Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Diwan
Hi Rebecca, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
it all started with a tractor and a move across country. We moved to Minnesota the summer of 2020, wasn’t a great time to find a house, but on our last day we found a small farm that had been sitting empty, the house with only two bedrooms to fit our family of six, over grown pastures, and many fences to build. I don’t think i even went into the house just a matter of minutes, i spent the whole time outside walking the property. It was going to be a hard sell for my family, due to the lack of space in the house, I turned to my husband and said if we get this property you can get a tractor. And that was that, and the kids didn’t speak to us for a bit.
My love is fiber art, knitting, tatting, spinning, natural dyeing, weaving, crochet, I love the feel of wool in my hands, the smell, the anticipation of what will be created. So it made sense that we would get fiber animals. I researched sheep and had wool from all over the US sent to me to see if I like the texture, softness and sheen. I thought since our farm was small we could take on a breed that had few numbers and breed them to grow the sheep breed. I turned to the Livestock conservancy, and found the Teeswater Sheep. They are on the critical list. I found a breeder in South Dakota, Oregon, and Missouri to start my flock. I wanted genetic diversity and to start a breeding program. More than anything, I wanted lots and lots of wool, so the Teeswater sheep are perfect. they are a long wool sheep breed and need to be sheared twice a year. Since starting Orchard Acres Textiles, we have had about 20 Teeswater sheep born on our farm, we added cashmere goats, and two very handsome gaurdian dogs, Luna and Samson.
I have two lines of yarn, one from our sheep and cashmere goats and the other line is yarn I get sourced from US and Naturally dye each skein. I use plants to create color and make each skein a work of art.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have never farmed before or have taken care of livestock so this was all a new expeirece for me and our family. The first time one of the cashmere goats was sick, I called the vet and she gave the goat medications. I thought all would be well, and the goat would get better. But it didn’t. I was on the phone all day with the vet and breeder of what to do. By the end of the day the goat died. I was heartbroken, so I called the Vet and told them that the goat had died, and in all seriousness was like now what, I mean what do I do with it. I didn’t know if someone would come and pick it up, or did the goat need to be examined to see why it died. I think the vet laughed. What I learned from this expience is that the farm community in Minnesota is a tight knit community willing to help, our retired farmer friend came and took the goat away and buried him.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I carry on the fiber arts, the traditions, of the women that came before me. My art is a combination of the physical labor of farming, the handiwork of knitting and weaving, and the natural dye is an expression of the world around me. My canvas is the wool and wool of my sheep. The color is from my plants on my farm and some of the plant dyes from more exotic places. I build each skein with the many colors of nature, to create a unique depth and natural beauty in each of my projects. From marigold and madder I craft an orange that can make you smell fall leaves, from black walnut and indigo I craft smokey hues of sky blues to earth browns, and from onion skins the most vibrant yellow I’ve ever seen.
The wonder of fiber…that first glimpse of what can be, the feel, the smell, the joy in your art.
The connectedness I feel from continuing these techniques, the closeness I feel to my own ancestors, the connection to land and to the community of knitters, dyers, weavers, continues to drive me every time I start a new project.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t know about luck. I do know that going into this I thought I had to start with everything in place, from The farm, fencing, website, yarn stocked up to sell, fiber from my animals, a logo, it was so overwhelming. I realize that each step will build on the next, each interaction can lead to a friend, mentor, or open a door that I didn’t know existed. Starting the farm lead me to making friends all over the state, which lead me to becoming involved in the art community, and locally has led me to working with the Rochester Farmers Market. In starting a business its not about having it all together, its about the openness you have in where the path will lead. Taking that first leap is overwhelming and scary, but it will lead you to places you thought you would never go. The adventure is thrilling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.orchardacrestextiles.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orchardacrestextiles/#
