab Technician, emphasizes that sewing is not only a valuable life skill but also a gateway to creativity.
“We get a lot of people who want to learn embroidery or the basics of sewing to tailor their own clothes. Other people come here and create their own embroidered polos or hats for their organizations,” Vargas said. “We see a little bit of everything.”
Alex Patrón works on the costume he wore for the Dallas Comic Con event in June.
Cutting-Edge Equipment for Every Skill Level
The FabLab’s textile area is equipped with a variety of tools, including sewing machines, sergers, irons and two professional-grade embroidery machines. The embroidery machines allow users to upload their designs created in Adobe Illustrator, which can then be stitched directly onto fabric.
Using the equipment is affordable—just one dollar per hour with a two-hour time limit, which may be extended based on demand. Users must bring their own fabric for personal projects, though scrap fabric is available for those who want to practice refining their sewing skills. Best of all, no appointments are needed—walk in and start creating.
A student models a pair of pants created in the Textile Area of the FabLab.
Open to All Skill Levels
No matter your experience level, the FabLab staff is ready to assist. Vargas and her team provide step-by-step guidance to ensure users feel confident while working on their projects.
“We typically ask a series of questions at the beginning of a project to gauge what the learner is interested in learning and what kind of experience they have. This consultation gives us a better idea of where to start,” Vargas explained. “If they don’t have any experience, we take it very slow. We explain the basics of things and sometimes that starts with how the fabric is made, especially when it comes to embroidery. That can impact the type of embroidery or design that you are doing. We explain all of that before a project starts.”
The Textile Area in the FabLab at the UTA Central Library has two professional embroidery machines students can use on their projects.
A Growing Resource for Classes and Group Projects
Beyond individual projects, university classes are now integrating the textile area into their curriculum.
“We did have a few classes that came through and created class projects. One class created memorial quilt squares and then created a larger quilt out of all the single quilt squares to represent someone who had passed away in their life,” Vargas said. “They used a combination of hand embroidery, machine embroidery and sewing. It was really interesting.”
Workshops will also be offered in the textile area throughout the semester, with dates and times to be announced. These workshops will be posted on the UTA events calendar, the UTA Libraries website and social media pages.
Students work on their costumes for Dallas Comic Con.
Visit the FabLab Textile Area
The FabLab’s textile area is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Whether you're learning to sew for the first time or refining your embroidery skills, this space offers the resources and support to help you bring your creative ideas to life.
For more information, visit the UTA Libraries website or email fablab@uta.edu.
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