2 October – 1 November 2026 | The SHED Studio, Chetwyn Farms, Prince Edward County

There is a particular kind of making that refuses to be hurried. It is deliberate, material-led, and deeply attentive — the kind of practice that begins not with a sketch but with a question: what does this fabric want to become? Carolyn Van Dijk has been asking that question for years. This October, her answers come to The SHED Studio.

A Practice Built on Intention

The Considered Notions is a new body of work by Carolyn Van Dijk — project bags, totes, yarn bowls, baskets, and knitting accessories constructed from salvaged interior designer fabric samples: materials otherwise destined for landfill, given a second life through careful hands and a formal eye.

Each piece is singular. Van Dijk draws on a background in design to curate fabrics for their texture, colour, and pattern, composing combinations that elevate the utilitarian into the intentional. These are not mass-produced goods. They are considered works — sewn to endure, designed to accompany a maker through years of practice.

The Maker's Eye

Van Dijk's practice sits at the intersection of textile design, functional craft, and environmental stewardship. Working from her home studio in Prince Edward County, she brings a dual passion for knitting and sewing to every object she makes. Every design is rigorously tested in her own creative practice before it leaves the studio — a standard of care that is evident the moment you pick one up.

In choosing reclaimed materials as her primary medium, Van Dijk offers a quiet provocation: that beauty, function, and responsibility need not exist in tension. Her work asks us to reconsider what we reach for, and why.

The Farm as Context

There is a natural resonance between Van Dijk's practice and the world of The SHED Studio. Chetwyn Farms is a place built around fibre — alpaca fleece shorn, sorted, spun, and woven into objects that carry the story of the land. Van Dijk's work arrives in that same spirit: handmade, material-honest, and made to last.

Her project bags and knitting accessories will find their home here among makers and fibre enthusiasts who understand, instinctively, the value of a well-made thing.

Come and See

The Considered Notions is on view throughout October — a month when Prince Edward County is at its most vivid, and the impulse to slow down, make something, and surround yourself with beautiful objects feels entirely right.

We hope to see you at the farm.

📅 Dates: 2 October – 1 November 2026
📍 Location: The SHED Studio, Chetwyn Farms, Prince Edward County, Ontario
🧵 Artist: Carolyn Van Dijk