Posted on July 30 2019
Wool Nerd, Artisan, + Founder Jessica Switzer Green
Through an amazing group here in NorCal called FIBERSHED, we set out two years ago to shear some sheep, and in doing so came across industrial felting machine, one of a few in the USA. We took her home to The Barlow, an industrial maker and craft person space in West Sonoma county, California.
Painting with Wool at the Design Workshop
We call her LUNA the loom.
She weighs 7.5 tons and has 10,000 needles and makes the most amazing creations from natural fibers.
We are often in the wool laboratory, using local wool as our "canvas" and painting with all kinds of natural, mostly undyed wool fibers.
We love incorporating small flock and "at risk" sheep breeds on the Livestock Conservancy's HERITAGE BREED lists. The Livestock Conservancy is a non profit that hopes to keep endangered domestic animal breeds from becoming extinct. We're so in love with them and the work they do, we named our launch collection HERITAGE SHEEP. Since then we are proud sponsors and members of both Fibershed and The Livestock Conservancy.
Heritage sheep, like Heirloom seeds, are small flocks scattered throughout the USA, and we purchase wool to support a small farming, fiber economy and as a tribute to these magnificent animals and their fine fleeces.
