The 3rd Boston Fiber brings yarn and craft enthusiasts from New England and beyond for a weekend of fiber-filled fun!

Boston Fiber Festival started in 2023 with a small event held on a rainy and cold Sunday in October. Despite the bad weather we had a successful first festival with an amazing turnout of crafters from all over New England!

Since then, the festival has grown from 14 vendors to 21 and this year there will be 34 vendors from all over the country and Europe.

 For the first day of the festival attendees can participate in classes where they learn Portuguese knitting, darning, and making wearable clothing fit their body. After a day of classes, attendees will end the day with a special mini market at Dorchester Brewing Company. A paid ticket gives exclusive access to vendors the day before the festival, a swag bag, and a drink of the festival’s tab.

 Day two of the festival features a larger fiber market popping up in the SoWa neighborhood of the South End. Alongside our vendors, the SoWa Open Market, one of the largest open-air markets in Boston, will be on! Locals and tourists enjoy over one hundred booths including food trucks, farms, and local artisans.

SEWING 201: Taking it Up a Notch: An Introduction to machine sewing.

$95 (13 and up) SIGN UP HERE:

Machine sewing can produce simple or complicated projects but knowing the basics of using a machine and learning to sew with one is fundamental to your success. Overcome your fears of sewing machines and learn how to do basic repairs and make basic items!

Some of what we will cover:

• Master threading a sewing machine. Once you can confidently thread one, you can thread any machine!

• Straight stitches, circle, zig zag, over lock, blind hem.

We provide everything you need! Leave the class with a basic tote bag of your own design. If you have taken our Sewing 101 class, you might add your hand sewing item to the tote bag.

 You will leave this class feeling comfortable with most machines you encounter. And take note, you will love it so much you will want your own machine. The good news? Old machines are affordable and widely available. A truly sustainable choice for your sustainable wardrobe.

SIGN UP HERE:

 Elizabeth A. Denton has been sewing ever since her mother taught her and has the Girl Scout sewing achievement badge to prove it! She started costume designing in college, and that career path led her to Disney on Ice, where she toured nationally and internationally as the wardrobe supervisor. After almost twenty years of working in theatrical wardrobe, Elizabeth enjoys making her own clothes, and sharing her love of sewing.

SEWING 101: A Stitch in Time-Learning the Basics of Sewing by Hand

$95 (13 and up) SIGN UP HERE:

 Sewing allows you to mend, alter and create clothing or functional objects. Sewing is also, importantly, a sustainable practice, allowing you to keep your wardrobe in good shape over time and (if you like it!) to sew your own garments from good cloth. In short, sewing can be a radical act.

 Learn hand sewing to help you repair and enhance your own clothing! Start off learning basic hand stitches including running stitch, back stitch, and overstitch, then use your new skills to practice darning. Complete the workshop by decorating your initial with your new-found skills!

Some of what we will cover:

·       Basic hand sewing stitches

·       Fancier hand sewing stitches

·       Select an iron-on letter to practice and gain confidence

·       Difference between needle sizes, when to use different types of thread and floss, even dental floss!!

By understanding all of this, you can confidently tackle a variety of projects and repairs. Practice regularly, and soon you'll be proficient in the art of sewing, ready to explore more advanced techniques and projects.

Whether you are a beginner or looking to refresh your skills, understanding basic stitches is fundamental to mastering the art of sewing.

We provide everything you need, so just bring your good self and lots of enthusiasm!

  SIGN UP HERE:

Elizabeth A. Denton has been sewing ever since her mother taught her and has the Girl Scout sewing achievement badge to prove it! She started costume designing in college, and that career path led her to Disney on Ice, where she toured nationally and internationally as the wardrobe supervisor. After almost twenty years of working in theatrical wardrobe, Elizabeth enjoys making her own clothes, and sharing her love of sewing.

Have you been looking for a way to use visible mending to repair your hand knit garments? Maybe some of your favorite clothes need a little love (ours always do!) and you want to learn how to easily darn socks or mend a hole in a sweater? Join Katy of RI’s own KATRINKLES and learn how! Register HERE

Katrinkles Darning & Mending Loom Kit includes all of the tools you need to repair a hole in a knitted garment, making it easy to do it yourself. Katy will walk you through the process, or you can follow the enclosed simple instructions. You’ll be mending clothing and accessories in no time!

