Materials Collection

Honeysuckle Vine

Common

Honeysuckle vine is from the trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) that is native to southeastern North America, including North Carolina. Honeysuckle vine is durable and pliable.

The North Carolina Arboretum

TômTex Series M

Novel Sustainable

TômTex products are made from chitosan, a material found in the hard exoskeletons of shellfish, crustaceans, and even mushrooms. The TômTex Series M is a textile made from mushrooms.

Tomtex

TômTex Series WS

Novel Sustainable

TômTex fabrics are made from chitosan, a material found in the hard exoskeletons of shellfish, crustaceans, and even mushrooms. The TômTex Series WS is a textile made from shells sourced from seafood waste.

Tomtex

Gelatin Biofibers

Novel Sustainable

Gelatin biofibers are untreated gelatin-based fibers extruded using the Unstable Design Lab’s open-source biofibers spinning machine.

Eldy Lazaro Vaquez, Lily Gabriel, The Unstable Design Lab

White Supercoil Conductive Yarn With Exposed Leads

Metamaterial

White supercoil conductive yarn with exposed leads has a conductive thread core, insulated with white merino wool spun in a supercoil technique around the core. Areas of exposed conductive thread create electronic connection points.

Eldy Lazaro Vaquez, Lily Gabriel, The Unstable Design Lab

Supercoil Silicone Wire Yarn

Metamaterial

Supercoil silicone wire yarn is a long, white wool string tightly coiled around a black silicone-coated wire, leaving a little of the black wire visible underneath.

Eldy Lazaro Vaquez, Lily Gabriel, The Unstable Design Lab

Molded Biofoam

Novel Sustainable

Molded biofoam is a biodegradable foam that is extruded and then cooled in a Petri dish, causing the sample to hold the shape of the container.

Eldy Lazaro Vaquez, Lily Gabriel, The Unstable Design Lab

Red Supercoil Conductive Yarn With Exposed Leads

Metamaterial

Red supercoil conductive yarn with exposed leads has a conductive thread core, insulated with white merino wool spun in a supercoil technique around the core. Areas of exposed conductive thread create electronic connection points.

Eldy Lazaro Vaquez, Lily Gabriel, The Unstable Design Lab

Extruded Biofoam

Novel Sustainable

Extruded biofoam is a biodegradable foam extruded from a syringe into long lines of filament, which can be used in fiber.

Eldy Lazaro Vaquez, Lily Gabriel, The Unstable Design Lab

Conductive Core-spun Yarn

Metamaterial

Conductive core-spun yarn has a conductive thread core, a special fiber material that carries electricity, wrapped with merino wool-spun casing.

Eldy Lazaro Vaquez, Lily Gabriel, The Unstable Design Lab

Wood Waste Composite

Novel Sustainable

This composite, made from wood waste by Materia Madura, a women-led sustainable materials and design company, offers sustainable alternatives and unique and distinctive material properties for creating functional objects.

Materia Madura

Bread Waste Composite

Novel Sustainable

This composite, made from bread waste by Materia Madura, a women-led sustainable materials and design company, offers sustainable alternatives and unique and distinctive material properties for creating functional objects.

Materia Madura

Plantain & Coffee Waste Composite

Novel Sustainable

This composite, made from plantain and coffee waste by Materia Madura, a women-led sustainable materials and design company, offers sustainable alternatives and unique and distinctive material properties for creating functional objects.

Materia Madura

Postconsumer Polyethylene terephthalate

Novel Sustainable

This Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic was originally a drinking bottle and has been upcycled to join ash and cherry wood blocks. This PET exemplifies London-based designer Micaella Pedros’ Joining Bottles technique of repurposing plastic drinking bottles to join wood pieces.

Micaella Pedros

Grey Clay

Common

This grey clay is unprocessed raw clay, also known as wild clay, dug in Yancey County, North Carolina, by Cherokee Potter Levi West. This grey clay has unique characteristics due to its unprocessed nature. It is typically fired at cone 5. When fired, this clay turns to a terracotta red.

Levi West

Barium Carbonate

Common

Barium carbonate is a white, odorless, crystalline, inorganic compound made up of barium, carbon, and oxygen. It is mined as barite in Bulgaria and China, shipped to Germany to be refined, and then shipped to ceramic suppliers across the world.

