About Fibershed
Fibershed is a California non-profit corporation exempt from federal tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Fibershed develops regional and regenerative fiber systems on behalf of independent working producers, by expanding opportunities to implement carbon farming, forming catalytic foundations to rebuild regional manufacturing, and through connecting end-users to farms and ranches through public education. As each Fibershed community manages their resources to create permanent and lasting systems of production, these efforts to take full responsibility for a garment’s lifecycle will diminish pressure on highly polluted and ecologically undermined areas of the world. (China produces 52% of the world’s textiles. The industry is the third largest fresh water polluter in the country.)
Future Fibershed communities will rely upon renewable energy powered mills that will exist in close proximity to where the fibers are grown. Through strategic grazing, conservation tillage, and a host of scientifically vetted soil carbon enhancing practices, our supply chains will create ‘climate beneficial’ clothing that will become the new standard in a world looking to rapidly mitigate the effects of climate change. We see a nourishing tradition emerging that connects the wearer to the local field where the clothes were grown, building a system that can last for countless generations into the future.
Fibershed Founder Rebecca Burgess
How did the Fibershed project start?
The project began in 2010 with a commitment by its founder, Rebecca Burgess, to develop and wear a prototype wardrobe whose dyes, fibers and labor were sourced from a region no larger than 150 miles from the project’s headquarters. Burgess had no expected outcomes from the personal challenge other than to reduce her own ecological footprint and maybe inspire a few others.
Burgess teamed up with a talented group of farmers and artisans to build the wardrobe by hand, as manufacturing equipment had all been lost from the landscape more than 20 years ago. The goal was to illuminate that regionally grown fibers, natural dyes, and local talent was still in great enough existence to provide this most basic human necessity—our clothes. Within months, the project became a movement, and the word Fibershed and the working concept behind it spread to regions across the globe. Burgess founded Fibershed’s 501c3 to address and educate the public on the environmental, economic and social benefits of de-centralizing the textile supply chain.
Fibershed Affiliates
| Items | Company | Location | Links | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HATS - BAGS - DESIGN - LOCAL & ORGANIC COTTON - LOCAL WOOL | 2NFrom | Gualala, CA | Website www.2nfrom.com Email [email protected] Phone (707) 934-5163 Instagram @2nfromcarol | Longtime hatmaker… using naturally colored cotton from Fibershed farm producer Sally Fox; felted wools from a diverse collection of sheep breeds at Fibershed producer Jackie Post’s farm (Sheep to Shop); goat hides, horn buttons, and fleeces from Fibershed producer Robin Lynde at Meridian Jacobs Farm; and a variety of other local natural findings that are incorporated into Carol’s products. From Carol Frechette, Owner/Artisan “During my years of product design, development, and production, I have had access to exceptional textiles and trims from around the world. The mission of 2NFrom™ is simple — to use these sustainable fabrics and existing materials to create beautifully handcrafted accessories. I continue to source materials from unexpected places that inspire and bring character into each product I make. Creative imagery flows into expressions of wearable art.” Photo Credit: Top & Bottom left: Paige Green; Bottom right: Raven Gray; Directory: Koa Kalish |
| WOOL - SHEEPSKINS | 5 Creek Farm | Santa Rosa, CA | Phone (707) 585-0440 Facebook 5 Creek Farm | 5 Creek Farm is located off Petaluma Hill Road in Santa Rosa. We sell free range eggs, walnuts, lambs for meat and sheep wool. |
| ROMNEY SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - ROVING - YARN - FELT - WOVEN GOODS | Ace ‘n The Hole Ranch | Myers Flat, CA | Email [email protected] Phone 707 834 1790 | Raising Romney sheep in breathtaking Humboldt County, Ace ‘n The Hole Ranch provides everything from raw fleece to roving, yarn, felted and woven goods, and natural dye plants. We are breeders of a small flock of Registered Romney’s, both natural colored and white. We produce seed stock as well as fiber for sale to hand spinners and fiber artists and show both our sheep and our fleeces at many shows throughout the country. We have received many awards for our sheep and fleeces both on the local and State level as well as National Champions. Photo Credit: Ace ‘N The Hole |
| ALPACAS - ROVING - BATTING - FLEECE | Alpaca on the Rocks | Weed, CA | Website www.alpacaontherocks.com Email [email protected] Facebook Alpaca on the Rocks Instagram @alpacaontherocks | Our ranch is located near the small town of Weed in northernmost California. We welcome visitors on Saturdays, we have 16 alpacas along with mini-donkeys and horses, a mini-mule, assorted cats and dogs, and a pot-bellied pig. Alpaca fiber is very soft, warm, and hypoallergenic and so gives a special character to the whole range of standard apparel and accessories. For those experienced in working with fiber we carry rovings, batts, and the raw fiber itself. A belated introduction here– I am Nancy, the owner, and I specialize in needle felting, a technique that changes a ball of fluffy fiber into a dog portrait, a textured landscape, and the occasional purple dragon with green wings. Ours is a small ranch, one that will allow you a closer look at the daily routine, the necessary chores and minor tasks that keep us moving. There is the hay that needs parceling out, the water troughs that must be kept full, a garden that needs tending (the rosemary bush is overdue for a trimming). There are the sounds – the odd mutterings of the alpaca, the constant hooting of doves, the off and on braying of donkeys. There are the sights of the country life that surrounds us, the pumpkin farm on one side, the cattle and sheep of the ranch behind us, and the horses grazing in the meadow across the road. And a final and impossible to miss addition to the sights and sounds for you to take home – the solitary 14,179 foot Mount Shasta presiding calmly over its domain. |
| HUACAYA & SURI ALPACAS - YARN - ROVING | Alpaca Shire | Sonoma, CA | Email [email protected] | Alpaca Shire raises homegrown Huacaya & Suri alpaca fleece, yarn, and roving. Vicki Arns raises alpacas and spins their fiber in Sonoma, CA. Alpacas were first imported into North America in 1984, and Vicki’s very first animal arrived that year, so she has experienced its growth from a novelty market to quite a fiber industry. She was the first person to introduce alpacas to Sonoma County and started her business in 1985. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| ALPACA - SURI & HUACAYA - YARN - ROVING - WEDDING RENTALS - KNIT GOODS | Alpacas of El Dorado | Somerset, CA | Website www.alpacasofeldorado.com Email [email protected] Facebook Alpacas of El Dorado | Alpacas of El Dorado is the culmination of our combined goals and visions of the past several years. We are dedicated to the continual improvement in quality of both suris and huacayas by breeding only to the finest herdsires and bloodlines. We are located in the beautiful Sierra Foothills midway between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe. Our ranch is open to visitors at any time by appointment and we welcome you to be our guests to experience the peaceful lifestyle, clean mountain air, and to drink some good local wines and talk alpaca. |
| ALPACAS - YARN - FIBER - HERDSIRES | Alpacas of Marin | Nicasio, CA | Website www.alpacasofmarin.com Email [email protected] Facebook Alpacas of Marin/SoCal Suri Alpacas | Alpacas of Marin is Marin County’s first commercial alpaca farm, with 80 alpacas—both Suri and Huacaya– on a beautiful 12 ½ acres overlooking the Nicasio Reservoir. We are a full-service alpaca farm, offering award-winning, nationally acclaimed alpacas as breeding stock for sale, as well as top quality “fiber” and “pet” alpaca mini-herds. We feature a robust “stud row” of herdsires happy to accommodate outside breedings, as well as alpaca boarding and mentoring for new alpaca owners. We sell raw fleece—both Suri and Huacaya, and we also have yarns and some fiber end-products for sale. Alpaca fleece has no lanolin, and thus is hypo-allergenic. Additionally, the microscopic structure of alpaca fibers eliminates the “itch factor” seen in some sheep’s wool. For these reasons, alpaca fleece is a luxury fiber that can be used to make a wide variety of beautiful and practical products. It also blends very well with high-quality sheep’s wool to make soft, durable, itch-free garments. Alpaca fiber diameters range from 15 to low 30s in micron, and we target our breeding program to produce fleeces with uniform fiber diameters which results in a luscious “handle” or feel to both Suri and Huacaya fleeces. There are 26 natural colors of alpaca fiber, but alpaca yarns also take well to natural and commercial dyes. Our Huacaya fleeces have excellent “crimp” formation and our Suris are recognized for their luster and lock formation—some of our Suris have locks that are twisting into yarn on the alpaca! Alpaca compost is in demand for private and commercial growers. It has no odor, and it is low in nitrogen, so it does not “burn” plants when fresh manure is applied to the garden or house plants. We work with several companies and organizations that use our manure in their top-end farming, and we hope to collaborate with the Marin Carbon Project to evaluate the carbon fixation properties of alpaca manure when applied to fields as a compost. Photo Credit: Alpacas of Marin |
| LOCAL FIBERS & TEXTILES | Ambatalia | Mill Valley, CA | Email [email protected] Website www.ambatalia.com Facebook Ambatalia – for a nondisposable life Instagram @nondisposablelife | “For me fiber and textiles tell a story of the people, land, water and the health of the economy. Being a part of our local fibershed gives me an opportunity to share Marin’s natural resources and textile story and that brings me pure joy.” – Molly de Vries Molly de Vries sees herself as a designer rather than a seamstress, an “obsessive creative” rather than an artist. After four years of running Ambatalia as a sustainable fabric shop, in 2008 she refocused the shop into a design house for textile goods. Ambatalia’s products are sold through a plethora of stockists both nationally and worldwide. Molly designs them in the Mill Valley shop and employs Linda Holt as her full-time seamstress-sewer-manufacturer out of Fairfax. Molly is inspired by the spirit of collaboration, environmentalism, and old-world, heirloom cultural techniques of cloth. Through these inspirations, Ambatalia provides simple and unique products for people who care about the environment and at the same time, love beautiful things. Photo Credit: Koa Kalish |
| ARTIST - DESIGNER - LACE KNITTING - KNITTING PATTERNS | Amy Keefer | Berkeley, CA | Berkeley, CA | Amy Keefer is an artist and designer based in Berkeley, California. (MFA California College of the Arts, 2009). Keefer’s work has included interviews with former sweatshop workers, secretly knitting sweaters to wear as protection during critiques and learning the craft of handmade lace. She started translating her own designs into patterns for hand knitters under the name “Blaer Knits” in 2012.Having worked as an educator in fiber arts and knitting for a decade, Keefer started Blaer Knits as a way to build skills among her student base. The goal is to empower people in such a way, that they want to make things themselves from the most beautiful, sustainable fibers possible. In collaboration with Fibershed, Keefer will continue designing patterns for the modern crafter as well as produce a boutique line of ready-made pieces. Look for “Local Lace”! Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| ALPACAS - FIBERS- FLEECE | Arapaho Rose Alpacas | Redding, CA | Redding, CA | Arapaho Rose Alpacas has everything you need when it comes to alpacas. Our unique alpaca farm in Redding, California, has alpacas for sale as well as alpaca products. Check out our online boutique so you can purchase alpaca batts, cloth and roving to make your own clothing and accessories. Check out our ready-made alpaca products that make great gifts, including hats, gloves, scarves and more. Add a cozy throw blanket to your couch that won’t itch or pill, thanks to the quality fibers used. |
| CLOTHING DESIGN - NATURAL DYES - SCULPTURE - COSTUMES | Ashley Eva Brock | Bolinas, CA | Website: http://ashleyevabrock.com/ Email: [email protected] Instagram: @ashleyevabrock | Ashley holds a degree in Fashion Design and Textiles from The California College of the Arts in San Francisco, CA. Living in Bolinas, CA, her practice includes clothing design, textile art, performance costumes, sculpture and jewelry. She focuses on using natural fibers and dyes, along with upcycling, and aims to create garments and other work that facilitates personal, societal and environmental healing. She has worked as a dyer for the San Francisco Opera, has done costume design and fabrication for music videos and film, and sells limited edition hand made clothing. Her dog companion Lyla is never far from her side. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| RAW FLEECE - YARN - COMFORTERS - ROVING - SHEEPSKINS | Barinaga Ranch | Marshall, CA | Website www.barinagaranch.com Email [email protected] Facebook Barinaga Ranch | At Barinaga Ranch, my husband, Corey Goodman, and I are continuing the ancient shepherding traditions of my Basque family and ancestors. Our very friendly flock of sheep graze year-round on over 100 acres of hilly, certified-organic pastures overlooking Tomales Bay in Marin County. Thanks to our dedicated Great Pyrenees dogs, we have never lost a ewe or lamb to predators. In 2018 we began to transition our flock from East Friesian dairy sheep to fiber sheep. We are currently raising pure registered recessive-colored Romneys and both black and white Corriedale sheep, as well as a small number of high-percentage East Friesians, and crosses produced by breeding our Romney and Corriedale rams to our East Friesian ewes. We are currently offering for sale raw fleeces from the colored Romneys, which are a lovely blend of greys, and from the black and white Corriedales, as well as East Friesian fleeces in natural white, natural brown, and grey. We also have some sport-weight natural-white and natural-brown yarn from the East Friesians, lambskin rugs, and pasture-raised lamb, which we sell as whole lambs only, cut and wrapped for your freezer. See our web site for details about how to buy our products. Clients seeking breeding stock or a special fleece or lambskin are invited to make an appointment to come visit the ranch. Photo Credit: Paige Green, bottom right: Barinaga Ranch |
| NATURAL PIGMENTS - NATURAL INK - NATURAL DYES - CLASSES | BioHue | Placerville, CA | Website judipettite.com Email [email protected] Instagram @biohue | Judi Pettite started BioHue 2006. Engaged by the promise of artist colors from natural pigments, she’s been on the alchemical journey ever since. Judi forages, purchases, or grows the materials for the art materials as mindfully and sustainably as possible. The inks and watercolors are made from the fewest ingredients possible allowing the beauty and personality of the source material to come through. Photo Credit: BioHue |
| ANGORA RABBITS - SHEEP - NATURAL DYER - YARN SHOP | Black Mountain Farm | Nicasio, CA | Hi, I am a fiber farmer. I raise German/ English cross Angora rabbits and Wendslydale cross sheep. I love to spin fiber from these animals and create items for my family and friends. I also love to use plants, flowers, and fruits of my farm to create bath and skincare products. You can purchase these on my website or local stores. www.Blackmountainbeauty.com Photo Credit: Alycia Lang | |
| SANTA CRUZ ISLAND SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - FLOWERS - WREATHS - YARN - WORKSHOPS | Black Rock Ranch | Stinson Beach, CA | Website www.blackrockranch.com Email [email protected] Phone (415) 342-2699 Instagram @coastalchronicles Facebook Black Rock Ranch | We have a small ranch at the western foot of Mt. Tamalpais in Stinson Beach where we grow flowers, olive trees, chickens, and sheep. After considerable research, we decided to bring Santa Cruz Island sheep onto the property for their small stature, drought tolerance, and ability to thrive on marginal forage. They are also highly valued for their fire control, particularly given our position on the mountain. The sheep have a rich and fascinating history and are on the Critically Endangered list through The Livestock Conservancy. We are honored to be conservation stewards for the breed. We are indebted to Lynn and Jim Moody of Blue Oak Canyon Ranch for their participation in the careful conservation of this breed and graciously sharing their years of knowledge with us. Our sheep are from the Moody stock and we are excited to share information and wool from this special breed. We are deeply respectful of our precious resources including water. Our trees and flowers are irrigated via a roof catchment water system, which we have also installed on our sheep barn. We are currently utilizing rotational grazing methods to enhance pasture vitality and are employing regenerative soil practices. Seasonally we sell flowers, wreaths, pastured eggs, and will soon add wool and olive oil. We are also hosting fiber arts classes by local experts during the summer months. We are Sandra and Rob Guidi and we’re pleased to meet you. Photo Credit: Koa Kalish |
| SHEEP - | Blackberry Farm | Bolinas, CA | Website bbfarmbolinas.wixsite.com/home | Blackberry Farm sits on the western side of Mount Tamalpais, tucked in the Gospel Flat area of Bolinas. The family farm and residence were established during the late 1970s on the site of the historic Peter’s Dairy Ranch. The original farmhouse dates back to the late 19th century and survived the great 1906 earthquake. Today, the 7-acre farm is being restored to sustainably support fruit orchards, cottage flower and kitchen gardens, honey bees, a boisterous flock of chickens, and naughty shetland sheep. Our self-serve farmstand attached to our barn has seasonal flowers, organic eggs, heirloom fruit, and local goods from the farm. |
| MERINO SHEEP - CASHMERE GOATS - RAW FIBER - ROVING - BATTING | Blue Barn Farm | El Dorado, CA | Phone (530) 957-7000 Email [email protected] | Nestled in the gentle rolling hills of El Dorado County, Blue Barn Farm is a small farm run by Catherine Lawson, who raises Merino sheep and cashmere goats. Farm products include raw fiber, roving, and batts, in white and natural colors, suitable for dyers, spinners and felters. These products are popular as a medium for fiber artists, and found on-site locally, or at fiber events in Northern California and Oregon. Photo Credit: Above & bottom right, Catherine Lawson; Bottom left, Paige Green |
