Farm Fresh Textiles came about
when a hobby got a wee bit out of hand. First, there was the fabric. Rolls of it. Half yards and fat quarters curing in jars and
bins and baggies. Printing on fabric came next.
And taking photographs of odd things and flowers and bits of moss to make into interesting fabrics.
And then I made a really big mistake. I learned to weave. And discovered threads and yarn could be dyed too.
When I first learned to weave, the teacher and other students looked
at me sadly. Why? I’m allergic
to wool. And angora. And alpaca,
cashmere, and anything else that comes from an animal. They all shook their heads. You’ll get bored, they said. What
will you weave if you can’t weave those things?
Silly fellow weavers. They
forgot cotton and silk and ramie and rayon and Tencel and bamboo, and all the other lesser known plant (oh yeah, and insect)
fibers. They forgot SILK, for heaven's sake! They may not felt like the animal
fibers do, but they are just as fun and just as pretty when you put them together. The
textures and the colors will keep me interested for a good long time.
So, I dye. Over and over
again. Because I love playing with color and fabrics and fibers. And because I love the odd looks people give me when I say things like, “Gotta go home and dye.” It’s almost as good as the looks I get when I tell people I “bought the
farm”.
The name Farm Fresh is in honor of our family farm in Eastern Washington,
in a little unincorporated area called Mead on the north eastern edge of Spokane. My
family has lived and farmed there since the turn of the last century. My grandfather,
who died in 2007 just before his 94th birthday, was born there. My siblings and
I are the fourth generation to consider it home.
And who am I? I’m Cherie.
I’ve been sewing since I can remember, embroidering since age 7 or 8, and adding fiber related hobbies one on top of
another ever since. Hope you enjoy your wander around the site. And buy something.
