EartHand Gleaners Society uses a community-engaged model for creating environmental art projects with opportunities for research, skill development and skill sharing. Our projects foster multicultural, interdisciplinary collaboration among community members and professionals in the fields of education, sciences and the arts.
We model how to “Be a Producer without first being a Consumer”: to be outdoors working with others, hands in the soil; and being aware of, and depending on, interconnected relationships with the land, other people, and plants. By working with the plants around us using ancestral skills that link all cultures, we inspire participants to discover cultural connections, learn new skills, and see raw materials for creative practices in the world around them, including up-purposed seasonal greenwaste, invasive plants, and textile waste.
We aim to strengthen intercultural connections and relationships to place, and find meaningful ways to acknowledge our Host Nations. Respectful collaboration is the core of our practice
Upcoming programs are a part of our workshops offered for EartHand Gleaners Society members. Membership is free for Indigenous community members and otherwise starts at just $15 for the year and includes all kinds of other maker opportunities.
The mid-range offered covers the program and material fees with a small stipend to EartHand Gleaners for our annual operating costs.
The low range offered covers instructor and material costs but does not support operating costs.
The high range offered covers all program and material fees, a stipend towards our operating costs and additional assistance that helps offset loss of funds through low range ticket purchases.
We encourage you to choose which level of ticket you can afford.
We continue to be a volunteer led, artist-run organization, and we pay instructors a course fee that honours their knowledge and time.
2026 Membership Drop In Times
At our Trillium Learning Gardens and Outdoor Studio: Corner of Malkin and Thornton St
Saturdays: 11am-2pm
April 11, May 9, June 13, July 11, Aug 8,
Sundays: 2-5pm
April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26, August 30,
Fridays: 4-7pm
April 17, May 1, 22, June 5, 19, July 3, 17, 31, Aug 14, 21
August dates tbc in summer and September dates to be announced
Spring and Summer Membership Programs
Dye Garden Grow-Along
This program is designed for cooperative, hands-on learning throughout the growing season. In addition to monthly, focused group sessions, participants are invited to learn from the land itself by tending the dye gardens during the weekly stewardship sessions at EartHand’s two learning gardens.
Focused Garden Teaching Sessions:
Sunday, March 15 (Trillium)1-4: compost build day & garden intro
Tuesdays, April 14 6-8pm, June 2 6:30-8:30, and August tbd at Trillium, [time]
Wednesdays, May 6 6-8pm, July tbd, September tbd at MOP, [time]
Sunday Studio Sessions:
June 7 and Sept 27, 11am-4pm
Instructors: Carla Frenkel and Rita Kompst
Sliding Scale: $285, $250, $215
Come grow and experiment together!
The season begins with creating compost piles, starting seeds and planning our dye garden. Partaking in stewardship evenings at the Trillium and Means of Production (MOP) dye gardens, participants will dive into land-based learning. We will grow both EartHand Gleaners favourites (i.e.. coreopsis, marigold, indigo) and become familiar with some new plant friends (ie. safflower, alkanet, amaranth). The cost of the program reflects sweat equity in garden tending. Through the dye day sessions, we will create personal library samples that will include Gotland X Barnston Island fleece locks, and yarn samples from both Briggs and Little and Cascade for noting differences in dye responsiveness (and contribute to the EartHand Gleaners library). We will also experiment with dye uptake on various plant fibres. Participants are invited to bring a mordanted item to dye for each dye day (could be fleece, yarn, or fabric). In addition to the dates listed above, participants are asked to join a stewardship night either at Trillium or MOP once a month (April- September, 5 total). Participants are welcome to grow along in their own gardens; we will swap and save seeds.
