Teachers
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Robin Wilburn, upcycled wool mittens
Robin loves to figure things out! Whether it's algebra problems for her DC-area students or a sewing pattern for the FLAIRinas, she's on the case. When not teaching, or driving her three teenagers to theaters or golf courses, Robin likes to swim across Cayuga lake!
Whitney Bong Antczak
Whitney is a kindergarten teacher in Ithaca and a mom of three kids and 2 dogs who keep her busy! She’s passionate about helping even those with novice crafting skills feel confident enough to try something new. Her sewing philosophy? It might look like a hot mess on the inside, but once you flip it right side out, you’ll be saying “wait! I made THAT!?”
Maura Cody, Noodlehead bags
Maura embraces a variety of art forms, from stone walls to knitting! Quilting and sewing are often her go-to medium. If you fear zippers, she's the perfect doula to guide you into the world of bags! Maura is also our yoga guru on Sunday!
Bethany Parisi, Low Relief Carving
Bethany Parisi is a self-taught interdisciplinary folk artist based in Ithaca, NY. Her work includes designs for the Ithaca Festival in 2025, Women Swimmin’ and Ithaca Pride in 2026, as well as various murals across Ithaca. Her wood carvings have been featured in numerous group exhibitions throughout New York State and New England. She loves sharing her craft with others.
Katarina Wehmeyer, Paper Flowers
Katarina was born in Oakland, California and has been living in Ithaca since 2017, which feels both correct and slightly confusing given how different those places are.
She is a labor and delivery nurse by profession—spending her days helping bring new life into the world—and then goes home and immediately hyper-fixates on whatever craft has most recently captured her attention. This has included (but is not limited to): painting, jewelry-making, bead weaving, crepe paper flowers, and several other phases that burned brightly and briefly.
She has long suspected she was meant to go to art school but did not, for reasons that now feel both practical and deeply unfortunate. Instead, she has built a creative practice fueled almost entirely by instinct, curiosity, and a truly profound case of ADHD, which she has come to view less as a diagnosis and more as a creative operating system.
Her greatest hope at this time is that her next crafting obsession will be something utilitarian (pottery? Weaving? Carpentry?)—though historical evidence suggests it will more likely be intricate, time-consuming, and emotionally important for reasons that are difficult to explain. In the meantime, she continues to make things, teach things, and invite others into the joy (and occasional chaos) of creating.
Christina King, Noodlehead bags
Christine is an engineer by training who puts that clear-headed thinking to use in all kinds of ways. From leading Habitat for Humanity builds, to sewing anything under the sun, she is an unflappable problem-solver. Her encouraging demeanor has launched many a FLAIRina into the sewing-sphere!
Sophie Armstead, wood carving
Sophie’s favorite creative outlet is bushcrafting. She loves using natural materials to make baskets, spoons, dye, tea, stick chairs, and so on. If she can forage for her materials and build a friction fire to craft beside, so much the better!
Linda Kuchmeister, Rope baskets
Linda has been crafting since she was a teenager. It started with macrame. Then she got a loom and wove her wedding dress. She taught beadwork for over 10 years in New York city, and quilting classes on Long Island. Linda's main craft is quilting--she can't count how many baby quilts I have made and sent to new moms. She has a sit down long arm, and is constantly trying to improve her free motion quilting. Making the rope covered baskets is an obsession!
Barb Vassallo, wet felting & Tunisian crochet
A reformed lobbyist and lifelong fiber arts maker, Barbara took her hobby to new heights opening Rabbit Row Yarns & Haberdashery in 2021 on Historic Market Street in Corning, NY. Rabbit Row highlights sustainably-made yarns from domestic producers, heaps of local wool roving, as well as embroidery, mending, felting and weaving materials. More than 70 small business and woman-owned suppliers are featured in the shop.
Mary Grover, foundation paper piecing
Mary loves to tackle a creative project! From building a dreamy garden to canning cardamom blueberry jam, she's your gal. Just don't ask about the goats. Mary has been exploring all kinds of quilting for a few years now, and embraces the challenge of curves! Her mother's influence has even got her using an iron. What's next--rulers?
Sonja Gomes, beaded jewelry
Sonja has always enjoyed creating, and being creative has kept her centered throughout her life. During college her sideline was making, selling and teaching ceramics. She met her husband Mario at the Cornell Pottery Shop where she taught, and her eldest son's name is Clayton. When her boys were babies she knit their diaper covers, and has always enjoyed creating functional decorative items such as improv cushion covers for her dinning room chairs. She has taught Zentangles, Rock Painting, and Upcycled Card Making workshops, and dabbles in making jewelry. Recently she is fascinated with alcohol inks, their vibrancy, unpredictability, and unique patterns bring flow, joy and fun to life.
