Women in Wool: A Day of Fiber Arts On The Farm - Crown Hill Farm
Step into a world where creativity and nature intertwine…
Welcome to Women in Wool—an immersive journey into the world of fiber arts! Join us for a day of hands-on learning and creative exploration, led by three remarkable women who are masters of their craft.
PART 1: BOTANICAL BUNDLE-DYED CHARMEUSE SILK PILLOWCASE WORKSHOP
Begin your exploration with Tammy White of Wing & A Prayer Farm as she unveils the secrets of botanical bundle-dyeing. Amidst the serene backdrop of Crown Hill Farm, learn the basics of natural dyes and create your own 100% Charmeuse Silk pillowcase, adorned with the hues of the earth itself. We’ll be using a combination of flowers, leaves and plant-dye extracts to create moody or vibrant patterns, images and colors.
Bundle-dyeing is an easy technique which can build a foundation for learning more and advanced techniques of dyeing, or simply to indulge in the wonders of nature. Though your silk will be pre-prepared for long-lasting results, the basics will be taught so that you will be able to explore on your own.
All plant materials are either homegrown or ethically sourced. Resources will be discussed.
PART 2: LUNCH WITH THE BUNCH (OF SHEEP)
Indulge in a unique farm-to-table experience with Missy Singer DuMars, farmer and owner at Crown Hill Farm. Start with a tour of the gardens where plants are cultivated to dye farm yarns in addition to her heirloom no-till vegetable gardens. Then mingle with our friendly flock of Border Leicester Longwools sheep while the flocks of Heritage Chickens, Ducks and Geese keep you company. Then sit down and enjoy a farm-to-table lunch amidst the beauty of the historic farm of Crown Hill.
PART 3: BEGINNER'S TAPESTRY WEAVING
Unleash your creativity and learn to weave Tapestry under the guidance of fiber artist and educator Tami Fuller of Blubird Studio.
In this 3-hour workshop, use a gentle neutral palette and learn weaving basics. Discover how to create modern tapestry wall hangings and the best practices that can segue to textiles and more advanced techniques.
Gain a beginners weaving knowledge, and a completed fiber art piece to take home.
Loom not required: Use of 12x16 Lost Pond Looms student loom and tools set provided for use in class. Loom available a la carte upon request. Instruction will include weaving time as well as finishing and hanging your work. All supplies included.
JOIN US FOR A DAY FILLED WITH INSPIRATION, CONNECTION, AND THE MAGIC OF FIBER ARTS.
Sunday, April 28th, 11am- 4:30pm
$160 / PERSON INCLUDES: ALL THREE WORKSHOPS, MATERIALS AND LUNCHEON
Details at link below if you’d only like to participate in one part
We’ve partnered with Humanitix for our ticketing platform. They make the process easy for you to buy tickets and for us to keep track! Also, we LOVE that they are committed to turn annoying booking fees into a force for good. 100% of their profits go to their vetted children’s charity partners.
Reserve your spot now and embark on a journey of creativity and exploration at Women in Wool!
Sheep in the Shires Yarn Crawl
From Shire to Shire, you can follow the trail of sheep and yarn on Mother’s Day Weekend! We’ll have hours from 10 - 5 on Friday and Saturday, May 10 + 11, and noon to 4 on Sunday, May 12 for a special Yarn Crawl. Visit our farm to see the sheep, shop our Farm Shop to select beautiful, natural colored and naturally dyed farm yarns and more, and get your punchcard punched to be entered into our giveaway. On Sunday, Mother’s Day, you’ll also be able to to ‘take tea with the Sheep!’ if you like! And definitely visit the lambs.
There are seven shops/farms in this yarn crawl alongside our own. South of here in North Adams, MA is Tina Whitmore’s Freia Fine Yarns, then in Adams, MA it’s Teresa Daignault’s Ashford Heights Farm. To the west and just over the border is The Warm Ewe in Chatham, NY. Next, as you head south, is Colorful Stitches in Lenox, MA. Prado De Lana Sheep Farm is in Stockbridge, MA and south of that is Hart GB in Great Barrington, MA. It’s about an hour and three quarters, from top to bottom, if you don’t stop! But you’ll have to map your trip to suit your itinerary. More shop hours from the other shops to come.
