Time to SAVE the Art!

The tradition of Turkish weaving is still on the brink of extinction.

For centuries, the tradition of hand weaving was passed down from mother to child, transmitting this beautiful and endlessly useful art-form from generation to generation.

This invaluable tradition was interrupted 40+ years ago when industrial-made textiles started dominating the marketplace. Looms were no longer household items and the tradition of female weavers maintaining their teaching heritage began to die out.

Jennifer has made it her mission to breathe new life into this endangered art. She is committed to establishing an environment that will nurture and empower marginalized rural women to learn the skills of weaving, spinning and dying; while cultivating the next generation of teachers. The project will be open to everyone with an emphasis placed on saving these precious artisanal skills.

UPDATE: April 21, 2024

Excited to report that soil test show we have on average increased the organic matter of the soil to 1% (2022's soil test results were 0% organic matter on all levels). May not sound like much, but it means that every 10,000 square meters will be able to hold an extra 30,000 of litres of water compared to last year.

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UPDATE: April 4, 2023

A Foundation application was submitted to the Turkish government March 2020. Due to Covid, the courts were shut down and the approval of the Foundation was delayed. We were eagerly awaiting approval; however, no news came. In the summer of 2022, when the news had still not arrived, we requested that the Turkish government locate our application. Between submission and 2022, the rules had changed and the responsibility to submit the application to the courts became our responsibility. Since August 2022, we have been searching for a lawyer that will take the submission forward, but have been unable to find one that has the required qualifications to do so.

Creating a Foundation would allow us to accommodate donations from those inspired by Jennifer's vision - a vision which embodies the values of co-operation, trust, passion and innovation to support dying artisanal skills, the local community & refugees, the local economies, underserved women in a environmentally sustainable fashion.

The original project idea was to purchase approx. 250-500 acres of land in middle Anatolia, allowing space for wooded areas, ponds and farmland. The farmland would be used to sustain the project both through the cultivation of organic foods and the production of natural materials to be used in spinning, dying and weaving. Committed to creating an environmentally sustainable corner of the world, permaculture philosophies would be applied to enrich the land and the community. Guests would be welcomed to visit and participate in all aspects of artisan and farm life.  Their part in ensuring that the project becomes self-sustaining would be momentous.

Impatient with delays, Jennifer took it upon herself to move forward with her own funds. She purchased a 5 acre piece of land in January 2022.  This was the dawn of Evrim Farms. Evrim in Turkish means evolution.

The piece of land with mainly grapes and olives was poorly managed with countless chemicals by the previous owner. Jennifer has already started the transition to fully organic land management to restore and regenerate the soil.  

We are very proud to report that, in just one short year, we produced 3 tonnes of olives without any spraying or chemicals. The olives were cold pressed early in October 2022 and the results were excellent with a .61 acid level. Bottles are now for sale in the shop and showroom.

The 5 tonnes of Sultana grapes were picked last September, sun-dried, turned to raisins, and sold to a local buyer. Over the winter, we collected 6 different varieties of grape grafts that will be grafted later this spring to add diversity and variety to the vineyard.

Already this spring, we have planted many new fruit and nut trees to increase the diversity on the land. We have also seeded a host of flowers and plants that will help to attract pollinators and keep away the pests. The ground cover between the grapes and olives has really come along and includes more than 10 different kinds of wild greens for salads and 3 kinds for cooking. Mother Earth is healing herself at a much quicker rate than expected. We're very excited about the progress made in just one short year.

The plan is to continue to purchasing neighbouring lands and expand the area to approx. 25-30 acres. At that point, Jennifer will propose her project to the government to ask for permission to build structures that will accommodate a small weaving school. It will include space for those wishing to stay on the property to support the planet, sustainability, and artisanal craftsmanship. These steps will set us on the path to creating something unique that will benefit all, while saving the art of traditional weaving.

Although, this does not compare to Jennifer's much larger and ambitious dreams, she was anxious to start steps forward and not wait for the Foundation. If you would like more information regarding this project, or how you might assist in seeing the dream come to fruition, please contact Jennifer directly at: jennifer@jennifershamam.com