Franny Kansteiner Shares the Farm to Fashion Story of Gum Tree Farm Designs

RCB President Nancy Goedecke and Rotarian Barbara Burton with Franny Kansteiner

This week, The Rotary Club of Birmingham (RCB) welcomed Franny Kansteiner, founder and owner of Gum Tree Farm Designs. Kansteiner shared her journey from farm to fashion. In 1995, a neighbor in Middleburg, Virginia, gave her three lambs. She taught herself to spin their wool into yarn and knit it into clothing. That flock has grown to about 300 Merino sheep. She described how sheep and wool have shaped human history and explained how llamas and Turkish Kangal guardian dogs protect the flock from predators.

Kansteiner discussed building Gum Tree Farm Designs and the challenges of keeping production in the U.S., where most mills no longer have the machinery to spin fine Merino wool. She built her own network of shearers, mills, weavers, and pattern makers to create designs inspired by artists such as Henri Matisse and Agnes Martin. The company now makes about 31 handmade wool items for clothing and the home, produced in small runs.

Bio for Franny Kansteiner

Franny Kansteiner is the Founder & Owner of Gum Tree Farm Designs. Since 1995, she has organically raised ultra-fine Merino sheep at Gum Tree Farm in Middleburg, Virginia, transforming their wool into luxury garments and home goods. In the beginning, her team made blankets, mittens, baby wear, and capes. Over the years they have added knitters and weavers to the farm family and now have a line of sewn products as well. The collection is handmade in America by artisans whose individuality is present in each finished piece. Gum Tree Farm raises its own flock, produces its own hay, and oversees the production process from the farm’s sheep through the creation of finished products. Kansteiner has been recognized by Garden & Gun, Martha Stewart, and other publications for her distinctive farm-to-fashion approach.