| WOOL - HERITAGE BREED - HANDSPUN YARN | Blue Oak Canyon Ranch | San Miguel, CA | Website www.blueoakcanyonranch.com Email [email protected] Instagram @blueoakcanyonranch | We specialize in a heritage breed of sheep: the very rare Santa Cruz Island sheep. We also have llamas, heritage Narragansett turkeys, and chickens. We are on the east edge of the southern Coast Ranges (Diablo Range), in the Paso Robles area of California wine country. We cherish our landscapes, with Coast Live and Blue Oaks, Foothill Pines, Junipers, Chaparral, and grasslands. |
| CORRIEDALE SHEEP - NAVAJO CHURRO SHEEP - YARN - ROVING - BATTING - RAW FLEECE - SHEEPSKINS - COMFORTERS - PILLOWS | Bodega Pastures | Bodega, CA | Fibershed Marketplace page: Bodega Pastures Email [email protected] Website www.bodeganet.com/BodegaPastures Phone 707 327 6816 | Bodega Pastures is a beautiful 1000-acre sheep ranch located in west Sonoma County just outside of Bodega, California. Bodega Pastures sheep are managed in an organic and humane way. We research and utilize grazing and management methods that protect both sheep and the native coastal prairie ecosystem. We rotate our flock to avoid damage to land, maintain healthy pastures, and avoid predators. Our sheep live a good life on pasture, eating grass and drinking spring water that flows from high on our ridges. They are not confined. We farm ecologically: we do not overstock our land and we have fenced our sheep out of our creeks. We do not spray our fields for weed control . We practice natural, ecological, and ethical ranching. Our sheep eat grasses, clover, and forbs. Prior to our midwinter lambing, we supplement our ewes’ feed with hay, which is grown on our ridge spines and bottom fields. Around the time of birth, we also feed our sheep organic alfalfa hay from California and Oregon, according to the ewes’ and lambs’ needs. Columbia, Corriedale, Romney, Suffolk, Wensleydale, and Navajo-Churro breeds are represented in our flock. Our mixed flock is bred for wool color and texture, hardiness, and meat quality. Our wool is prized by handspinners, knitters, and weavers. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| ANGORA GOATS - YARN - NATURAL DYER | Brunner Family Farm | McKinleyville, CA | Website www.brunnerfamilyfarm.com | We are a small family-run farm located in rural Humboldt County, CA. Inspired by permaculture design and committed to organic farming practices, we endeavor to cultivate a productive and sustainable landscape that nourishes mind, body, and spirit. Our plant and animal community vary from year to year, but consistently includes dairy and fiber goats, pastured pork and poultry, produce, and specialty cut flowers. |
| ANGORA RABBITS - BATTING - ROVING - YARN - KNITWEAR | Bungalow Farm Angora | Sacramento, CA | Website http://bungalowfarm.com/ Facebook Bungalow Farm Angora | We raise top quality German Angora rabbits in Northern California. We breed high quality lines with outstanding wool production. German angoras are easy to handle and they have been selected over the years to have excellent dispositions. Their coats are dense and matt free. Many of these animals are IAGARB registered or come from IAGARB registered lines. Angoras at Bungalow Farm are humanely raised and gently shorn. Wool is harvested every 90 days. Photo Credit: Erin Maclean |
| CORMO X RAMBOUILLET SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - ROVING - SHEEPSKINS | Butte Mountain Farm | Jackson, CA | Website http://www.buttemountainfarm.com/ Email [email protected] Phone 209 223 4814 Facebook Butte Mountain Farm Instagram @buttemountainfarm | Butte Mountain Farm is located a few miles east of Jackson, CA. It is a Certified Naturally Grown Farm. All crops, chickens, sheep and lambs are raised following natural, organic practices. Our flock is Cormo and Rambouillet X Cross sheep and we have fleece and roving for hand spinners, felters or craftspeople, and skeins of yarn from their fleeces. Tanned sheepskin hides are also available. Photo Credit: Butte Mountain Farm |
| LOCAL COTTON - CLOTHING - KNITWEAR | California Cloth Foundry | San Francisco, CA | Website www.clothfoundry.com Email [email protected] Facebook California Cloth Foundry Instagram @caclothfoundry | In collaboration with nature, California Cloth Foundry (CCF) is making textiles and apparel naturally, and like food, with nothing we can’t consume. Because our skin absorbs what we put on it, CCF chooses only botanical ingredients to craft their textiles and apparel, avoiding any harmful chemicals and petroleum-based fibers, treatments, and dyes. Their alchemy is the purity of their ingredients: regenerative natural fibers, and natural finishes and dyes. Sourcing pure USDA certified organic and sustainable fibers, many from their fibershed, CCF shepherds them through a local supply chain, crafting A Healthy Wardrobe. A California Fibershed community member of producers, retailers, and artisans, CCF’s online shop includes their collection of DTLA-made apparel, as well as their USA grown, milled, and finished textiles, many of which are produced by the Northern and Southern Fibershed community. Article on the blog: Bringing the Supply Chain to Life |
| SHEEP - RAW FLEECE | Canfield Hill Farm Shetlands | Petaluma, CA | Email: [email protected] | Canfield Hill Farm Shetlands is a small operation west of Petaluma. We care for a flock of registered Shetlands to help expand the breed in our area, maintain our pastures, and as a source for their fine, strong wool. We sell natural-colored raw fleeces in moorit, black, and light grey to hand spinners and fiber artists. We treasure our ewes and wethers for their beautiful wool and gentle personalities. Our wool comes from animals whose well-being is given top priority, who live out their natural lives, and who are regarded as beings of inherent worth beyond what they produce. We welcome visitors who would like to learn more about the Shetland breed. |
| OUESSANT SHEEP - SHEEP SPONSORSHIPS - GRAZING SERVICES | Capella Grazing Project | Potter Valley, CA | Instagram @stargrazers Facebook Capella Grazing Project Website www.capellagrazing.com/ Email [email protected] | The Capella Grazing Project was conceived of and realized by Marie Hoff, and is located in West County Sonoma. Founded in 2013, Capella Grazing Project is an initiative to link land stewardship with local agriculture. The project is currently located in Potter Valley, CA, while moving seasonally to work in local orchards, vineyards, for fire fuel reduction, and other local landscapes. Named Capella after the shepherd’s star in the constellation Auriga, CGP maintains the largest flock of Ouessant sheep in the West. Marie also works as the Fibershed Producer Program Coordinator. Photo Credit: Alycia Lang |
| CASHMERE GOATS - ANGORA GOATS - CASHMERE & MOHAIR FIBER - YARN - ROVING - KNITWEAR - WOVEN GOODS | Caprette Cashmere | Website www.caprettecashmere.com Email [email protected] | Home of quality cashmere and angora goats, Caprette Cashmere is a small family farm based in Sacramento County. Specializing in goats for over 15 years, Barbara and Ron Fiorica raise cashmere and mohair for both their own use and sale to others. They also sell goats and educate others on how to raise their own cashmere. Photo Credit: Top, Caprette Cashmere. Bottom left & right, Paige Green | |
| DESIGN - TEXTILES | Carol Lee Shanks | Berkeley, CA | Email [email protected] Website www.carolleeshanks.com Instagram @carol_lee_shanks | Carol Lee Shanks designs and handcrafts clothing and textile art pieces. She has a great reverence for cloth allowing it to be the foundation of her inspiration. An integral part of her work is manipulating the cloth to create different surface textures. By layering opaque and transparent elements and then stitching, piercing and wrapping them she is able to transform flat, linear shapes into dimensional silhouettes. When suspended on the body or within a room, her work becomes moving sculpture. Carol has a degree in Textile and Costume Design from the University of California at Davis. She now works and exhibits her clothing and textile art from her Berkeley, CA studio. Her work has been shown and sold in galleries throughout the United States and has been included in international shows and fiber art publications. Photo Credit: Paige Green (top and bottom left) and Carol Lee Shanks (bottom right) |
| FELT - HATS - SCARVES | Cathy Wayne | Petaluma, CA | Website www.cathywayne.com Email [email protected] Facebook Cathy Wayne | In 2014, I became an Artisan Member of my local Fibershed. The items I am creating with the certified Fibershed label are made from wool I have purchased directly from the sheep rancher, processed at a local mill, all within a 150 mile radius of my home. Part of this creative process was learning about plant dying, which are included in many of my designs. I also rely on the natural color of the wool. Every item I create is handcrafted felt with wool and other natural materials. I utilize ancient techniques to create unique and practical works of art. Every item repels water, is warm and colorful. ~MADE WITH MY HANDS IN PETALUMA, CA~ |
| FLAX - EDUCATION - FLAX SEED | Chico Flax | Chico, CA | Website https://chicoflax.com/ Email [email protected] Facebook Chico Flax Instagram @chicoflaxtolinen | Chico Flax will assist people to become self-supporting in a responsible sustainable way as well as encouraging cooperation within the community. Flax-to-linen requires a small village of farmers, tool makers, spinners’, dyers of natural fibers, and weavers. As we refine and grow our efforts, we will be reaching even more people: manufactures of machinery to automate the processes, inventors to facilitate new discoveries, designers creating leading edge linen fabric, and educators to share their knowledge. The flax plant requires little water and all parts of the plant can be used from seed to fiber. Lastly it works best with community partnerships from farmer to weaver. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| INDIGO DYE PLANTS - SUKUMO - VOLUNTEER OPPS IN BIODYNAMIC DYE FARMING | Craig’s Indigo | Sonoma County, CA | Made Local Magazine True Blue Email [email protected] Facebook Craig Wilkinson Instagram @craigsindigo | Growing Japanese Indigo on multiple farms in Sonoma County over the last five years, Craig Wilkinson processes indigo leaves using composting & pigment extraction methods. Offering indigo seeds & seedlings, workshops, and consulting for future indigo farmers & dyers. Community indigo dye vats are available for use (by appointment) at Fiber Circle Studio in Cotati, California. [email protected] Photo Credit: Koa Kalish |
| FIBER ARTS CLASSES & WORKSHOPS - CONTRACTED HANDSPINNING | Crockett Fiber Art Studio | Crockett, CA | Website www.crockettfiberstudio.com | Crockett Fiber Arts Studio is a safe, peaceful place to learn, teach, practice, and promote traditional fiber arts of all kinds. Practicing fiber artists provide quality instruction in the fiber arts, both to students who wish to add to their skills and to those just beginning their journey. Our instructors are your coaches, who know that mistakes provide an opportunity to learn. The studio makes quality equipment available on an affordable membership and hourly basis. We value collaboration and diversity in all aspects of our work. Owner Melanie Perkins has been working with fiber since she learned to knit as a young child. She’ll be your hostess, coach, and mentor in all things fiber at the studio. If you have a question she can’t answer, she’ll find an expert who can. Coffee, tea, and ice water are always available. Sweet treats, sandwiches, and espresso drinks are a block away at Sugartown Sweet Shoppe, and snacks at Abrol Cafe on the corner. |
| DESIGNER - CLOTHING STORE | Danu Organic | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA | Danu Organic makes clothing for all ages & genders, inspired by heirloom, naturally colored cotton. Our objective is to pursue the production of the healthiest clothes in the world at a scale that makes them accessible. Danu designs reflect the beauty of the human body and the durability of the earth that gives us our fibers and colors. |
| ALPACAS - YARN - ROVING | Double Diamond Alpacas | Clarksburg, CA | Website http://www.ddalpacas.com/ Email [email protected] Facebook Double Diamond Alpacas | Breeders of award winning suri alpacas and offering suri alpaca fleeces, handspun alpaca yarns, and high quality products from Blue Sky Alpaca, The Alpaca Yarn Company, Alpaca with a Twist, Windy Valley Muskox/Nash Farms, Helen Hamann Design patterns, and selected Muench yarns. Diane Hoschler is a spinner in addition to raising alpacas. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| EAST FREISIAN & AWASSI SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - INTERNSHIPS | Duckworth Farm | Sebastopol, CA | Facebook Duckworth Farm Blueberries Instagram @duckworthfarmblueberries | Located in Sebastopol, CA, Duckworth Farm raises a variety of breeds of sheep for wool and milk, in addition to hay and blueberries. They use their wool for teaching farm volunteers to spin yarn, in conjunction with a “whole farm” training that includes milking, construction, planting, harvesting, pasture management, welding, mechanics, and cooking. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| NATURAL DYE WORKSHOPS | Earth My Body | Quincy, CA | Quincy, CA | Cory Gunter Brown is an artisan and empath who has practiced the entwined arts of sacred adornment and the handmade her whole life. She was born and raised in East Oakland and comes from a radical and creative family of dancers, machinists, artists, and activists. Cory has learned the most powerful and beautiful truths in her life by listening to the voice of the Earth, the voices of Indigenous Peoples present and past, and her inner voice. Through a decolonial lens, her work with natural dyes, and her relationship with the living Earth, she’s come to understand that for every toxic, abusive reality happening on this Earth, there is another way that is far more compassionate, elegant, and balanced within the cycle of life. She’s learned that our bodies are an extension of the Earth and the Earth is an extension of our bodies, and her choices in life now flow from that knowing. Cory spent ten years co-creating The Moon, an Oakland based feminine clothing line made by local hands with natural fibers and natural dyes. She is now teaching natural dye workshops to adults and children, producing a select few naturally dyed items each month, and making plant infused body oils with the Redwood and Cedar from the land where she lives. Working with plants has changed her life. |
| NATURAL DYE - WEAVING - INDIGO - DYE PLANT GARDENING - SEEDS | Ecotone Threads | Sacramento, CA | Website www.ecotonethreads.com Facebook Ecotone Threads Instagram @ecotone.threads Etsy Ecotone Threads | ec·o·tone • ekəˌtōn,ˈēkəˌtōn/ n. A transitional zone between two ecological communities, as between a forest and grassland or ariver and its estuary. I am an artist and plant biologist crafting a life based on exploration, inquiry, and attentiveness. -Kori Hargreaves, Owner/Operator Photo Credit: Elizabeth Birnbaum |
| WOVEN GOODS - KNITWEAR - HOME TEXTILES | Eleri Design | Nevada City, CA | Nevada City, CA | Nevada City based company Eleri Design was established in 2013 by Erin Alders. Erin combines a love of both traditional and modern processes in clothing and textile design and has a passion for weaving and natural dyes, digital design, and machine knitting. Erin uses small-scale manufacturing processes and materials that are environmentally friendly, putting care into each garment produced. “Whether traditionally hand woven or knitted with the latest digital technologies, the goal for all Eleri Design garments is to make women feel radiant, alive, and powerful. Eleri Design is committed to environmental and social responsibility and complete transparency in all that we do. Our processes respect animals, resources, the planet, and the people who make our garments.” Erin creates very limited runs of timeless garments and accessories. |
| EDUCATION - YOUTH PROGRAMS - SHEEP | Elkus Ranch / University of California Cooperative Extension | Half Moon Bay, CA | Website elkusranch.ucanr.edu Email [email protected] Facebook Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center Instagram @elkusranch | Located on the California coast near Half Moon Bay, Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center provides unique hands-on learning experiences for Bay Area children. The Conference Center is available for daytime retreats, meetings, and workshops. Staff from the University of California Cooperative Extension facilitate hands-on opportunities for children from preschool through high school to explore the processes of producing food and fiber in day and overnight ranch tours, nutrition programs, community service days and special events. Livestock, gardens, and acres of open space create unique learning experiences for children and their adult chaperones. The ranch is specifically dedicated to providing these opportunities for children with special needs and all facilities are fully accessible. |
| KNITWEAR - DESIGNER | Emily Cunetto | Oakland, CA | Website www.emilycunetto.com Email [email protected] Facebook Emily Cunetto Instagram @emilycunetto Article on the blog: Collaborative Contemporary Knitwear | Emily Cunetto is a knitwear designer and educator living in Oakland, California. She teaches all over the Bay Area and specializes in hand-knit garments, accessories, and knitwear patterns. Her designs and practice are infused with a love of the Northern California landscape as well as a passion for local fiber and sustainable clothing practices. Photo Credit: Koa Kalish |
| ROMELDALE, COTSWOLD, ROMNEY SHEEP - LLAMAS - ANGORA GOATS -RAW FIBER - BATTING - ROVING - YARN | Ewe & Me 2 Ranch | Cotati, CA | Email [email protected] Phone 530-301-3154 Instagram @eweandme2 | A lover of fiber arts, Bev Fleming both raises her own animals and spins their fiber by hand on a spinning wheel with hearts carved on it. She lives and raises sheep, goats, and llamas in Cotati, breeds include Romeldale, Cotswold, & Romney, as well as Red Angora goats. |
| RAW FLEECE - YARN - TANNED HIDES - FARM | Fawnbrooke Farm | Nevada City, CA | Nevada City, CA | Website www.fawnbrookefarm.com Email [email protected] Phone (530) 277-3899 Instagram @fawnbrookefarm |
