Symposium Videos

Introduction — Rebecca Burgess of Fibershed
Ocean Health — Rachael Miller of The Rozalia Project

Bast Fibers and Blends: Solutions to Pollution — Mary Wutz of Seam Siren,
Mary Pettis Sarley of Twirl Yarn, Lydia Wendt of California Cloth Foundry,
Sandy Fisher of the Chico Flax Project, John Lupien of BastCore

Framework for a Just Transition: Daylighting Genetic Editing & Modification
within the fiber system — Dana Perls of Friends of the Earth
and Gopal Dayaneni of Movement Generation

Classical Plant Breeding for Cotton — Sally Fox of Vreseis

Community Updates

Tracking of Synthetic Compounds in Consumer Products —
Gabrielle Black, PhD candidate UC Davis, Agricultural & Environmental Chemistry

Enhancing & Enriching our Soil-to-Soil System — Evan Wiig and Sara Tiffany
of Community Alliance with Family Farms, Ajoy Sarkar of Fashion Institute of Technology,
Sasha Duerr of Permacouture and California College of the Arts

The High Cost of Effluent — Roger Williams, Producer of the Documentary, River Blue

Climate & Water Conscious Practice in the Supply Chain —
Carol Shu, Sustainability Team at The North Face;
Nick Wenner, the True Blue project; Stephany Wilkes, PhD

2017 Wool Symposium artwork by Hallie Rose Taylor
Artwork by Hallie Rose Taylor

Hands-on Demos

Angora Rabbits: Erin Maclean / bungalowfarm.com
Spinning: Robin Chapin Pilatti
Felting: Heidi Harris / westcountyfiberarts.com
Weaving: Leslee Fiorella / theweavingschool.com
Weaving: Ama Wertz / amawertz.com
Paleotechnics: Tamara Wilder / paleotechnics.com
Natural Dyes: Rosa Novak / rosanovak.com
Mending Circle: The Moon Oakland
Flax Processing: Sandy Fisher & the Chico Flax Project
Sheep Shearing: Matt Gilbert / Mendocino Wool Mill
Wool Classing: Stephany Wilkes / West by Midwest
Heritage Breeds: Mary Pettis-Sarley / Twirl Yarn

Marketplace Vendors

Church Building: Free and Open to the Public All Day

Bev Fleming / Ewe & Me 2 Ranch
Colleen Simon / Fiber Confections
Deb Galway & Kirk Howard / Menagerie Hill Ranch
Diane Hoschler / Double Diamond Alpacas
Heidi Iverson & Jen Kida / HIJK
Jackie Post / Sheep to Shop
Judith Ashley / Wild Rose Farm
Kim Bethel /Downhome Handspun Fibers
Leslie Adkins / Heart Felt Fiber Farm
Lynn Moody / Blue Oak Canyon Ranch
Martha Cant / Starbuck Station Wools
Mary Pettis-Sarley / Twirl Yarn
Megan Bre Camp / Summer Sequoia
Myrrhia Fine Knitwear
Peggy Agnew / Red Creek Farm
Robin Chapin Pilatti / Fleece to Garment
Sandra Guidi / Black Rock Ranch
Sandy Fisher & Team / Chico Flax Project
Sarah Keiser / Wild Oat Hollow
Vicki Arns / Alpaca Shire

Main Hall: Ticketed Access All Day; Free to Public 12:10 – 2:30 pm

 A Verb For Keeping Warm
Bonnie Chase / Warner Mountain Weavers
Carol Frechette / 2Nfrom
Carrie & John Ham / Kirabo Pastures
Hazel Flett / Bodega Pastures
Lani Estill / Lani’s Lana
Marlie deSwart / Bo-Rage Yarns & Designs
Robin Lynde / Meridian Jacobs
Sally Fox / Vreseis LTD


The arc of texture and color for our regional land base is expressed in our plant-based dyes, color grown cottons, and variegated animal fibers that are produced from a diversity of plant and animal species. Natural forms and colors are dependent upon interactive ecological processes and human engagement with these systems.

The 2017 Wool & Fine Fiber Symposium provided education to the general public about how current textile systems are impacting our health, water, carbon and genetic life and how the replication of decentralized, regional, transparent, and regeneratively produced Fibershed soil-to-skin value chains are a direct alternative to existing industrial models and the havoc these systems have imparted on our personal and global ecology.

We discussed the scale of the problems, and the scale of the solutions in a short presentation and panel discussion based format.

Our community of farmers, ranchers, artisans, and independently-owned manufacturers produce more than enough material to clothe their communities; they are simply awaiting the cultural and institutional support to do so. With a world rapidly needing to transform its relationship with natural systems, Fibershed models offer direct, immediate and tangible solutions for global water supplies, carbon cycle imbalance, retaining genetic integrity, and personal health.

This year’s Symposium provided participants both an intellectual and hands-on road map for how we can build our Fibershed together, as a community.


Fibershed Wool & Fine Fiber Symposium
November 11, 2017
from 9:30 am to 5 pm
at the Dance Palace
Point Reyes Station, CA