Carlee Norberg, Dried Flower Wreaths
Carlee lives and work on Plenty of Posies cut flower farm in Newfield, NY. She love laughing together with her fairy coworkers while picking flowers, arranging bouquets, and making dried flower wreaths on the farm, and she can't wait to share her skills with you!
Brenna O'Toole, Calligraphy
Brenna is a pastel artist, calligrapher, and prolific sketcher. She draws much of her inspiration from the natural beauty of the world, and her work focuses primarily on landscapes and living things. Brenna is a whiz at all things related to fancy writing and drawing, and a patient guide to newbies dipping their toes into this art form!
Jenny Pope, Ceramics
Jenny Pope runs Jpopstudios, and is a beloved ceramicist and block printer! Her whimsical nature-inspired creations are sold all around the world. She also has two poodles and a kickass garden that she shares with her family. https://www.jpopstudios.com/
Emily Hirshorn, Basketry
Emily comes to us from Philadelphia, where she can be found scrounging vacant lots for paper mulberry. She also works at the Penn Museum running school programs! A dedicated dog mama, you may find Emily and her furbaby Rodney kickin' it together around Philly dog parks. Fun fact--FLAIR is not Emily's first foray into the Finger Lakes. Back in the day, she went to Colgate!
Laura Bill, Batik
Laura loves artistic exploration and the outdoors. A trained art teacher, she encourages her three daughters and flock of chickens to live creatively and joyfully.
Graham Ottoson, gourds
Graham is our gourdy guru, and the genius behind Gourdlandia! https://www.gourdlandia.com/
Graham loves all kinds of art forms, and in a previous life was a midwife who caught over one thousand babies!
Heather Scott, General Shenanigans
Heather cooked up the idea for FLAIR because she loves nothing more than goofing off with kindred spirits. She loves improv quilting because she does not pay close attention and drives her vintage sewing machines into the ground. When not scheming up nonsense for FLAIR, she is either jumping into Cayuga lake with her two kids, corralling Food Science grad students, or trying to talk someone into drinking cocktails in the backyard.
Robin Wilburn, upcycled wool mittens
Robin loves to figure things out! Whether it's algebra problems for her DC-area students or a sewing pattern for the FLAIRinas, she's on the case. When not teaching, or driving her three teenagers to theaters or golf courses, Robin likes to swim across Cayuga lake!
Whitney Bong Antczak
Whitney is a kindergarten teacher in Ithaca and a mom of three kids and 2 dogs who keep her busy! She’s passionate about helping even those with novice crafting skills feel confident enough to try something new. Her sewing philosophy? It might look like a hot mess on the inside, but once you flip it right side out, you’ll be saying “wait! I made THAT!?”
Maura Cody, Noodlehead bags
Maura embraces a variety of art forms, from stone walls to knitting! Quilting and sewing are often her go-to medium. If you fear zippers, she's the perfect doula to guide you into the world of bags! Maura is also our yoga guru on Sunday!
Bethany Parisi, Low Relief Carving
Bethany Parisi is a self-taught interdisciplinary folk artist based in Ithaca, NY. Her work includes designs for the Ithaca Festival in 2025, Women Swimmin’ and Ithaca Pride in 2026, as well as various murals across Ithaca. Her wood carvings have been featured in numerous group exhibitions throughout New York State and New England. She loves sharing her craft with others.
Katarina Wehmeyer, Paper Flowers
Katarina was born in Oakland, California and has been living in Ithaca since 2017, which feels both correct and slightly confusing given how different those places are.
She is a labor and delivery nurse by profession—spending her days helping bring new life into the world—and then goes home and immediately hyper-fixates on whatever craft has most recently captured her attention. This has included (but is not limited to): painting, jewelry-making, bead weaving, crepe paper flowers, and several other phases that burned brightly and briefly.
She has long suspected she was meant to go to art school but did not, for reasons that now feel both practical and deeply unfortunate. Instead, she has built a creative practice fueled almost entirely by instinct, curiosity, and a truly profound case of ADHD, which she has come to view less as a diagnosis and more as a creative operating system.
Her greatest hope at this time is that her next crafting obsession will be something utilitarian (pottery? Weaving? Carpentry?)—though historical evidence suggests it will more likely be intricate, time-consuming, and emotionally important for reasons that are difficult to explain. In the meantime, she continues to make things, teach things, and invite others into the joy (and occasional chaos) of creating.
