Purpose & Vision
Fibershed has felt the need for some time to create a grounding force that serves in our effort to enliven our community’s connection to regional and regenerative fiber and dyes. We are grateful to have an opportunity to hold space for activities and community resources. The Learning Center will:
- Serve key hands-on textile education opportunities for the public
- Support a demonstration farm for growing materials and showcasing how earth pigments can be grown and processed, along with food and medicine
- Host public presentations and intentionally designed gatherings that focus on bringing people together to learn and discuss the greatest and most concerning issues of our time
- Offer direct opportunities to engage in climate and cultural solutions that we can work together to activate at the local level
- House a natural dye and fiber seed library and a living library of our bioregional textile culture that will exist as a feature for students, designers, and makers
- Provide a multi-use space for core organizational functions, including our staff and board meetings and strategic planning
Current Offerings: Online Classes via Zoom
During this time of sheltering in place, we are offering a series of online demonstrations and classes via Zoom, taught by Northern California Fibershed Producer Network members. Currently scheduled events are listed below.
Proceeds from each event support the class instructor and contribute to Fibershed for educational programming. A portion of the proceeds from each virtual event will also be shared with a local and mission-aligned non-profit organization, selected by the instructor. A video of the webinar will be made available to webinar registrants after the event.
If you would like to join the Learning Center mailing list to be notified of upcoming events—or any of the other Fibershed mailing lists—scroll down to the form at the bottom of the page.
Registration open:
April 24th:
Natural Palettes: inspiration from plant-based color with Sasha Duerr
The recipient of a donation from Sasha’s class is Urban Tilth.
May 22nd:
SHOES: components, repair, and making your own from scratch with Rachel Corry
The recipient of a donation from Rachel’s class is Social Justice Sewing Academy
Above, natural palette from pollinator plants by Sasha Duerr (photos courtesy of Sasha Duerr); left, Rachel Correy making shoes (photo courtesy of Rachel Correy); below, the Fibershed pigment garden in late summer (photo by Dustin Kahn); bottom, natural dye plants at a Fibershed workshop (photo by Paige Green).
Past events – Videos available on demand at the links below:
Farming & Processing Pigment & Fiber:
- Growing & Processing Flax with Sandy Fisher of Chico Flax
(California Indian Basketweavers’ Association selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds) - Japanese Indigo, Seed to Seed, with Craig Wilkinson of Craig’s Indigo
(Daily Acts selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds) - The Beauty & Strength of Native Plant Fibers with Redbird
(Buckeye Gathering Native Youth Scholarship Fund selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds)
Knitting & Weaving:
- Knitting with Farm Yarns with Gayle Ravenscroft
(Sisters United selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds) - Learn How to Weave on a Rigid Heddle Loom with Robin Lynde
(Stebbins Cold Canyon Preserve at UC Davis selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds)
Sewing:
- Tips for Sewing Jeans with Dan DiSanto
(Urban Tilth selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds) - Tips for Sewing Shirts with Dan DiSanto
(Urban Tilth selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds)
Pigments & Dyes:
- Dyeing with Summer Flowers with Deepa Natarajan
(Urban Tilth selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds) - Japanese Indigo Extraction with Judi Pettite of BioHue
(Museum of the American Indian selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds) - Paints, Inks and Stains Using Indigo with Judi Pettite of BioHue
(Museum of the American Indian selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds) - Making a Lake Pigment: the alchemy of solid pigments from natural dyes with Judi Pettite
(Sogorea Te’ Land Trust selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds) - Natural Paints and Pigments with Judi Pettite
(Urban Tilth selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds) - Wild Inks from Natural Pigments with Judi Pettite
(Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds) - Direct Application Design: hand painting with natural pigments on fabric with Judi Pettite
(Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund selected as the recipient of a donation from class proceeds)
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