Friday November 21 - Sunday November 23
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Instructor: Simone LeBlanc
Materials Fee: $130 (paid directly to the Instructor)
Students: 12
Spend three days exploring how to process and spin plant fibres in this special offering with Simone LeBlanc.
Day One: Spinning Bast Fibre
Discover the ancient craft of transforming plant fibres into beautiful, functional yarn in this hands-on workshop. Learn the basics of preparing and spinning bast fibres—such as flax, nettle, and hemp—using traditional techniques. We will practice dry and wet spinning on drop spindles and wheels, and learn to assemble and use a simple distaff. Gain insight on the unique properties of bast fibres and leave with skills from spinning to scouring to create your own plant-based yarn.
Day Two: Nettles & Other Foraged Fibres
Learn the techniques to process stinging nettle and other foraged fibre into spinable fibre. In this workshop you will be introduced to the skills needed to process locally sourced bast fibres foraged from nature. Together we will discuss foraging and practice the steps in processing stinging nettle, dogbane, milkweed & fireweed and turning it into usable fibre for spinning or other fibre craft.
Day Three: Flax to Linen
Learn to transform flax plants into beautiful linen with this Flax to Linen workshop. Through a combination of lectures, demonstrations and hands-on activities, each participant will have the opportunity to learn about each step in this ancient process from sowing flax seeds to extracting and spinning the fibre to weaving and sewing linen garments.
Participants are asked to bring: a butter knife, and a broom handle or tree branch. All other materials will be provided.
This workshop is part of the Sustainable Textiles Series we are developing for 2025-2026 with support from the Ontario Arts Council.
Friday November 21 - Sunday November 23
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Instructor: Simone LeBlanc
Materials Fee: $130 (paid directly to the Instructor)
Students: 12
Spend three days exploring how to process and spin plant fibres in this special offering with Simone LeBlanc.
Day One: Spinning Bast Fibre
Discover the ancient craft of transforming plant fibres into beautiful, functional yarn in this hands-on workshop. Learn the basics of preparing and spinning bast fibres—such as flax, nettle, and hemp—using traditional techniques. We will practice dry and wet spinning on drop spindles and wheels, and learn to assemble and use a simple distaff. Gain insight on the unique properties of bast fibres and leave with skills from spinning to scouring to create your own plant-based yarn.
Day Two: Nettles & Other Foraged Fibres
Learn the techniques to process stinging nettle and other foraged fibre into spinable fibre. In this workshop you will be introduced to the skills needed to process locally sourced bast fibres foraged from nature. Together we will discuss foraging and practice the steps in processing stinging nettle, dogbane, milkweed & fireweed and turning it into usable fibre for spinning or other fibre craft.
Day Three: Flax to Linen
Learn to transform flax plants into beautiful linen with this Flax to Linen workshop. Through a combination of lectures, demonstrations and hands-on activities, each participant will have the opportunity to learn about each step in this ancient process from sowing flax seeds to extracting and spinning the fibre to weaving and sewing linen garments.
Participants are asked to bring: a butter knife, and a broom handle or tree branch. All other materials will be provided.
This workshop is part of the Sustainable Textiles Series we are developing for 2025-2026 with support from the Ontario Arts Council.
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