Fleece to Finish - Summer 2025 Course

Saturday, July 12

Scouring the Fleece

Dyeing - Using Indigo dye vats provided by Studio510

Letting Dry

Carding - With NickleMadigan who will also have a fiber buffet of goodies to add into our batts and make them perfectly suited to our personalities

Spinning/Plying

Crafting with the New yarn!

Course will include: Buckets to Scour in, brush, unprepared fleece, Soap, Mesh Laundry Bag, Access to Indigo Dye Vats (7/12), Access to Carding (7/13. Fiber Buffet Separate), Gloves.

Please note: food and beverage is not included. Coffee Bar will be open for any caffeination needs. Bakery next door to the shop is open on Saturdays, but not on Sundays. A spindle/Wheel is also not included, however, if you want to learn this can be a fun community to learn how to spin!

The Breakdown

The First weekend will be the most structured of the course. Saturday 7/12, day one, will take up most of the day. The fleece I got is about 4lbs, Depending on how many people sign up, we should each be getting about 8oz of fleece to process. Lisa Sandberg, of Studio 510, is bringing 2 of her indigo vats for us to dye our fiber in. Currently we are going to be dyeing the fiber fresh from scouring, so it is still nice and wet for the dye to take. That plan may change, she is currently experimenting with a small portion of fleece.

On Sunday 7/13, day two, Erin Elledge, of Nickel Madigan in Concord, NC, will be coming up with her drum carder and a buffet of fiber goodies for us to add into our batts. Carding is included in the cost of the course, but the buffet is separate.

The Fleece is from a lovely Jacob Sheep, named Jake, from Wellspring Farm in Burnsville, NC. I had the pleasure of visiting the farm to pick it out and it is just wonderful! I couldn't take my hands off it. Jacobs are a primitive breed, meaning they are relatively the same today as they have always been. Their fleeces are black and white which can be left separate during the dyeing/carding process for striping, or blended to make a beautiful grey.

Someone did also drop an unprocessed alpaca fleece on my stoop the other day, I am absolutely willing to offer some of it to y'all as well to process and blend in. It's a natural brown.