Dye Hard Yarns is packing up and moving to a new location!
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If you're familiar with our yarn boutique, you know that we feature several brands of Hand Dyed yarns, locally made gift items, and knitting and crochet classes. But the future of Dye Hard is changing.
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I've decided to expand the business model to feature a Dye Studio for local area dyers and students.
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The new home of Dye Hard Yarns will be just 10 minutes away, located right in the heart of Oak Park's Arts District, at 210 Harrison St. The new studio will accommodate the needs of local hand dyers and students interested in learning the ins and outs of the craft.
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I'm developing a community dyer space within the new DHY store. It will be open to Fiber Artists and will also enable us to offer hand-dyeing classes along with our regular knitting, crochet, spinning, and macrame classes. The store has a mix of major brands and yarns dyed by local, independent artists, as well as handmade gifts. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to offer work by even more local hand-dyers and crafters with the expansion.
I believe that this is a fantastic step forward for the Oak Park fiber artist community in general, allowing us to support and encourage the development of the existing local fiber arts community, and to help it grow. It’s wonderful to be able to help artists and independent crafters do what they love.
My vision: A Dye studio and Artists space, Indie dyed yarn store, center for fiber arts classes, and community hub promoting diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality. It will be a place to create, to build community, and to sell our yarn and art. It will be a place to grow together, and learn, and teach others. Working together to lift each other into prosperity.
I want to set down roots in the arts district. To draw consumers to the neighbourhood who might not have otherwise found the area on their own. I'm hoping to partner with other Arts district businesses so that we can collaborate on classes and community events, and share opportunities for inclusion in the annual Chicago yarn crawl.
I'm so excited, and nervous, and full of butterflies! The possibilities are endless, and I'm thrilled to be able to create this new community.
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Dye Hard Yarns is crowdfunding to help finance the cost of the new studio space and equipment. Our GoFundMe campaign includes more information as well as a descriptive video.
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Your support, if given, will fund something that's never been done before, and help bring this dream and vision for the future to fruition.
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We will have guest dyers, teachers, and designers alongside our usual knitting and crochet classes, and events. I'm reaching out to the local fiber arts community in search of Dyers and Fiber artists.