To register for this program please add your name to the members program form sent to all members
Flax to Linen Grow-Along
6 Sundays- time 10am-2pm
March 22, May 3, May 31, June 21, July 26, August 23
Instructor: Heather Dodge
Sliding scale:
$545, $ 515, $480
Six monthly sessions will take the 2026 Flax Cohort from planting flax seeds to spinning linen thread. Using 2025 heirloom flax grown at Kwantlen University as “learning flax”, participants will practice growing, tending, harvesting, retting, breaking, hackling, and spinning. This is an excellent opportunity to move through the seasons with our flax plants at Trillium, and gain familiarity with the full steps of processing straw to linen thread for weaving or knitting. Some experience in spinning is an asset but not a prerequisite; those new to spinning will have a steeper learning curve for spinning flax line. Anyone wishing to plant their own crops will be directed to local flax seed resources.
To register for this program please add your name to the members program form sent to all members
Melon Basket Frames
April 18 10.30am-4.30 pm
Instructors: CZarina Lobo & Sharon Kallis
Sliding scale: $180, $155, $130
A follow up program to the popular Seasonal Gleaners Basket program in 2025, this year we are providing a one day chance to get your willow frames built and learn how to add ribs… we are setting folx up for summer weaving independence!
CZarina and Sharon will take the group through all the first steps to a melon basket frame ready for summer weaving as the garden season unfolds. Participants are encouraged to bring their basket in progress back to Members Drop-in sessions for continued weaving and to participate in summer stewardship events for impromptu access to the seasonal garden abundance.
Expect a full day for weaving, bring a lunch, snacks and dress for the weather. All tools provided, but bring your favorite awl and knife if you have them.
To register for this program please add your name to the members program form sent to all members
Lichen Dyes
April 26 1-4pm, September 13 1-4pm
Instructor: Rita Kompst
$195, $165, $135
Let’s do a deep dive into lichen dying! Lichens must be foraged ethically and sustainably from fallen branches/trees. Join us as we explore the boiling water method and the fermentation method of dyeing with lichens. This will be a multi-part class where each participant will have a turn taking care of the lichen jars. We will get the fermentation going in the first class and then dye in the second class later in the year. Option to join our pouch weaving class later in the year.
Participants in both programs will have additional personal lichen dyed sample wool skeins for continued personal weaving.
To register for this program please add your name to the members program form sent to all members
Hat Weavers Long Weekend Retreat
May 15 (evening), 16 &17 (daytime)
Friday night 6.30-8.30pm
Sat and Sun 10.30am-4.30 pm
Sliding scale $315, 280, $240
Instructor: Sharon Kallis
Spend the May long weekend weaving some shade for the hot weekends ahead.
This weekend is best suited to those with basic twining and cordage skills; beginners are welcome but may find they need to finish their hats at future membership sessions.
Using rolled bath towels for hatforms, we will weave flat oval form tops, build up the side walls of hats and continue through to simple brims of 2 to 3 inches for a ‘wide fedora’ type hat. Final shaping defines your brim curves and shape to complete your hat.
Materials to be used include cattail, daylily, phormium tenax, willow bark and other delights from the garden.
The Friday potluck and introduction allows us to meet each other, settle in to our work space, share a meal while orienting to the weekend plan and becoming familiar with our materials.
Participants bring their own towel, and personal lunches for Saturday and Sunday.
To register for this program please add your name to the members program form sent to all members
Garden to Garment: Barnston Island Wool Felted Vests
5 Saturdays 10am to 4pm
May 23, June 27, July 25, Aug 29, Sept 26
Instructor:Amy Walker
$725, $670, $615
Includes the gorgeous blue/grey Gotland-cross fleeces of Magpie and Twyla, and other ‘Barnston locks’ naturally dyed in previous EartHand Gleaners programs.
Over five sessions, participants will design and make their own hand-felted vest from locally-sourced Barnston Island wool.
In the first session we’ll review design options (one-piece, multi-piece) and make samples of wet-felted wool.
In subsequent sessions, participants bring their completed designs/patterns & we start wet felting the pattern pieces that will make up their vest.
Optional – dye bath for those who want to dye fibres – or a selection of already-dyed fibres that can be added.
TIme includes stitching the pieces together, adding pockets, surface decoration with needle felting.
Using 2 mid-grey fleeces and beautiful dyed locks from previous garden dye sessions
Each participant will have about 500 g of cleaned wool fibre for their vest.