Del Harrow

White Clay

Common

This white clay is unprocessed raw clay, also known as wild clay, dug in Mills River, North Carolina, by Cherokee Potter Levi West. This white clay has unique characteristics due to its unprocessed nature. It is typically fired at cone 5. When fired, this clay is white in color.

Levi West

Red Clay

Common

This red clay is unprocessed raw clay, also known as wild clay, dug in Yancey County, North Carolina, by Cherokee Potter Levi West. This red clay has unique characteristics due to its unprocessed nature. It is typically fired at cone 5. When fired, this clay turns to a terracotta red.

Levi West

Glaze Samples

Common

These glaze samples are made from barium carbonate and Gerstley borate. Other materials include chrome, copper, feldspar, and clay on a clay body containing OM4 ball clay.

Del Harrow

Blue Clay

Common

This blue clay is unprocessed raw clay, also known as wild clay, dug in Cherokee, North Carolina, by Cherokee Potter Levi West. This blue clay has unique characteristics due to its unprocessed nature. It is typically fired at cone 5. When fired, this clay turns to a terracotta red.

Levi West

Yellow Clay

Common

This yellow clay is unprocessed raw clay, also known as wild clay, dug in Cherokee, North Carolina, by Cherokee Potter Levi West. This yellow clay has unique characteristics due to its unprocessed nature. It is typically fired at cone 5. When fired, this clay turns to a terracotta red.

Levi West

Mock Rib Pocket Stretch Sensor

Metamaterial

Mock rib pocket stretch sensors are knitted stretch sensors that can be connected to an output such as a light to decrease or increase the brightness. This sensor was made with conductive and nonconductive yarns using a Brother KH-910 knitting machine.

Craftwork

Cane

Common

Cane is a colored glass rod.

Lexington Glassworks

Gerstley Borate

Common

Gerstley borate is a boron/silicate mineral mined in Boron, Southern California, near Los Angeles. Gerstley borate contains both flux (melting) and glass-forming minerals. This Gerstley borate fired sample was fired in a kiln at 2,190°F.

Del Harrow

OM4 Ball Clay

Common

OM4 ball clay is highly plastic clay, mined near the border of Tennessee and Kentucky. Similar materials have been industrially mined in this region since the late 1800s.

Del Harrow

Liquid Glycerol Core Fiber Optic

Metamaterial

Developed by the research team at Empa, this liquid glycerol core fiber optic offers significant improvements in durability and flexibility compared to conventional glass fiber optics.

Empa

Cullet

Common

Cullet is crushed and recycled glass waste.

Lexington Glassworks

Frit

Common

Frit is granular crushed glass that comes in many colors and several different mesh sizes. It is used as a means to add color to glass.

Lexington Glassworks

PM41 Rib 2x1 Swatch

Novel Sustainable

PM41 rib is a custom-made cotton fabric that is 100% regenerative, 100% GMO-free, and 100% pesticide residue-free.

Materra

PM40 Rib Swatch

Novel Sustainable

PM40 rib is a custom-made cotton fabric that is 100% regenerative, 100% GMO-free, and 100% pesticide residue-free.

Materra

PM36 Diagonal Fleece Swatch

Novel Sustainable

PM36 diagonal fleece is a custom-made cotton fabric that is 100% regenerative, 100% GMO-free, and 100% pesticide residue-free.

Materra

PM41 American Fleece Swatch

Novel Sustainable

PM41 American fleece is a custom-made cotton fabric that is 100% regenerative, 100% GMO-free, and 100% pesticide residue-free.

Materra

PM38 Interlock Swatch

Novel Sustainable

PM38 interlock is a custom-made cotton fabric that is 100% regenerative, 100% GMO-free, and 100% pesticide residue-free.

Materra

PM35 Jersey Swatch

Novel Sustainable

PM35 jersey is a custom-made cotton fabric that is 100% regenerative, 100% GMO-free, and 100% pesticide residue-free.

Materra

Regenerative Cotton Fabric Swatch

Novel Sustainable

Regenerative cotton fabric is a custom-made cotton fabric that is 100% regenerative, 100% GMO-free, and 100% pesticide residue-free.

Materra

Uncaged Innovations BioLeather

Novel Sustainable

Uncaged Innovations’ bioleather material mimics leather without sacrificing the characteristics that make it a respected material for the fashion, automotive, and home goods industries.