| PERENDALE SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - YARN - SHEEPSKINS | Ferndale Farms | Ferndale, CA | Website www.ferndalefarms.com Instagram @humboldtherder | We are a small, diversified family-owned grazing business located in Humboldt County, California. We turn sunlight into protein! We grow green clover, grasses, and sell 100% pasture-raised, all-natural, lamb & beef. We convert quality grasslands into quality lamb and beef. Grasslands and grazing animals safeguard the environment and bring life to the countryside. Photo Credit: Jill Hackett |
| FIBER ARTS CLASSES - STUDIO RENTAL - EQUIPMENT RENTAL | Fiber Circle Studio | Cotati, CA | Website www.fibercirclestudio.com Email [email protected] Facebook Fiber Circle Studio Instagram @fibercirclestudio | Fiber Circle Studio is a communal hub for all things fiber. In a new generation of “Makerspaces”, we bring you a Fiber Makerspace! Our goal is to provide the community with an abundant source of equipment, tools, and knowledge to encourage, support and inspire creativity, artistic evolution and a close-knit fiber network. Workshop and equipment offerings include weaving, sewing, spinning, fiber processing, felting, knitting, crocheting, dyeing and more! Access to the equipment is based on membership or day-use. Visit the website for details! Fiber Circle Studio came to being by an avid knitter, Alisha Reyes, who wanted to explore ALL the fiber arts. After searching and gaining knowledge from various artists and places, she decided what this community needed was one place where you can do it all! And not just a place to take classes or buy supplies, but to also explore on your own creative journey without the large commitment of space and money. |
| ROMELDALE, ROMNEY, CVM, MERINO SHEEP - WOOL & FEATHER PINS , HAIR CLIPS, HATS - FELTED BOWLS | Fiber Confections | Vacaville, CA | Email [email protected] Facebook Fiber Confections Instagram @wooltogo | Colleen Simon of Fiber Confections has been raising sheep for the past 15 years. Located near Vacaville, her small flock includes Romeldale/CVM, Romney, and Merino sheep that produce beautiful, natural-colored fleeces that are processed into roving and yarn. Her sheep graze on irrigated pasture most of the year, and are raised as naturally as possible. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| DESIGNER - RUCKSACKS - BAGS - QUILTS - APRONS | Flint Outdoors | San Francisco, CA | Website http://www.mattkatsaros.com/ Facebook Flint Outdoors Instagram @flintoutdoors | Flint was created to inspire, built for the outdoors. My name is Matt Katsaros. I make assorted products inspired by living life outdoors all under the moniker: Flint. Since as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to make things with my hands and being outside. Flint is the collision of these two loves of mine. My goal with Flint is to make extremely high quality and durable products that equip people to go out and explore the world around them. |
| CHEVIOT, LECEISTER, SHROPSHIRE RAW WOOL - EDUCATION | Flying Mule Farm | Auburn, CA | Website http://flyingmule.blogspot.com/ Email [email protected] Facebook Flying Mule Farm Instagram @flyingmule | Flying Mule Farm is a diversified family farm that provides wholesome, sustainably produced food and fiber to our community. Working in partnership with our animals and with the natural world, we also support other farmers who share our vision of sustainable agriculture. A partnership between the Macon Family and Roger Ingram, our small-scale commercial flock grazes on foothill rangelands and irrigated pastures near Auburn, California. We focus on public and sheep producer education and the demonstration of grass-based production practices. Specifically, we are committed to the following: Development of a genetic base designed to optimize a low-input grass-based production (with little or no supplemental feed inputs). Production of flavorful and tender grass-fed lamb. Production of a high-quality wool clip. Development of a grazing and nutrition management system that will result in a weaned lamb crop of 150+ percent. Development of a record-keeping and management system designed to optimize maternal characteristics (lambing ease, lamb vigor, mothering ability) in a pasture-based system. Demonstration of forage management, husbandry, business management and marketing systems for small-scale, direct-market sheep producers. Use and demonstration of low-stress stockmanship techniques and handling systems. Use and demonstration of guardian and stock dogs in a small-farm flock. Use and demonstration of water-efficient irrigation technology for foothill ranchers. Use and demonstration of nonlethal predator management systems. Public outreach on a variety of topics, including meat and fiber production, targeted grazing, stockmanship and predator control. Support for other local sheep producers. Photo Credit: Sarah Lillegard |
| ROMELDALE SHEEP - ANGORA RABBITS - YARN | Foggy Bottoms Boys | Ferndale, CA | Email [email protected] Facebook Foggy Bottoms Boys Instagram @foggybottomsboys | Farming on the California North Coast in the Foggy Bottoms with two fabulous farm boys, a few goats, Romeldale sheep, Angora rabbits, chickens and a whole lot of cows! |
| ICELANDIC SHEEP'S WOOL | Fortunate Farm | Caspar, CA | Website fortunatefarm.com Facebook Fortunate Farm Instagram @fortunatefarm | Fortunate Farm is an inter-generational family farm that provides heirloom vegetables and flowers to our community on the Mendocino Coast in Northern California. We practice sustainable farming with sincere care for the land and the soil. Fortunate Farm is located on 40 acres of coastal prairie in Caspar, California. Gently rolling pastures, abundant water, forested margins with shade and wildlife habitat and a large spring fed irrigation pond make the farm special. We border state park land, and there is a trail from the farm straight down to the beach. We are committed to protecting and encouraging the local biodiversity and improving and protecting the beautiful, rock-free sandy loam soil. Photos by Paige Green |
| SHEEP | Fox Farms | Rio Vista, CA | Rio Vista, CA | I am a first-generation farmer, after retiring from 40 years of ICU nursing. We purchased a 23-acre property with a 100-year-old farmhouse on the Sacramento River. I drove by this property weekly on my way to herding lessons with my first border collie. (Dogs can change your life.). Wouldn’t it be wonderful to fix that old white farmhouse up and get Black and White, dogs sheep and chickens! My husband and I purchased the property in 2015..We have refurbished the farmhouse, barn, shop and put in fences. Bob and Ann are the border collies that work the 12 sheep, a Wensleydale natural colored Ram, ewes are Ferisian/Finn, Ferisian/Wensleydale, both brown, Wensleydale-off white, 2 Jacob/Merinos, and 5 dorpers for herding. We are on our third year of beekeeping with 1-6 hives. 20 chickens that lay 12 eggs a day. 4 cats and 2 LGDs to keep the pests away. We decided and are just beginning to raise wool sheep. Our first lambing season wrapped up with 2 sets of quadruplets, 2 sets of twins and 4 singles! “Let’s get a few sheep.,” she said, ” It will be Fun!” |
| JACOB SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - YARN - BREEDING STOCK | Free Hand Farm | Placerville, CA | Website www.freehandfarm.com Email [email protected] Facebook Free Hand Farm | We raise healthy food because we believe it is a great way to serve each other, build community, heal the land, and build fertile soil. We use livestock guardian dogs to protect our sheep and solar technology to protect our hens so that we can live with and around predators like pumas, coyotes, bobcats, and bears without harming them. We do not use synthetic chemicals or fertilizers on the farm. We practice management that mimics natural patterns to build soil, increase wildlife habitat, and raise healthy, hardy livestock. We use fencing and watering technology developed in New Zealand to decrease our water use and keep our whole farm system portable. We’ve had some awesome mentors and helpers along the way, and we continue to pursue excellence in farming through ongoing study. Stop by the farm sometime and say hi! Photo Credit: Koa Kalish |
| LEATHER - TANNED HIDES - INDIGO - DYE PLANTS | Freestone Ranch | Freestone, CA | Website freestoneranch.com Email [email protected] Facebook Freestone Ranch Instagram @freestoneranch | Freestone Ranch is a set of small steps toward deeper understanding of what builds and holds the soil together. Land stewardship and place context guide us to weave our North Star into land and herd, toward nourishing our community. We eat our ideas, building respect for all of life in each footstep and each choice we make in a day. This means growth and health to us, and this is what we do. We raise leather, indigo, and other natural dye plants. |
| RAMBOUILLET, LINCOLN, SUFFOLK, MERINO SHEEP - YARN - SHEEPSKINS | Full Belly Farm | Guinda, CA | Website http://fullbellyfarm.com/ Facebook Full Belly Farm Instagram @full_belly_farm Email [email protected] Phone 530-796-2214 | Full Belly Farm is a certified organic farm located in the beautiful Capay Valley of northern California. We are committed to fostering sustainability on all levels, from fertility in our soil and care for the environment, to stable employment for our farm workers. We strive to be good stewards of this farm, so that this generation and future generations may continue to be nourished by the healthy and vibrant fiber and food that we produce. We raise Lincoln, Merino, Suffolk, and Rambouillet sheep, and offer yarn, roving, and sheepskins. Photo Credit: Alycia Lang |
| WOOL SPONGES - CLIMATE BENEFICIAL BATTING - SHEEP SPONSORSHIPS | Full Circle Wool | Potter Valley, CA | Website www.fullcirclewool.com Email [email protected] Facebook Full Circle Wool Instagram @stargrazers Hashtag #samthesponge | Sourced from Stemple Creek Ranch and Jensen Ranch, in Tomales, CA. Full Circle Wool is a brand begun to demonstrate the uses of Climate Beneficial wool, and to close the circle of soil-to-soil products. From the ground in Marin, to the grass, to the sheep, to the mills and makers, to the consumer, to the compost and back into the ground. This wool comes from well-tended sheep raised in Northern CA, benefiting the landscape, climate, and local economy. Dedicated to transparency, you can find out more about the ranchers, Loren & Jim, and their animals online and on Instagram: @stemplecreek & @jimjjensen Full Circle Wool is based in Potter Valley, CA. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| WEAVING - KNITTING - SEWN GARMENTS | Gather the Universe | Sebastopol, CA | Email [email protected]) Instagram @gathertheuniverse | Mary O. Diaz weaves, knits, and sews garments for her artisan line, Gather the Universe. Based in Sebastopol, CA. Photo Credit: Koa Kalish except below left Mary Diaz |
| ICELANDIC SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - YARN | GC Icelandics | Palermo, CA | Email [email protected] Facebook GC Icelandic Sheep | Husband and wife Sascha and Katie Grutter, along with their young children, raise a small flock of Icelandic sheep for meat and wool. Icelandic sheep are a newer breed to the United States, imported in the mid 1980’s. They are the sheep of the Vikings. Much of the wool is washed and spun at Yolo Wool Mill, with some set aside for learning to process their own wool, and for felting/crafts. Based in the small, rural town of Palermo, CA, the sheep graze a mixture of pasture and hay. Icelandics are a very tough heritage breed, dual-coated, and with great personality. They need shearing twice a year, in spring and fall, generating a good deal of wool per sheep per year. Their markings and colorings provide an amazing rainbow of color. Currently available are yarn, roving, and raw fleece, most items available by contacting Katie, or at local yarn shops. Photo Credit: GC Icelandics |
| DESIGN - CLOTHING | GDS Cloth Goods | Oakland, CA | Website www.gdsclothgoods.com Email [email protected] Facebook GDS Cloth Goods Instagram @gdsclothgoods | GDS was founded to provide ethical and sustainable alternatives to people who appreciate simple modern design. We believe that knowing the makers of our textile goods is as important as understanding the route of food from farm to table. By making products and facilitating workshops at the intersection of design, sustainability and community, it’s our mission to contribute to the restoration of our environment and a more equitable fashion and textile industry. Inspired by the trendsetting women in her own family and a grandmother who was one of the most sought-after seamstresses in town, Geana Sieburger worked within the textile industry for 7 years before she founded GDS. Growing up in Southern Brazil deeply influenced her work, a place where in the 80’s, bakeries and their bakers could be found every few blocks and skilled seamstresses still sewed a good portion of people’s everyday wardrobes. Communities sustained themselves, and Geana believes there’s a lot to learn from that. These experiences left an impression that would later resurface as objects to better appreciate the everyday work of living. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| KNITWEAR - ACCESSORIES | Gynna Made | Pinole, CA | Pinole, CA | My name is Gynna and I am the maker behind Gynna Made. I create each and every item at Gynna Made using an antique circular sock knitting machine. Each item in the shop is truly handmade. Creating beautiful and functional items has always been my passion. Today, I am pleased to share my passion with you in the form of beautiful, functional, reusable, limited edition, handmade items. Located in beautiful Northern California, I have the pleasure of being just a short ride away from the breathtaking Sierras, the beautiful Pacific Ocean, and all the adventures between! A down-to-earth kinda girl, I am most often found sporting a messy bun and hoodie or t-shirt and sipping coffee. |
| CLOTHING - DESIGN - PATTERN MAKING - LOCAL SEWING | Harvest & Mill | Berkeley, CA | Website www.harvestandmill.com Email [email protected] Facebook Harvest & Mill Instagram @harvestandmill | Founded in 2012, Harvest & Mill is built on the idea that clothing should be both beautiful in its design and its origins. We design + sew all of our items in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our clothing is exclusively made with 100% USA grown organic cotton that is entirely spun, knit and finished in the USA. We are hands-on clothing makers, from the seed to the final stitch. Photos Courtesy of Harvest & Mill |
| ICELANDIC & OUESSANT SHEEP - ANGORA GOATS - LLAMA - ALPACA - YARN - KNITWEAR | Heart Felt Fiber Farm | Santa Rosa, CA | Website www.heartfeltfiberfarm.com Phone 510-329-1431 | Located just south of Santa Rosa, CA, Heart Felt Fiber Farm lovingly raises a mix of Icelandic and Ouessant x Shetland sheep, as well as Angora goats, a guard llama named Johari, and an alpaca named Hobbes. They are tended to by Leslie Adkins, an avid fiber artist who spins, knits, and felts their fiber into hats, scarves, blankets, rugs, and a variety of other goods/apparel. Her wool comes from animals whose wellbeing is given top priority, who live out their natural lives, and who are tended by humans who regard them as beings of inherent worth beyond what they produce. See more about Leslie’s work on the Fibershed blog and on her website. Photo Credit: Alycia Lang |
| SPINNER - TEXTILE ARTIST - WEAVER | Henderson Studios | Point Arena, CA | Website www.hendersonstudiospointarena.com | In its quiet 10-acre forest and meadow setting, our house and the three art studios within are the perfect workplaces for our artistic pursuits. I like the organic quality of weaving. Spinning my yarn from the wool of local sheep, I can choose a range of natural colors that are a perfect match for my designs of hills and valleys, reflections in a stream, and the geometry of nature that surrounds me. I weave handspun tapestry rugs and throws in natural colored wool. |
| CASHMERE - WOOL - HERITAGE BREEDS - RAW FLEECE | HexenWald Ranch | Aptos, CA | Website hexenwaldranch.com Email [email protected] Facebook HexenWald Ranch Instagram @hexenwaldranch | HexenWald Ranch is dedicated to the preservation of the rare breed KARAKUL sheep. These are a fat-tailed sheep prized for centuries for the unique softness and beauty of the lamb’s fur as well as the toughness and strength of the adult fleece. Karakul fleece is used in rug hooking, weaving, felting as well as knitting outerwear. |
| HIDE TANNER - NATURAL DYER - FELTER - DESIGNER - NATURALLY TANNED HIDES | Hollow Bone | Templeton, CA | Website www.hollowboneonline.com Instagram @_hollowbone_ | Hollow Bone is a one woman show, I am a hide tanner, horse girl, and devoted to the practice of ancestral skills and making craft the slow way. Everything you see here is made by me (unless otherwise stated). I have been tanning hides for going on 7-8 years now. I am passionate about it. I work myself to the bone and give myself crazy deadlines. I do not hunt or kill any of the animals hides I work. Mostly the hides I offer are: road kill, or going to the dump and considered a bi-product and in general not worth it. I use a traditional way of tanning called brain tanning. My goal, intention and mission is to bring ancestral skills and craft to the “mainstream” . I am devoted to clean made leather. I am available for questions, workshops, custom ranch work and in general am one of the most honest transparent people you will meet. Besides all of that I make herbal products, felted wool garments, lead horse trips in Argentina, and whatever other wild adventure I can come up with. Please note everything I make is organic and natural. |
| RABBITS - FELTER - KNITTER - DOLLS | Home Spun Waldorf Dolls | Sebastopol, CA | Sebastopol, CA | I am a local mother of two small children, and I can’t stop imagining and creating these dolls. Children reflect what they see, and I want them to see beauty all around them. I make these dolls to help myself navigate this wild world and to provide an anchor for the children that take them home. I hope that they can see a little of themselves in these dolls as they practice dancing and playing and protesting and engaging in the world through imaginative play. ANGORA RABBITS Pedigreed German Angora and French Angora Rabbits. Some hybrids. Raw fiber is also available by the ounce in various natural colors. DOLLS These are carefully crafted durable dolls. We want children to play with these dolls. I am a Fibershed producer, committed to sourcing materials locally whenever possible. The doll bodies are filled with organic millet or flax and local organic lavender. They are perfectly weighted and very huggable. The limbs and head are stuffed with fluffy wool from Sebastopol farms. The skin fabric is cotton jersey, Oeko Tex certified. The faces are sculpted with high-quality organic wool. The doll wigs are crocheted with high-quality wild, brushable mohair yarns and locks from local sheep. The crocheted garments feature hand spun yarns from local artisans, including yarns spun from wool from my own backyard Angora Rabbits. I hope that you can take one home and enjoy it. DOLLMAKING KITS I offer dollmaking kits for those of you that endeavor to make your own special doll. You can choose a pre-made kit, available at Art and Soul in Sebastopol or request a custom hair color (and style), eye color and skin tone. These kits come in four sizes, 6” (tiny pocket doll), 8” (perfect for the doll that goes everywhere), 12” (my favorite size) and 14” upon request. Clothing is sold separately. Contact me to order a kit. WORKSHOPS I offer 3 hour workshops at Art and Soul in Sebastopol, for those of you that purchase a pre-made kit or request a custom kit. This allows you to make the dolls in a social environment, which is much more fun. It also gives me an opportunity to help you if you get stuck. If time permits, I can teach some specialty techniques such as needle felting the faces. If you are interested in a workshop, check the schedule and sign up at Art and Soul, or email me. |
