Guest Speaker – Ziraldo Aplaca Farm

Debbie Ziraldo of Ziraldo Alpaca Farm http://zalpacas.com/ delighted the audience at our March General Meeting with her interesting and entertaining stories about the history of alpacas, natural habitat and personal journey.
Please check Debbie’s website and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Ziraldo.Alpacas
Ziraldo Alpacas is offering great fiber products and workshops.

Debbie also mentioned the importance of local farms and fiber producers. A special attention was given to Fibershed and we are strongly encouraging our audience to click on the following link for more information: https://www.fibershed.com/about/

Fibershed Mission and Vision

Fibershed develops regional and regenerative fiber systems on behalf of independent working producers, by expanding opportunities to implement carbon farming, forming catalytic foundations to rebuild regional manufacturing, and through connecting end-users to farms and ranches through public education.

We envision the emergence of an international system of regional textile communities that enliven connection and ownership of ‘soil-to-soil’ textile processes. These diverse textile cultures are designed to build soil carbon stocks on the working landscapes on which they depend, while directly enhancing the strength of regional economies. Both fiber and food systems now face a drastically changing climate, and must utilize the best of time-honored knowledge and available science for their long-term ability to thrive.

As each Fibershed community manages their resources to create permanent and lasting systems of production, these efforts to take full responsibility for a garment’s lifecycle will diminish pressure on highly polluted and ecologically undermined areas of the world. (China produces 52% of the world’s textiles. The industry is the third largest fresh water polluter in the country.) Future Fibershed communities will rely upon renewable energy powered mills that will exist in close proximity to where the fibers are grown. Through strategic grazing, conservation tillage, and a host of scientifically vetted soil carbon enhancing practices, our supply chains will create ‘climate beneficial’ clothing that will become the new standard in a world looking to rapidly mitigate the effects of climate change. We see a nourishing tradition emerging that connects the wearer to the local field where the clothes were grown, building a system that can last for countless generations into the future.

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Show And Tell

Coiled Shawl Pin

Wonderful pieces were presented from Nancy Latchford workshop “Coiled Shawl Pin”.

Learn to Weave

Colorful and well crafted creations were presented by these wonderful and talented weavers who took “Learn to Weave” workshop.

The evening continued with presentations from our talented guild members

…and also reminding our members that a vast selection of books are available to borrow. For more information and browse through our titles click here: Library