Uncaged Innovations Ink

Millefiori Chips

Common

Millefiori glass chips are mosaic glass chips made using the Millefiori glassworking technique. This technique involves fusing different collared cane (a thin colored glass rod) to create the distinct flower pattern in the chip.

North Carolina Glass Center

Steel

Common

Steel is a durable and flexible metal made by combining iron and carbon to form an alloy.

North Carolina Glass Center

Frit

Common

Frit is granular crushed glass that comes in many colors and several different mesh sizes. It is used as a means to add color to glass.

North Carolina Glass Center

Stringers

Common

Stringers are clear filaments of furnace glass that have been stretched into long strings.

North Carolina Glass Center

Batch

Common

Batch is a raw material that cooks into clear glass.

North Carolina Glass Center

3D-Printed Ceramic Artifact

Metamaterial

This 3D ceramic artifact is made of clay and white glaze. It was created by Ph.D. student Samuelle Bourgault using CoilCAM, a domain-specific CAM programming system that supports the integrated generation of parametric forms and surface textures through mathematically defined toolpath operations.

Samuelle Bourgault

Western North Carolina Wild Dug Fired Clay Slab

Common

Western North Carolina Wild Dug Fired Clay Slab 1 was created by ceramic artist Tori Motyl, using WNC clay with no additives.

Motyl Pottery

Richlite

Novel Sustainable

Richlite is a high-grade custom FSC-certified paper infused with a thermosetting resin is laid up by hand and pressed into a solid panel. It is durable, sustainable and versatile.

Richlite

Mango Materials Polyhydroxyalkanoate Cap

Novel Sustainable

Mango Materials Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) caps are made from PHA pellets, a plastic substitute that is biobased and biodegradable in many environments.

Mango Materials, Inc.

Mango Materials Polyhydroxyalkanoate Pellets

Novel Sustainable

Mango Materials Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) pellets are made with PHA, a plastic substitute that is biobased and biodegradable in many environments. PHA pellets can be made using plant-based or greenhouse gas/methane-based feedstocks (or a combination).

Mango Materials, Inc.

Standard Screen ALGAE INK

Novel Sustainable

Standard Screen ALGAE INK is a water-based screen-printing ink for use on textiles/apparel. It has a soft hand feel and an antique black color.

Living Ink Technologies

HempWood® Organic Flooring - Taupe

Novel Sustainable

HempWood® is a sustainable, engineered wood flooring product. Full-length fiber hemp stalks and a soy-based adhesive are used in combination with extreme pressure to create HempWood®.

HempWood®

Hempitecture FiberPad

Novel Sustainable

Hempitecture FiberPad is made from an engineered blend of decorticated hemp and functional fibers. This combination leads to a reduced carbon footprint, but with rebound that deadens sound and improves thermal comfort.

Hempitecture Inc.

Cruz Foam

Novel Sustainable

Cruz Foam is a starch-based foam that is 100% compostable and biodegradable.

Cruz Foam Inc.

Hempitecture Hempwool

Novel Sustainable

HempWool is made from hemp fiber batt insulation for wood and metal framing systems. The friction-fit design ensures the insulation will not slump or sag in the cavity. HempWool is VOC-free, nontoxic, and treated with natural fire retardant.

Hempitecture Inc

HempWood® Organic Flooring - Bourbon

Novel Sustainable

HempWood® is a sustainable, engineered wood flooring product. Full-length fiber hemp stalks and a soy-based adhesive are used in combination with extreme pressure to create HempWood®.

HempWood®

3-Layer Rift Faces Panel

Novel Sustainable

The 3-layer rift faces panel sample is an engineered HempWood® veneer laminated onto PureBond® plywood.

HempWood®

HempWood® Organic Flooring - Ice

Novel Sustainable

Ice HempWood® is a sustainable, engineered wood flooring product. Full-length fiber hemp stalks and a soy-based adhesive are used in combination with extreme pressure to create HempWood®.

HempWood®

Live-Sawn Lumber

Novel Sustainable

HempWood® live-sawn lumber is a sustainable material and a suitable replacement for traditional solid hardwoods, such as white oak, in most interior nonstructural products and processes.

HempWood®

HempWood® Organic Flooring Natural - Hemp

Novel Sustainable

HempWood® is a sustainable, engineered wood flooring product. Full-length fiber hemp stalks and a soy-based adhesive are used in combination with extreme pressure to create HempWood®.

