Hillcreek Fiber Studio

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2009 marks our 27th year in business. Carol Leigh's Specialties was founded in 1982 primarily as a custom weaving, spinning and natural dyeing business. As a result of increasing inquiries of "How and where can I learn to do that?", Hillcreek Fiber Studio was added in 1986 to provide workshops, tools, books, and supplies for the growing number of weavers, spinners and natural dyers. In recent years, we've combined the names into Carol Leigh's HILLCREEK FIBER STUDIO Our business is family owned and operated, founded originally by myself with continuous support and assistance from my husband, Dennis Kaiser. Denny joined us full-time in 1998, following 25 years as Manager and Comptroller of one of Mid-Missouri's largest contractor equipment & camper sales/rental agencies. His forte is in providing quality customer service. He finishes our various frame looms, ships orders, does the accounting, makes corn bread and soups for workshops, demonstrates triangle weaving at shows, and more. Son Carl Spriggs is a gifted woodworker who was instrumental in developing our patented adjustable triangle loom. He continues to build the Tri-Looms, and now our adjustable square and rectangle looms, as well as Navajo looms, sturdy inkle looms, maru dai, and many of our other spinning and weaving tools. Carl also is the official bobbin maker for the old Reeves spinning wheels no longer in production. After teaching Middle school Science, daughter Rebecca Oliger, joined us in 1999 as our Sales Manager and Merchandiser. She developed the knitting part of our business to the point we opened a separate retail knitting shop in November 2003. Since February, 2008, she & her friend Shella own & operate True Blue Fiber Friends Yarn & Fiber Network ( www.TrueBlueFiberFriends.com ), offering weaving & knitting supplies, consignment space for local artists, & instruction in many aspects of the fiber arts. Daughter Rose, A May Graduate in Photo Journalism at the University of Missouri, works with Rebecca at TBFF and teaches Continuous Strand weaving, and spinning. Phil Spriggs, Carl and Rebecca's Dad, is the computer specialist, record keeper, and publisher of our brochures, newsletters, catalogs and Website. Bev Martin ( Rose's fiance's mother ), a part-time staff member, has developed a love of Navajo weaving, natural dyeing, & recently, spinning. Our Apprentices provide immeasureable assistance in preparing for workshops and shows and in packaging products. Hillcreek Fiber Studio is located three miles south of Columbia, Missouri, in the Little Bonne Femme Creek valley, looking out on woods, pastures and a state park. We offer over 16 workshop topics throughout the year ( several twice ) in spinning, weaving ( floor loom, Navajo, continuous strand on the triangle, square and rectangle looms, kilim and pile carpet, inkle, tablet ), and natural dyeing. Bed and Breakfast at the Studio, and airport shuttle service from St. Louis and Kansas City to our front door, are available for workshop participants. This past fall, we again hosted Sarah Natani for an Advanced Navajo Weaving Workshop her eleventh year here. Thanks to you, our loyal customers and friends, Carol Leigh's Hillcreek Fiber Studio has continued to grow, adding to the variety of looms using the continuous strand weaving method, and more variety in products & workshops for you. Our goal is to provide reliable, friendly service with natural, quality products at reasonable prices. We're small enough to provide you with the personal attention and assistance you deserve, yet large enough to offer one of the largest selections of yarns, natural dyes, weaving and spinning tools, equipment, and fiber-related books in the Midwest. Welcome to our latest product catalog.