Fiber and Folk: A Weekend Craft Retreat

Gather with fellow fiber enthusiasts for a weekend of crafting, learning, and socializing in a beautiful wooded landscape next to the Deep River in Franklinville, NC. This two-day event, offered in collaboration with Deep River Folk School, includes:

• workshops: two half-day workshops or one full-day workshop (see below for options)
• group crafting time
• a selection of local fibers and yarns to sample
• shared meals (Sat. lunch and dinner; Sun. lunch)
• a tour of sites of the in-development North Carolina Textile Museum
• optional overnight camping
• free time for exploring/doing your own thing

Deep River Folk School is a nonprofit organization that offers practical learning experiences to help you embrace a simpler, more self-sufficient lifestyle while fostering meaningful connections with others. We invite you to join us in this spirit of building community, sharing knowledge, and celebrating the rich human and natural resources that create our region’s unique fiber and textile culture.

5PM-7PM: Camper check-in

7:30AM - 8:30AM: Camper check-in

9AM - 11:45AM: Morning Workshops

1. Raising Sheep and Goats
2. Working with Natural Dyes from the NC Piedmont

12PM - 1PM: Group Lunch

1PM - 3:45PM: Afternoon Workshop

1. Simple Weaving Using a Variety of Materials
2. Wild Medicinal & Edible Plant Walk

All Day Workshop (Takes place during both morning and afternoon workshop sessions)

1. Beginning & Intermediate Fiber Spinning
   

4PM Onward: Communal Crafting + Free Time

6PM - 7PM: Group Dinner

SATURDAY 11PM - SUNDAY 7AM: Quiet hours

7AM - 10:30AM : Breakfast on your own; Communal Crafting + Free Time

11:30AM - 12:30PM - Group lunch

1PM - Walking tour of the future North Carolina Textile Museum in Franklinville

3PM - Camper pack-out

Rustic camping is available for Friday night and Saturday night for an additional $15 per night. There is plenty of space for tent camping and some limited space for car camping and small camping trailers. Small trailer camping sites need to be reserved in advance, and may not have access to power or water/sewer hookups. Campsites are first come, first serve.

Water and port-o-potties will be available. There will also be access to electricity for charging phones or other items.

Hotel lodging is also available in nearby Asheboro, about 15 minutes away, and Greensboro, about 35 minutes away.

The Fiber Weekend takes place at Deep River Folk School in Franklinville, in the center of North Carolina on the Deep River about 27 miles directly south of Greensboro, 65 miles west of Raleigh, and 85 miles northeast of Charlotte. It is in close proximity to a significant portion of North Carolina and points beyond.

About the Deep River (): The Deep River corridor is significant for its place in both the region's natural and human history. It is home to numerous animal species including rare fish (the Atlantic pigtoe mussel and the Cape Fear Shiner), muskrat, river otter, coyote and bobcat, as well as heron, bald eagles and osprey. The river was important to the development of settlements for the Eno, Occaneechi, Shakori, Saura, and Sissipahaw tribes prior to European colonization. And then it became a resource for European settlers, providing the basis for industries such as coal mining in the state's largest coal field and then iron production, both in Lee County, and power for textile mills.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Deep River Folk School, 282 Rising Sun Way, Franklinville, United States