When Ypsilanti resident and Eastern Michigan University alum Bekah Whitehead started her crafting group, Bits n Bobs in March 2026, she had planned for it to simply be a space where she could connect with her friends. Just a few months later, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, she will be bringing people together through creativity at Pin & Patch, Bits n Bobs' fourth community-wide crafting event.
Whitehead, who currently works as a hall director for Walton and Putnam halls on EMU's campus, said that she believes in the importance of creating spaces where people can connect to one another. Her New Year's resolution for 2026 was to start creating spaces where people could connect, and as a crafter, she created Bits n Bobs. The group started as a way to connect her friends from different areas of Ypsilanti, but it soon expanded into a group aimed at serving the whole Ypsilanti community. By March 2026, Bits n Bobs had its first event, and Whitehead is determined to keep that momentum going.
"I think ... right now ... it is harder to make friends, especially as adults," Whitehead said. "I wanted to create a very easy way to show up, even if you're by yourself, and participate in a craft ... and then let connections kind of form naturally, and with my support."
Whitehead expressed excitement about her upcoming Pin & Patch event, which will take place 6-9 p.m. at the Water Tower Distilling Co. on 23 N. Washington St. Anyone is welcome to attend and decorate new-to-them bags and hats with handmade pins, patches and buttons. Attendees will have access to a variety of bags, including Trader Joe's totes and fanny packs, and an even wider variety of materials, including beads, safety pins, stencils, permanent fabric glue, fabric markers and a button maker.
Pin & Patch will also be Whitehead's first time collaborating with other local entrepreneurs. Emily Adamek from Adamek Embroidery Co. and Alexandra Tinsley from Wild Hunt will be selling pre-made patches and pins, and Vaeh Sweets, a pop-up bake shop run by a 17-year-old Ypsilanti entrepreneur, will be offering sweet treats at the event.
"That's the dream," Whitehead said of collaborating with these other entrepreneurs. "I think that what community is, is being able to use what I have to benefit others in the community and vice versa. And when I'm able to create these very mutually beneficial opportunities, it feels great."
A $10 donation is suggested, but Whitehead emphasized that everyone is welcome regardless of ability to pay, and no one will be turned away. Those who would like to chip in can donate via Venmo or CashApp when they RSVP to the event online, or they can bring cash the day of the event.
Whitehead hopes that, in addition to a cool new bag or hat, attendees will leave Pin & Patch having built some new friendships and connections.
"I think that a common theme of folks that come to my events [is they] are really looking for new and deeper connections," she said. "This is a space where if I know somebody, I can really say, hey, I know that you should talk to so-and-so. I'm going to sit you together at this event so you can get to know each other. And vice versa, if someone brings their friends, it is an opportunity for me to now connect and make new connections."
Those interested in attending Pin & Patch should RSVP on partify.com. For more information, visit the Bits n Bobs Instagram page @bitsnbobsypsi.