Each customer will receive a punch card from the first shop they visit. It is a way to keep track of all of the shops visited and to be eligible to be put in a raffle to win a prize from one of the shops! Visit shop websites and social media to find locations and hours.
Weekend Natural Dye Workshop on Wing & A Prayer Farm
Register for a Summertime Natural Dyeing Workshop at Wing & A Prayer Farm with Tammy White. Tammy teaches you how to prepare and dye using botanical pigment, from petals, roots, bark and more, in a 2-day workshop on the farm. Materials are included and you will learn how to dye both cellulose and protein fibers with useful samples of silk, cotton, linen and wool to take home. We will cover topics such as terroir of color, sustainable pigments, mordanting, modifiers, kettle dyeing, botanical contact dyeing, carrier blankets and more. We will forage and harvest from the farm’s Dye Garden to sample a variety of materials local to Zone 5. A Farm Tour is included.
Plan on bringing an apron or smock to protect clothing, and kitchen gloves for working with the dye materials. Bring a pad or notebook for taking notes.
Workshop runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 -3 p.m. and will allow for short breaks. Bring your own snack or lunch, if you like. Water, tea and coffee will be furnished. The workshop will be ongoing but allows for listening time intermingled with participatory activities.
Questions? Email Tammy at hello@wingandaprayerfarm.com
Register HERE
Weekend Natural Dye Workshop on Wing & A Prayer Farm
Register for a Summertime Natural Dyeing Workshop at Wing & A Prayer Farm with Tammy White. Tammy teaches you how to prepare and dye using botanical pigment, from petals, roots, bark and more, in a 2-day workshop on the farm. Materials are included and you will learn how to dye both cellulose and protein fibers with useful samples of silk, cotton, linen and wool to take home. We will cover topics such as terroir of color, sustainable pigments, mordanting, modifiers, kettle dyeing, botanical contact dyeing, carrier blankets and more. We will forage and harvest from the farm’s Dye Garden to sample a variety of materials local to Zone 5. A Farm Tour is included.
Plan on bringing an apron or smock to protect clothing, and kitchen gloves for working with the dye materials. Bring a pad or notebook for taking notes.
Workshop runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 -3 p.m. and will allow for short breaks. Bring your own snack or lunch, if you like. Water, tea and coffee will be furnished. The workshop will be ongoing but allows for listening time intermingled with participatory activities.
Questions? Email Tammy at hello@wingandaprayerfarm.com
Register HERE
Fiber Flurry - Arts Council for Wyoming County
An annual celebration of learning, resources and community for fiber with newly expanded programming. This year’s keynote: Tammy White, Wing and a Prayer Farm, on her natural dye and climate change collaboration with international artist Cecilia Vicuña at The Guggenheim Museum.
Fiber Flurry will be held this year at the Arts Council Headquarters at 31 South Main Street in Perry, on April 27th. This year’s festival will offer an expanded learning schedule, beginning at 1pm on Friday, April 26 with a Fiber Artists Forum and a slate of Friday evening workshops.
For the first time, Fiber Flurry includes a juried fiber arts exhibition and skein competition with award opportunities for excellence in fiber. This exhibit will showcase fiber art pieces from local artists curated around the council’s 2024 theme of “Different.” Art and handmade fiber art from the following three categories will be accepted: “Handmade Useful,” showcasing traditional artisanal useful goods and wearables; “For Art’s Sake”, focusing on fine art execution of fiber as a medium for expression and a fine art category for work in non-fiber mediums celebrating wool and agrarian subjects. Photographers, painters, sculptors and all artists working in traditional media are encouraged to submit.
Totali-Tea with the Sheep
If you would like to have ‘tea with the sheep’ and celebrate the upcoming Total Eclipse of the Sun, reserve a spot for Wing & A Prayer Farm’s Spring Totali-Tea with the Sheep on Sunday, April 7 from 1 - 3:00. We’ll be serving tea and Eclipse-themed treats (sorry, no special diets) under the apple trees near the barn.
Feel free to amble about while you enjoy the refreshments. It’s casual. We will be able to serve you or you may serve yourself, additionally you will be welcome to visit the other animals and our Wool Shop + Apothecary.
