Unique Stories from the Groundworks Lab
By Grace Tofte
September 17, 2025
Whenever a guest reserves a piece of equipment at Groundworks, we get an email.
Just a time and a place, but not a description of what the patron is looking to create. It’s always exciting for our team to see what people in the lab are making each day!
An automated email we received recently informed us that a patron would be using the embroidery machine on Friday, August 15, but we didn’t know why until she emailed us later to share her experience.
And Sarah got to work. After she discovered Groundworks mid-project, she reserved the embroidery machine, opens a new window for two hours and embroidered the silhouettes of the main characters:.
In an email to the Groundworks staff, Sarah said, “When I shared the story with my guild about how I did it, they wanted to know ‘what library Sarah’s story started when her community quilting guild in Grand Rapids hosted a quilt swap. Sarah immediately had an idea: what if she made her quilt inspired by her favorite movie? She chose the 1996 hit comedy movie That Thing You Do! featuring the one and only Tom Hanks.
In an email to the Groundworks staff, Sarah said, “When I shared the story with my guild about how I did it, they wanted to know ‘what library lets you use an embroidery machine?!’ The guild is in Grand Rapids, and of course I bragged about you all. Thanks for your help and for letting me take over that machine for those couple days!”
The world seems a little smaller in community spaces like Groundworks, filled with people tinkering and hearing the stories of our fellow creatives.
Certainly, Groundworks operates as a place to put your hands to work, but it also serves as a place where people who love to create can do so together with the materials necessary for each project to flourish.
From 3D printers to sewing machines (and even virtual reality headsets), the sky is limitless with what you can do and create in the Groundworks Lab. Need to record something for a class or just for fun? Don’t forget that we also have a recording studio, opens a new window available for use! There are so many opportunities for growth and discovery so bring your kids or your friends to check out Groundworks.
You don’t have to have a detailed plan to get your project started. All you need is an idea, a few hours, and a curiosity to learn more!
The only thing you have to do now is schedule an appointment with our trained staff who will help walk you through the materials available and brainstorm how to get started. Tim, Faith, and Dan are specialized in using the Groundworks equipment and enjoy fostering a community of innovation in the lab.
Schedule a 1-1 appointment, opens a new window or drop in during Groundworks hours to ask questions! If you already are familiar with the machines, feel free to reserve the equipment ahead of time to guarantee your time slot.
*Check out the movie that inspired Sarah’s project! That Thing You Do! tells the story of a 1960s teenage garage band as it becomes an overnight sensation, but internal tensions threaten to make the group's fall just as rapid as its rise.
