Growing a linen vest in Comox
A short story of a long project When I declared to my guy Jim that I wanted to grow flax and make linen textiles, he said, “Well if you do that, I want you to make me a linen suit.”…
VanIsleFibreshed
From Fleece to Sweater: A Spinner/Knitter’s Tale
by Janet Ware Last Spring, when I first saw this large fleece from Alexa at Somerset Farm, I was first taken with its lustre. But, as a spinner/knitter, I was then quickly impressed by the soft yet tough feel of…
A Joint Project to Create a 100% Vancouver Island Fibreshed Rug
This project has been, and will continue to be, a Work-In-Progress! Two Vancouver Island fibre artisans – Bobbie and Karla – have combined their talents to create something special – a rug woven entirely of fibre grown or harvested from…
Using Wool Batting in a Quilt
The Gabriola Fibreshed pod wanted to prove to island farmers that local fleece is well worth processing, so we sent a number of fleeces from Alexa Boultons’s Somerset Farm off to Custom Woolen Mills in Carstairs, AB. We got back…
Sheep Breed Study: East Friesian
The first post of an occasional series about different sheep breeds raised on Vancouver Island and the uses for their fleece. by Heather Cameron Sabine Blackburn keeps three East Friesian sheep for milk on her small farm in Cedar. (They…
Nettle Love on Gabriola
A nettle fibre workshop idea was floated, and it all came together rather quickly by contacting artist Sharon Kallis from Vancouver’s EartHand Gleaners and enticing her over to Gabriola for a few days. The Nettle Love event was born; a…
Local comfort at home: the Vancouver Island Rug Challenge
This year, we are hosting a local rug challenge. Our goal is to demonstrate the use of local fibre to produce quality rugs, made using any technique you like. Vancouver Island has many sheep breeds that produce strong or coarse wool, and these fibres are particularly well suited for floor coverings.
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.
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…