In Our Own Backyard: a journey from sheep to woven fabric in NYS
Event Details
Date
September 23, 2021
Time
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location
Online Webinar
Host
Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops ProgramDana Havas
(607)279-7640
email Dana Havas
In Our Own Backyard: a journey from sheep to woven fabric in NYS
Thursday, Sept. 23rd from 7:00 - 8:30 pm (online)
NYS has a vibrant community of animal fiber producers and manufacturers making everything from textiles to artistic creations from wool grown in 'our own backyard'. Join the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Animal Fiber Team, together with three folks who are part of this amazing supply chain, on Thursday evening September 26th from 7:00 - 8:30 pm for an online event hosted by New York State Textile Month (NYTM) to hear their stories (followed by a Q&A).
Attendees will learn from a farmer, mill owner, and weaver how locally sourced and processed textiles are created in our own backyard. Paula, Mary Jeanne, and Tegan take fiber from their own sheep and local farms to create yarn and woven products. Learn from their journey how they work with sheep to create the wool we want to wear, how they take that fiber through the milling and dyeing process, and how it's woven into designs for the home and wearable fabric - all in New York State!
Farmer, Paula Kucera, owns White Farm Barn in New Paltz, NY. Paula raises a flock of Cormo sheep from which she creates and hand dyes beautiful roving and yarns for the hand spinner and knitter. Mary Jeanne Packer owns Battenkill Fibers Carding and Spinning Mill. Mary Jeanne founded Battenkill Fibers in 2009 to provide value-added, custom carding and spinning services for fiber farms and makers; and to manufacture yarn and fiber products for wholesale and retail markets. The mill produces 100-150 lbs. of artisan quality natural-colored and dyed semi-worsted yarn daily using refurbished traditional milling machinery. Tegan Frisano, of Comfortcloth Weaving, LLC specializes in producing heirloom quality, hand woven products for the home, as well as yardage for the fashion and accessories industries using locally sourced and processed fiber.
The CCE Animal Fiber work team's mission is comprised of Cornell faculty, CCE educators, and industry stakeholders. Together they work to develop programming, educational opportunities, and identify areas of research that will improve the sustainability of the NYS animal fiber community. The animal fiber work team is a sub-committee of the CCE Livestock program work team.
NYTM is now in its 6th year. Founded by Lidewij Edelkoort NYTM's mission is to bring textile heritage, tradition & knowledge, back into the hands of those working and creating in fiber arts.
Join the 'In Our Own Backyard' conversation on Thursday Sept. 23rd from 7:00 - 8:30 here https://tinyurl.com/ourownbackyard.
Please do share the FB event posting with your family & friends so they too can learn about this amazing event https://fb.me/e/1LUibNKHb.
Upcoming Events
Farmer Mental Health in New York State
May 29, 2024
A Story of Crisis and Advocacy from the Makers of the Documentary "Muckville"
New York State Fiber Conference
June 9, 2024
Bouckville, NY
Theme for this year: Quality Matters
Announcements
Cash Rent and Custom Harvest Survey
To date, there is limited information available about rental rates and fees for crop harvesting. Farms can use this valuable information for their farm business planning to help improve decision making and profitability.Farmers Can Join MeatSuite For Free!
MeatSuite.com is a free resource provided by Cornell University where NY meat farmers can create a farm profile and list their bulk (wholes, halves, quarters) and bundled (i.e. Grilling Bundle) meat products.Why should farmers join?
1. It's free and easy!
2. Connect with more local customers. In the past year the MeatSuite.com farm directory had 8,300 visits from New York consumers. Farm profiles get as many as 25 views per month from potential local customers. We also spotlight MeatSuite farms on social media and bring attention and purchases to farms through highlights and giveaways.
How do I join?
Farmers can visit https://www.meatsuite.com/farmers/ to create a free farm profile. You must list at least one product for your farm's profile to go live. You'll also have access to Cornell's free Meat Price Calculator, a helpful tool for pricing your meat to make a profit.
While you're on MeatSuite, check out the "Creating Consumer-Friendly Bulk Meats" publication on the log-in page. It has tips on how to create bulk meat products that are easier for first-time buyers to say "yes" to.
If you have any questions as you create your farm profile or products, we're here to help! Please email Matt LeRoux at mnl28@cornell.edu.