Final session includes continued stitching and final details and a photo shoot of everyone’s vests.
To register for this program please add your name to the members program form sent to all members
Nettles- 50 stalk project
4 Saturdays 10.30am-4.30pm
May 30, June 20, July 18, August 15
$450, $425, $400
Instructor: Sharon Kallis
Early in her research into working with nettles, Sharon discovered that the fifty stalks of nettles she usually harvested and processed in a work session matched the amount noted by Franz Boas harvested and processed in a session by members of the Kwakiutl nation. Although various methods are possible for how to process and strip fibres, the commonality of gathering and processing 50 has inspired the notion of this project. The first session will focus on striping fibres- everyone assisting to make bundles of raw fibres and discussing individual existing skills and techniques we already carry that we might bring to the making of our 50 nettle object. Iron and tannin dye pots on our third session will give some colour variation for highlighting braid and weave patterns as the group begins the journey of exploring methods of tablet weaving and braiding to reveal what 50 stalks of nettle can become.
Expect to spend some time processing stalks and making cordage or spinning over the summer to reach a point of satisfaction for braiding and weaving by program end.
To register for this program please add your name to the members program form sent to all members
Spring Greens: Dyed Fleece Share
Saturday June 6 11am-4pm
Instructor: CZarina Lobo
Sliding scale of $160, $135, $110
Includes a share of Pease Blossom and Rosemary’s fleece for dying.
A focus on spring greens, especially tansy pre-flower, offering a lovely range from soft cool yellows through to vibrant greens. Iron modifiers and dying portions of both a white and a grey fleece will give a full range of green heathered tones.
Washing and mordanting fleeces and some harvesting for the dye session will be attended to during member socials leaving the studio day for focusing on the plant processing, dye pots and post dye modifications.
Two Barnston Island fleeces that are a gotland/romneyX or gotland/BFL that will blend together well in a finished project will be split between the three single dye sessions we are offering. Based on raw wool weight, we anticipate approximately 100 gms of dyed wool going home each day with each participant.
Participants are strongly encouraged to attend either stewardship sessions or the Friday socials in the few weeks leading up to the studio day.
To register for this program please add your name to the members program form sent to all members
Plant Fibre Introductions
Monday nights 6-8.30pm
June 8 dogbane and milkweed
Sliding scale: $55, $75, $95
July 6 nettle
Sliding scale: $55, $75, $95
July 27 fireweed
Sliding scale: $55, $75, $95
Instructor: Sharon Kallis
For beginners and beyond: each session highlights a different plant growing in the gardens with beautiful fibre to offer the patient human ready to step into relationship with wild fibre plants. These sessions take place in our outdoor studio under cover as required. Each session includes visiting the plant in the gardens and discussing the seasonal calendar for the particular plant and hands on time processing stalks saved from the previous year. Participants can expect to build up a small personal stash of fibres for future use; some fibres will be donated to the garden dye program for building out the Fibre and Dye library.
To register for these programs please add your name to the members program form sent to all members
Willow Bark Basketry Weekend
Saturday & Sunday, July 4 & 5 10am-4pm
Sliding scale $280, $250, $220
Instructor: Sandra Vander Schaaf
This weekend program is a wonderful opportunity to spend time working with the beautiful willow bark coming from the urban learning gardens under EartHand’s care. Hosted at the end of the spring bark harvesting window, participants will be able to strip some bark from our local willow, and explore basketry techniques from plain weaving, twining and more, with simple brim finishing. Expect other locally bountiful plant fibres to make some guest appearances too! Participants can expect to leave with a small completed basket (or two).
Please note this workshop is outdoors and undercover as required. Please be prepared to dress for the weather, bring a cup for tea and your personal lunch and snacks.
Members are encouraged to attend the Friday night socials in the weeks leading up to the workshop for assisting in bark stripping, and the stewardship nights for branch harvesting.
Material gathering and processing dates: Tuesday April 15, 22
To register for this program please add your name to the members program form sent to all members
A Sneak Peak at workshops from July to October – for your calendar and budget planning-
more information to follow and registration opening in April!