HempWood®

Rift-Sawn Lumber

Novel Sustainable

HempWood® rift-sawn lumber is a sustainable material and a suitable replacement for traditional solid hardwoods, such as white oak, in most interior nonstructural products and processes.

HempWood®

Handwoven "Animated Linen"

Metamaterial

Handwoven "animated linen '' is a hygromorphic textile, meaning it changes shape when exposed to moisture due to the high twist in the linen weft. The sample can be activated by spraying with water or when placed in a very humid environment. As it dries, the linen twist relaxes and can be activated repeatedly.

Kathryn Walters

Side Glow Fiber Optics

Metamaterial

Side glow fiber optics or side glow fibers, emit light along their length, creating a uniform glow. Their construction allows light to escape gradually, similar to neon tubes. The intensity is highest near the source and can be enhanced with powerful LEDs, and lasers or by placing light sources at both ends.

AdaFruit

Powdered Glass Enamel

Common

Powdered glass enamel, also known as porcelain enamel, is a material created by fusing powdered glass to a substrate through firing. The powder melts, flows, and then solidifies into a smooth, durable vitreous coating.

Torched

Counter Enamel

Common

Counter enamel is compsed of a variety of enamels crushed and mixed.

Torched

Copper

Common

Copper is a soft and malleable metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Copper has a red, pinkish-orange color.

Torched

Copper

Common

Copper is a soft and malleable metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Copper has a red, pinkish-orange color.

Professional Crafts at Haywood Community College

Brass

Common

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, which can be combined in varying ratios to achieve different colors as well as mechanical, electrical, acoustic, and chemical properties.

Professional Crafts at Haywood Community College

Brass

Common

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, which can be combined in varying ratios to achieve different colors as well as mechanical, electrical, acoustic, and chemical properties.

Torched

Steel

Manufactured

Steel is an alloy of carbon and iron.

Fun Stuff Design

Glass Mirror

Common

Glass Mirror is a highly polished piece of glass with a silver backing, applied either through liquid or sticker form.

Fun Stuff Design

Siberian Iris Leaves

Common

Siberian iris (Iris siberica) has grass-like foliage with upright, yellow-green, narrow, fairly rigid, blade-shaped leaves. The leaves were harvested in Western North Carolina during late summer/early fall and then dried.

Alyssa Sacora / The Patchwork Underground

Cotton Linter

Common

Cotton linter comes from the Gossypium plant. Linter is the short cellulose fiber left on the seed after the staple cotton is removed by ginning.

Alyssa Sacora / The Patchwork Underground

Abaca

Common

Abaca is processed from the Musa textilis plant. The fiber is extracted from the leaf sheath that surrounds the plant's trunk.

Alyssa Sacora / The Patchwork Underground

Okra

Unclassified

Okra is a bast fiber. This sample was harvested in Western North Carolina after a frost at the end of the growing season. After fermentation, the outer layer of the stem was rinsed off, and the bast fibers were removed from the woody core before being rinsed and dried.

Alyssa Sacora / The Patchwork Underground

Fiber Banana Pseudo-Stems

Unclassified

These fiber banana (Musa basjoo) pseudo-stems were harvested in Western North Carolina after a frost, and then cut and dried.

Alyssa Sacora / The Patchwork Underground

Kudzu

Common

These kudzu summer runner vines were harvested in Western North Carolina. The leaves were stripped, and the vines were submerged in water to ferment. Afterward, the outer layer was rinsed off, and the bast and core material were dried.

Alyssa Sacora / The Patchwork Underground

Tussah Silk

Common

Tussah silk is wild caught, cultivated from the tussah silk caterpillar. When a caterpillar is wild caught, the fiber is broken when the moth eats its way out of the cocoon.

Melanie Wilder

Tulip Poplar

Common

These tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) saplings were harvested in Western North Carolina in June 2023. The saplings were submerged in water to ferment. The outer bark was cleaned off, and the inner bark was removed from the wood. After fermentation, the tulip poplar was rinsed and dried.

Alyssa Sacora / The Patchwork Underground

Cotton

Common

This cotton sample was cultivated by Hagood Mill in South Carolina, the historic site of a water-powered grist mill built in 1845. Cotton comes from the cotton plant and is one of the world's most widely grown and harvested natural fibers.