| TARGHEE SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - SHEEP SHEARING SCHOOL - RESEARCH - EDUCATION | Hopland Research & Extension Center | Hopland, CA | Website http://hrec.ucanr.edu/ Facebook The Hopland Research and Extension Center | The UC Hopland Research & Extension Center is a multi-disciplinary research and education facility in California’s north coast region. Celebrating our 60th anniversary during 2011, we are stewards of more than 5,300 acres of oak woodland, grassland, chaparral, and riparian environments. Our mission is through science to find better ways to manage our natural resources and conduct sustainable agricultural practices, for the benefit of California’s citizens. Field experiments and demonstrations conducted here since 1951 have led to more than 1,400 publications in animal science, entomology, plant ecology, public health, watershed management, and wildlife biology. HREC raises Targhee and Targhee cross sheep, and sells raw wool by the bale. We also host a yearly Sheep Shearing School, in May. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| RETAIL | Housework | Petaluma, CA | Petaluma, CA | Housework is a retail project founded on the idea of a holistic household – a living space in which all aspects of all objects are given careful consideration. Consideration as to how they were made, by whom, with what materials, from where, with what physical impact on the maker, the user, the earth, with what emotional impact on those same beings, and then ultimately their functionality, durability, and end of life. We focus on sourcing products that are entirely plastic-free, petroleum-free, and made from natural, non-toxic materials down to the finer details such as dyes and stitching for clothing, the finishes of wood products, and the glazes and clays of ceramics and stoneware. We prioritize locally made products and reach farther abroad when necessary. Our collections are designed to encourage engagement with your home, its upkeep, and the world beyond it by stocking intentional goods of impeccable craftsmanship made from truly natural materials that reward use and age well alongside you. Link to Fibershed online collection here. |
| CHEVIOT X SUFFOLK WOOL | Hulsman Ranch | Susanville, CA | Email [email protected] | 4th generation family farmers since 1862. Owned and run by women since 1914. We are hands-on in every aspect of our farm. We live our products. |
| WEAVER - LOCAL FABRIC | Huston Textile Company | Rancho Cordova, CA | Website http://www.hustontextile.com/ Email [email protected] Facebook Huston Textile Company Instagram @hustontextilecompany | From Owner/Operator Ryan Huston: “After serving in Iraq with the United States Army, I decided to build a business that truly reflects what the American Dream means to me. In 2012, my wonderful wife Kat and I started our family and began Huston Textile Company. We are a small family-owned business located in Rancho Cordova, California. We have done a great deal of Research and Development to achieve our vision to make high quality, small-batch cloth, using vintage American-made machines. The journey has been a true labor of love, from locating the machinery, to restoring it to its original working state; while sourcing natural fibers from the US to make a truly, high quality American-made product reminiscent of the golden age of textiles. We are now proud to offer you textiles woven on these amazing machines, using raw materials sourced from the United States.” Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| YARN SHOP - KNITTING CLASSES - FIBER ARTS | ImagiKnit | San Francisco | Website: http://imagiknit.com/ Email: [email protected] Article on the blog: ImagiKnit: Haven in the Heart of San Francisco | A yarn shop tucked into the Castro District in San Francisco, ImagiKnit is a haven for fiber lovers and the knitting community. “We have something for everyone here,” says owner Allison Isaacs. “Our customers are ages four to ninety nine. They’re all genders and nationalities. Some are beginners and others are experienced knitters. We welcome everyone.” It’s no surprise, then, that ImagiKnit has become a destination stop for locals and visitors alike. From purling a simple scarf to making a tent for two, imagine it and you can knit it. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| ALPACAS - FELTER - WEAVER | Integrity Alpacas & Fiber | Vacaville, CA | Vacaville, CA | Integrity Alpacas & Fiber, established in 2013, has grown from the original 4 alpacas to just over 40 in the herd today. Our herd composition supports a focus on producing fine white fibers for use in both the commercial textile industry and flexibility for local artisans use. Integrity Alpacas & Fiber processes some fiber into yarn. Options include yarns of natural color, 100% alpaca, and some blends with complementing natural fibers from Fibershed members. Available products created from the herd include alpaca felted soap, dryer balls, hand-crocheted and woven scarves. The goods produced by our herd continues to expand. The herd also produces ample “golden beans” for use in your garden/farm to support soil health. Charlene Schmid, the founder of Integrity Alpacas & Fiber, is a SUNY, Cobblestone certified Sorter, Grader, Classer and fiber consultant. Photo Credit: Charlene Schmid |
| DORSET X SUFFOLK SHEEP - SUPPLIER TO COYUCHI | Jensen Ranch & Tomales Sheep Company | Tomales, CA | Email [email protected] Instagram @jimjjensen | Since 1856, the Jensen family has run sheep in coastal, beautiful Tomales, CA. Begun by Joseph Irvin, the ranch tradition of sheep is continued with Bill and Jim Jensen, 5th and 6th generation ranchers. Jim Jensen also works for Marin Agricultural Land Trust, and has begun implementing carbon farming plans on the land. Their Dorset wool, crossed with Suffolk and Columbia, is part of the Climate Beneficial Wool Pipeline, and is used by Coyuchi and Full Circle Wool. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| ANGORA - WOOL - FELTING SERVICES - DESIGNER - MERCANTILE - FELTED GOODS | JG Switzer | Sebastopol, CA | Website jgswitzer.com Email [email protected] | We are entirely devoted to the advancement of wool. We believe wool is one of the very finest fibers in the world for many reasons, and we understand that we need to give people gorgeous and delightful wool and other natural fiber products in order to further the cultivation of sheep, particularly heritage breeds. |
| Kámen Road | Oakland, CA | Oakland, CA | Kámen Road designs bags and accessories in all-natural materials for the specific purpose of one-bag travel. Our goal is to source 75% of our full-grain leather and natural fabrics from regional Fibersheds in the United States by 2021. Six core designs make up our collection. Carry What You Love is our motto. | |
| CORRIEDALE & RAMBOUILLET SHEEP - TARGETED GRAZING SERVICES | Kaos Sheep Outfit | Lake County, CA | Facebook Kaos Sheep Outfit Instagram @jaimegreywin Vimeo The Kaos Sheep Outfit YouTube Kaos Sheep | Run by the dynamic family team of Robert, Jaime, Claire, and Augustus Irwin, Kaos Sheep Outfit is a target grazing company serving Mendocino, Lake, and Colusa Counties in Northern California. By using Australian Corriedale sheep in such surprising places as vineyards, pear and nut orchards, and even on golf courses and for homeowners’ associations, the Irwins are able to run a sustainable business that focuses on the mutually beneficial relationship between plants and animals. They replace fossil-fuel driven mowers with the digestive tract of a sheep, thereby reducing pollution while at the same time fertilizing the land, increasing carbon sequestration, and producing meat and wool for the benefit and betterment of our lives. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| NATURAL DYE - PLANT STARTS - DRIED PLANT MATERIAL - BOOK - NATURALLY DYED YARNS | Kassenhoff Growers | Oakland, CA | NURSERY | Kassenhoff Growers, founded in 1994 by partners Peggy Kass and Helen Krayenhoff, is an organic nursery producing plant starts for home gardeners and landscapers. We sell most of our plants directly to our customers at Oakland’s Temescal farmers’ market on Sundays in the spring and fall seasons. Our primary mission is to maintain a functional, healthy, local business that engages with and contributes to the diverse communities in Oakland. Helen, who illustrates as a second job, revived her fibre art practice in the past few years. Over 30 years ago she was an avid natural dyer. Now she enjoys growing the plants that she uses for her natural dyeing projects. It made sense to expand the nursery to include dye plants so we have enough to share with the Bay Area’s natural dye gardeners. Growing plants is such a miraculous process, and we are committed to making this experience available to the local public. The creation of community around organically growing food, dye plants, and ornamentals is the most satisfying part of the process for us. Our customers come to the markets every week to buy, to give a progress report on their gardens, to get advice, to say hi, and to get a hug. This heartfelt sharing with so many different kinds of people is why we want to continue to grow both the plants and the relationships. Recently, Helen and Deepa Natarajan co-authored 10 Plants for Color — A Simple Guide to Growing and Using Natural Dye Plants that Helen also illustrated. It is available on her website PlantsColorPlace.com and at the farmers’ market. Photo Credit (top): Andrew Ellis |
| FIBER ARTIST & DESIGNER - HOME DECOR | Keyaiira | leather + fiber | Santa Rosa, CA | Website www.keyaiira.com | Keyaira Terry is an artist with a bold spirit and an old soul. Born and raised in Ukiah, a small farm town in Northern California, Keyaira had a childhood that was deeply connected to the soil and earth, learning to use everything around her as a tool or resource. Keyaira spent her formative years with her grandmother sewing, tending to the land they lived on, and caring for an array of farm animals. Trading goods and commodities among their close-knit farm community was commonplace and shaped Keyaira’s perspective on sustainability and the true meaning of “locally sourced”. Keyaira recalls utilizing all the resources available to her and minimizing waste as being a paramount part of her existence, “if we didn’t have it we made it, if something broke we fixed it”. These collective experiences helped cultivate Keyaira as an artist and inspire her present-day work and ethos — A homespun nostalgia with a modern sensibility, rooted by a love for natural, sustainable and ethically sourced materials. In 2012, Keyaira opened an Etsy shop, selling unique handbags with leather accents. Naturally evolving and self-taught, she transitioned into custom leather work and tapestry weaving. Keyaira completed her first fiber installation piece in 2016 for the office of Michael Cantwell, MD. In 2018 she started teaching her unique style of weaving at several venues across the bay area. 2019 brought a new opportunity for Keyaira; she combined her love of leather and fiber in her first solo exhibition at Gallery 212 in Sonoma, California. Keyaira currently resides in Santa Rosa, California with her husband, Weston, and their two English bulldogs, Lola and Olive. She splits her time between running her own business as a designer and maker, weaving instructor, and creating commissioned pieces. She has collaborated with companies such as Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, Studio 11 Designs, Bustle Events and has been featured by Sonoma Magazine, Apartment Therapy and Etsy. Article on the blog: All of Her Own Making: Designer and Fiber Artist Keyaira Terry Photo credit top & directory page: Paige Green; Photo credit below: Crystal Dawn |
| MERINO SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - ROVING | Kirabo Pastures | Witter Springs, CA | Website http://www.kirabopastures.com/ Facebook Kirabo Pastures | John and Carrie Ham have a small ranch in Lake County, California. They raise Merino sheep for wool and meat, Angus cattle for meat and income, chickens for fun and eggs, and certified organic walnuts for profit. Our animals range on 250 acres during the day and the sheep are kept in the barn at night, to protect them from predators. Our sheep are blanketed to keep the wool clean and protected from sun and rain to produce the highest-possible quality wool. Our adult ewes were born and raised on Utopia Ranch in Mendocino County by Jean Gowan Near, John’s mother. Jean has been raising Merino sheep, for wool, since she was in her early 60’s and Carrie has decided she likes this health insurance policy, adopting it as her own. Jean is now in her 102nd year and last year asked John and Carrie if they would continue the tradition of breeding her Merino sheep for their wool so as not to lose the prize winning blood lines she has developed over nearly 40 years. Jean gifted John and Carrie the 11 ewes in her flock which could still be bred and they were on their way! |
| APPAREL | Kosa (arts) | Oakland, CA | Oakland, CA | Kosa Brand is a sustainable and minimal aesthetic clothing line made in small batches in Oakland, CA. Following an education in fine arts at CCA(C), with an emphasis in Textiles, Elaine followed a passion for art-to-wear, costuming for local dance companies, working as a design assistant for multiple bay area designers and developing a line of hand-painted fabric and apparel. This lead to an extensive career in the apparel industry-leading technical design teams in SF and NY including the Sustainability & Innovation team at Levis. Longing to get back to hands-on and creative pursuits, Elaine opened Kosa Arts in Oakland, showcasing Kosa brand apparel along with artisan works in apparel, ceramics, jewelry, and home goods, with the intent of supporting & inspiring high-level craftsmanship, the creative process, sustainable materials, and meaningful livelihoods. We embrace many levels of sustainability, including using deadstock fabrics, and more intentful natural fiber selections. A few years ago, however, when we had the opportunity to work with Sally Fox’s woven fabrics, inspiring the search for more intentful fiber producers. Currently, Kosa apparel includes a collection made from Vreseis cotton grown and knit in the US in line with our Minimal + Exaggerated styling. We believe that it is possible for each step along the process to be done with integrity in spirit and care for the planet and community. |
| RAMBOUILLET SHEEP - YARN - ROVING - FABRIC - NATURALLY DYED | Lani’s Lana | Modoc County, CA | Website: https://www.lanislana.com/ Facebook: Lani’s Lana – Fine Rambouillet Wool Instagram: @lanislanawool | As one of the Fibershed’s first members to implement carbon farming techniques into their ranching practices, Lani Estill’s Rambouillet wool is some of the first Climate Beneficial wool grown in California. Working with rotational grazing, compost applications, creek restorations, and other land management strategies such as no-till farming, Lani’s Lana represents a product that enhances the healthy function and harmony of our natural world. From Lani Estill, Owner/Operator “The Estill Family has been ranching in California for generations. The Bare Ranch in Surprise Valley, California is the headquarters for the Rambouillet sheep operation in the High Desert area of Great Basin in Northwest Nevada and Northeast California. The sheep range runs from Sulfur Mines, NV to the Warner Mountains, CA. The sheep graze on Forest Service and BLM public land grazing permits for much of the year. They lamb outside under the watchful eye of the sheepherders and their dogs. It is a lifestyle rooted in tradition and grandeur. Close to the earth, close to nature and ever so open and exposed to elements beyond control of man. The Rambouillet breed of sheep is closely related to the well known Merino breed. The Rambouillet wool is the same soft fiber as the Merino, but the breed has been adapted to fit the American open range model of raising sheep. They are perfectly suited to large, wide open outside country and their gregarious, herding instinct has made them the perfect breed for our area.” Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| ICELANDIC SHEEP - RAW FLEECE | Liberty Meadow | Santa Rosa, CA | Email [email protected] & [email protected] | Raising multiple colors of heritage breed Icelandic sheep on a small farm in Santa Rosa, CA. Enthusiastic about carbon farming and soil health, we are establishing hedgerows, boundary plantings, and use compost, rotational planned grazing, and windrows to support soil health on the property. Photo Credit: Liberty Meadow |
| WOOL - YARN - FARM | Lissy’s Zoo | Sutter Creek, CA | Sutter Creek, CA | Lissy’s zoo started raising fine merino’s in 2015. Her original flock came from the Mendenhall Ranch who raises Nation Wide Champion Merinos. We currently have a beautiful 3 white (Eunice, Myrtle, and Ivory). At the Zoo, we raise Chickens, Ducks, and Chewy the horse takes care of them all. Our wool from our fleeces is sent out to the mills to be spun up into gorgeous yarns and blankets. Yarn is then dyed with natural items around the ranch and surrounding landscape to include marigolds, acorns, onion skins, tomato leaves…The list of colored yarn is posted as they are dyed on our Facebook page when ready for our customers. The wool blankets are made from the seconds of our fine wool and wool from our surrounding local sheep ranches whose graded wool is not usable for close to the skin yarn. The fleece is sent to the McAushlands Woollen Mill in Prince Edward Island(Home of Anne of Green Gables) and made into a Pendleton style blankets. You can find our products locally at the Made in Amador or at yarn shops such as Mendocino Yarn Shop and the Yarn Shop Santa Cruz. During the summer our yarn and blanket products can be found at the Sutter Creek Farmers Market that includes Breakfast Burritos from our farm fresh eggs and vegetables and Mini fresh fruit of the season Pies. Contact us if you are interested in serving our pies for your event. They are served year-round. Our Zoo is located in the Sierra Foothills in Sutter Creek, CA. We’d love to have you visit and learn about the farm. |