Upcycled linens: Botanical dyed fabric for quilts and future projects
Sat/Sun July 11 and 12Instructor CZarina Lobo
Summer Sun Dye Jars: Dyed Fleece Share
Sunday July 26 11am-4pmInstructor: Carla Frenkel
Sliding scale of $160, $135, $110
Includes a share of Pease Blossom and Rosemary’s fleece for dying.
Autumn Botanical Prints
Sunday September 12 11-4pmInstructor: CZarina Lobo
Sliding scale $160, $130, $100
This popular autumn dye session will focus on printing on post consumer linen and cotton using tannin and alum as a mordant for bright and bold colours and prints that celebrate autumnal abundance such as coreopsis, marigolds, fallen leaves and other seasonal offerings.
Lichen Dyed Woven Pockets
Saturday& Sunday, September 19/20 10am-4pm Instructor: Rita Kompst
Sliding scale without lichen program $300, 260, $220
Sliding scale if taking lichen program: $275, $235, $180
Autumnal Reds: Dyed Fleece Share
Sunday, October 3rd 11am-4pm Instructors: Sharon Kallis & Rita Kompst
Sliding scale of $160, $135, $110
Includes a share of Pease Blossom and Rosemary’s fleece for dying
Piloting Co-Learning PODS:
We are exploring ways to bridge the space between learning more formally in our workshops and the impromptu sharing that happens over drop in sessions. The creation of these focused co-learning pods is intended to be a low barrier cost option with a nominal fee to a member of the EartHand community as the group facilitator.
Expect supportive co-working circles for continued motivation, community accountability to get a project through to completion and occasional technical support.
This is not a beginners course, but a place for folx with some experience in the area already ‘in’ a project looking for a focused supportive group to stay on track towards project completion with those UFO’s, or wishing to further hone one’s skill within a community of fellow makers.
Co-Learning Pods will have a Slack conversation space to stay connected between gathering times.
sliding scale $90, $60, $30 for the season,
group sizes have been set with a maximum in the range from 8-15 for this pilot year
Co-Learning Pods confirmed so far include:
Basketry- hosted by Samantha Banks
Pigment Gleaners- hosted by Phin
Stitching projects- hosted by Zane
More information coming soon, registration for Co-Learning Pods and other workshops begins in April.
We are set for Spring and Summer, stay tuned for more events this fall!
Trillium: Stewardship Spring Fling
Saturday, April 4th 1 – 4 pm
Join us for stewardship orientation, garden planning, fence weaving and studio time!
If you have never gardened with us at Trillium, this is a great day to learn about the gardens and meet some of the plants growing and the people tending. Join us in making hoops for tension trays, to be used as drying racks. Get your ticket here
Means Of Production: Stewardship Spring Fling
Sunday, April 19th 1 – 4 pm
Join us for stewardship orientation, garden planning, fence weaving and studio time! Harvest, grade and split ash and hazel, to aid in the making of our tension tray drying racks project. Get your ticket here
Wooly Weekend & Urban Fleece Sale
May 2 & 3
Saturday 1-4pm, Sunday 11am-4pm
Join EartHand Gleaners Society for a weekend of all things wool and beyond: sharing skills and supporting our local fibre farm friends, the Russells on Barnston Island.
The Barnston flock is a beautiful small flock of sheep raised especially for their fibre.
Fleeces are Gotland, or Gotland crossed with BFL, Romney, CVM, Charollais, or some combination of the above. Expect to find unique fleeces to spin for weaving, knitting or felting and dying. Many white fleeces and coloured fleeces, especially the blue tone grey fleeces for which Gotlands are famous.
Expect two fun days with other local fibre people. Bring a cup for tea, your knitting, spinning- and especially any Barnston flock items you want to show others!
Bring Cash for fleece; prices range approx. from $12-$ 30 a pound depending on the quality and breed for raw, unwashed wool. Full fleeces are between 4 to 7 pounds.
Saturday May 2: 1pm-4pm
A unique chance to purchase wool directly from the farmers in the heart of the city!
