Common Cloth CIC is a community-led organisation reconnecting Greater Manchester with its powerful textile heritage through sustainable growing, making and shared knowledge.
Founded in 2025 by Jo Capstick, Common Cloth’s work brings people together to grow fibre and dye plants, learn heritage crafts and build community-owned resources rooted in reciprocity and care for the land.
Common Cloth creates and maintains community growing spaces where flax, natural dye plants and other fibre crops are cultivated. These plots provide sustainable, low-impact materials for workshops and partner projects, while boosting biodiversity and offering inclusive places for people to connect with nature and each other.
Through hands-on workshops in sustainable textiles, natural dyeing and fibre crafts, Common Cloth support wellbeing, creativity and intergenerational learning. Participants discover low-cost, earth-friendly techniques and develop practical skills that strengthen confidence, communication and connection.
They also build a shared knowledge commons: open-source guides, skill-swap sessions and collaborative learning with other organisations. This helps recover lost or forgotten textile knowledge — seed by seed, thread by thread, hue by hue — and supports local circular economies.
Why It Matters
Common Cloth activities benefit communities across Greater Manchester by improving wellbeing, strengthening social cohesion and reconnecting people with land, craft and heritage. They are dedicated to fostering a liveable, sustainable future through shared skills, community growing and earth-friendly making.
Get Involved
Later this year you’ll be able to join regular growing sessions at Northern Roots to learn fibre and dye plant cultivation hands-on.
You’ll also be able to attend workshops and volunteer with Common Cloth.
Testimonials
“That was the perfect thing for me today, thanks! You’re brilliant at creating nurturing and informative workshops.”
“It was so exciting opening our steamed parcels and revealing the amazing colours of our cloth. I’d love to do it again.”
“I try to go every week now as I find it so relaxing. It gives people a supportive space to grow, make friends and feel part of a community.”
