Hi, we’re Makeshift Collective, a group of crafty friends manifesting Durham's first fiber-focused makerspace.
We’re building a shared studio for any crafter who is happiest when their hands are busy making something new.
Celebrate Tomato Day with us →
We’ll be popping up at Durham Farmers’ Market on July 18 with a tomato-themed raffle benefitting DFM’s Double Bucks program.
THE VISION
A community studio space where fiber artists, crafters, hobbyists, and curious beginners can show up and get busy making.
Practice over perfection
Craft and learn alongside other hobbyists and professional makers in a space made for getting a little messy.
Morning, noon, or night
7 days a week access for members. Craft on your schedule, not ours.
All the tools you need
Cutting tables, multi-shaft looms, dye station, sergers, sewing machines, tufting guns, cricut, 3D printer, and more (we take requests).
WHO CAN JOIN
For fiber artists. Crafters. Hobbyists. Everyone still figuring it out.
Makeshift is for:
The maker who crafts for work and needs a legit studio setup
The sewist with a pile of mending and zero table space at home
The weaver who doesn’t want their cat destroying their warp
The crafter who wants to learn hand-dyeing, weaving, or needle felting for the first time
The needle felter who wants to talk shop and commiserate on their finger wounds
The knitter who needs a place to block a sweater and grab a coffee with a friend
But really, this space is for anyone who wants to make something one-of-a-kind, in good company, in the heart of Bull City.
WHO IS MAKESHIFT COLLECTIVE
We’re a group of local makers, fiber artists, and serial crafters who like to make things together, share ideas, and support each other’s entrepreneurial dreams.
MEET THE FOUNDERS
WEAVER, DESIGNER, 3D PRINTER
Sharon Brener is the founder and fiber artist behind Touch Grass Textiles. She spent 15 years as a VP of Product and Design and now channels that energy into making 3D-printed mini loom kits, teaching local workshops, and weaving one-of-a-kind scarves and home goods on any loom she can find. The first act of her career was about delivering great user experiences on screens. This is her second.
Sharon Brener
NEEDLE FELTER, LASER CUTTER, PUNKY NERD
Allison Dupuis, a fiber artist and needle felter, is a Chapel Hill / Durham native who made her way back to the Triangle after spending a couple of decades in Texas. She owns BaconAstro (a needle felting kit and supplies shop) and spends most of her time stabbing wool, making a mess with her daughter, and painting the occasional chihuahua portrait.
Allison Dupuis
FINE ARTIST, RUG TUFTER, SEWIST
Katie Hatfield is a Durham-based textile artist, designer, and texture connoisseur helping art lovers adorn their spaces with exceptional pieces by creating unique fiber art that pushes the boundaries of what home decor can be. Through her work, she navigates concepts of community, our shared humanity and the depths that can be found when we dig below the surface of ourselves. When not in the studio, you can find Katie on the outdoor patio of one of her favorite downtown Durham bars getting lost in a steamy romance novel or laughing loudly with her pals.
Katie Hatfield
STAINED GLASS ARTIST, APPAREL DESIGNER
Camille Barot is a French multidisciplinary artist based in Durham, NC. After ten years in the home sewing industry, including running the sewing pattern company Deer&Doe and a brief stint as a fabric business lead in the corporate world, she is now embracing stained glass as her medium of choice. A reformed academic researcher with a PhD in AI, she focuses on artisanal production and traditional craftmanship while exploring sustainable uses of technology to expand creative possibilities and accessibility.
Camille Barot
ILLUSTRATOR, DESIGNER, KNITTER, SEWIST
Gabs Taccir is a graphic designer, illustrator, and crafter based Durham, NC. Known in Durham as the designer behind Durham Farmer’s Market Tomato Day. He owns and operates Studio Gabba, their independent design studio generating graphics, branding, and merchandise. They spend their time knitting, rolling on the mats practicing Brazilian JiuJitsu, and reading romance books.
Gabs Taccir
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Find us out and about in Durham, NC.
While our forever home comes together, we're hosting pop-up craft events and teaching classes at coffee shops, boutiques, and bars around Durham. Come find us.
If you’d like us to host an event at your favorite venue, DM us