Susan and John Russell from Barnston Island will be present with bags of raw wool unwashed, and limited amounts of washed wool in smaller amounts.
1-1.30pm- auction!
Select fleeces from the farm to be auctioned off by Susan as auctioneer: come to bid, come for the spectacle! Expect minimum bids on these premium fleece in the range of $25/pound
1.30- 3.30 Fleece pop up shop– a selection of washed and unwashed fleece, washed fleece in small bags of 50-100 gms
2.30- 4pm- Spinners & Mender’s Circle and Textile Show & Swap
A facilitated show and swap, part crafter’s circle with space for oohhs and ahhs and trades .
Do you have yarn or unspun roving or fleece you would like to de-stash, while maybe taking home something that ignites some fresh excitement? Maybe you have left over spun yarn from a project and would like that yarn to find a new maker. Bring your yarns, notions, and unspun fibre as barter currency as well as any beloved but not needed sweaters or hand made garments you would like to find a new custodian.
Expect free demonstrations and workshop introductions, spinning and just generally fun community-oriented, fibre-friendly good times. The weekend will include fleece washing demonstrations, spinning demos and displays of finished garments made with Barnston Island fleece. – more details to follow!
Fireweed Celebration
Monday, July 20: 6 – 8.30 pm
This evening celebration is in honour of the many gifts of fireweed. We will harvest stalks, drink fireweed tea, and (if we have our timing right) collect the ever-delightful fireweed fluff. As this event runs over the dinner hour, we invite participants to bring a simple sharing dish or offering towards a potluck meal.
I can still remember all the EartHand programs I missed: Fish Leather, Blue Nettle, Soil to Skin… some of them come and go, never to return. So when my schedule finally opened up this year I decided to take (almost) all the programs in one go. It would be a season of skills.
It starts with flint knapping, something I did not even know existed (I am a city person!), but before I could blossom into a rock hound and travel south to the obsidian fields the Bark basket workshop began. This 2-day class set the tone for everything to follow.
In EartHand programs you are not given a shiny bundle of reed or cone of yarn to use. A spread of often wet plant matter (or dry plant matter that you then soak in water) is presented and the learning goes from there. This is the difference from other fibre-based programs. In EartHand programs you learn to responsibly harvest and process the natural materials and from there you are capable of doing everything yourself. What liberation from a craft economy that requires you to buy supplies! What joy!
Back to the bark basket workshop. You learn to make cordage and you learn to twine. You get to try over a dozen different plants for weaving, many you didn’t know could even be used this way! You twine some more but it is the wrong way and the basket comes out crooked. There’s no time to sulk though, next weekend you are processing flax and processing wild fibres: nettle, milkweed, dogbane. The magic of processing plant stalk into pliable fibre is mind-blowing, dizzingly special. Highly recommended to all those who think there is no more magic to be experienced in this world.
Summer brings another 2-day workshop: willow market basket weaving. Using the actual willow shoots is so different from the bark and soft fibres of the other classes. I wasn’t sure if this was for me. But once the base is done you start to weave. It feels familiar. Hey this is like the twining in the bark basket class. Hey you twine and you are better at it now, the familiar motion. You twine and think about how all these skills are the same and you just build upon them. You think about how everything is connected and that this action of twining was done by humans thousands of years ago everywhere on Earth and how we are all connected by the action of creating and our relationship with and inter-dependence on our plant kin.
Another bonus of taking all the classes is watching the garden and our plant kin through the season. The ground goes from bumpy flat to plants that are taller than us. Fireweed blooms, blackberry tips trails, stinging nettle stings as you try to work around it… Is the woad setting seed already? Plants stunt in the drought and others decide to somehow thrive anyway. Seeing the plants we use through the seasons is such an essential part of learning these craft skills. The EartHand programs uniquely offer this through growing plant materials for classes and sharing with membership holders.
By this time you have developed your fibre eye and see usable material everywhere. You spend too much time collecting morning glory, blackberry, corn husks and other things available in abundance. When you take you say a prayer of thanks and leave any seeds and plant matter you will not use behind (or your own variation of this important ritual).
