Born from an impromptu partnership between a yarn-shop owner and a mill owner, the Hudson Valley Textile Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit built around strengthening the region’s natural-fiber community. It helps local fiber businesses work together, fills supply-chain gaps through efforts such as Clean Fleece, and connects makers with education and market opportunities across the Northeast.
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
registration
Fiberhouse CollectiveFounded by artist, researcher, and educator Nica Rabinowitz, Fiberhouse Collective is a place-based textile project rooted in a working homestead in Marshall. Its Fiberhouse Farm serves as a living laboratory where land stewardship and handcraft meet, with kudzu research at the heart of its distinctive approach to cloth. The collective opens that work to learners and visiting makers through community-based textile education.MARSHALL, NC
PA Flax ProjectFounded in 2020 by a Philadelphia textile entrepreneur and a Pennsylvania farmer, PA Flax Project is a worker-owned cooperative rebuilding the regional fiber-flax supply chain from field to spinnable fiber. The cooperative works with farmers, develops plans for a Pennsylvania scutching mill, and brings flax-based materials to market while using education and community projects to reconnect the region with its flax-to-linen history. Its planned mill is intended to process 3,000–5,000 acres of flax straw annually.PHILADELPHIA, PA
Genesee Valley WoolworksIn Western New York, Genesee Valley Woolworks turns regionally sourced sheep fleece into small-batch rug yarn, weaving kits, and hardwood peg looms. The working fiber mill handles each batch in-house—from skirting and washing through carding, spinning, and finishing—on traditional Belfast equipment. By processing wool from New York farms, including some in the NY Grown & Certified program, the company supports the region’s farmers and rebuilding domestic fiber infrastructure.EAST BETHANY, NY
Blue Thistle FibersAt the confluence of West Virginia’s Gauley and New Rivers, Blue Thistle Fibers runs a small-batch fiber mill and natural dye studio that turns wool and alpaca into prepared fiber, felt, and plant-dyed yarn. Clare and Sara build the family business around Appalachian making, sourcing ethically and using dyes grown on their farm, gathered locally, or foraged from the surrounding landscape. Their Gauley Bridge mill also welcomes makers for workshops, tours, and hands-on fiber processing.HUNTINGTON, WV