Melanie Wilder

Kudzu

Common

Kudzu is a strong and shiny bast fiber. This kudzu was raised and harvested in Swannanoa, North Carolina.

Melanie Wilder

Nettle Fiber

Unclassified

Nettle fiber is extracted from the stinging nettle plant. Nettle fibers have a fine shine. They are absorbent and antibacterial.

Melanie Wilder

Red Leaf Cotton

Common

This red leaf cotton was grown and harvested at Warren Wilson College, located in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Red leaf cotton can grow in cooler climates, typically in the Southeast.

Melanie Wilder

Bombyx Silk

Common

Bombyx silk is farm raised and cultivated from the mulberry silk caterpillar. When silk is farmed, the fiber is not broken when the moth exits from the cocoon. The silk is a durable, shiny, and breathable fiber.

Melanie Wilder

Seaweed-Based Consumer Packaging

Novel Sustainable

Seaweed-based consumer packaging is made out of an alginate bioplastic film from Sway Seaweed Packaging and recycled paperboard packaging from EcoEnclose.

EcoEnclose x Sway

Bamboo Viscose

Common

Bamboo viscose, a semi-synthetic fabric derived from the bamboo plant, shares similarities with silk due to its texture and quality fiber.

Melanie Wilder

Flax Fiber

Common

Flax fiber is a type of bast fiber, extracted from the inner bark of the flax plant's stem. This flax sample was grown and harvested at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina. It displays an over-retted treatment, resulting in coarser and darker-colored fibers.

Melanie Wilder

Coopworth Wool

Common

This is a sample of Coopworth wool from a Teeswater x Gotland Sheep raised on the Warren Wilson College campus in Swannanoa, North Carolina.

Melanie Wilder

Marble Plastic

Manufactured

Marble plastic is a sheet good made from post-consumer plastics collected from the local community, such as electronics, laundry detergent bottles, old refrigerators, and bread tags.

Marble Plastics

Bananatex® Fiber

Novel Sustainable

Bananatex® is the world’s first durable, technical fabric made purely from naturally grown abaca, a fiber found in banana plants.

Bananatex®

Kelsun™ Basket Weave Textile Swatch

Novel Sustainable

This basket weave textile swatch is made with 25% kelsun fiber and 75% cotton, mounted on seaweed paper. Kelsun is a biobased fiber made with an abundant biopolymer found in seaweed.

Keel Labs

Hot Glue

Common

Hot glue is a thermoplastic adhesive.

Fun Stuff Design

Kelsun™ Jersey Knit Textile Swatch

Novel Sustainable

This jersey knit textile swatch is made with 50% kelsun fiber and 50% cotton, mounted on seaweed paper. Kelsun is a biobased fiber made with an abundant biopolymer found in seaweed.

Keel Labs

Foam Core

Manufactured

Foam core is a lightweight polystyrene core sandwiched between paper or rigid polystyrene.

Fun Stuff Design

PVA Film

Manufactured

PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol) film is a water-soluble plastic. It is biodegradable but only under certain industrial conditions.

Fun Stuff Design

Plywood

Manufactured

Plywood is a type of engineered wood made by binding layers of wood together using adhesives. This construction method results in a wide and flat sheet of wood that is protected against shrinkage, warping, and other wood deformities.

Fun Stuff Design

Oriented Strand Board

Manufactured

Oriented strand board is a type of plywood made from wood "chips" of aspen or poplar trees, all glued together into a sheet.

Fun Stuff Design

XPS Foam

Manufactured

XPS (Extruded Polystyrene) foam is a durable, closed-cell insulation material made from polystyrene, a petroleum-based polymer. This material comes in blue, purple, and green.

Fun Stuff Design Collection

EVA Foam

Manufactured

EVA (Ethyl-Vinyl) Alcohol foam is a closed-cell material made from a petroleum-based polymer. It includes additives such as wax and resin, making it soft, flexible, waterproof, and durable.

Fun Stuff Design

PVA Glue

Manufactured

PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol) glue is a widely used water-soluble, petroleum-based polymer adhesive.

Fun Stuff Design

Epoxy Resin

Manufactured

Epoxy resin is a synthetic, thermosetting polymer known for its strong adhesive qualities, durability, and resistance to heat.