By fall you are too overwhelmed by the possibilities of our natural world and art-making and the meaning of it all that it is nice to sit back in dye class and watch the magic of dying occur through the application of heat and time. The botanical print class using fall leaves and flowers was an exciting reminder of how many of our everyday sights produce infinite combinations of prints and colour. Also highly recommended to all those who are feeling bored with life and think they’ve seen it all.
Fall rains arrive. Plants have been harvested and are drying to be used for next year’s programs. You organize your own fibre stash to use for this winter and beyond and marvel at your incredible luck to live in such a world. With a keen eye and tender heart you will do it all again next season.
Wintertime is Zoom-Crafting time for much of EartHand… a great time for our members who live beyond an easy travel distance to our learning gardens.
Membership is required to participate in these programs- either a 2025 membership, or get your 2026 membership here- sliding scale from free to $100.
Programs are listed by the day of the week to help you plan by your availability, and run from Sundays to Wednesdays. Scroll through to not miss programs happening soon! Often Zeffy will provide more information on the ticket so click on the link to zeffy for both more information and to register.
Programs are being offered for free, with donations made through program registration going primarily to our volunteer community hosts. Thank you for supporting our programs and being a part of the EartHand community!
Hosted by Sharon Kallis, open work time with a focus on hand stitching garments- from scratch or for repair and remaking.
This program is free for EartHand members, but donations are gratefully received with 90% going to the volunteering community host and 10% towards EartHand administrative costs.
As a reference, in our past online paid programs we have charged a sliding scale of $10-$25 per session to pay fair value to program facilitators.
Max 10
In Person Maker-Time & Conversation Circles
At the eco-pavilion in Strathcona community garden
A combination of both unstructured co-working time, and focused conversations about how we are shaping the EartHand community. Time to gather around a cozy woodstove fire, bring lunch and water.
December 7– Conversation Circle- reflections on membership. What’s next? What roles need defining? And general maker time in each others company.
January 4 – Get in the spirit of the approaching St Distaff day. Let’s gather to spin and cordage make. Bring your own materials and tools.
January 18- A general maker time for conversations about 2026 in person programs.
February 1 – A continuation of conversations about 2026 in person programs and other ideas that have come up during general maker time.
Join Zane Markley Mondays for mending time and conversation. A great chance to keep that mending pile from getting overwhelming, and get inspiration and ideas for those mends that keep your gear in rotation.
This program is free for EartHand members, but donations are gratefully received with 90% going to the volunteering community host and 10% towards EartHand administrative costs.
As a reference, in our past online paid programs we have charged a sliding scale of $10-$25 per session to pay fair value to program facilitators.
Cozy up with fibres for prepping or your spindles and wheels, and lets deep dive into past copies of the Spin Off magazine that are accessible digitally though the Vancouver Public Library. By screensharing articles of interest, we can delve deep into the physics of twist, ply and other interesting tidbits we find. co-led by Zane Markley and Sharon Kallis
This program is free for EartHand members, but donations are gratefully received with 90% going to the volunteering community host and 10% towards EartHand administrative costs.
As a reference, in our past online paid programs we have charged a sliding scale of $10-$25 per session to pay fair value to program facilitators.
Let’s collectively unpick the historic threads that make up the tapestry of industrialization, colonization, and the race to undervalued textiles. note- Individual tickets are for all 4 nights.
We start by setting our intentions of how we show up for each other within the circle.
Then readings from Walter Rodney’s How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, and Empire of Cotton – A Global History by Sven Beckets, launch us into conversations towards unknitting these twisted threads.
Like a visual graph for knitting fairisle- what pattern might emerge in ‘looking big-picture’ at the long, repetitive nature of dates and intersectional happenings related to land grabs, disruptive technologies and forced migrations to cities and different lands?
Following excitement from the summer braiding sessions, Carla Frenkel investigates a book on Straw Plaiting, each session looking to decode steps to different braids in the book- think of this as
a maker-focused book/technique club on zoom.