Thanks to the unique construction of their Darning Loom, accomplishing more creative or complicated mends is easier than with a traditional darning egg or darning mushroom.

13 and up, $75 per person YOU CAN REGISTER HERE

EACH student will receive a Katrinkles Darning Loom Kit:

1 x Darning Loom
1 x Heddle (approximately 1.5" long) 1 x Elastic Tie
1 x Tapestry Needle
1 x Instruction Pamphlet

List of supplies each student should bring:

* a hand knit or commercial knit sock to mend, with or without a hole (ideal would be a hand knit sock with a hole to mend) *a pair of scissors

*some fingering weight yarn (a few yards of a color that contrasts the sock)

Do you remember the thrill of reading those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, where every choice you made led to a new and exciting ending? Now, imagine translating that journey to indigo dyeing, one of the oldest and most magical forms of plant dyeing! 🌿✨

Join Blue Dog Natural Dye House here at the farm for a hands-on indigo dyeing workshop where you can choose what you dye and how deeply you dye it. Indigo dyeing is an amazing process: dipped fiber leaves the vat a metallic-looking green that gradually oxidizes to blue, and the more you dip, the deeper the blue you get. We'll have some basic resists on hand to help you make your indigo dyes your own.

To sign up: www.https://bluedogdyehouse.com/shop/ols/products/yarn-dyeing-at-hurricane-hill-farm

This FREE event is particularly organized as an add-on for those or our customers who have purchased a dye-garden kit from Lucayda Farm this season, but others are welcome to join in! We’ll tour the farm’s gardens, with a special focus on our botanical dye beds, talk about harvesting, check in on the sheep and wind our way to Hurricane Hill’s own farm fiber shed. We will stop in the wool room to look at the sustainable products we produce and talk a bit about why we do this work, then move on to the drying room to talk about taking fresh blooms to their dried state and finally, we will gather in the dye and fleece processing shed for a beverage and general discussion. This will be a casual and fun time to share stories and ask questions. Kids are welcome.

YOU DO NEED TO REGISTER (so we know how many are coming!) You can do that HERE

Please note: parking is at 682 Natick Ave. Please enter the field slowly and park along other vehicles you see. Arrow signs will guide you to the meet up location!

We are thrilled to return to beautiful Coggeshall Farm for their annual Sheep & Wool Day. A fun, family-friendly event on one of Rhode Island’s oldest farms. A don’t miss day for sure. For tickets: https://coggeshallfarm.org/event/sheep-wool-festival/

Join Nancy Butler of Lyric Hill Farm to create your own piece of functional art work!  In this class we will learn how to wet and needle felt soap; no felting experience necessary!  Students will learn how to choose and blend wool, wet felt, and transfer and needle felt designs to create a whimsical masterpiece for display or use.  All materials will be provided. Ages 13 and up. $65

A great event for Mothers Day weekend!

TO REGISTER:

Dana McInnis from Blue Dog Natural Dye House will be introducing you to Indigo. Details on how to sign up are below. There are 4 sessions. Space is limited so don’t delay! SIGN UP FOR INDIGO

Join us for our annual Sheephearing Day. A wonderful opportunity to watch our longtime shearer Sam Patty give our Longwools their annual haircut. Learn about what we do once the fleece comes off, put your hands in some raw wool, and take in the farm’s beauty and history. We will be joined by the Rhode Island Spinners Guild, Blue Dog Natural Dye House (see the opportunity to be introduced to indigo here: Intro to Indigo Additional vendors and exhibitors TBA.

Com see us at GORE PLACE. For more information: https://goreplace.org/sheepshearing-festival

I’ll be vending and showing at this new-to-us venue: HILL STEAD MUSEUM . Hill-Stead is known for its Impressionist art collection , so you could make a fun day of it! Located in Farmington Connecticut. Hope to see you there!