Announcing the Upper Canada Fibreshed

With great joy I would like to announce the creation of the Upper Canada Fibreshed! This is a new initiative to raise awareness and make connections between fibre growers, dye farmers, processors, and artisans.

Upper Canada Fibreshed

What is a Fibreshed from Fibershed:

“A Fibershed is a geographical landscape that defines and gives boundaries to a natural textile resource base. Awareness of this bioregional designation engenders appreciation, connectivity, and sensitivity for the life-giving resources within our homelands.”

Why A Fibreshed? from Fibershed:
Even with years of corporate social responsibility programs operated by the world’s largest clothing and textile manufacturers, the recent stats show that toxic fresh water effluent rose from 1.9 billion tons to 2.5 billion tons between 2006 and 2012 in Chinese fresh water tributaries, rivers, and streams. China manufactures 52% of the worlds textiles. Even with a new onslaught of ‘green’ and ‘eco’ friendly design being offered via large brands, the necessary improvements that would truly alleviate the massive scale of the problem remain to be seen within the supply chains of these companies.MORE…

Where is the Upper Canada Fibreshed?
The Upper Canada Fibreshed (UCFS) encompasses a region within 250 miles of Toronto (or so). Knowing that the support systems in Northern Ontario are slim, any northern farmers, processors, and growers are also welcom to get in touch. We would love to help with developing your local fibreshed!

The Upper Canada Fibreshed is an official affiliate of Fibershed US out of California. This is the book that started it all:

The book that began the Fibershed Movement by Rebecca Burgess.

The book that began the Fibershed Movement by Rebecca Burgess.

Are you a fibre farmer? Do you grow dye plants? Are you a fibre processor? We want to speak to you! For more information please contact jennifer at jjo [at] allsortsacre.ca!

Visit us on Facebook:Visit us on Facebook

Upcoming Felting Workshops

Jennifer has been really busy teaching both needle and wet felting over the winter. She is always amazed to see the creativity that her students have, and their amazing creations.

Over the sumer we are expanding our felting courses. Both beginners and more advanced students are welcome. Wet felting courses include the basics, hat making, and nuno-felting. Needle felting courses we are holding include the basics, appliqué, as well as advanced techniques to create realistic wool sculptures.

Jennifer is also holding a wool painting course that takes felting to another level. Explore colour theory, composition, framing of the wool piece, and so much more. Use both wet and needle felting to create your piece.

More courses will be added soon!

Here are some of the amazing felted creations done during courses!

 

Happy Felting!

Family Day Felt-In

Family Day was definitely a fun day for us. We were demonstrating at The 3rd Annual Family Fun Day will be held at the Royal Distributing Athletic Performance Cente, in Guelph. We had such a blast! So many kids and their parents came to see what we were doing. They all had a chance to try their hand at needle felting, and wet felting. They even got to bring a felted something home with them!

We are always amazed when felting wins out over bouncy castles! We even had one young lady stay around long enough to make a hedgehog that she could take home!

Get ready for the Fourth Friday Felt-In!

 

Felted rocks using wool from the All Sorts Acre sheep.

This is so exciting! To celebrate the nation wide arts festival Culture Days, and Guelph’s own Fourth Friday culture crawl we are having a Felt-In!

Here are the details!

When
Friday September 28th, from 7pm – 9pm.
All ages and abilities.

Artist Jennifer Osborn of All Sorts Acre will be

demonstrating the ancient technique of wet felting.

Come and try you hand at the art of wet felting! Come and make your own felt covered rock using wool from local sheep. Use one of our rocks or bring your own special rock!

Take your rock home or leave it to add to the 10 Carden Rock Pile; a permaculture art piece that combines, nature, art, and agriculture.

 

 

 

Jennifer’s art at RBG

 

Front of the SONSI exhibition postcard

Some of Jennifer’s artwork is currently on display at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario. Jennifer is part of a group called The Southern Ontario Nature and Science Illustrators. They are having a group show at in the Atrium of the RBG. SONSI has some incredible artists of an extremely high caliber. Members include Emily Damstra and Nellie Sue Potter, both award winning scientific and botanical illustrators.

 

Jennifer’s painting also won an Hounourable Mention from the group.

 

Artwork on exhibiton at the RBG. Jennifers is the big gold on. It's title is "I am Deeper than You Know"