Story by Jillian Laurel Steinberger, with photos by Liz Birnbaum We drive up the windy country road on an early fall afternoon in Bonny Doon near Santa Cruz, to see what Kori Hargreaves is doing with hyper-local fibers and dyes. The light filters through the leaves of tall redwoods and oaks, and we emerge at […]
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The Get-It-Done Girl
By Jenna Tico, with photography by Alycia Lang In an age of memoirs-turned-movies, it is not uncommon to hear about being in “the right place at the right time.” However, for Robin Chapin Pilatti—artisan and businesswoman behind “Fleece to Garment”—one thing is clear: her introduction to the world of fiber has been more than a […]
Read MorePioneering Modern Natural Dyes
Photographs by Paige Green Photography; story by Jess Daniels. There’s a duality to natural dyeing that Kristine Vejar embraces: the naturalist and plant pigment explorer; the scientist and careful recipe creator. For years, Kristine has worked in this balance as a natural dyer, spinner, knitter, community-builder, and owner of the shop A Verb for Keeping […]
Read MoreClassical Cotton Breeding
Photography by Paige Green (except where noted) Wisdom of the ages revealed and contrasted to modern notions of genetic progress… Enhancing nature’s time-tested processes or Engineering… the difference between this phrase and word is a clear line in the sand that divides many millennia of human efforts to breed plants and animals, and the contemporary field of genetic […]
Read MoreA Journey Into the Blue
Written by Shaine Drake and photography by Koa Kalish (except where noted) A producer, processor, broker, and purveyor of biodynamic goods, Craig Wilkinson has been immersed in the holistic and ecologically conscious practice of biodynamic farming since 1998. “It [Biodynamics] is really the beginning of my story,” Craig explains. When answering the question of what got […]
Read MoreIndigo Volunteer Days!
Fibershed Indigo Project 2015 CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS A call for volunteers to help plant over 2000 indigo seedlings in two days. Many areas to help from planting to weeding to support crew & photo documentation. We will be planting indigo seedlings between 440 foot rows of olive trees and creating a diverse polyculture on a biodynamic […]
Read MoreFull Belly, Full Heart.
Story by Caroline Spurgin, photography by Alycia Lang. Full Belly is a farm of divine splendor. As the name suggests, it is a wholesome place, pregnant with happiness, abundance and good health. Walking down the long rows of bright produce bursting from well cultivated soil, the iniquity of our world seems to dissipate and is replaced […]
Read MoreA lifelong love of fiber arts
Photography by Paige Green Colleen Simon has enjoyed an interest in fiber arts for as long as she can remember. She learned to knit as a child growing up in Minnesota, and recalls with fondness how she was intrigued by the spinning wheel in her mom’s attic. Today she owns a richly colored flock of ten ewes (CVM, CVM-Romeldale, […]
Read MoreSonrisa Family Farms — The New Kids on the Block
By Caroline Spurgin / Photos by Alycia Lang Lisa Colorado is one of those people with such tangible conviction it all but glints in the sun. She is an activist, philosopher, academic, wife, mother, permaculturist and, most recently, small-time rancher. She has five Angora goats and two Romney sheep, together comprising her fiber program which is in […]
Read MoreAma Wertz — Weaving without Limits
Story by Jess Daniels / photos by Alycia Lang In an ecosystem, a limiting factor puts pressure on a population, eventually leading to adaptation. For Fibershed artisan and weaver Ama Wertz, limiting her materials to Fibershed-sourced yarns and natural dyes has been a welcome pressure that fuels her design process and builds community. Many tapestry […]
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