NO LOOSE THREADS. Fiber Lab opened on June 1 and new owner Kris Isaacson is excited to share her love for textile arts with Menomonie. 

Fans of sewing, knitting, embroidering, and crocheting are about to be hooked. Fiber Lab –in the former location of Thread Lab, 301 Main St. E, Suite A, Menomonie – is the hub for all things textile crafting – and learning about how to get started!

Owner Kris Isaacson, a lifelong lover of sewing, earned her degree in Apparel, Design, and Manufacturing at UW-Stout where she became a huge fan of Menomonie, including Thread Lab. After receiving her degree, she moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota, where she put together a plan to open up a yarn store there. Timing and other factors prohibited her from continuing on the venture until she saw in an online newsletter from the Thread Lab explaining that the owners were selling the business.

“My husband looked at me and he’s like, ‘You should do it,’ ” Isaacson said. “Because it’s kind of been a long-time coming sort of thing.”

Thus Fiber Lab became a reality. Isaacson moved back to Menomonie and officially opened under the new name and business on June 1, where she was immediately met with the Wisconsin Quilt Shop Hop, an annual event where shoppers travel the state visiting different quilting stores, filling out a passport, and entering to win a prize. Isaacson said that she got to meet many people through the Shop Hop and really enjoyed getting to see all the projects customers were working on.

The store’s inventory consists of predominately 100% cotton fabrics aimed for quilters, natural fiber yarns – many of which are sourced from dyers in Minnesota and Wisconsin – knitting and crochet kits, patterns, and much more. Issacson is interested in continuing to source locally while expanding her inventory as she gets more settled in the space.

Starting in mid-September, Fiber Lab will start holding classes, including knitting, sewing, and quilting for beginners, and some special seasonal classes like making Christmas ornaments and Halloween bags. A knitting club meets every Thursday from 4-7pm at Fiber Lab as well, for anyone interested in learning the skill or simply meeting new people and trying something new.

“I want this to be a friendly, welcoming place where people can come in and ask questions and find what they’re looking for,” Isaacson said. “Maybe take some classes get to know the community and meet other people who like to do similar things.”

Learn more about Fiber Lab (301 Main St. E, Suite A, Menomonie) and its classes at thefiberlab.com.