You will be able to commune with the sheep but we cannot guarantee the ground won’t be soggy - so wear appropriate footwear! We are not accessible for some as footing is uneven in the barnyard area. There are no public bathrooms.
Our maximum capacity for guests is 25.
March Wool Shop + Apothecary Hours
Visit our Wool Shop + Apothecary in our Farm House to select natural and naturally dyed yarns, wool for felting, spinning, batts and stuffing, wool felt, and laundry balls. We also sell hand poured candles, farm made tallow soaps, homemade laundry soap, teas, knitting and crochet and needlefelting notions, embroidery kits, magazines and books.
Park in front of Farm House and enter through Front Door.
March Wool Shop + Apothecary Hours
Visit our Wool Shop + Apothecary in our Farm House to select natural and naturally dyed yarns, wool for felting, spinning, batts and stuffing, wool felt, and laundry balls. We also sell hand poured candles, farm made tallow soaps, homemade laundry soap, teas, knitting and crochet and needlefelting notions, embroidery kits, magazines and books.
Park in front of Farm House and enter through Front Door.
March Wool Shop + Apothecary Hours
Visit our Wool Shop + Apothecary in our Farm House to select natural and naturally dyed yarns, wool for felting, spinning, batts and stuffing, wool felt, and laundry balls. We also sell hand poured candles, farm made tallow soaps, homemade laundry soap, teas, knitting and crochet and needlefelting notions, embroidery kits, magazines and books.
Park in front of Farm House, enter through Front Door.
Vogue Knitting Live Virtual Vending Session
Join me at Vogue Knitting Live on March 15 from 11:00 - 11:30 for an exclusive vendor session! We’ll have our beautiful natural and naturally dyed yarns and a special March Vogue Knitting Live Colorway to share! Register now!
March Wool Shop + Apothecary Hours
Visit our Wool Shop + Apothecary in our Farm House to select natural and naturally dyed yarns, wool for felting, spinning, batts and stuffing, wool felt, and laundry balls. We also sell hand poured candles, farm made tallow soaps, homemade laundry soap, teas, knitting and crochet and needlefelting notions, embroidery kits, magazines and books.
Parking is in front of Farm House, enter through front door.
Wool Shop + Apothecary Hours
Visit our Wool Shop + Apothecary in our Farm House to select natural and naturally dyed yarns, wool for felting, spinning, batts and stuffing, wool felt, and laundry balls. We also sell hand poured candles, farm made tallow soaps, homemade laundry soap, teas, knitting and crochet and needlefelting notions, embroidery kits, magazines and books.
Parking is in front of the Farm House - enter through the front door.
Farm Fiber Day at Wayland Winter Farmer's Market at Russell's Garden Center
Join us in Wayland, MA at Russell’s Garden Center where we are vending in the greenhouse for a dose of tropical air in the depths of winter. We are joined by approximately 40 other farmers that share their fiber wares and it is a festive time. We’ll have the flock’s natural and naturally dyed yarns, wool roving, wool batts and more goodies such as farm made soaps and wool pillows and wool comforters.
March Wool Shop + Apothecary Hours
Wool Shop and Apothecary at Wing & A Prayer Farm - noon to 3, Saturday, March 2
Park in front of Farm house and enter through front door.
Crash Course Knitting Workshop Weekend at Wing & A Prayer Farm
In this two-day introductory workshop at Wing & A Prayer Farm, you’ll learn the basic stitches of knit and purl and will have a project underway before class is finished. Topics to be covered include:
Basic tools, yarn types and how to choose the right yarn for your project, knit and purl stitches, casting on stitches, binding off your project, reading your stitches and fixing simple mistakes, and a demonstration of how to join two pieces of knitting together with a needle and yarn (seaming). Attendees will work on a sample swatch to begin their understanding of the knitting process and then progress to a beginner-friendly project – a basketweave stitch scarf or cowl using one of Wing & A Prayer Farm’s yarns chosen especially for this workshop. All required materials are available as a kit for purchase at an additional cost.
This small class is intended for beginner knitters. While some knitting experience or knowledge is helpful, it is not required.
Saturday, February 17, from 10 am to 3 pm with a one-hour break for in-house farm-to-table lunch and on Sunday, February 18, from 10 - 1 with refreshments/snack provided.