Christina King, Noodlehead bags
Christine is an engineer by training who puts that clear-headed thinking to use in all kinds of ways. From leading Habitat for Humanity builds, to sewing anything under the sun, she is an unflappable problem-solver. Her encouraging demeanor has launched many a FLAIRina into the sewing-sphere!
Sophie Armstead, wood carving
Sophie’s favorite creative outlet is bushcrafting. She loves using natural materials to make baskets, spoons, dye, tea, stick chairs, and so on. If she can forage for her materials and build a friction fire to craft beside, so much the better!
Linda Kuchmeister, Rope baskets
Linda has been crafting since she was a teenager. It started with macrame. Then she got a loom and wove her wedding dress. She taught beadwork for over 10 years in New York city, and quilting classes on Long Island. Linda's main craft is quilting--she can't count how many baby quilts I have made and sent to new moms. She has a sit down long arm, and is constantly trying to improve her free motion quilting. Making the rope covered baskets is an obsession!
Barb Vassallo, wet felting & Tunisian crochet
A reformed lobbyist and lifelong fiber arts maker, Barbara took her hobby to new heights opening Rabbit Row Yarns & Haberdashery in 2021 on Historic Market Street in Corning, NY. Rabbit Row highlights sustainably-made yarns from domestic producers, heaps of local wool roving, as well as embroidery, mending, felting and weaving materials. More than 70 small business and woman-owned suppliers are featured in the shop.
Mary Grover, foundation paper piecing
Mary loves to tackle a creative project! From building a dreamy garden to canning cardamom blueberry jam, she's your gal. Just don't ask about the goats. Mary has been exploring all kinds of quilting for a few years now, and embraces the challenge of curves! Her mother's influence has even got her using an iron. What's next--rulers?
Sonja Gomes, beaded jewelry
Sonja has always enjoyed creating, and being creative has kept her centered throughout her life. During college her sideline was making, selling and teaching ceramics. She met her husband Mario at the Cornell Pottery Shop where she taught, and her eldest son's name is Clayton. When her boys were babies she knit their diaper covers, and has always enjoyed creating functional decorative items such as improv cushion covers for her dinning room chairs. She has taught Zentangles, Rock Painting, and Upcycled Card Making workshops, and dabbles in making jewelry. Recently she is fascinated with alcohol inks, their vibrancy, unpredictability, and unique patterns bring flow, joy and fun to life.
Carlee Norberg, Dried Flower Wreaths
Carlee lives and work on Plenty of Posies cut flower farm in Newfield, NY. She love laughing together with her fairy coworkers while picking flowers, arranging bouquets, and making dried flower wreaths on the farm, and she can't wait to share her skills with you!
Brenna O'Toole, Calligraphy
Brenna is a pastel artist, calligrapher, and prolific sketcher. She draws much of her inspiration from the natural beauty of the world, and her work focuses primarily on landscapes and living things. Brenna is a whiz at all things related to fancy writing and drawing, and a patient guide to newbies dipping their toes into this art form!
Jenny Pope, Ceramics
Jenny Pope runs Jpopstudios, and is a beloved ceramicist and block printer! Her whimsical nature-inspired creations are sold all around the world. She also has two poodles and a kickass garden that she shares with her family. https://www.jpopstudios.com/
Emily Hirshorn, Basketry
Emily comes to us from Philadelphia, where she can be found scrounging vacant lots for paper mulberry. She also works at the Penn Museum running school programs! A dedicated dog mama, you may find Emily and her furbaby Rodney kickin' it together around Philly dog parks. Fun fact--FLAIR is not Emily's first foray into the Finger Lakes. Back in the day, she went to Colgate!
Laura Bill, Batik
Laura loves artistic exploration and the outdoors. A trained art teacher, she encourages her three daughters and flock of chickens to live creatively and joyfully.
Graham Ottoson, gourds
Graham is our gourdy guru, and the genius behind Gourdlandia! https://www.gourdlandia.com/
Graham loves all kinds of art forms, and in a previous life was a midwife who caught over one thousand babies!
Heather Scott, General Shenanigans
Heather cooked up the idea for FLAIR because she loves nothing more than goofing off with kindred spirits. She loves improv quilting because she does not pay close attention and drives her vintage sewing machines into the ground. When not scheming up nonsense for FLAIR, she is either jumping into Cayuga lake with her two kids, corralling Food Science grad students, or trying to talk someone into drinking cocktails in the backyard.