Fabric of Life is a 501(c)3 educational organization founded by Becky Ashenden in 2014 that is dedicated to the preservation and passing on of traditional knowledge and skills that enrich our daily lives. Our organization is entering its tenth year and is supported by donations from individuals like you who value the work we are doing.

We Need Your Help to Preserve Traditional Skills

Your choice to participate in our end of year fundraiser increases the reach of our work to preserve traditional skills by hosting events dedicated to weaving, construction, agriculture, traditional music, and so much more. In the upcoming year, we are focusing on highlighting the connection between fiber arts and the land, as well as expanding our agricultural and musical programming offerings. In order to continue our programming and fulfill our mission, we rely on the generous support of our amazing community.

We welcome donations in any amount and every dollar raised goes directly toward supporting the mission of Fabric of Life.

  • Donations up to $100 help us cover our operational costs and continue doing the important work of carrying traditional skills forward.
  • Donations up to $300 increase program accessibility and allow us to maintain our sliding scale fee structure for workshops.
  • Donations up to $500 allow us to provide fair compensation to the talented individuals who work so hard to keep these traditional skills alive.
  • Donations up to $1,000 enhance our scholarship availability for our 8-week Väv Immersion weaving intensive.
  • Donations in excess of $1,000 ensure a strong future for Fabric of Life and enable us to plan for growth over the coming years.

We appreciate your support and hope you will help sustain Fabric of Life with your tax-deductible contribution before December 31st however you are most comfortable.

Fabric of Life logoWith Gratitude,

Becky Ashenden
Executive Director
Fabric of Life


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Checks can be mailed to:

Fabric of Life
c/o Joseph Blumenthal, Treasurer
39 Chapel St
Northampton MA, 01060


A Year In Review

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With the help of donors like you, we were able to make a number of engaging programs available to our community. This spring, we welcomed three incredible individuals to the Bassett Road Homestead for our sixth Väv Immersion Scandinavian weaving intensive, co-sponsored by Fabric of Life and Vävstuga Weaving School.

In September, we hosted an amazing group of music lovers for a Singing Ukulele Retreat.

In October, we hosted two Broom Making Workshops with Eva Gaultney where participants made a set of three hand brooms from broom corn, including some that was grown on-site!

On October 14th, we hosted a hugely successful Barnfest community event where we welcomed nearly 400 people to Bassett Road for a beautiful day of crafting, weaving, music, dancing, and joy! This was our largest Barnfest event to date and we were overjoyed to have so many families and local folks attending for the first time, in addition to seeing many friends from previous years. Visitors enjoyed a variety of mini-workshops and demonstrations, an amazing buffet meal featuring local ingredients, and live music and dancing late into the evening.


Join Us in 2024!

We are making plans to feature a variety of skilled craftspeople and educators in next year’s programming and will announce those dates soon. We hope to see you in the coming year!

Väv Immersion: August 26th – October 18th

Barnfest: October 5th


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