About Our Textile Traditions....
Although Trembling Prairie Station wasn't formally founded until 1996, the textile traditions of the Murray family go back much further. Roberta has always been an artist of one sort or another. Her mother wrote the following passage in her baby book: "Very artistically able from the age of 2.", indicating an early natural ability for the visual arts.
In her youth Roberta pursued all types of artistic activities. She was especially interested in photography and holds a certificate in professional photography. She was first introduced to the fiber arts as a young child through her great grandmother who knit, crocheted, embroidered and painted fabric. "I remember playing with tubes of liquid color to draw on fabrics that used to be embroidered afterwards"
During high school she majored in art and was introduced to weaving and dyeing. Her family history includes a wealth of fiber artists: from knitters and weavers, to seamstresses and milliners. So when she began to spin, you could say that the skills were already in her blood.
Company History....
Trembling Prairie Station got its start with a flock of Angora goats. The Murray family were heavily involved in the local Angora goat association, holding executive positions in the association, and participating in their many shows and events.
When Roberta was learning to spin and knit she developed a deep interest in the textile history from the Shetland Islands. She began to research Shetland sheep, Shetland knitting, both Fair-Isle and lace, and spinning. A flock of Shetland sheep soon followed.
Allergies and other health problems forced the Murray's to sell the flock. Wanting to stay involved in the fiber business they started a spinning supply shop. This business was quite successful but left little time to actually create so a decision was made to sell the business in 2002.
On Trembling Prairie.....
The Murray's are often asked where they came up with such a unique business name. "We were required to register a farm name when we first started raising livestock. We went through all the usual geographic features such as hill, valley, bluff, creek, etc. None of them applied to our land, which originally consisted of muskeg. Names like swamp, muskeg, bog and marsh just didn't sound very attractive. That's when we hit the thesaurus and found the term trembling prairie used to describe a marsh. We liked it!"
The name didn't just suit the soft peat soil, but it also held meaning for another significant feature. In the foothills to the west of their farm is a geological fault line which produces several small tremors each year.....literally trembling the prairie! The train tracks border the east side of their property and the trains can also cause the prairie to tremble.
Detail of embroidery from a pillowcase done by Roberta's grandmother.
We are surrounded by nature and wilderness. It is a constant source of inspiration for my fibre creations. Many species of birds and mammals call Trembling Prairie home. We have recorded over 70 different bird varieties, and have seen from moose to mice, and everything in between!
A view of the Trembling Prairie pastures looking north from the home.