KIT INCLUDES:
Yarn/Needles/Stitch Markers/Tote - purchased separately/pick up at Wing & A Prayer Farm during Workshop
YOUR INSTRUCTORS:
Lesli Cohen taught herself how to knit as a teenager many moons ago with one of those pocket guides found at the supermarket checkout aisle. Her first projects were scarves for her Barbie dolls, along with potholders and coasters for her mother. After abandoning knitting for rowing on the crew team in college, she rediscovered the craft with her future mother in law, who helped her start her first sweater project. Forty years later, Lesli is a full-blown knitting fanatic, has far too many sweaters and shawls in her bureaus, and loves to share her passion with others. She has taught knitting at her local yarn shop, attended workshops and festivals all over the world, and has studied with some of the most well-known names in the crafting industry. She loves to knit samples for Tammy White to display in her booth at craft shows throughout New England, and is passionate about small farm yarns.
Liz Perez Wilson learned to knit at age eight by her Cuban grandmother after a failed attempt at tatting. Knitting has been a lifelong passion. Liz has taught knitting at her local yarn shop and helped host their evening knit nights. An avid learner, she has attended knitting workshops with Bristol Ivy, Mary Jane Mucklestone, Gudrun Johnston, Nancy Marchant and Stephen West, to name a few.
New England Farm and Fiber Festival VIRTUAL February 2-4, 2024
Join us virtually on Instagram LIVE for a weekend of celebration of farms and fiber, regional wonders and makers’ extraordinaires. We’ll be co-hosting this grand event with Prado De Lana Sheep Farm from our kickoff Instagram Live with Mary Jane Muckletsone on Friday night, February 2 at 7:00 pm to Sunday’s last event at 4:30 p.m.. Check out the schedule and vendors and presentations on the website www.newenglandfarmandfiberfestival.com
Inspired Natural Dyeing at Vogue Knitting LIVE in NYC
In NYC at Vogue Knitting LIVE, I’ll be guest-lecturing on Sunday, January 28. We’ll also have our farm’s wool for sale in a booth all weekend. Sign up for the lecture now:
Enhance your appreciation for the natural world at this lecture from Tammy White of Wing & A Prayer Farm. Tammy uses foraged and found materials for luminescent, beautiful color on her flock’s yarns. Through inspiring visuals, she will lead you on a journey of exploring the world of botanical color.
You will learn how to derive color from a variety of materials such as petals, berries, cones, found objects from the field, the forest, and your very own kitchen. You will learn how to prepare your fibers for dyeing using simple mordants that can be collected from the garden or the woodland floor, and about overdyes and modifiers to alter your colors to produce lasting, naturally beautiful yarn. There will hopefully be time to explore eco printing and bundle dyeing for varied prints and colors using leaves, flowers, nuts, and bark. We’ll explore the various methods of extracting color from a range of objects.
Local resources are the heart of Tammy’s natural dyeing stock, but she also sources through a variety of methods to obtain colors as sustainably as possible. The lecture will begin with detailed preparation of fiber and dye stock, different methods of coloring your yarn, and samples of seasonal palettes.
Farm Fiber Day at Wayland Winter's Farmer's Market
Join us in Wayland, MA at Russell’s Garden Center where we are vending in the greenhouse for a dose of tropical air in the depths of winter. We are joined by approximately 40 other farmers that share their fiber wares and it is a festive time. We’ll have the flock’s natural and naturally dyed yarns, wool roving, wool batts and more goodies such as farm made soaps and wool pillows and wool comforters.
Farm Day at Brooklyn General Store
If you haven't been to a Farm Day yet, you are in for a treat! On Farm Day, Brooklyn General welcomes some of their favorite fiber farmers to the shop. They step aside and let us take over! We’ll showcase all of our current yarn offerings as well as other goods from our farms. It’s an opportunity to see, touch and smell the farm goods up close and take a little bit of each farm home with you.
If you are a city person with a real longing to be close to nature living a life caring for animals with hands dirty from digging in the soil, Farm Day is for you. It is a way to feel close to the land and the sheep raising life by getting to know some incredible farmers who live that life. Farm Day is a way for BGS and our community to support these small fiber farmers.
Farm Day will take place on December 9th from 12-6 pm. This year's visiting farms are Wing and a Prayer Farm from Vermont, Mindful Folk Farm from Maine and Prado de Lana Farm from Western Mass!
