Growing Textiles

Aim

To fund a Grow, Dye, Pattern, Weave, Make space. To teach and work with and in nature.

Who are we?

Hello I’m Jan a textile designer/maker from Cupar Fife. 

I studied textile design at the Scottish College of Textiles then I was an assistant designer in a weaving mill, taught art and design in further education and for many years was an artist in residence for the mental health team at Fife NHS. I now have a garden weave shed where I weave small batch and bespoke contemporary cloth in natural fibres

Why are we crowdfunding?

I have come to realise that I have many skills that are not taught much these days and I feel it my duty to pass these on

I am passionate about natural dying and using natural fibres to produce my woven textiles, and that other folks should reconnect with the textiles they use everyday.

 Textiles can be grown and made locally in a truly regenerative system and I not only support but am one of 4 core members setting up the Scottish affiliate to the world wide Fibreshed its a non-profit organisation that develops regional fibre systems that build ecosystem and community health. Fibreshed’s work expands opportunities to implement climate benefitting agriculture, rebuild regional manufacturing, and connect end-users to the source of our fibre through education, transforming the economic systems behind the production of material culture to mitigate climate change, improve health, and contribute to racial and economic equality

if you have got this far thank you for reading

I need a growing and teaching space and equipment this is my motivation to be part of this amazing creative Scotland funding match opportunity

How we’ll spend the money raised

my first goal is to raise £2,000 for a large polycarbonate greenhouse grow and make space as my current weave shed just isn't big enough. 

Wont it be fabulous to share a workshop pace with the plants you are using, to bend over and pick a few indigo leaves or dig up a madder root pop them in a pot with some wool yarn you've washed and spun yourself to then weave it into a length of cloth that you can make a garment to clothe yourself in. That’s my dream! To connect folks to the textiles they use everyday, to give a truly regenerative alternative to the essentially plastic fast fashion that is imported from the other side of the world all fuelled by petrochemicals, when research suggests that the best textiles to wear next to your biggest organ - the skin - are those grown in the same climate that you are living in!  not drenched in synthetic dyes and additives, not to mention the boundless climate benefits of a truly soil to soil approach, benefits to the ecosystem they are grown in and the fact that they are fully compostable with no harmful chemicals at the end of their lives.

This project successfully funded on 21st April 2023