| PRIMITIVE SHETLAND SHEEP - RAW FLEECE | Littorai Wines | Sebastopol, CA | Website http://www.littorai.com/ Email [email protected] Facebook Littorai Wines Instagram @littoraiwine | A biodynamic, small-scale family vineyard in the Sebastopol hills, Littorai raises primitive Shetland sheep in addition to Dexter cattle, chickens, ducks, lavendar, honey, compost, and of course … wine! The property is modeled on Rudolf Steiner’s vision of an integrated farm. The goal is to produce as many of the farm and vineyard needs on site as possible in a manner harmonious with, and respectful of, the surrounding environment and wildlife. Eight acres of the property are woods and streams, never to be developed. Fourteen acres are open pasture dedicated to providing a home for the sheep & cows, as well as hay, which form the basis of our compost. One quarter of these pasturelands are re-sown with legumes, grains and grasses every year. Only natural teas and compost are applied to maintain their vigor. We are re-establishing native evergreen oak grasslands on three additional acres, removing invasive species on two more and restoring Redwood forests to the stream banks. In April of 2015, Littorai received the prestigious Environmental Stewardship Award by United States Congressman Jared Huffman. Photo Credit: Littorai Wines |
| NATURAL DYE - PHOTOGRAPHY OF NATURAL DYE PROCESS | Local Dialect | Petaluma, CA | Website https://localdialect.net/ Email karen(at)localdialect(dot)net Facebook Local Dialect Instagram @localdialect | When she was 9-years-old, fiber artist Karen Hess learned how to spin wool in rural Marin County. The experience anticipated both her career as a fine art photographer and designer of naturally dyed clothing and yarn, and her affinity for the surrounding ecology. The natural dyes that provide the palette for her yarn subscriptions, clothing and fine art photos are made by Hess herself from locally-grown plants and responsibly-foraged mushrooms. A former journalist, Hess photographs the wool and alpaca yarn sourced within 50 miles of her home in Petaluma, California, as they are imbued – literally – with local color. “In the past, textiles referenced our places of origin. Localized regions around the world had particular colors or textile patterns based on their local plants, fibers and traditions,” says Hess. “Fashion functioned as a sense of place. In some ways, ‘wear’ and ‘where’ meant the same thing in botany’s local dialect. Photo Credit: Karen Hess |
| SUFFOLK SHEEP - INTEGRATED FARMSCAPE | Lorran Bronnar | Aromas, CA | Facebook Lorran Ogden Bronnar | Based in Monterey County, Lorran Bronnar raises Suffolk sheep in an integrated farmscape that includes chickens, vegetables, and oak forest. |
| ALPACA - YARN - FIBER ARTS CLASSES | Macedo’s Mini Acre | Turlock, CA | Website www.macedosminiacres.com Email [email protected] Facebook Macedo’s Mini Acre Etsy Macedo’s Mini Acre | We researched bloodlines, visited ranches and attended seminars before purchasing our first alpacas. We have been continually selecting for conformation, fiber quality and colorful fleeces. Maureen’s degree in genetics from UC Davis plus Larry’s degree in accounting from Chico State give a unique dimension to our ranch. We also have experience in animal nutrition from years of working for a major research facility. Our farm store is simple, but has hand spun yarn, mini mill yarn and products made from alpaca fiber. Both families have been in the Turlock area for several generations. |
| BABYDOLL SOUTHDOWN SHEEP - RAW FLEECE | Madrone Coast Farm | Sheep Ranch, CA | Facebook Madrone Coast Farm Instagram @madronecoastfarm Pinterest Madrone Coast Farm | We believe in the conservation and promotion of endangered livestock breeds. Our conservation efforts include the preservation of the Oberhasli dairy goats, Large Black Hogs, Welsh Harlequin Ducks, and Olde English Babydoll sheep. Many traditional livestock breeds have lost popularity and are threatened with extinction. These traditional breeds are an essential part of the American agricultural inheritance. Not only do they evoke our past, they are also an important resource for our future. We breed for correct confirmation, mothering ability, ease of lambing, and good temperaments, with a primary focus on maintaining the Mock Registry breed standards in order to preserve the bloodline integrity and the continued existence of this ancient breed. Secondarily, we breed for disease and worm resistance, although Babydoll Southdowns are known for being overall disease resistant, we feel that maintaining a strong disease and worm resistance flock is one of the main tools to ensuring longevity of our bloodlines. Photo Credit: Koa Kalish |
| SEWING CLASSES - GARMENT CONSTRUCTION | Marin Sewing Lab | Novato, CA | Website http://marinsewinglab.com/ Email [email protected] Phone 415 506 4044 Instagram @marinsewinglab | Pia Andersson has a bachelor’s degree in Textile Arts and Textile Engineering from Sweden and has taught textile techniques (with a focus on machine and hand sewing) to children and adults here in Marin and in Sweden. She has also worked for many years in commercial textile product development. She has a passion for bringing out people’s creativity and crafting artful communities. |
| LOCAL & NATURALLY TANNED HIDES | Marin Sun Farms | Northern CA | Website www.marinsunfarms.com Facebook Marin Sun Farms Instagram @marinsunfarms | Based in Northern California, Marin Sun Farms are committed to creating a more sustainable food system by empowering farmers, conserving our landscapes, and restoring the vitality of the foodshed and its inhabitants. In addition to offering local abattoir services and direct distribution, Marin Sun Farms also offers locally and naturally tanned hides. |
| FIBER ARTIST - EDUCATOR - HANDSPINNING - KNITTING - WEAVING - DESIGN | Marlie de Swart | Bolinas, CA | Website borageyarns.com & blackmountainartisans.com Email [email protected] | Marlie de Swart of Bo-Rage Yarns & Designs is an artist trained in Holland, Paris and Los Angeles, who specializes in hand spun yarns and hand made garments. Most often the garments and the yarns are made from local wool, alpaca, mohair or Angora rabbit fur, sourced within 50 miles of her home and studio in Bolinas, California. Marlie believes that combining excellent design with locally sourced materials provide a strong alternative to imports. Marlie also owns and manages a brick and mortar store, Black Mountain Artisans in Point Reyes Station, just north of San Francisco. For 25 years it has been run as a cooperative for local fiber artists who represent the best in their technique, be it spinning, knitting, felting or any other art form where fiber is used. Black Mountain Artisans promotes local fiber artists and shepherds, and thus helps the local economy. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| WEAVER - FIBER ARTIST | Meghan Shimek | Oakland, CA | Website www.meghanshimek.com Email [email protected] Facebook Meghan Shimek Instagram @meghanshimek | Based in Oakland, California, fiber artist Meghan Shimek creates large scale woven wall hangings and sculptures. Her engaging work is ethereal, whimsical and delicate, but rooted in the warm, earthy materials she uses. Exploring organic movement, Shimek’s weaving style allows the fibers to fall into an indeterminate pattern that reveals the beauty and vulnerability of her materials. Shimek was raised in Michigan and studied history and nutrition before discovering her true passion in weaving. Since dedicating herself fully to fiber work, she has studied tapestry and Navajo weaving, rigid heddle and floor loom weaving. Shimek developed her own signature weaving style over several years as she explored how art can be used to express grief and heal after personal loss. Today, Shimek exhibits her work, creates commissions, and teaches weaving workshops across the world. |
| ALPACAS - RAW FIBER - YARN - ROVING | Menagerie Hill Ranch | Vacaville, CA | Website www.menageriehillranch.com Email [email protected] Phone 707.290.7915 Facebook Menagerie Hill Ranch | After many years with a large variety of species, our kids are just about grown and we’ve been able to reduce our menagerie. Over the years, we’ve found the camelids (alpacas & llamas) to be the easiest on the land and least expensive to raise and care for. And we so love their easygoing nature and fiber! So, we’ve focused on breeding alpacas in a range of gorgeous colors for sale as breed stock and for fiber. Our products include raw alpaca fiber, roving, yarn and other alpaca fiber products in their natural colors — no dyes are used. We also sell farm fresh eggs, fruits and vegetables in season. Most recently, we have purchased a loom and are beginning to weave scarves and other products. Services available include: agisting/boarding, breeding, ranch consulting, ranch tours, start-up training and more. Check out our website for more information. Shoppers and visitors are always welcome. Just phone or e-mail for an appointment. Or stop by during our open farm days celebrating National Alpaca Farm Days. We are located in the English Hills area north of Vacaville, CA. Just minutes from the freeway, directions are provided on our website. -Deb Galway & Kirk Howard Photo Credit: Alycia Lang |
| MILLING - ROVING - WEAVING | Mendocino Wool & Fiber Inc | Ukiah, CA | Website www.mendowool.com Facebook Mendocino Wool and Fiber Instagram @mendowool | We are a family-owned fiber processing mill based in Ukiah, CA. We custom process locally sourced animal fiber for producers and farmers and supply locally sourced fiber products to artisans. Our mission is to grow the domestically sourced fiber economy while supporting everyone along that supply chain with quality products that are good for the environment: the farmers, the producers, the artisans and the consumer. We also have a loom in the mill that is available for contract weaving projects. Spinning services will be available soon. In addition to fiber processing, classes and workshops are available on many fiber related subjects. Photos by Paige Green |
| OUESSANT, SHETLAND, ICELANDIC SHEEP | Meridian Farm | Petaluma, CA | Email [email protected] | Amy Skezas practices permaculture on 9 acres in Sonoma County with her husband Peter, a small flock of miniature sheep (Ouessant/Shetland/Icelandic blends), Nigerian Dwarf goats, chickens, bees, native plants, fruit and nut trees, a perennial vegetable garden, and Great Pyr livestock guardian dogs. Amy received a 2017 Healthy Soils Initiatives grant to install woody cover and apply compost 2018-2020 on one acre in rotational grazing paddocks. |
| JACOB SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - YARN - ROVING - SHAWLS - BLANKETS - SCARVES - FIBER ARTS CLASSES - FARM CLUB | Meridian Jacobs | Vacaville, CA | Website http://www.meridianjacobs.com/ Robin’s Blog https://meridianjacobs.wordpress.com Email [email protected] Facebook Meridian Jacobs Instagram @meridian_jacobs | Robin Lynde, of Meridian Jacobs in Vacaville, California, weaves a variety of unique pieces from the wool her sheep grow. Robin selects her sheep for top quality, soft fiber and uses only the best for producing her yarns. She carefully selects and sorts the wool to be sent to the mill for spinning, creating unique yarns from each year’s wool crop. Robin weaves blankets on a 60” wide, 16-shaft AVL dobby loom. Meridian Jacobs is home to a breeding flock of about 65 Jacob sheep, but it is also a full-service fiber business, stocking spinning and weaving equipment, farm-produced and commercial yarns, Robin’s handwoven pieces, and gift items. Robin teaches classes in weaving, spinning, and dyeing and hosts Open House events three times per year. She created the popular Farm Club for people who want to know more about what it takes to raise sheep and produce fiber. In addition to the Fibershed Marketplace, Robin’s pieces are for sale at The Artery in Davis, California and on her website. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| HERITAGE BREEDS - YARN - ROVING - SOAP | Milk & Honey 1860 | Butte Valley, CA | Website www.milkhoney1860.com Email [email protected] Facebook Milk & Honey 1860 Instagram @milkhoney1860 | Rare & Heritage English Longwool Sheep are some of our beloved creatures here on the farm. After dreaming of sheep…forever…we began the journey to acquire, learn about & love these beautiful animals in hopes to not only enjoy them for ourselves, but to help preserve these breeds for future generations as well. Not only are these lovely animals worth saving, but they have the most uniquely lustrous & highly desirable fleeces that are most likely, quite unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. We hope you enjoy learning about these special breeds & want you to know that every skein you choose is helping to conserve and steward them. |
| WOOL - ROVING - BULK FIBER | Millertown Sheep Farm | Auburn, CA | Auburn, CA | Millertown Sheep Farm is primarily owned and managed by Elisa Noble. The farm includes 15-20 ewes and 5 mini donkeys as guard animals. We direct market grass-fed lamb as wholes and halves, as well as our Merino-crossed wool to hand-spinners. Our sheep graze multiple properties to reduce vegetation and fire risk. The farm provides animals and volunteers for multiple agriculture education and community events. |
| KNITWEAR - DESIGN - LOCAL MANUFACTURING | Myrrhia Fine Knitwear | Oakland, CA | Website myrrhia.com Email [email protected] Instagram @myrrhia | We are compelled to produce and consume. We are entranced by beauty, ritual, and story. We must express who we are and what we value. From fiber to yarn to fabric, innovation is ongoing, as we leverage traditional techniques and new technologies to enrich our culture visually and functionally. I have been delighted to work with farmers and ranchers who breed cotton, sheep, and alpacas to produce the most unique, soft, and beautiful fibers available. |
| BASKETS | Nasimiyu Designs | San Rafael, CA | San Rafael, CA | Nasimiyu was born into weaving at the young age of 7 years old. Weaving, Beading, and Pottery was the only part of my womanhood growing up in Bungoma, a village in the western part of Kenya. Enjoy traditional tribal Bantu baskets of color texture design, functional in all seasons. Sturdy and practical, the basket can be used as you desire both indoors and outside. The baskets are handwoven from straw and reed which grow in the wild and goes through six stages before the basket is born. The straw/reed is first plucked, then dried, split, twisted, and dyed using natural dyes, and finally woven. This process takes 6-10 hours depending on design, pattern, and shape. Nasimiyu was born to a Ugandan mother and raised in the Bungoma district of Kenya. Growing up in a family of 40 children gave her a deep commitment to the tribes and peoples not just of Kenya but of Africa as a whole. She learned to weave baskets as a child and has adapted her knowledge to the grasses and natural materials of Northern California. In 2003 Nasimiyu founded Born to Aid, a 501 (c). (3) non-profit foundation which has been granted NGO registration from the government of Kenya. The goal of Born to Aid is to help the disadvantaged children in Bungoma, Tuti Village. A portion of the sales from Nasimiyu Designs are donated to Born to Aid. Photos by Paige Green |
| SHEEP - FLAX - NATURAL DYE PLANTS | New Agrarian Collective | Willits, CA | Facebook New Agrarian Collective Instagram @newagrarian | We produce vegetables, pastured meats, eggs, wool, grains and bread, cut flowers, orchard fruits, and value added products at Ridgewood Ranch, in Willits, CA. |
| FLEECE - DYE PLANTS - DYE MATERIAL - GARDEN | No Man’s Farm | Freestone, CA | Website nomansfarm.com Email [email protected] Instagram @nomansfarm | The farm, the farmer No Man’s Farm is a one-acre parcel located at Freestone Ranch in Freestone, Sonoma County, California. After completing a degree in Poetry from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2012, farmer-owner Lora Kinkade felt compelled to pursue a profession grounded in the real—removed (largely) from the digital and one that necessitates the contextualization of land and community. Spurred by the momentum of the organics and re-skilling movements of her generation, Lora began her farming career. Now, having managed several Sonoma County farms including Bob Cannard’s Greenstring Farm in Petaluma and New Family Farm in Sebastopol, Lora has started a one-acre market garden specializing in mixed vegetables, culinary herbs, and dye plants at Freestone Ranch with the knowledge gleaned from these various & diverse farming operations. |
| NATURAL DYE PLANT STARTS - NURSERY - CLASSES - FIBER & DYE PLANTS | Occidental Arts & Ecology Center | Occidental, CA | Website oaec.org Email [email protected] Facebook Occidental Arts & Ecology Center Instagram Occidental Arts & Ecology Center | Our nursery is a completely California Certified Organic Nursery which specializes in the preservation of highly diverse useful or culturally important plants, focusing on perennial food crops, culinary and medicinal herbs, drought tolerant Mediterranean plants and California natives, habitat and pollinator plants, and dye and fiber plants. We also specialize in Salvias and select rare heirloom annual vegetables, flowers and herbs. All plants are started from seeds, many collected from plants on site, or propagated vegetatively from plants in our gardens and Nursery. |
| FELT HATS - WORKSHOPS | OhmGnomes | Willits, CA | Website http://www.OhmGnomes.com Email [email protected] Facebook OhmGnomes Instagram @ohmgnomes | The Gnomes and I host and teach workshops on needlefelt art and introductions into plant dyes and medicines. Photo Credit: Ohm Gnomes |
| SHEEP - BULK FIBER - GRAZING SERVICES | Olivet Ranch | Santa Rosa, CA | Santa Rosa, CA | Olivet Ranch began with my grandfather’s small suffolk flock in the 1980s while I was in 4-H. It has evolved into an experimental sheep ranch to balance maximizing farm efficiency with restoring ecological and fiber diversity while I was studying biology. Our mission is to implement environmental solutions that maintain the resiliency and efficiency of our working landscapes. Today we install watershed-friendly drainage systems and adapt simple shepherding techniques to design grazing systems around Santa Rosa. Our flock is a unique mix of color, breeds, and personalities. Olivet Wool is the product of slowly selecting genetic variations with excellent quality texture, color, and crimp. We offer: – Fleeces ranging from white, silver, tan, brown, and black. – Wool throws are rugged, cozy, gorgeous, natural pelts. – Locks are washed very fine curls and dreads for numerous craft projects and creations. |
