Threads of Resistance: A Celebration of Black History, Textiles, and Rest as Radical Acts
Threads of Resistance is a community-led series of workshops on that honours Black History, radical self-care, Rest, and activism through fibre arts.
VanIsleFibreshed
The Sustainable Closet Audit
In many ways, the most sustainable textiles are the ones we already have. Join Bobbie as she begins working through The Sustainable Closet Audit guidebook from Fibershed.org, re-examining the clothing she owns, and planning for future purchases or projects to…
Connections and Inspiration – 2024 in review
We’ve had a good year at the Vancouver Island Fibreshed. Our small, volunteer-led organization has helped raise the profile of local fibres across our region. We’ve helped make connections, enabling farmers to sell more fleeces and enabling makers to learn…
Rare Breed Sheep on Vancouver Island
For one of our Fall Skill-building Challenges, we encouraged you to learn about rare breed sheep. Many sheep producers in our area raise mixed breed sheep, crossing different breeds to encourage different characteristics for meat production or temperament. Some farmers,…
Custom Weaving Yarn: Personal Experience Using a Commercial Mill to Process Raw Fleeces into 2-Ply Yarn
Have you ever wondered about getting a custom yarn made for your textile endeavours? Hand-processing sheep fleece is a lot of work. In fact, as one spinning teacher used to say, “The Industrial Revolution happened for a reason!” Victoria-based weaver…
Fall 2024 Skill Building Challenges
Continuing on from our Summer 2024 challenges of sewing and working with raw fibre, we now have some final challenges for Fall. We’d love you to take on these challenges to learn new skills and become more comfortable sourcing your…
Dyeing with Lobster Mushrooms
Courtenay-based fibre artist and mushroom forager Amy Crook brings us another great tutorial on dyeing with materials we can find in our Fibreshed region. This time, she explores lobster mushrooms and generoulsly shares some tips and tricks for getting good…
Dye and Soap from Horse Chestnuts
Did you know that a common ornamental tree can be used both as a dye and as a scouring agent? VIF member Bobbie Williams has been experimenting with using materials she finds on her daily walks. Read about horse chestnuts…
Dyeing wool with Tansy
While I do love the natural whites, greys, and browns of undyed fibre, sometimes I like to add some colour. In this piece, Amy Crook gives us an overview of how to dye fibre with a common roadside weed –…
“Fleeces Off” – A review of the joint IISBA and VIF event
On June 2, 2024, VIF and IISBA (Inter Island Sheep Breeders Association) offered a workshop for sheep producers. Thirty-two attendees came from all over the area, from Campbell River to Sooke and from a number of Gulf Islands. Most raise…