About the Guild

Fidalgo Makers Guild is a workshop studio in Anacortes, Washington, on Fidalgo Island at the edge of the Salish Sea. We teach real crafts with our hands, in small groups, to people who want to make something and meet their neighbors while they do it.

Every class teaches you something you can take home and do again and again. Materials and instructions are created for all skill levels, currently catering to adults only (kids curriculum and classes are planned for the future). At FMG you will find a mix of classes spanning the spectrum from practical DIY skills to fine arts. There's something for everyone.

Olivia Olson is the founder of Fidalgo Makers Guild, a maker whose practice spans textiles, leather, clay, wood, paint, and dye, including knitting, shoemaking, garment construction, painting, pottery, and perfumery, to name a few. Rooted in slow living values, she'd rather mend, build, and make from scratch than buy new, and she teaches that same practical, hands-on ethos in her classes.

Before craft, she spent over a decade designing experiences for federal agencies and enterprise tech, and now brings that same gift for making complexity legible to the workbench and the classroom. She teaches with a simple belief: slowing down to work with your hands is one of the most direct ways to pay attention to the world.

“Every craft is a conversation with a set of tools and materials. My job is to help people learn to listen and trust both their hands and their own capacity.”