This program is free for EartHand members, but donations are gratefully received with 90% going to the volunteering community host and 10% towards EartHand administrative costs.
As a reference, in our past online paid programs we have charged a sliding scale of $10-$25 per session to pay fair value to program facilitators.
Join Sandra Vander Schaaf for handwork time while listening to podcasts featuring Indigenous voices and perspectives. A short conversation after allows reflecting on the podcast.
This program is free for EartHand members, but donations are gratefully received with 90% going to the volunteering community host and 10% towards EartHand administrative costs.
As a reference, in our past online paid programs we have charged a sliding scale of $10-$25 per session to pay fair value to program facilitators.. Max 10
Daytime weekly co-working sessions to start the new year. Time for setting intentions, project planning, finishing those UFO’s… and garden dreams! Led by Carla Frenkel
This program is free for EartHand members, but donations are gratefully received with 90% going to the volunteering community host and 10% towards EartHand administrative costs.
As a reference, in our past online paid programs we have charged a sliding scale of $10-$25 per session to pay fair value to program facilitators.
Join us in the gardens to help with the end of the growing season tasks. Working alongside the amazing EartHand stewardship crew in the autumn is a great time to familiarize yourself with the gardens, help with harvesting plants grown for fibre like nettles and milkweed, transplanting dogbane, planting red osier dogwood stakes and more. Hot tea and hearty snacks will be served!
Happening at Trillium Park /Skwachàys, corner of Malkin and Thornton Street
Join EartHand members in celebrating both the wild and domesticated fibres found around us this season – with maybe a few surprise domesticated fibre guests!
Spinners and non-spinners alike are welcome to come down and participate.
An opportunity to handle wool from Barnston island dyed with local plants, seed fluff, fireweed, nettles and more.
This is an outdoor event, under cover as required- please dress for the weather,
bring a tea cup, spinners bring your wheels, drop spindles and carders.
Non spinners, bring your hands ready for a tactile experience of fibre processing!
A free event, please get a ticket to help us plan and get in touch with any last minute event information.
Join us for a gentle celebration of all things fireweed!
We will once again gather to honour the many gifts fireweed has to offer.
Please register here, Your free ticket helps us out to know how much fireweed tea to brew, as well as allowing us to reach out and share more information about the event ahead of time.
The fireweed plant offers us so many gifts from tea to natural dye, strong and useful fibre and even a lovely soft workable fluff if we get the timing just right.
This Sunday afternoon is a chance to drink some fireweed tea, meet others amongst the fireweed patch and spend some time with busy hands learning from this plant that has so much to share!
“Like threads spun from nettle or fireweed, our lives interlace with moments of stillness and creativity. Amidst the flames of chaos in our current climate and political upheaval, these fibres become more than material—they are metaphors for resilience, weaving together skills, stories, and silent conversations with the land.
As an American living in Canada, witnessing the world swirl in ever‑deepening uncertainty, I’ve found solace and belonging in the EartHand Gleaners Society—a collective grounded in the rhythms of the Earth, the hands‑on magic of fibre, and the warmth of communal fireside-like gatherings. In this shared labour we find what truly matters: presence, purpose, and the profound gift of belonging”. Lex Battle (Board of Director since 2023)
Upcoming programs are a part of our workshops for EartHand members. Membership is free for Indigenous community members and otherwise starts at just $15 for the year and includes all kinds of other maker opportunities. Find out more and get your membership here.
Summer Yellows Wool Dye Session
Sunday July 27 11am to 4 pm
Instructor: Carla Frenkel
Sliding scale of $160, $135, $110 includes all materials
Exploring the seasonal bounty in the gardens mid-summer including weld, goldenrod, mahonia bark and other plants/funghi in season offering a multitude of yellow dyes on a white and grey fleece.
Washing and mordanting fleeces and some harvesting for the dye session will be attended to during Friday night member socials leaving the studio day for focusing on the plant processing, dye pots and post-dye modifications.
