Local Cloth, Inc - Leadership

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Board Members

Judi Jetson, Chairman, Term 2020-2023

Judi is a spinner, dyer, weaver, knitter and paper maker who likes creating with friends in the Asheville, NC area. An economic developer with a love for rural areas and small towns, she created a rural initiative for the US

Small Business Administration, consults internationally on community
revitalization based on arts, founded and co-ran a fine craft gallery in Tampa’s Ybor City, served as Economic Development Director for Handmade in America, and helped establish Local Cloth, a nonprofit to grow the fiber economy in her region. Judi served as Board Chair from 2012 to 2018, as Vice-Chair of Weave A Real Peace (WARP) from 2016-2019, Chair of Southeast Fiber Forum Association from 2012-2014 and Vice Chair of the WNC Fiber/Handweavers Guild from 2014-2016.
Judi has taught at the John C Campbell Folk School, Haywood Community
College, University of North Carolina-Asheville, various fiber guilds and at
the Local Cloth studio.

Joyce Tromba, Vice-Chair, Term 2020-2023

After living and teaching around the world for 30 years, Joyce is happily settled into life in lovely Western North Carolina. Her travels have exposed her to many fiber traditions and she has always found groups of fiber folks wherever she was to share her making with. Joyce has 20+ years teaching design, sewing, knitting, quilting and bookmaking to High School students and adults. She has studied fiber and book arts at Penland, Arrowmont and the Center for Book Arts in New York City. She dyes and sells plant dyed yarn and eco printed bags at her Etsy shop: FreehandFiber.You can also find her on instagram and Facebook as Freehand Fiber and Book Arts.

Sandy Hartmannsgruber,

Treasurer, Term 2020-2023

Sandy loves fiber arts: to weave, knit, spin and play with natural dyes. Her thirst for a fiber community is being quenched by Local Cloth. She studied German and Art at Earlham College, later getting her master's degree in teaching at Bank Street College of Education in New York City. She spent a year in the Andes of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, learning with artisan families. Sandy moved to Asheville in 2018, after visiting her Grandma here for 24 years. Currently, Sandy has a rug on the loom, a shawl in progress, and two sweaters from the early 2000s waiting to be finished.

Marilyn Haas, Marketing, Term 2020 - 2023
As a young girl, Marilyn’s craft passions included basket weaving, sewing, knitting, and crocheting. In adulthood, she continued these hobbies but has taken them to an advanced level and added triangle and floor loom weaving as well as stained glass. She is a member of Sun City West Weavers Guild where she regularly teaches weaving classes while she shares her time in Arizona. She studied weaving at Madelyn van der Hoogt’s weaving school and has taken several classes at Folkmont.
Marilyn is also a member of the Local Cloth here in Asheville where she serves on the education committee and teaches weaving classes as well.

Karen Swing, Membership, Term 2020-2021

A life-long textile artist, Karen is best known for her art quilts, wearable art,
and machine-embroidered “paintings”. When not in her studio creating, you
can usually find her with knitting needles and a ball of hand-dyed yarn.
She has been Gallery Director for Watauga County Arts Council (a volunteer board position) and Gallery Director for Transylvania Arts Council (paid staff position). Also, totally unrelated to the arts, she was on the HOA board for her neighborhood in Tallahassee. She now lives in Flat Rock. Karen teaches at The John C. Campbell Folk School and is a member of Southern Highland Craft Guild and Piedmont Craftsmen.

Returning Board member Lynne Noble, Secretary, Term 2019 - 2022

Caroline Williford, Graphic Designer and Newsletter Editor, Term 2020-2021

Mailing Address

Local Cloth, Inc.
PO Box 9622
Asheville, NC 28815

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Community Dye Studio

207 Coxe Ave, #11
Asheville, NC 28801