There will be mulled wine, apple cider doughnuts, hot cider, yarn, pies and so many farmy goods! I sure hope you'll join us!
To secure your spot, please RSVP here. Farm Day is a free event but we need to know who's coming so we can plan for all the doughnuts!
Holiday Maker Market
Shop the Pop-Up Maker Market on Sunday, Dec. 3 while the streets of Stockbridge are closed to cars, allowing for their annual Holiday Walk. It’s a quaint, old-fashioned gathering with all of the Norman Rockwell vibes! You’ll feel like you’re in a Hallmark Christmas movie!
Grand Opening of Wool Shop at Wing & A Prayer Farm
Just in time for the holidays, you can visit our brand new Wool Shop at Wing & A Prayer Farm in person. On Small Business Saturday, November 25, we’ll be open from 10 - 4:00 here at 983 Myers Road, Shaftsbury, VT.
We’ll have all of our flock’s woolicious yarns and batts, an apothecary full of farm made soaps and salves, candles and notions, and sweet farm friend inspired home goods such as tea towels and totes.
Farmer Tammy will have home baked pies, coffee, tea and cider for customers on this special day. There’ll be sheep to greet, weather permitting, so bring your boots! And don’t forget to enter our local maker basket-raffle, full of handmade, locally sourced goodness!
The Fiber Festival of New England
Fiber enthusiasts are coming together at the Mallary Complex on the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds for the annual Fiber Festival of New England to promote the use of wool and other natural fibers and related products to the general public! Find us in Booth 115/116/117 North!
New York State Sheep + Wool Festival
It’s time for the New York State Sheep + Wool Festival! Find us in Building 31, Booth 21 at the Duchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, NY on October 21 + 22. We’ll have our flocks’ natural colored and naturally dyed wool with us in the many weights and blends of farm yarns, wool roving and wool batts for hand spinners in natural dyed colors and natural colors, and wool comforters. We’ll also have our farm made soap, ‘Farm Hands’, and project and notion bags, stitch markers and more!
We’ll have our animals in the Breed Barn for you to visit, too. Come see the World’s Cutest Sheep and meet ‘Hey, Jude!’, our Valais Blacknose sheep, and his friends.
Open Farm at Wing & A Prayer Farm
Join us for our Annual Open Farm at Wing & A Prayer Farm. Our Marketplace includes fiber farms, potters, jewellers, and more. You’ll be able to watch sheep shearing demonstrations, weaving demonstrations, natural dye demonstrations, and learn about the wooly wonders that turn grass into wool. You can Meet the Sheep, too!
There’ll be food and beverages.
We have a pumpkin decorating station for kids and a pumpkin-chunkin’ contest for all ages. Bring your own pumpkin-chunkin’ to try to throw your pumpkin the farthest for a prize!
Porta potties and hand washing stations are available.
$5/person at check-in, includes a raffle ticket for one of the many door prizes.
Free parking in the fields. Wear good outdoor footwear in case of muddy walking conditions.
Respect farm rules.
No rain date - check website for cancellation by 9AM on Sunday, October 8.
Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival
35th Annual Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival featuring fiber producing animals, fiber producers, and artists/craftspeople. There are over 50 vendors, Animal Barn, Workshops, and Food Vendors nestled into the foliage of beautiful Tunbridge, VT.
Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival
We are in Sheep + Goat Building, Booth 51, at the Washington County Fairgrounds on September 23 + 24. Come see us to find our natural color and naturally dyed yarns and wool roving and batts, fleeces and comforters, and farm made soaps.
Natural Dyed Silk Charmeuse Pillowcase Virtual Workshop
Create your own Naturally Dyed Silk Charmeuse Pillowcase at home using our beginner friendly kit. Eco-printing/Bundle-Dyeing is a fun and artistic approach to the world of natural dyes. Tammy White will teach you in a Virtual Workshop on Sunday, July 9 from 1 - 2pm EST on Zoom. If you cannot attend, she will send you the link to the recorded video afterwards. Please include your best email address to reach you during checkout.
All of the materials you need for creating a sumptuous, silk pillowcase to rest your head upon come from Wing & A Prayer Farm, and the materials will be a handy way to experience a satisfying and easy botanical dye workshop. Your kit will be shipped to you in time for the workshop.