| SHEARING - LAMB - RAW FLEECE - YARN - SHEEPSKINS | Outlaw Valley Ranch | Templeton, CA | Templeton, CA | We are Alex and Kelsey Karol of Templeton, California in the oak grasslands of Northern San Luis Obispo County. We raise 100% grass-fed, heritage Navajo-churro lamb using regenerative grazing practices to improve our rangeland and produce nutrient-dense meat, quality wool, and sheepskins for our community. |
| RAW DELAINE-MERINO FLEECE | Owl Oak Acres | Red Bluff, CA | Red Bluff, CA | Owl Oak Acres was established in 2015 when our family decided we needed to leave the suburbs behind. Having been raised on a family farm, growing and raising our food and fiber (helping to process raw fleeces for hand-spinning), the desire to return to my roots was strong. Returning home to Red Bluff, we secured the location for the ranch (which was a booming hog farm in the ’70s). We started down the road to building a viable operation, focusing on ethically raised Delaine Merino and Dorper sheep and chickens. We offer raw Merino fleece for sale, breeding stock in both Merino and Dorper sheep, and butcher lambs for purchase, priced per pound on the hoof. |
| KNITTING CLASSES & RETREATS | Pacific Knitting Retreats | Fairfax, CA | Website www.pacificknittingretreats.com Email [email protected] Instagram @pacificknittingretreats | Pacific Knitting Retreats is the brainchild of Gayle Ravenscroft, a Northern California knitter, who works and instructs at her LYS, Atelier Marin and by appointment with private students in their homes. An Instagram stalker, she dreamed of all the knitters and all the places to escape and knit and learn as they scrolled across the screen every day. Squam Lake and its magical docks were always an aspiration. Then the realization dawned that she lived in one of the ‘places’ and was surrounded by all of the ‘knitters’. So … why not host a series of retreats right here in her own Nor Cal backyard! She invited some of her favorite people, they said ‘yes’ and Pacific Knitting Retreats was born. |
| ANCIENT ARTS -- TANNED HIDES -- CLASSES & TEACHING | Paleotechnics | Boonville, CA | Website http://paleotechnics.com Email [email protected] Facebook Paleotechnics Instagram @paleotechnics | Tamara has been learning, researching, experimenting with, and teaching ancient living skills since 1989. She currently offers a 4hr to 1 day hands-on Ancient Living Skills Overview Programs for schools and home school groups all around Northern California. These programs vary depending on the interest and age level of the group but usually include quite a bit of hands-on activity and are very well received by both the teachers and students alike. Photo Credit: Paleotechnics |
| TANNED HIDES - BODY CARE | Pennyroyal Farm | Boonville, CA | Website www.pennyroyalfarm.com | Pennyroyal Farm is committed to sustainability and modern farming practices. It was conceived as a minimum-waste farm and takes into consideration sustainable design—from constructing solar panels on the barn to ensuring the size of the herd would produce enough manure to be converted into compost for fertilizing the vineyards. Leading the vision for the next generation, Sarah Cahn Bennett sees the vineyard, dairy farming, poultry, egg, fiber, fodder, wine, and other food production as essential to the long term health of farmland. With all of these activities taking place, we strive to be a regenerative vineyard in the mold of a traditional old-time American farm, and our wines reflect this dream. Pennyroyal Farm’s cheeses are made daily during our ten-month milking season – the herd takes two months off for maternity leave in the early winter. Each cheese is made in a small batch with milk from our own goats and sheep. This allows us to keep a close eye on every ingredient and step in the process and produce handmade cheese that taste of a special time and place. |
| FARM - GOATS - INDIGO | Pepper Lane Farm | Petaluma, CA | Facebook Pepper Lane Farm | Our organic farm near Petaluma produces heirloom apples, olives, tomatoes, and lemons. Seeking flower, herb, and dye plant farmer for field and terraces. I am a specialty grower of heirloom varieties and have diversified my dye plant cultivation to include indigofera tinctoria, persicaria tinctoria, madder, coreopsis, marigolds, and pomegranates for wholesale dyer supply. Will be experimenting in a greenhouse with other indigo varieties in the coming year. Welcome collaborators at all levels of the production chain. |
| NATURAL DYE PLANT STARTS & DRIED PLANT MATERIALS - CLASSES | Plantspeople | Berkeley, CA | Website www.plantspeople.org Email [email protected] Instagram @plantspeople | I love plants and textiles, so when I discovered the brilliant world of natural dyes I knew I was in the right place. Since 2006 I’ve been working with the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley as the public education program coordinator. I also work closely with the Permacouture Institute as the director of the “Seeds to Sew” initiative, an effort to save seeds for plants that have fiber and dye properties. My personal organization which I call “plantspeople” is a place to share ethnobotanical knowledge to revive local wisdom and culture. Please feel free to get in touch with any questions about growing dye plants (garden design, sourcing plants & seed), natural dyes (dyeing fabric, yarns or teaching workshops). I am honored to be a part of the Fibershed community. -Deepa Natarajan Photo Credit: Alycia Lang |
| GOTLAND SHEEP FLEECE | Pont Family Farm | Petaluma, CA | Email [email protected] | Located in Petaluma, CA, Pont Family Farm raises Gotland sheep, a breed from Sweden noted for their long, soft, and lustrous fiber. They are light grey (really salt and pepper) with natural variation over the body. The fleece is noted for long staple length and soft fiber favored in Sweden where the breed was developed. The lambs are born black and lighten up in the first few months of life. |
| SHEEP - CATTLE - BEES - CHICKENS - RETREATS | PT Ranch | Ione, CA | Ione, CA | PT Ranch is a regenerative business specializing in pastured poultry, lamb and olive oil. Soil health education is also provided through our workshop series. |
| MERINO, CORMO, LINCOLN, WENSLEYDALE SHEEP - YARN - ROVING - RAW FLEECE - NATURALLY DYED | Red Creek Farm | Potter Valley, CA | Website http://www.redcrkfarm.com/ Email [email protected] | Nestled along the rolling hills at the north end of Potter Valley, Red Creek Farm specializes in a unique four-way cross bred sheep: Cormo x Lincoln x Merino x Wensleydale. The result is a remarkably long, strong, lustrous, and soft wool especially desirable amongst handspinners. The wool is a regular winner at fiber shows, such as Black Sheep Gathering and California Wool & Fiber Festival (a national competition). From Peggy Agnew and Jonathan Whipple, Owner/Operators: “We are a small family-run sheep farm in Mendocino County, specializing in fine handspinning fleeces. Tucked away in a corner of Potter Valley, California, our flock of over 30 sheep spends its summers on irrigated clover pasture, winters on grass and alfalfa hay, and springs ranging in the hills. ” Photo Credit: Brittany Cole Bush |
| NATURAL DYE STARTS & DRIED PLANT MATERIALS - CLASSES - NATURAL DYEING | Red Twig Farm | Lagunitas, CA | Website http://www.redtwigfarm.net/ Email [email protected] / [email protected] Instagram @redtwigfarm | Red Twig Farm, a collaboration between Gina Smith and Heather Podoll, began at Gina’s home in Lagunitas, CA. As garden educators, we teach children and adults on sustainable farming practices and grow food for our families and local community members. We planted our first indigo crop in the spring of 2015, and as a result, found ourselves inspired to learn more. This led us down the path of natural dyeing with local flora, which wove our love of plants, fiber, and food. We continue to explore the wide array of colors that can be coaxed from the plants around us. We offer dyeing workshops on the farm, as well as classes on food production and preservation, soil fertility, and overall nature awareness. Over the years, we have discovered a mutual love for the magic that happens when people come together to share in the stewardship of the land and celebrate nature. Photo Credit: Koa Kalish |
| NAVAJO CHURRO SHEEP - GRASSLAND RESTORATION | Red Willow Pond | Bodega, CA | Email [email protected] | We are raising a small flock of Navajo-Churro sheep outside the sweet little town of Bodega with our two kids. We are devoted to restoration ecology of our grassland, using permaculture practices in our gardens, and stewarding a vernal pool rich with native plants near Salmon Creek. Navajo-Churro sheep have a rich history, and we feel strongly about raising them. They are on The Livestock Conservancy’s Threatened List. We guard our sheep with strong fencing, our guardian llama Toni, and our Great Pyrenees mix. Our free-ranging Cotton Patch Geese are almost 100% grass grazers too. These rambunctious birds are on The Livestock Conservancy’s Critical list. They help keep hawks away from the chickens and alert us to visitors too. We keep a few dozen chickens, most of which were chosen for their excellent foraging and hardiness, including Wyendotte, Welsummers, Delawares, Ameraucana, and Marans. We use rotational grazing and are working on our Carbon Farming plan with Fibershed. We have partnered with the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District and NRCS on compost application, infrastructure improvements and a 50,000 gallon rainwater catchment system. We are currently producing organic free range eggs and will be sheep breeding for 2020, selling lambs, fleece, and yarn. |
| FELTED GOOD - CANDLES | Redwood Coast Mercantile | Rohnert Park, CA | Rohnert Park, CA | My love for felting began when I was 9 months pregnant with my son. Something awakened a fiery passion for fiber arts shortly after and I quickly fell down the rabbit hole of the wonders of animal and plant fibers. My purpose is to now show the felting community the importance of supporting local sheep farmers and ranchers by purchasing from them rather than buying commercially dyed wool. I am also on a journey to dig deeper into who makes my clothing and support slow fashion companies rather than fast fashion. |
| HANDSPUN YARN - KNITWEAR - EDUCATION & TEACHING - CVM & ROMELDALE SHEEP | Rhoby’s Ranch | Hoopa, CA | Article on the Blog: Soft Steps & Solid Heart at Rhoby’s Ranch | Rhoby’s Ranch is located in the beautiful Hoopa Valley of Northern California, home to the people of the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation and also known as Natinook, “the place where the trails return” and “where rainbows begin.” The sheep love the grass, and the clover and the weeds and leaves and blackberry sprouts. They know everything they need to know about being sheep. The grass loves the sun. The rain loves the grass. The worms and bugs love the sheep droppings and the soil loves it all. From these things, sheep create wool, that original, miracle material. |
| ALPACAS - ALPACA YARN | Rockstar Alpacas | Watsonville, CA | Website www.rockstaralpacas.com Email [email protected] Facebook Rockstar Alpacas Instagram @myrockstaralpacas | ROCKSTAR Alpacas was established in 2007 with the goal of creating and sustaining a top quality breeding program offering outstanding breeding stock with elite fiber. Our priority each breeding season is to carefully choose and breed for desired fleece traits that will consistently improve each generation of fleece in our herd. Specific emphasis is made on breeding for uniformity of micron, fineness, and the density needed to sustain the commercial textile market for alpaca. We’ve spent years researching and carefully selecting top quality breeding genetics to help achieve this goal and believe we’ve laid a great foundation for the ROCKSTAR’s of the future. Additionally, we focus on the overall health and temperament of the animals as we consider it essential to reducing stress and improving wellness within the herd. |
| YARN - CLASSES | Rumpelstiltskin Yarn Store | Sacramento, CA | Sacramento, CA | Sacramento’s local yarn store since 1972! We carry a beautifully curated selection of yarn, fiber, and tools for knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, and needle felting. We also offer a variety of classes, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro looking for some extra guidance or to learn a new technique. Located on the historic R Street Corridor in downtown Sacramento, as of June 2016 we are under new ownership! |
| COLORGROWN ORGANIC & BIODYNAMIC COTTON YARN, FABRIC, CLOTHING, ACCESSORIES - MERINO SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - YARN - ROVING | Sally Fox | Brooks, CA | Website www.vreseis.com Email [email protected] Instagram @vreseis Facebook Foxfibre Colorganic | Based in the glorious Capay Valley area of Yolo County, dedicated farmer and scientist Sally Fox has worked for decades to develop strong genetics in her organic, naturally-colored cotton, as well as raising heritage Merino sheep and a variety of crops, including Sonora wheat. She is a true pioneer of organic and non-GMO cotton, and an inspiring voice within the regenerative agriculture community. From Owner/Operator Sally Fox: Handspinner/colored cotton breeder/organic farmer going biodynamic for 18 years and counting……….I am trying to figure out how to farm sustainably and humanely and profitably. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| NATURAL DYES - WEAVING - KNITTING | SecondLeaf Workshop | San Ramon, CA | Email [email protected] | Based in San Ramon, CA, Lisa Waterman is an artisan of many crafts, including knitting, small batch natural dyeing, weaving, spinning, and sewing. She tends a plot in the local community garden of organically grown natural dye plants, and uses those and other ethically harvested materials in her own natural dye work. She belongs to several local organizations in addition to Fibershed, and is a member of the Fibershed Ag Co-op and Meridian Jacobs’ Farm Club. Photo Credit: SecondLeaf Workshop |
| SPINNER'S FLOCK - FELT & FELTED PRODUCTS - WOOL DRYER BALLS | Sheep to Shop | Vacaville, CA | Jackie’s blog Wooly Adventure’s Blog Etsy Online Shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/sheeptoshop | Jackie Post and her husband live on a small farm in Solano County along with their spinner’s flock of sheep. Moving to this farm has let Jackie realize her dream of actually living where her sheep live! Before that, she boarded them on another farm where they got very good care, but she missed the day to day events that go along with having a flock. Her spinner’s flock consists of several sheep breeds: Jacob, Navajo-Churro, Shetland, English Leicester, Karakul, East Friesian, and Herdwick. They are protected by their guardian llama, Paridot, and alpaca Evangeline — who thinks she is the boss of everyone. Jackie processes the fiber from these animals as well as other sheep within the Northern California fibershed area. She hand spins the wool and then knits a variety of household items as well as cat toys. Jackie acquired a needle felting machine with which she creates wool felt place mats, table runners, chair pads and other felted pieces including rugs and wall hangings. The recent addition of a large carding machine has allowed her to make bigger pieces. Jackie created her business, Sheep to Shop, in which she focuses on selling items made from the wool of all these breeds. Jackie is a member of the American Livestock Breed Conservancy, a non-profit which educates about endangered or threatened domestic livestock and the importance of preserving this diversity. She does not breed sheep but enjoys the nearby lambing events of fellow Fibershed members Meridian Jacobs and Fiber Confections. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| WOOL - BEDDING | Shepherd’s Dream | Montague, CA | Website shepherdsdream.com Facebook Shepherd’s Dream Instagram @shepherdsdream | Born from a passion for healthy and natural sleep, Shepherd’s Dream offers a unique Wool Bed system that will allow your body to breathe while you sleep, keeping you in the perfect temperature zone all year round. The Wool Bed helps to relieve body aches and pains including arthritis while calming your heart rate and nervous system for a deeply restorative night’s sleep. Photo Credit: Shepherd’s Dream (above) and Paige Green (below) |
| Regionally sourced sheepskins & goat hides. | Shepherdess Holistic Hides | Berkeley, CA | Email [email protected] Instagram @shepherdesshides | Shepherdess Holistic Hides, is the collaborative project of the designer, Laura Schoorl + modern-day urban shepherdess, Brittany Cole Bush. Together they purvey the beautiful hides of regionally raised sheep and goats, sourced from farms and ranches within the Bay Area, California. After many attempts to source local leather, they realized there was a need for hides from ethically + ecologically-sound farms that are closer to home. In their initial effort at curating animal hides from BCB’s herd and beyond, they partnered with a long-standing tanning house in California to take all the raw hides and turn them into cozy shearlings. Their pilot project of just 20 hides proved wildly successful last winter and they are now scaling up to provide seasonal, hand-selected sheep and goat hides all year long. You can shop their hides at local markets and on their online shop! Photo Credit: Shepherdess Holistic Hides |
| ALPACAS - YARN - ROVING - BATTING - ALPACA FIBER | Sierra Rose Alpacas | Grass Valley, CA | Website sierrarosealpacas.com Email [email protected] Facebook Sierra Rose Alpacas | Sierra Rose Alpacas serves as the bridge for future generations to experience the wonders, enrichment and mutual respect that animals and humans give to each other. Our purpose is to create a vibrant and sustainable ranch where we lovingly breed, care for and sell quality alpacas, educate and support our customers, and produce and sell “Made in America” Alpaca products. We strive to bring the American-bred Alpaca and USA fleece goods to a level of quality, reputation and distinction that surpasses the overseas market by not only breeding with excellence, but providing the support and education that will enable others to do the same, thus ensuring the viability of Alpaca ranchers for generations to come. |
| YARNS - ROVING - BATTING - WOOL PICKERS - TEDDY BEARS | Sierra Wools | Penn Valley, CA | Website www.sierrawools.com Email [email protected] Facebook Sierra Wools Etsy SierraWools | Barbara Engle is the primary owner of Sierra Wools. She previously owned and operated White Mountain Wool Mill in Northeast Arizona, raising high quality wool breeds, and processing fiber for others in the area. She recently moved to Penn Valley, California with her husband Mark and started Sierra Wools. |
| ANGORA GOATS - SHEEP - SHEARING - RAW FLEECE - NATURAL-COLOR YARN | Silk Farm | Sutter, CA | Website www.petpoorfarm.com | Our farm consists of California Red Sheep, Shetland Sheep, and Angora Goats. Other than just enjoying these beautiful animals and their offspring we show them at local shows. Check out our For Sale page for available animals, wool, fiber, yarn, and roving. |
