April 2026

Chesapeake Fibershed

The Artist:

Lisa Check is founder and owner of Flying Goat Farm. A spinner, weaver, knitter, and artisan dyer, she loves her sheep, angora goats, and all their fine fiber. Lisa designs her farm yarn to be delightful to the eye and to the hand. She is committed to slow fashion and fibershed values. Lisa is a certified ASI Level II Wool Classer. She teaches spinning, weaving, and dyeing on her Maryland solar powered and sustainably tended farm. 

Kerstin Zurbrigg is an artist with an ongoing interest in the exploration of our personal and historic connections to place. Kerstin has lived in the DC area for 17 years homeschooling her three children, teaching and exploring immersive and integrated fiber arts. She enjoys spinning farm yarns and celebrates her ever evolving relationships to the natural world through gardening and through the exploration of the colors and healing qualities of plants in botanical dyeing. Kerstin studied ecology/marine biology and painting at Hampshire College, painting and sculpture at the New York Studio School and received her Master of Arts at Goldsmith’s College, University of London. Kerstin received her Waldorf handwork training from the Fiber Crafts Studio in NY. Before landing in the DC area, Kerstin taught at the American University in Cairo, and showed her work in London, Cairo, Cuba and NYC. 

Guild Meeting/Program:
Harvesting Local Hues: Unveiling the Chesapeake Fibershed’s Journey in Revitalizing Our Textile Heritage

In an effort to explore the rich palette of our region, Lisa and Kerstin launched a local dye project focused on discovering which dye plants can be foraged or cultivated in the Chesapeake area. Each month, they selected a different plant to study, approaching the work with a scientific mindset—testing variables and producing 15–20 dye samples per plant.

These beautifully documented results were compiled into a local dyebook that highlights the colors, processes, and potential of regional dyes.

In this presentation, Lisa and Kerstin will share their journey, the plants they’ve explored so far, and the vibrant, hand-crafted books that showcase their findings.

Date/Time: April 11, 2026 10:30 AM (following Guild meeting)

Location: St. James Episcopal Church, 11815 Seven Locks Rd, Potomac, MD 20854