No part of a sheep’s fleece needs to be waste. The dirty bits when it’s first sheared make great garden mulch. Then you can comb or card the best parts for spinning into yarn. And then, if you are Bobbie,…
I hope you enjoy this essay from textile artist Yarrow Koontz on her explorations with indigo dyeing with plants she has grown on Gabriola. She’s now experimenting with the Sukomo method for using Persicaria tinctoria (Japanese Indigo) – a method…
Continuing on from our Winter 2024 challenges of repurposing existing textiles and planning our dye gardens, we now have some new challenges for Spring. We’d love you to take on these challenges to learn new skills and become more comfortable…
Thank you Francine McCabe for an amazing Fleece and Fibre book talk at the VI Regional Library Courtenay on Sunday, 4 Feb 2024. Over 30 people, including makers, farmers, weavers, spinners, and other fibre-loving people, joined us from across the…
We already have a lot of textiles on Vancouver Island, most imported from outside our region. While we don’t currently have commercial fabric production here, our closets and thrift shops are a great source of materials just waiting for creative…
Are you seeking inspiration for the VIF Winter challenge of re-purposing a textile? Read this story below by Bobbie Williams, weaver and spinner and all-round champion of wool, to see how she took cotton scraps and old clothing and made…
Are you participating in the Vancouver Island Fibreshed’s skill building challenges this quarter? Below, see Christi York’s musings on working with flowers for natural dyes. Maybe you’ll get some new inspiration? by Christi York Even if you have zero experience…
Let’s celebrate the incredible diversity of creativity and production talent in our region and explore new ways to work with what we have here! For 2024, we are proposing a year-long skill-learning challenge with a different focus each season. Will…
Fleece and Fibre: Textile Producers of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, Francine McCabe’s recently published book, has been well received. We’re so excited to have this tangible resource and celebration of the bounty we have here in our Fibreshed!…
Gabriola Fibreshed Working Group Report We have had a busy fall, working on our own various projects, traveling, and planning for a big event in the New Year. We gathered once to brake and hackle our flax. Oops! Turns out…