Support NC Fiber Farmers and Natural Dye Workshops
Donation protected
Help us support local fiber and dye plant farmers and spread knowledge of local natural dyes across central North Carolina!
Small fiber and textile businesses are suffering like other small businesses as our communities must shut down to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
So, we’ve decided that, rather than wait to reach our full goal, we will use whatever funds we raise by the end of April 2020 to purchase supplies from local farms and businesses to get some cash flowing to our community. Our mini-goal is $500 to purchase all the yarn we’ll need for 9 dye workshops we’ll be offering later this year.
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Increasing Access to Natural Dye Knowledge
Many of the plants growing all around us hold a special secret: they can be incredible sources of beautiful color for the textiles we wear and use around our home! We are Piedmont Fibershed, and we’re dedicated to building a sustainable fiber and textile economy in central North Carolina. We want to make it possible for more people in our community to use natural dyes for yarn and fabric, which is why we're building a Portable Natural Dye Studio!
The Portable Natural Dye Studio will include both supplies for dyeing fibers and fabric (like induction cookers and big pots) and a library of books and other materials with dye recipes. These resources will be used for running natural dye workshops; we're planning a series of 9 workshops in 2020 alone! The portable nature of the studio means we can run workshops across the central NC region we serve.
In addition, we plan to make the Portable Dye Studio available for rent to experienced dyers who otherwise wouldn't have access to equipment necessary to use natural dyes in their work.
Your donation makes is possible for us to 1) purchase supplies and books for the Portable Natural Dye Studio, 2) provide scholarships for natural dye workshops to individuals with financial need, and 3) do outreach to publicize the library and workshops.
Supplies on our list include:
-Dye materials and mordants ($200)
-8 large dye pots ($350)
-6 induction cookers ($650)
-2 digital scales ($45)
-8 Stainless steel bowls in various sizes ($50)
-Mason jars in various large sizes for storing dye materials ($50)
-Strainers, measuring cups and spoons, stirring utensils, thermometers, and other accessories ($100)
-10 books on natural dyes, 2 copies/title ($500)
Why local, natural dyes?
Most people know about the importance of local food, but what about local clothes? Piedmont Fibershed wants to show our community local, natural dyes can be a sustainable source of color for our clothes and other textiles and an alternative to toxic and/or petroleum-based synthetic dyes. Like local food, local dyes connect what grows in our community with what our community consumes.
We're committed to using dye materials that are available locally and can be harvested in responsible ways. Even natural dyes can be unfriendly to the earth if they are harvested in ways that damage local environments or have to be shipped across the world to get to us. Our local ecology is full of plants (and fungi and lichen) that can be used for dye while also connecting us to the magic of the natural world just outside our doors.
About us
Piedmont Fibershed is dedicated to building a sustainable fiber and textile economy in central North Carolina. Piedmont Fibershed is a program of Abundance NC , a 501c(3) organization that bring people together to cultivate and celebrate community resilience in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
Small fiber and textile businesses are suffering like other small businesses as our communities must shut down to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
So, we’ve decided that, rather than wait to reach our full goal, we will use whatever funds we raise by the end of April 2020 to purchase supplies from local farms and businesses to get some cash flowing to our community. Our mini-goal is $500 to purchase all the yarn we’ll need for 9 dye workshops we’ll be offering later this year.
----
Increasing Access to Natural Dye Knowledge
Many of the plants growing all around us hold a special secret: they can be incredible sources of beautiful color for the textiles we wear and use around our home! We are Piedmont Fibershed, and we’re dedicated to building a sustainable fiber and textile economy in central North Carolina. We want to make it possible for more people in our community to use natural dyes for yarn and fabric, which is why we're building a Portable Natural Dye Studio!
The Portable Natural Dye Studio will include both supplies for dyeing fibers and fabric (like induction cookers and big pots) and a library of books and other materials with dye recipes. These resources will be used for running natural dye workshops; we're planning a series of 9 workshops in 2020 alone! The portable nature of the studio means we can run workshops across the central NC region we serve.
In addition, we plan to make the Portable Dye Studio available for rent to experienced dyers who otherwise wouldn't have access to equipment necessary to use natural dyes in their work.
Your donation makes is possible for us to 1) purchase supplies and books for the Portable Natural Dye Studio, 2) provide scholarships for natural dye workshops to individuals with financial need, and 3) do outreach to publicize the library and workshops.
Supplies on our list include:
-Dye materials and mordants ($200)
-8 large dye pots ($350)
-6 induction cookers ($650)
-2 digital scales ($45)
-8 Stainless steel bowls in various sizes ($50)
-Mason jars in various large sizes for storing dye materials ($50)
-Strainers, measuring cups and spoons, stirring utensils, thermometers, and other accessories ($100)
-10 books on natural dyes, 2 copies/title ($500)
Why local, natural dyes?
Most people know about the importance of local food, but what about local clothes? Piedmont Fibershed wants to show our community local, natural dyes can be a sustainable source of color for our clothes and other textiles and an alternative to toxic and/or petroleum-based synthetic dyes. Like local food, local dyes connect what grows in our community with what our community consumes.
We're committed to using dye materials that are available locally and can be harvested in responsible ways. Even natural dyes can be unfriendly to the earth if they are harvested in ways that damage local environments or have to be shipped across the world to get to us. Our local ecology is full of plants (and fungi and lichen) that can be used for dye while also connecting us to the magic of the natural world just outside our doors.
About us
Piedmont Fibershed is dedicated to building a sustainable fiber and textile economy in central North Carolina. Piedmont Fibershed is a program of Abundance NC , a 501c(3) organization that bring people together to cultivate and celebrate community resilience in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
Organizer
Piedmont Fibershed
Organizer
Durham, NC