Two Barnston Island fleeces that are a gotland/romneyX or gotland/BFL X that will blend together well in a finished project will be split between the three single dye sessions we are offering. Based on raw wool weight, we anticipate approximately 100 gms of dyed wool going home each day with each participant.
Participants are strongly encouraged to attend either stewardship sessions or the Friday socials in the few weeks leading up to the studio day.
Want to Register? As soon as you register to be a member you will be emailed a google form to put your name on the classes you wish to take. Register to be a member here.
Grass, Barks and Braids Exploration
Thursday August 21 5.30-8.30pm
Intructors: Carla Frenkel and Sharon Kallis
Sliding scale: $100, $75, $50
Join Sharon and Carla for an informal play night with the local grasses and expanding our capacity of braids. Let’s talk about all things bias- the benefit and utility of braids is in the flexibility! We will explore some core skills and make some samples that could lead to future ambitious cohorts such as braided hats, bags and more. Fibres we will have available to
explore include the abundant grasses at Trillium, as well as barks, fireweed, blackberry and sedges.
Members in the Wild Fibres for Textile and Basketry program will find this a helpful chance to explore techniques they can use with their own fibre stash, but all members are welcome.
Want to Register? As soon as you register to be a member you will be emailed a google form to put your name on the classes you wish to take. Register to be a member here.
Autumn Botanical Prints
Sunday September 21 11-4pm
Intructor: CZarina Lobo
Sliding scale of $150, $125, $100
This autumn dye session will focus on printing on post consumer linen using tannin and alum as a mordant for bright and bold colours and prints that celebrate autumnal abundance such as coreopsis, marigolds, fallen leaves and other seasonal offerings.
Linen square swatches suitable for quilting, small textile projects and patching will be provided and participants are invited to bring one small cellulose fibre garment –clean and scoured, tank tops, t-shirts or light weight linen shirts ready for a quick iron mordant before bundling.
Expect strong black/dark tone botanical image transfers and generally muted prints.
Participants are encouraged to attend stewardship sessions and the Friday socials leading up to the program to help in the gathering and preparation for the session.
Want to Register? As soon as you register to be a member you will be emailed a google form to put your name on the classes you wish to take. Register to be a member here.
Mushroom Introduction and Appreciation weekend!
October 18th – meet at Trillium and carpool or at Strathcona Community garden
October 19th – at Trillium
Sliding scale $ 280, $250, $220
A local foray into looking for mushrooms in the Strathcona area, discussion around identification, ecosystems and reciprocity,
Instructors: Carla Frenkel and TBC, more information on this program to follow!
Want to Register? As soon as you register to be a member you will be emailed a google form to put your name on the classes you wish to take. Register to be a member here.
EartHand is so very excited to help the Russells, our favourite Fibre Farmers get fleece into the hands of urban crafters this year!
Join us
Sunday May 25th
12noon to 4pm
at Trillium Park
corner of Malkin and Thornton Streets.
(Cash only) sales of fleece and a fleece auction with a full afternoon of demonstrations.
We hope this is a great way for our car-free friends in the city to have access to both raw and clean fleece in various amounts – without having to head out to the larger fleece auctions outside the city.
April is the month to jump in to either garden for an orientation session to find out about what is growing in the gardens, help with seasonal tasks- including the ever popular fence weaving- and join our weekly stewardship teams that keep the gardens in good nick, while assisting to harvest the plants used in EartHand programs. After an orientation in either garden, individuals are welcome to join our Slack channel where ongoing updates and garden conversations take place.
Bring your own gloves, water bottle, cup for tea and wear closed toe shoes with a good tread, and dress for the weather- sun hats or rain hats as required! Please pre-register to assist us in planning for breaktime snacks and tea.
Any of these sessions are a perfect time to familiarize yourself with the Trillium gardens as plants are just beginning to grow. Expect a short tour of the garden areas and time to assist with seasonal tasks, including bark stripping for upcoming programs .
Starting April 23 our regular stewardship times are Tuesday nights at Trillium gardens and Wednesday nights at MOP through the growing season.
EartHand Gleaners Society 