| YARN - NATURALLY DYED - REGIONAL SOURCING | Sincere Sheep | Napa, CA | Website http://sinceresheep.com Email [email protected] Facebook Sincere Sheep Instagram @sinceresheep Twitter @sinceresheep Ravelry SincereSheep | Sincere Sheep offers high quality breed-specific wool in a truly stunning palette of natural color. “My inspiration, in a word, is connection. I love that through natural dyes, fiber, and crafting I have a connection to the past, to other cultures, to farmers, to community, to fiber mills, and to the land.” – Brooke Sinnes In 2003 Brooke moved back to the Napa Valley, a place she remembers fondly from her childhood and summers spent visiting her grandparents. She founded Sincere Sheep based on principles she translated from the slow food movement, a concept that was gaining regional momentum. Applying the ideas of traditional and regionally sourced ingredients to textiles, her early products were made from wool from bay area family farms and processed at a local mill into carded roving and yarn. They were initially labeled with both the name of the farm and animal. Now, still located in the wine-growing region of Napa, CA, Sincere Sheep continues to be inspired and guided by the concept of terroir. Both wool and natural dyes are agricultural products that depend upon the environment and reflect its variable seasons. Throughout the year, water, grass, weather, and stewardship all gradually change the wool clip and plant harvest. You will see the effects in the subtle variation of colors and textures of our yarn from year to year. Our primary focus remains single-source, breed-specific and custom-made yarns and fibers. The name of the ranch, location and breed is still identified on our label when it is traceable. We offer a diverse selection of custom made products from relationships with California and US wool growers, and small businesses. Brooke strongly believes in “voting with your dollars” and uses that as a philosophy to make business decisions. We buy our products from producers and companies who follow high standards and work in a sustainable way to support the local economy. All Sincere Sheep yarn and fiber is dyed using color extracted from plants (and periodically from insects). Dyes are responsibly sourced; some dyestuffs are locally gathered leaves and flowers, as well as agricultural and food “waste” that can be used a second time for their dye properties. Brooke finds it continually rewarding that through naturally dyed textiles we have an intrinsic link to our past and future. Like a thread throughout human history, dyes, colors, and textiles have created a connection around the world to culture, geography, commerce and family. Hardly a week goes by without a discussion of ideas or collaboration with other artists and business people, which means we’re always learning and growing. As an extension of that process, Brooke enjoys teaching a variety of natural dyeing workshops. She is also a fiber arts guest instructor at local yarn stores and select events in the bay area. Our yarn and fiber is made to last, and we hope your favorite items are passed on to the next generation. We invite you to share your own creative experiences to continue this tradition. Join in the conversation and follow Sincere Sheep on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Ravelry: @sinceresheep |
| CA RED SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - YARN | Skyelark Ranch | Edgewood, CA | Website http://www.skyelarkranch.com/ Email [email protected] Phone 530 680 6849 Facebook Skyelark Ranch Instagram @skyelarkranch | Skyelark Ranch is a pasture-based livestock ranch in Siskiyou County. After several years of working in environmental conservation, Alexis and Gillies followed their passion for combining local, high quality food production with sound environmental stewardship practices to a begin a life in sustainable livestock production. At Skyelark Ranch, our goal is to raise livestock in a way that is at once humane and in balance with the land and our community. We raise California Red Sheep, as well as pork, and poultry. |
| CLASSES | Slowfiber | Salinas, CA | Salinas, CA | Have something you feel fabulous in..if it fit correctly? You loved it when you bought it..what happened? Your Grandma gave it to you and it could be so cool if..? You’ve worn it so long it falls apart when you touch it. Don’t toss it-Contact me. Slowfiber is available to educate, advise or repair with you or for you. The care of your best garments is a team effort. |
| WOOL BATTING - HOUSEWARES - BEDDING - TOYS | Sonoma Wool Company | Valley Ford, CA | Website http://sonomawoolcompany.com/ Email [email protected] Phone 707 291 3622 | Sonoma Wool Company makes useful, warm, and fun products from 100% Pozzi Wool. All of our products are made right here in Sonoma County, free of bleaches and other chemical treatments – just pure wool from grass-fed sheep raised on Pozzi, and other, family ranches across northern California and Oregon. Pozzi Ranch is located in the coastal region of northern California, where the average rainfall is over 40 inches per year. Sheep which thrive in this climate are coarse-grade wool sheep. Their coarse wool, with a 28 to 34-micron count, easily sheds the heavy rains of this region and keeps the sheep warm. The sheep with this type of wool is traditional British breeds, including Dorset, North Country Cheviot, Romney, Suffolk, Hampshire, and Border Lester. Photo Credit: Koa Kalish |
| DESIGNER - FELTER | Sonya Hammons | Sausalito, CA | Website sonyahammons.com Email [email protected] Facebook Sonya Hammons Instagram @totallyfabricated | Artist-geographer Sonya Hammons creates fine art with handmade felt from local wool, salvaged boat rope, and local pigments and dyes. She offers custom hand-felted and handwoven fabric yardage, garments, home goods, and acoustic insulation panels. Black, white, naturally-occurring rust, and home-grown organic indigo form the color palette of her recent work. After a career as a sustainability advisor for the United Nations, she returned to the Sausalito working waterfront to focus on art. |
| ICELANDIC SHEEP - WOOL - LACE | Sophie’s Icelandic Sheep | Lake City, CA | Email [email protected] | Sophie’s Icelandic Sheep are part of Sophie Sheppard’s contribution to her family’s (comprising Sheppard, husband Lynn Nardella, and son Jason Diven) third generation 333 Ranch in Surprise Valley, California. With a focus on land stewardship, the family sequesters carbon with managed intensive grazing for their cattle and sheep. The 333 Ranch is located in the highest density nesting area for state listed Greater Sandhill Cranes with half the ranch under permanent easement to protect wetland habitat for these magnificent birds. The 333 Ranch raises organic vegetables and grass-fed lamb, beef, pork and chicken for the local community. Sophie chose her Icelandic flock for their wool, meat quality, thriftiness and hardiness. A spinner and knitter as well as a painter, she loves the naturally colored wool for its ease of spinning and felting, its luster and long staple length. |
| LACE - HANDSPUN YARNS - HANDKNITS - CLASSES | Spinning in the Wind | Bloomfield, CA | E-mail [email protected] | Spinning in the Wind creates handspun yarns in natural and plant dyed colors knitted into a variety of lace wear garments. The lace patterns are designs using elements from lace traditions throughout the world. Most of the fibers used are hand washed and combed before being spun on drop spindles, however, some mill processed wools are used to include fibers of exceptional quality. I combine my own dye experiments with the dye works of my friends. The dye plants I use grow in my garden or are harvested near my home. Photo Credit: Spinning in the Wind |
| FELTED GOODS - NATURAL DYER - SPINNER - WEAVER | Spiritplay | Camp Meeker, CA | Email [email protected] Facebook Love at Spiritplay Instagram @spiritplay.natural.toys | Robyn Smith is a felter, natural dyer, spinner and weaver residing in the hills of West Sonoma. Her goods can be found at local farmers’ markets and nearby shops. From owner/operator Robyn Smith: “I am a retired early childhood teacher of twenty years. I learned crafting from my grandmother, knitting, sewing, felting, needlework, etc. I’ve been toy making for the last ten years and have been blessed to share with my community. I learned plant dyEing/ gardening at Rudolf Steiner College over ten years ago, and support my local fibershed.” |
| NAVAJO-CHURRO SHEEP - ALPACA - YARN | Spring Coyote Ranch | Marshall, CA | Marshall, CA | Spring Coyote Ranch is a diversified family farm located in the historic ranching hills of Marshall, California, overlooking Tomales Bay. Our mission is to be excellent land stewards, make a meaningful contribution to our community, and raise beautiful livestock for fiber, food, and breeding. We raise Navajo-Churro sheep, Huacaya alpacas, Native Shorthorn and Wagyu Cattle, heritage poultry, and tend 5-acres of Italian olives. For fiber artists we offer raw fleeces, washed fleeces, spun yarn in a variety of weights and blends, and we are happy to take custom orders. We also welcome ranch tours. Please email for more information. Photo Credit: Alycia Lang |
| SHEEP - WEAVING - INDIGO - SPINNING - NATURAL DYE PLANTS | Starbuck Station Wools | Freestone, CA | Email [email protected] | In the quiet countryside of the Sonoma coast, Martha Cant grows wool & indigo, as well as other dye plants. She raises Cormo and Wensleydale cross sheep, and spins, weaves, and dyes with their wool. She can often be found at the local Artisan’s Coop in Bodega, CA. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| SHEEP - LAMB - BEEF | Stemple Creek Ranch | Tomales, CA | Website https://stemplecreek.com/ Email [email protected] Facebook Stemple Creek Ranch Instagram @stemplecreek | Stemple Creek Ranch is a family owned and operated ranch in Marin County, California, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. The first ranch in the US to implement a carbon farm plan, Stemple Creek continues to lead the way on regenerative agriculture. The wool from their Dorset, Suffolk, and Perendale sheep are part of the Climate Beneficial Wool Pipeline batting. The Poncia family has lived and run a family ranch on the same ranch site for over 100 years in Tomales, a scenic drive north of San Francisco on Highway 1. Angelo Poncia, our family’s first immigrant to the United States from Italy, settled here in 1902. Today, Angelo’s grandson and great-grandson, Loren Poncia, still operate our family’s cattle ranch raising all natural, grass-fed beef and lamb. We are proud of our family ranching history and of the ranch that we have stewarded for the past 100+ years. The land is an extension of our family, with Stemple Creek winding through the rolling hills and emptying into the Pacific Ocean just a few miles west of our home. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| DESIGNER | Stick & Ball | Mill Valley, CA | Website www.stickandball.com Email [email protected] Facebook Stick & Ball Instagram @stickandball | Stick & Ball is an equestrian-inspired lifestyle brand focusing on sustainable apparel, accessories, and home decor. Our designs of luxury apparel, handcrafted Italian leather, home decor, and accessories take inspiration from the rolling country hills of California down to the vast pampas in Argentina. Our passion lies in handcrafted textiles, sustainable & unique design, slow food, and community. |
| PYGORA GOATS - GOTLAND SHEEP | Stone Steps Farm | Nicasio, CA | Website www.stonestepsfarm.com Email [email protected] Facebook Stone Steps Farm Instagram @stonestepsfarm | We operate a small family farm in Nicasio, California, breeding mini Nubian goats from strong milking lines. We also produce a small number of Pygora goats and Gotland sheep each year. Our Maremma sheepdogs protect the goats, sheep, chickens, and ducks on our farm. |
| LLAMAS - RAW FIBER - YARN - ROVING - NATURAL DYE PLANTS | Stonehenge Llama Ranch | Vacaville, CA | Email [email protected] Phone 707-249-0707 Facebook Stonehenge Llama Ranch | Stonehenge Llama Ranch is a multipurpose ranch in Solano County raising high quality llama fiber. Margaret Drew is an educator and a caretaker, a person who is always learning new things and has the consistency to see her work through to the end. She spends great care on taking care of her animals and producing high quality fiber, which she washes three times after shearing to make sure the fiber is clean and ready for spinning. Contact Stonehenge Llama Ranch to learn more about the fibers and yarns available as well as the many other areas of expertise they provide. As Margaret says, “I educate more than I do anything else.” From her homemade aquaponics system to her fiber farming to her natural dying to her management of her own three businesses, Margaret is a wealth of knowledge. Photo Credit: Kara Fleshman |
| BODYCARE - CANDLES - TALLOW | Summer Solace Tallow | Oakland, CA | Website www.summersolacetallow.com Email [email protected] Facebook Summer Solace Tallow Instagram @summersolacetallow | Summer Solace Tallow® Handmade Nourishing Organic skincare and goods. Holistically crafted, pasture-raised skincare and home goods made from premium, organic ingredients. Leading the Slow Body Care Movement™ with ethical, grass-fed tallow balms, slow-made artisanal soaps, handcrafted candles, and perfumes. Summer Solace Tallow is an artisan line of ethical and sustainable organic tallow balms, soaps, and candles handcrafted in Oakland, California with local ingredients from Northern California. We are actively reviving the nourishing traditions of using local grass-fed and pasture-raised animal fat to moisturize effectively and soothe skin irritations. Our tallow-based products contain unique and harmonious blends of organic, wildcrafted Absolutes and essential oils, local extra-virgin olive oil, and local tallow which we render and combine in small batches. |
| ICELANDIC X SHETLAND WOOL - MERINO WOOL | Sunny Oak Farm | Shingle Springs, CA | Email [email protected] | Sunny Oak Farm is located in Shingle Springs, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Placerville. The 18-acre ranch/farm features wooded oak groves, manzanita and natural open pastures. The property supported a 10-acre certified organic vineyard for 20 years and maintains those practices. |
| SHEEP | Sunnyside Farm | Janesville, CA | Email [email protected] | Here in northeastern California, we have been raising small numbers of sheep since 1991. Icelandic and Finnish Landrace sheep play an integral role in our small farm ecosystem, which supports our independent lifestyle with a nod toward self-sufficiency. We strive to produce as much of our own food as possible, with a focus on organic practices managing our vegetable gardens, chickens, sheep, and other farm animals. Wool is used for hats, scarves, mittens, vests and other clothing, saddle blankets, rugs, and garden mulch. Sheep and wool products in excess of our needs are offered for sale, which includes: purebred breeding stock, raw handspinning fleeces, roving, millspun yarns, and sheepskins. As career biologists experienced in managing aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, we take the same approach on the small plot of land we call Sunnyside Farm. Located at the interface of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin, we are blessed not only with dramatic mountain views, but with aquatic, riparian, meadow, and high desert habitats—which are maintained or improved while incorporating our farm activities. |
| DESIGNER | Sustainable Fashion Designer of Italia A Collection | San Jose, CA | San Jose, CA | Finalizing my degree at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, I chose to balance my design career with the technical skills I needed to shape my future. My interest in fashion has led me to explore different areas in design, pattern making, textiles, and production. My Zero Waste collection is a collaboration with Fibershed. It is a collective inspired by nature, sustainability, and the innovative approach to fashion through zero-waste design. My Zero Waste Patterns are designed and inspired by geometric shapes that create a responsible design using sustainable textiles. The featured Coastal Loungesuit, was created as a Fibershed Zero Waste Design Challenge at Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. My designs reflect a comfortable and sophisticated look and feel utilizing the unconventional pattern layout of zero-waste design. |
| CONTRACTED TARGETED GRAZING | Sweetgrass Grazing | Petaluma, CA | Website www.sweetgrassgrazing.com Email [email protected] Phone (805) 450 5408 | A contract grazing and seasonal lamb company, Sweetgrass Grazing employs sheep to graze for eco-friendly weed control and fire reduction. Instead of lawn mowers or tractors, the sheep cut the grass while nourishing soil health, increasing water retention, and promoting biodiversity. We use temporary electric fencing to keep the sheep bunched together, moving rapidly over the land. The flock does not return to the same place until the plants have fully recovered from the last grazing thus allowing them to nourish the soil life with the deepest roots that they are able to grow. This methodology also creates an even distribution of urine and manure which fertilizes the entire landscape as opposed to just the favored shady spots. The sheep eat and trample evenly instead of cherry-picking their favorite plants and leaving the less desirable ones to overpopulate. We strive for maximum soil cover at all times. Our planning takes into consideration the lifecycle of all the wild plants and animals. When managed with the soil and ecology in mind, sheep can be used year-round to provide a diversity of land services. Photo Credit: Noelle Gaberman |
| DYE PLANTS - FLOWERS - CLASSES - WORKSHOPS | The Farm – Mendo | Albion, CA | Website thefarm-mendo.com Instagram @thefarm_mendo | Situated one mile from the stunning cliffs of the Pacific, on the Mendocino coast, The Farm is a six acre property lucky enough to have both apple orchard and an old growth redwood forest. Between mother nature and our homespun charm The Farm offers plenty of spaces to create, gather and be inspired. |
| DYER - YARN - ROVING | The Royal Bee Yarn Company | The Royal Bee Yarn Company is a shop in Pacifica, CA. where we specialize in natural fibers that are ethically sourced and dyed. We also have our own line of eco-friendly yarn which has been designed from fleece to fiber. Our 18-micron merino wool is farmed, milled, and hand-dyed in the U.S. We use natural dyes sourced from my garden or foraged locally. We believe in earth-friendly dyeing and farming practices. | ||
