Candace has spent the last 8 years immersing herself in Appalachian textiles and weaving, natural dyeing, and flax processing.

The first time I sat at a loom, it was the most familiar and natural feeling. Despite not knowing exactly how to dress the loom, my body knew the rhythm of hands passing a shuttle through the shed and feet tapping on the treadles below. An audible dance between wood, fiber, and body. As a farmer and an Appalachia food systems advocate, it’s so important for me to have a craft that is centered around both my connection to place and my ancestors here within the region, but also to the land that nourishes and offers so much to us.

It wasn’t until I had spent nearly 6 months on a loom that I learned that my ancestors were not only weavers, but had grown and processed flax and cotton for cloth. This used to be a necessity (the relationship to clothing and natural fibers) so it shouldn’t have been any surprise for me to learn this about my own family. I think more than surprise was relief, to have found another connection to some of the ancestors I hardly knew.

I love feeling integrated into the process of weaving through connections to the natural fibers that are in the cloth I weave. Sometimes there’s wool from our sheep, or color from plants I grow or harvest. It feels so important to not only produce the cloth but to be in relationship to the materials that are within it.

I call my textile practice flaxfolk mostly out of a love for the plant flax, but it’s also an invitation to others to be more connected to something growing whether in soil or on hooves.

I weave in small batches, primarily on a commission basis, so please reach out if you’d like to talk about a woven piece of your own.

I also love to teach weaving and spinning if you’ve been longing to feel this connection too. It’s truly a magical experience that I love to share.