Your pillowcase will be a one of a kind work of art, ranging in colors dependent upon what is in season upon the time of shipping. You are welcome to add your own materials during the workshop, too.
Indigo + Shibori Dyeing Workshop at Taproot Magazine, Portland, ME
Discover the magic of indigo in this 3-hour workshop. We will learn about how indigo pigment is derived from the Persicaria Tinctoria plants and the process of extracting color ranging from moody deep blues to pale shades of the sky.
You will learn two methods of preparing your own indigo vats at home, as well as the tricks and tips of tending a vat long-term and troubleshooting vat issues.
In this class we will experiment with different dyeing techniques including Shibori, the Japanese resist-dyeing technique that involves twisting cloth and binding it to create a vast array of patterns on fabric.
Plan on wearing clothes you don’t mind getting messy and if you have a good pair of rubber gloves to keep your hands clean, bring them along.
The workshop is suitable for all levels of ability, materials included. You will go home after an evening of fun with cotton, linen, silk and wool fabrics and yarns, and the knowledge to make more at home!
Taproot Market
49 Fox Street, Portland ME
Two-Day Natural Dye Workshop at Wing & A Prayer Farm
Register for a Summertime Natural Dyeing Workshop at Wing & A Prayer Farm with Tammy White. Tammy teaches you how to prepare and dye using botanical pigment, from petals, roots, bark and more, in a 2-day workshop on the farm. Materials are included and you will learn how to dye both cellulose and protein fibers with useful samples of silk, cotton, linen and wool to take home. We will cover topics such as terroir of color, sustainable pigments, mordanting, modifiers, kettle dyeing, botanical contact dyeing, carrier blankets and more. We will forage and harvest from the farm’s Dye Garden to sample a variety of materials local to Zone 5. A Farm Tour is included.
Plan on bringing an apron or smock to protect clothing, and kitchen gloves for working with the dye materials. Bring a pad or notebook for taking notes.
Workshop runs Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. and will allow for short breaks. Bring your own snack or lunch, if you like. The workshop will be ongoing but allows for listening time intermingled with participatory activities.
Questions? Email Tammy at hello@wingandaprayerfarm.com
Natural Dye Workshop at Russell's Garden Center in Wayland, MA
Natural Dye Workshop at Russell’s Garden Center in Wayland, MA on June 17 from 11 - 2
New England Farm and Fiber Festival Spring Edition
New England
Farm & Fiber Festival
Spring Edition
Sunday, May 21st, 2023
10 am - 5 pm
Boston Public Market
Gore Place Sheep Shearing Festival
Since 1987, this annual event has entertained guests with music, 100+ craft and fiber artists, demonstrations of traditional shearing and herding dogs, and historic re-enactors on the beautiful grounds of this historic, 50-acre estate. According to Executive Director and festival organizer Susan Robertson, "We're proud that the Sheepshearing Festival has become a New England spring tradition for so many. People often tell us that spring doesn't begin until the Sheepshearing Festival!"
Food, Fiber, Craft, Demos and more all day! We’ll be bringing our flocks’ beautiful wool to the Fiber Artists Vendor Tent.
Natural Dyeing Workshop at Taproot Magazine in Portland, ME
In this 2.5 hour workshop at Taproot Market, we’ll coax color from nature and turn petals into a palette of beautiful dyes. Tammy White will introduce you to natural dyeing and share her experience in developing a range of hues from a few simple earth-friendly ingredients.
Each participant will get to dye mini skeins of Wing & A Prayer Farm wool for taking home and a generous, ombre-dyed cotton scarf for spring.
Wayland Farm Fiber Days
We’ll be vending again at Russell’s Garden Center in Wayland, MA for their Farm Fiber Days. Their popular Sunday Farm Fiber Days are scheduled to return on January 22
and March 5 for those who are interested in knitting, spinning, felting, weaving,
visiting sheep, petting bunnies, watching spinning wheel and sock making machine demonstrations or purchasing knit, woven, embroidered and felted items.
The event hours will be extended: 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM.
The 50+ vendors attending will include prepared foods and beverages. Come see the latest yarns and farm soaps and more that we’ll be bringing with us!