Fun Stuff Design

Checkerspot® Cast PU

Novel Sustainable

Checkerspot® Cast Polyurethane (PU) is made from renewable algae oil and formulated to function similarly to conventional hand-mixable cast polyurethane.

Checkerspot

Cast Acrylic Sheet

Manufactured

A cast acrylic sheet is a clear, petroleum-derived thermoplastic that is both impact and shatter-resistant. Also called plexiglass (which is a type of acrylic sheet), it is known for its superior optical clarity and surface finish. It can be easily cut with a bandsaw or laser cutter.

Fun Stuff Design

PLA Filament

Manufactured

PLA (Polylactic Acid) filament is a thermoplastic monomer that is derived from the fermentation of renewable, plant-based materials such as corn starch and sugar cane. It is only compostable in an industrial facility and does not biodegrade on its own.

Open Source from Dr. Lex

Checkerspot® Rigid PU Foam

Checkerspot® Rigid Polyurethane (PU) Foam is designed with both performance and sustainability in mind. Made from renewable algae oil, Rigid PU enables artists, designers, and manufacturers to replace petroleum-based incumbent materials with a high-quality, biobased alternative.

Checkerspot

Molded Seaweed Paper Pulp

Molded seaweed paper pulp is a composite of recycled paper fiber and waste from the kelp processing industry. It is ground into pulp fiber and molded into lightweight packaging for cosmetics and other consumer products.

Macro Oceans Inc. x Fun Stuff Design

High-Flex 3981 Sliber Silver Thread

High-Flex 3981 Sliber silver thread is a special type of fiber material that carries electricity. It retains the thin and flexible qualities of regular thread, allowing it to form various shapes and connect to different conductive materials and components. This makes conductive thread especially valuable for creating sewn circuits, also known as soft circuits or e-textiles, materials in which electronics are integrated with textiles.

Karl Grimm

High-Flex 4355 Kupfer Blank Copper Thread

High-Flex 4355 Kupfer Blank copper thread is a special type of fiber material that carries electricity. It retains the thin and flexible qualities of regular thread, allowing it to form various shapes and connect to different conductive materials and components. This makes conductive thread especially valuable for creating sewn circuits, also known as soft circuits or e-textiles, materials in which electronics are integrated with textiles.

Karl Grimm

RTXFIB-NCIB Fiber Fill - Gray

RTXFIB-NCIB Fiber Fill is Material Return's North Carolina Industry Blend sourced from 100% reclaimed fibers from Western North Carolina.

Material Return

RTXFIB-NCIB Fiber Fill - Red

RTXFIB-NCIB Fiber Fill is Material Return's North Carolina Industry Blend sourced from 100% reclaimed fibers from Western North Carolina.

Material Return

Corn Beads

These corn beads were grown in Cherokee, North Carolina, from Coix lacryma-jobi, a perennial plant that is a part of the grass family. Corn beads, also known as coix seed and Job's Tears, are hard, teardrop-shaped grains.

Mary W. Thompson, Cherokee Baskets & Vessels

White Oak Splints

Undyed white oak splints come from the white oak tree, which is native to North Carolina. Splints are the result of splitting the trunk of the white oak tree into strips, often used for weaving baskets and mats. Samples include natural splints and splints dyed with bloodroot and walnut.

Mary W. Thompson, Cherokee Baskets & Vessels

White Oak

The white oak tree is common throughout the United States and native to North Carolina. White oak is strong, durable, and resistant to decay and insects, with a straight grain pattern and medium-to-coarse texture.

Mary W. Thompson, Cherokee Baskets & Vessels

Butternut

Butternut comes from the butternut tree, native to North Carolina and primarily found in mountainous areas in the western part of the state.

Mary W. Thompson, Cherokee Baskets & Vessels

Silica Sand Mix / Soda Lime Glass

Soda lime glass was designed and formulated by Spruce Pine Batch to meet the specific needs of the glass industry. It was formulated for superior workability and excellent clarity.

Spruce Pine Batch Inc.

Rivercane Splints

Rivercane splints are strips split from rivercane, a bamboo species native to North Carolina, primarily found in mountainous areas in the western part of the state. Splints are often used for weaving baskets and mats and can be dyed Samples include undyed splints and splints dyed with butternut bark.

