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artists find their muse from the products of their land ....................................................................

By Melane kinney Hoffmann

The fruits of farm labor feed us abundantly . Table crops are rapidly becoming more bountiful in Montgomery County ’ s Ag Reserve including the peaches , apples , pears , and berries we ’ ve long appreciated , plus a flourishing variety of greens , squash , peppers , tomatoes , roots , and other vegetables grown by a host of new micro farms with thriving CSAs . Commodity crops such as corn , soybeans , wheat , and barley go into the food supply for people and animals including beef cattle , dairy cows , sheep , goats , swine , and poultry . And with more than 10,000 horses in the county , local farms grow a variety of hay grasses and alfalfa to fuel the booming equine industry .

Yet the farms around us also feed the soul . The open green spaces and beautiful vistas created by farms nourish our minds and soothe our worries , and for many people , they arouse creativity and pique the imagination . As Ag Reserve residents live side by side with critters and plants they nurture , many have found inspiration from that bond . For some , that bond produces artfully created fiber and fabric .

Dancing Leaf Farm

Dalis Davidson of Dancing Leaf Farm in Barnesville began her long-time relationship with dying wool when she acquired one sheep , then another , and another . She quickly discovered that , as sheep need to be sheared at least annually , accumulating a lot of wool pushes a creative mind to explore different ways to use it . Dalis first learned the ancient craft of spinning and dying wool from Ag Reserve icon , the late Peg Coleman . Now she experiments with various dyes in her basement “ laboratory ,” working up small batches that later dry in the sun on the fence rows overlooking her sheep , as they graze in view of her kitchen window on the fenced lot next to her 100-yearold farm house . Her shop , housed in a charming cottage on her land and open to the public during the Countryside Artisans Tours , is full to the brim with dyed yarns and other fiber products . Her shelves are bursting with scrumptious colors and varied textures that conjure up images of candy , macaroon cookies , sorbet , and ice cream , but her delicacies are made from wool , as well as silks , cottons , and linens she has repurposed and dyed .

Since her early years she has sought out a community of others who spin , dye , weave , or felt wool . Dalis elaborates , “ there are so many different ways you can use wool — sort of like clay .” Dalis

8 plenty I spring sowing 2024