| SHEEP - FARM - EVENT SPACE - B&B | The Wolf and Horseshoe | Sonoma, CA | Sonoma, CA | Nestled in the sun-drenched idyllic countryside of Sonoma Wine Country, The Wolf & Horseshoe is an eclectic, luxury estate, farm, and boutique retreat space boasting elegant guest accommodations. Sitting on 5.5 acres, just a short 3 miles from the Historic Sonoma Plaza, The Wolf & Horseshoe is the perfect vacation retreat and ideal escape to get you away from it all in style. The farm produces olives (which are used in the production of olive oil); lavender, walnuts, and a variety of fruit (including apples, peaches, pears, figs, and more). There are also 13 sheep (and counting!) on the property that are used for property maintenance. We plan on expanding the farm to include chickens/ eggs, more lavender, wool, and grapes for the production of wine in the near future |
| SHEEP - WOOL - ROVING - BULK FIBER | Three Bags Full Wool | Zamora, CA | Email [email protected] | We are a working Border collie ranch and producer of specialty wool. Our wool is best suited for weaving, rug-making, dry felting, and stuffing for comforters & quilts. We have raw skirted fleeces, batting, cloud, and sliver (roving). Scottie wool washes easily and does not require carding. It is a very durable wool sought out for rug-making & used in making tweed clothing. Wool from our Scottie cross yearlings is a delight to spin and knits beautifully into sweaters or any outerwear in which you want to have a slight unevenness to the look of the fiber. |
| TARGHEE X POLYPAY X RAMBOUILLET SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - SUPPLIER TO MERIDIAN JACOBS | Timm Ranch | English Hills, CA | Email [email protected] | The Timm Ranch is located in the English Hills halfway between Winters and Vacaville, CA. Susan Timm and her husband, Charlie Earhart, run a herd of about 85 ewes and 4 rams on a portion of the ranch. The flock was originally owned by Susan’s father, Olin Timm. After his death in 1997, Susan took over the flock, which at the time consisted of Targhee sheep. Since then Polypay and Rambouillet rams were introduced into the flock. We lamb October through February and shear in early April, before the stickers are a problem. Our wool is very clean, white wool, and described as soft, crimpy, and resilient. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| FELT - TEACHING - FELT ARTISAN | Timothy Easterbrook | Ukiah, CA | Email [email protected] | Timothy Easterbrook, Felt Artist, has been felting since 1984. Easterbrook studied at Rhode Island School of Design with international & renowned designer Jorie Johnson, and studied Nuno felting with Paula Steirling. His start with felt was with a weekend course given at Mendocino College. He is a founding member of the New England Felters Guild. His work has shown in Ukiah, CA at the Not-So-Simple living workshops, where he works teaching needle felting, and at TAPS gallery in Ukiah. He enjoys using different methods of felt (NUNO, NEEDLE, TRADITIONAL WET) separately and combined to make his felt creations. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| ANGORA GOATS - MOHAIR FIBER | Tolenas Mohair | Fairfield, CA | Website www.tolenasmohairfarm.com Email [email protected] | Tolenas Mohair Farm was created June 7, 2014, when I purchased 3 goats from Sonrisa Farms, Lisa Colorado. The doe I purchased, Margurite, is registered with Colored Angora Goat Breeders Association. She is silver with black muzzle, legs, tail and ears. Margurite came to me with 3 month old wether kid, Francisco sire Johny, and 2 1/2 year old wether, Leonardo sire Rembrandt. Francisco and Leonardo are taupe color. In March 2015, I purchased from Sonrisa Farms, 2 does that Lisa rescued. Their background info is unknown, but during a November 2015 routine vaccine by DVM, I can estimate that the Pearl was probably born 2013. Also, Lily was probably born 2014. Pearl is glistening white and Lily is taupe like Francisco. My goats graze each day with supplements of hay and sometimes grain. Our 2 1/2 acre property was purchased by us August 2009. The land was once a portion of Rancho Tolenas and remains as an unincorporated portion of Solano County. Sustainability and water conservation is primary focus of our land ethic. Solano Irrigation District supplies water to our farm. Now that I am retired as a forester from USDA Forest Service, I am learning holistic management of my tribe of goats. Lisa Colorado has been a great advisor and mentor. I joined Fibershed through my contacts with Linda Gamble, drop spindle instructor and Marie Hoff, of Hand Made Studio. I owe all my new learning skills from Lisa, Linda and Marie. I very much appreciate the knowledge they have shared with me. The network of Fibershed is most stimulating for me in learning a new aspect of sustainable, holistic agriculture in Solano County. -Nancy Thompson Photo Credit: Alycia Lang |
| DESIGNER - FELTED WOOL GOODS | Tree House Felt | Cohasset, CA | Email [email protected] Phone 530-342-6899 Facebook Tree House Felt Instagram @treehousefelt | I create one of a kind felted wool garments using the ancient technique of wet felting and the more modern technique of Nuno felting. I make jackets, vests, hats, scarves, dresses and more. The wool is magic and never ceases to amaze me. -Theresa Markwood |
| SHEEP - GRAZING SERVICES | True Grass Farms | Valley Ford, CA | Website truegrassfarms.com Email [email protected] Facebook True Grass Farms Instagram @truegrassfarms | We are a family-owned and operated farm located three miles east of the Pacific coast in northwestern Marin county. We belong to the Estero Americano watershed where each day we dedicate ourselves to the land, to our community and to the future of this ecosystem. We provide wholesome food grown and raised on healthy soil. Beyond organic, we are part of your bioregional food source. We grow grass. We produce grass-fed and finished beef, pastured hogs, as well as cage-free heritage fowl and eggs. Our mission depends upon cultivating direct relationships with you, our friends, neighbors and loyal customers. |
| FARM YARNS - WOOL, ALPACA, MOHAIR - NATURALLY DYED | Twirl Yarn | Napa, CA | Website http://www.twirlyarn.com/ Email [email protected] Instagram @twirlyarn Article on the Blog Surfing Serendipity | My educational training is in textile and visual design. I moved into a small cottage on a ranch shortly after school, and fell in love with ranching. Now, over thirty years later, I am still ranching, and have combined my love of fiber with ranching. My fiber friends here include several breeds of sheep, angora goats, llamas and alpacas that I blend to form fabulous yarns that are made at Yolo Wool Mill. My thinking is that we are what we eat, and so, the animals and their fibers are “of this place.” If they cannot eat a plant as part of their natural diet, I have been exploring just what color it will impart on the yarns, and yarns that are not naturally colored are naturally dyed from plants “of this place”. -Mary Pettis-Sarley Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| ALPACA - LLAMA - CORMO SHEEP - YARN - ROVING | Valhalla Yarns | Woodside, CA | Website www.valhallayarns.com Facebook Valhalla Yarns Pinterest Valhalla Yarns | Our mission is alpaca fiber excellence and that’s all we breed for, test for and knit for! Before we go any further, rest assured that our yarns are 100% organic and 100% American made. Meaning, they are born here, raised here and their fleeces are spun in small local, American mills. We do not blend with any outside sources of fibers. It’s all done here and by hand. If you love the soft, cashmere feel of alpaca but want the spring and resilience of fine sheep’s wool, you’ve come to the right place. Here we hope to enlighten you as to why our fibers are superior to others, why they win awards and why they are a joy to knit with! Also within this site you’ll get ideas of what to do with your yarn. What colors to dye it, what color of fibers produce what colors to knit with, and gorgeous sample projects and ideas for your luxurious yarns. Enjoy! Photo credit bottom Paige Green |
| MILLING - SPINNING - WASHING WOOL - CARDING | Valley Oak Wool Mill | Woodland, CA | Website www.valleyoakwoolmill.com Email [email protected] Facebook Valley Oak Wool & Fiber Mill Instagram @valleyoakwoolmill | Valley Oak Wool and Fiber Mill is located in Woodland, California and we opened our doors in November 2017! We are accepting orders for custom processing so please check out our Processing Page and send us a message, we’d love to hear from you! |
| YARN SHOP - WEAVING STUDIO - NATURAL DYES - CLASSES - WOOLGATHERING FESTIVAL | Warner Mountain Weavers | Cedarville, CA | Website www.warnermtnweavers.com | Based in the small town of Cedarville, in the northeastern corner of California, Warner Mountain Weavers is a yarn shop and weaving studio that represents the geographic fibershed of the Great Basin / High Desert. Also offering classes in knitting, weaving, and natural dyeing, as well as serving as the site of the annual Woolgathering Festival, Warner Mountain Weavers is also a hub for fiber arts education. Run by Bonnie Chase and Lani Estill from Lani’s Lana, the studio specializes in fine fibers and the color palette of natural dyes of the High Desert. |
| FIBER ARTS CLASSES | West County Fiber Arts | Sebastopol, CA | Website West County Fiber Arts Email [email protected] Facebook West County Fiber Arts Instagram @west.county.fiber.arts Article on the Blog Nesting in the Fibershed: West County Fiber Arts School | West County Fiber Arts offers private felting lessons with fiber artist Heidi Harris. During the COVID pandemic, lessons are limited to one-on-one with social distancing protocols. Heidi is a native Californian with a Bachelors’ Degree in Business Management. In addition to founding and running a fiber arts school, she worked as a Law Office manager while also donating time on behalf of non-profits that are closely aligned with her passions. The vision of the West County Arts school was to create a learning environment that supported the finest teachers in their respective craft and provided a conducive space for each student to open herself/himself to learning and the creative process. After three successful years, Heidi closed the school to pursue other interests. Heidi’s passion for felting was first ignited when she attended the Fibershed Wool Symposium. She then spearheaded the Fibershed Yurt project which culminated in displaying locally grown and made fiber art, clothing and products in a signature yurt entirely hand felted with local wool by Fibershed volunteers. The first yurt workshop was a very intensive felting project creating the 14 by 7 foot walls “The old Mongolian style.” The second workshop was structural with a guest instructor from the state of Washington entitled “How to Build a Camping Yurt.” The final pieces of the signature yurt involved felting the roof panels and needle-felted artwork by volunteers to decorate the interior walls and commemorate the collaborative effort so many who contributed their resources to this project. The yurt project has lead Heidi deep into the felting culture. She has devoured dozens of books on the subject and transformed her garage into a veritable felting factory. Heidi has taught needle and wet felting classes and is learning how to dye wool and other methods of using local fibers in useful and creative ways. She also built a peg loom and learned how to weave. Affiliations: Hand Weavers Guild of America Redwood Guild of Fiber Arts International Felt Makers Association California Wool Growers Association Certified Wool Classer Photo Credits: Paige Green (portraits), Kalie Cassel-Feiss (yurt) |
| ROMNEY & WENSLEYDALE SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - YARN - SOAPS - BODYCARE | Wild Oat Hollow | Penngrove, CA | Website www.wildoathollow.com Email [email protected] Facebook Wild Oat Hollow Instagram @wildoathollow | Sarah started the Penngrove Grazing Project, a community-based, sustainable, land-management concept working to improve the health and aesthetics of the land while increasing atmospheric carbon sequestration into the soil. At the same time creating and enhancing the community in a very personal manner. She is practicing carbon farming practices by moving her flock in out of the fields in a rotational manner. Sarah grazes animals to encourage deep root growth and build topsoil. Through managed grazing, she encourages the plants to draw CO2 out of the atmosphere and into the soil where it becomes a beneficial nutrient. She is working to bring her sheep into the unused, mowed, and unmowed pastures in Penngrove in an effort to improve the soil, produce fine wool and support a cleaner and healthier environment and bring the community together around healthy soil. Wild Oat Hollow has two flocks of sheep supporting two different neighborhoods in Penngrove. One herd is a registered Romney herd and the second is a mixed flock of fine fiber breeds including merino, blue-faced leicester, wensleydale & cormo. From these hard-working sheep she has yarn, sheepskin and whole lambs for sale. Sarah also uses the milk from her dairy goats to produce climate beneficial goat milk soap and herbal face and body cream. Photo Credit: Sarah Keiser |
| NATURAL DYE - INDIGO - SPINNING - WEAVING - FELTING - KNITTING | Wild Rose Farm | In the hills of West Sonoma, Judith Ashley raises sheep, alpaca, llama, and natural dyes. An expert natural dyer, she also spins, weaves, knits, and felts. She can often be found at Fibershed’s annual Wool Symposium, alongside friend and neighbor Martha Cant. | ||
| FELTER - NATURAL DYER - MIXED MEDIA ARTIST | Wildcat West | El Cerrito, CA | Email [email protected] Website wildcatwest.com | Alison Smith is a storyteller and naturalist, whose ambitious installations and performances engage the senses. Her work is a union of place and process: She balances deep examination of her native Bay Area with frequent explorations of the western United States. What she discovers informs, alters and enriches the visual art, music and scent she creates to tell her stories. At once lustful and restrained, autobiographical and fantastical, wild and plotted, her work is alive — breathing and bleeding. |
| NAVAJO CHURRO SHEEP - RAW FLEECE - YARN | Wind Dancer Ranch | Capay Valley, CA | Website http://www.winddancerranch.us/home.html Email [email protected] Facebook Wind Dancer Ranch | The Navajo-Churro is a multi-purpose breed with a uniquely American history. I was attracted to the Navajo-Churro breed because of my love for Spanish sheep’s milk cheese. I have come to respect this hearty breed of sheep for their other wonderful attributes such as amazing and colorful wool, easy lambing, and good mothering instincts. Navajo-Churro are wary scrappers able to survive on their own in rough country. They will come up to you for treats but remain wary as they eat. This actually is a comfort with the males as they can have huge horns that I find quite intimidating. Thankfully they don’t show aggressiveness towards humans. -Lisa Leonard, Owner/Operator |
| LLAMAS - SHEEP - ALPACAS - ANGORA RABBITS - YARN - KNIT GOODS - TEACHING | Windrush Farm | Petaluma, CA | Petaluma, CA | Windrush Farm is a working sheep farm in Chileno Valley, California. Founded in 1995 by Mimi Luebbermann, the farm grew from an intention of living simply, farming fiber, and functioning as a quiet space for Luebbermann’s longstanding writing career. With the help of Mimi’s son, Arann Harris, Windrush Farm has since evolved into an educational facility educating and entertaining Bay Area children and adults about farm life, wool, and the real world of animals, grass and sunshine. Throughout the year Mimi Luebbermann and Marlie De Swart teach fiber classes using wool from the sheep on the farm. Classes are held in the farm’s original barn turned classroom. Surrounded by 24 acres and the farm’s animals they teach classes in spinning, plying, dyeing, specialized spinning, the Fleece to Garment class, and more. |
| ROVING - BATTING - YARNS - ROMNEY & MERINO SHEEP WOOL | Womack Family Farm | Smartsville, CA | Website www.womackfamilyfarm.com Email [email protected] Instagram @womackfamilyfarm | We are a family of three, living happily in Northern California. We have been blessed to shepherd a beautiful flock of sheep in the Foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. We raise Dorpers, Merinos, and Romney sheep for wool and lamb meat. We also keep bees, pigs, chickens, ducks, and miniature horses too. |
| MERINO & LONGWOOL CROSS SHEEP - YARN - ROVING - NATURAL DYES | WoolFulLove Farm and Fibers | Covelo, CA | Email [email protected] Instagram @spinningmidwife | I am a handspinner and natural dyer. I love to find what is available during each season to use to dye my wool. We are working on rotational grazing our flock. I also would love to offer classes at our farm on spinning and natural dyeing. We are an organic farm that also raises vegetables and produces organic tomato sauce and juice and varying types of hot sauces. Currently we attend numerous farmers markets in Berkeley, Oakland and soon in San Francisco. We grow vegetables to give to our flock and other animals like chard and kale. I am also constantly working on adding dye plants and flowers to my ever-growing garden. We raise Merino and Longwool breeds of sheep. Our longwools are a cross between Teaswater, Wesleydale and Leceisters. All colors can be found in our flock from natural browns, black, silver, and white. We are working on knitting and providing wool hats for the Berkeley Farmers Market in the fall. -Jami Johnson, Owner/Operator |
| MILLING - CARDING - WOOL BATTING | Woolgatherer Carding Mill | Montague, CA | Website thewoolgatherer.com Email [email protected] Facebook Woolgatherer Carding Mill | Woolgatherer Carding Mill strives to provide exceptional service and products. As a large producer of wool batting in the USA, Woolgatherer is able to produce quality products at competitive prices. Woolgatherer also cooperates with each customer to create the perfect custom batting for their needs. Woolgatherer follows wool through every stage from the pastures to the finished product. Woolgatherer staff is meticulous about creating the best product possible and following our industry-leading principles for sustainability and quality. In addition, we have personal relationships with our growers to ensure they are using high standards for purity and are managing their flocks in a humane, chemical-free, and environmentally safe manner. Photo Credit: Paige Green |
| WOVEN GOODS - KNITWEAR | Ziz Land | Point Reyes Station, CA | Website www.alissakaplan.com Email [email protected] Facebook Ziz Land Instagram @ziz_land | As an artist, I have worked in many different mediums over the years but since moving to Petaluma I have focused on the fiber arts. Using my hand spun yarn with wool sourced from local farms, I both knit and weave unique garments. I also enjoy basketmaking and creating handcrafted brooms. |