Mary W. Thompson, Cherokee Baskets & Vessels

Butternut Bark

Butternut bark comes from the butternut tree, native to North Carolina and primarily found in mountainous areas in the western part of the state. Butternut bark is light gray and shallowly furrowed.

Mary W. Thompson, Cherokee Baskets & Vessels

Rivercane

Rivercane is a bamboo native to the southeastern United States, including North Carolina. It is highly valued for its durability, lightweight nature, and strength, which makes it extremely versatile for various uses.

Mary W. Thompson, Cherokee Baskets & Vessels

Wild Porcelain

Wild Porcelin is a fine, usually white clay formed by the weathering of aluminous minerals.

Starworks Ceramics

Dark Star 10

Dark Star 10 is the darkest clay body produced at Starworks Ceramics and is made with clays and materials found in North Carolina. It is fairly refractory and can withstand a hot and long firing.

Starworks Ceramics

Okeewemee 10

Okeewemee 10 is a stoneware clay body. The name refers to the place of origin for the red North Carolina clay used in this clay body.

Starworks Ceramics

Yellow Pine

The yellow pine tree can be found across the world and is prevalent in mountainous regions of western North America. Yellow pine has a golden hue, smooth texture, and high resistance to decay. It is a soft wood that is dense and sturdy but susceptible to warping and splitting.

Professional Crafts at Haywood Community College

New Catawba 10

New Catawba 10 is 99% North Carolina clays/feldspars. This high-temperature stoneware clay body is made primarily with wild clay that comes from the Catawba Valley of North Carolina.

Starworks Ceramics

East Fork Red

East Fork Red is a smooth stoneware clay body developed in conjunction with Western North Carlina-based ceramic manufacturer East Fork Pottery, specifically to fire in a high fire gas reduction kiln. It is made with wild clays found in North Carolina and fires to an orange and red color in moderate reduction.

Starworks Ceramics

Chestnut

The chestnut tree can be found across the world, including North America, and is prevalent in the Appalachian Mountains. Chestnut is a soft and lightweight wood, making it ideal for hand carving.

Professional Crafts at Haywood Community College

Ash

The ash tree can be found worldwide, including eastern and central North America and throughout North Carolina, except for the coastal region. Ash is strong and dense for its weight, with a coarse grain and is shock-resistant. It is easy to work with by hand or machine.

Professional Crafts at Haywood Community College

Maple

The maple tree can be found worldwide, including in North America and North Carolina. Maple is hard and heavy, with a straight and even grain. It is highly resistant to wear and abrasion yet has a high shrinkage quality.

Professional Crafts at Haywood Community College

Cherry

The cherry tree can be found worldwide, including in North America and North Carolina, and is prominent in the Appalachian Mountains. Cherry wood is moderately hard, with a straight grain, medium density, and a fine, smooth texture. It has good bending properties and shock resistance.

Professional Crafts at Haywood Community College

Hickory

The hickory tree can be found worldwide, including in the eastern United States and North Carolina. Its wood is heavy and strong, which can make it difficult to work with hand tools, as well as having a tendency to split.

Professional Crafts at Haywood Community College

Northern Red Oak

The northern red oak tree is found across the world, including in the eastern and central parts of North America and North Carolina. Red oak is hard and heavy, with medium bending strength, which allows it to be used for steam bending. It is also porous, making it easy to treat with stains and wood treatments.

Professional Crafts at Haywood Community College

Black Walnut

The black walnut tree can be found in central and eastern North America, including North Carolina. Black walnut is dense and tight-grained, with moderate bending and crushing strengths, and is easy to work with by hand or machine.

Professional Crafts at Haywood Community College

Center for Craft

Center

Visit

Get Space

Support

Calendar

Visit

Community Initiatives

Grants & Fellowships

Grants & Fellowships

Research Initiatives

About

Current Projects

SoundCloud

Vimeo

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Center for Craft

Center

Visit

Get Space

Support

Calendar

Visit

Community Initiatives

Grants & Fellowships

Grants & Fellowships

Research Initiatives

About

Current Projects

SoundCloud

Vimeo

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

We are building a future for craft. We serve makers, museums, academics, and the local community by investing in creative placekeeping and field building.

We

believe

that

craft

matters.

We

are

here

to

activate

resources,

catalyze

craft

communities,

and

amplify

craft's

impact

in

the

United

States.

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Vimeo

SoundCloud

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Vimeo

SoundCloud