All roads lead to home
Notes from the Shearing Shed
ENTRY NO. 002
There comes a point every summer when the motorcycles/worktrucks are parked, the ropes are hung back on their hooks, and another alpaca shearing season comes to an end.
For months our lives are measured in miles and animals shorn. We hope for good weather, and deal with bad, we move from ranch to ranch, and watch the country change through a windshield and a motorcycle helmet. Every morning starts with coffee (or Yerba Mate), sharp blades, and another group of alpacas waiting for us to remove their winter coat.
Then one day, we finally get back home.
The shed door opens.
The bikes are unloaded.
The handpieces are cleaned and put back on the shelf.
The rhythm changes.
The quiet side
People often ask how a JacShirt begins.
Most expect me to talk about fabric or sewing.
The truth is, it starts long before any of that.
It starts with understanding fiber.
After more than twenty years working with natural fibers, I've learned that every decision matters. How the fiber is collected. How it's sorted. How it's handled before it ever reaches a mill.
Good textiles don't begin in the mill.
They begin with respect for the fiber itself.
Now that we're home, we're beginning sample scouring at our shed in Montana.
There's something satisfying about watching that first transformation.
The dust, bits of prairie grass, and everything the fiber picked up through another winter slowly wash away, revealing the incredibly soft undercoat beneath.
Every time I see it happen, I'm reminded why we started this project in the first place.
There is something extraordinary hiding in plain sight.
Details
We've also been working on details that most people will probably never notice.
Recently we decided to change the snaps on the Brackett Creek JacShirt.
The originals were good.
These are better.
We chose a brushed brass snap with a stronger closure because we wanted something that feels right every time you wear it and continues to do its job for years to come.
Our new woven labels are also making their way to Better Team USA as we continue refining the first production run.
All of these decisions are super exciting to us because we obsess over quality and durability.
Together, they become the garment.
I've always believed heritage is built one thoughtful decision at a time.
A stronger snap.
A better label.
A cleaner line on the animal resulting in a better, more intact and efficient removal of wool.
Small gestures become improvements and have a way of becoming lasting quality.
Full speed ahead.
In the next few days we'll be heading to Colorado to bring home another load of bison fiber.
We pointed the motorcycles east toward Sturgis, and on the way home made one last stop in Lusk, Wyoming to shear a few alpacas—the final animals of our season.
People sometimes ask what motorcycles have to do with Ember Heritage.
To me, they've always belonged together.
Both are built around the same idea.
Things made with honesty.
Things built to last.
Things that become more meaningful the longer you own them.
Whether we're riding across the country, loading another trailer full of fiber, or standing in the workshop covered in wool dust, it's all part of the same journey.
We're following the fiber wherever it leads.
The shed in Clyde Park is busy again.
The first garments are getting closer.
The second batch will be up for preorder in September
New conversations are beginning.
The next season of Ember Heritage is taking shape one day at a time.
We're grateful you've chosen to be part of it.
Thank you for following along.
All the Best,
Pete
Around the Workshop...
• Pete joined the American Grassfed Association podcast for a conversation about bison fiber, American manufacturing, and where Ember Heritage is headed next. The full conversation is now available on YouTube.
• Sample scouring has begun at our Montana workshop as we continue refining our bison fiber process.
• New brushed brass snaps and woven labels are headed to Better Team USA as we prepare for the next stage of Brackett Creek JacShirt production.
• We're beginning conversations around several exciting collaborations with American heritage brands. We look forward to sharing more as those projects develop.
• Next week the road takes us back to Colorado to bring home another load of bison fiber and continue its journey from the field toward finished American-made textiles.
