Local Cloth Interest Groups groups provide a space to be in community with like-minded fiber friends. Interest Groups come in different shapes and sizes, ranging from study groups on fiber topics to hands-on circles where you bring your work-in-progress to group dye labs and more! Most groups meet monthly and some meet multiple times each month.
Interest group-related emails are automatically sent to Local Cloth members who have selected the name of the specific interest group in their member profiles. Please log in and update your member profile if you would like to be on one of these mailing lists. If you are not a member, click here to learn more about Local Cloth memberships.
Listed below are the current Local Cloth Interest Groups, including a brief description, general meeting schedule and contact information.
For the schedule of upcoming Interest Group meetings, check the Local Cloth Calendar at the bottom of the page.
Dye Lab | First Thursdays (1pm - 4pm)
You don't need a chemistry degree for the Local Cloth Dye Lab, but some experience is required and a desire to have some fun with color and fiber! The Dye Lab Interest Group is for advanced beginners and beyond, meeting on the first Thursday of every month from 1pm to 4pm at Local Cloth. Hosted by Beth Sellars and Judi Jetson, this group takes on different dye-related topics and areas every time, covering low water immersion, steaming and crockpot dyeing. You can bring magazine pages or photos with images that you like and the Dye Lab experts will help you mix dye colors to match. The cost is $10 for Local Cloth members and $20 for non-members, with space limited.
Love coffee (and/or) tea + conversation + handwork? This is the group for you! Bring your knitting, crocheting, hand sewing, weaving, sock darning, embroidery or any other portable project and work while enjoying fellowship with fiber friends. Hosted by Susette Shiver, the Handwork Circle meets weekly, alternating in-person meetings on the first and third Thursday of every month and virtual meetings during the remaining Thursdays. All meetings take place between 1pm and 3pm. All you need to bring is yourself, a mug and your work in progress. This group is free for Local Cloth members (and $5 for non-members). Please sign up at least two days in advance to receive the registration information (and any links).
Mending Matters | First Monday (10am - 12pm) + Second Tuesday (6pm - 8pm)
Do you have holes in your socks in need of darning? Do you have clothing items that you love but that are worn and need some help? Already mend everything and want to share your passion for it? Interested in gathering with others to do some mending, share techniques, and explore ways that mending might apply to more than just our clothes? If your answer to any of these questions is "yes," then Mending Matters is for you! The group meets twice each month with the option to attend either or both as fits with your schedule. All sessions are facilitated by Elizabeth Schell, co-owner of Purl's Yarn Emporium and a life-long sewer, mender, maker and re-maker. Mending Matters is free for Local Cloth members and $5 for non-members.
Natural Dye Interest Group | Last Sunday (1pm - 4pm)
Curious about dyeing fabric with plants? The Natural Dye Interest Group meets monthly to explore (and have fun dyeing with) natural dyes of all kinds. The group has tackled dyes originating from the inner bark of a tree: Brazilwood (Caesalpina echinata) and African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon); cochineal; weeds and invasive plants; carrots; lichen and yellow and orange flowers. Generally, the Natural Interest Group meets the last Sunday of the month from 1pm to 4pm, but varies on occasion. Check the Local Cloth Calendar for the next meeting date. The cost is $5 for Local Cloth members ($8 for non-members) and space is limited.
Knitters arise! Want to carve out creative space in your hectic routine? Looking for a fun and friendly space to connect with others? Co-hosted by Judi Jetson and Mary Euler, the Night Knitting Circle meets weekly. While this is not a class (basic knowledge of knitting is expected), we suspect you will learn something along the way. There are experienced knitters in the group, so you can count on getting and giving some advice. Please bring whatever project(s) you are working on, including the materials you need, items for show and tell, yarn acquisitions and new project ideas. The Night Knitting Circle is free for Local Cloth members and $5 for non-members.
Oh Sew Asheville: Apparel Sewing Interest Group | Third Sunday (9:30am - 1pm)
Oh Sew Asheville, an Apparel Sewing Interest Group meets monthly and is an opportunity for garment sewing enthusiasts to share projects, tips, techniques, fitting help, and camaraderie. The Interest Group has rotating activities such as actual sewing where individuals can decide whether to bring a machine or hand-sew their own project, “sew-a-longs” where everyone makes the same item with support from the group, field trips to local or regional fabric shops, sewing book exchanges, pattern exchanges, and fabric exchanges. Individual members or special subject matter experts may conduct mini tutorials for the group involving fitting, embellishing, pattern drafting, upcycling; alterations, dyeing fabric, etc. You are welcome to bring a snack for yourself or to share. Hosted by Mary Euler and Mary Earle-Sigler, the Apparel Sewing Interest Group is free for Local Cloth members and $5 for non-members.
The main goal of the Spinning Study Group is to facilitate the experience of joy that comes with hand spinning. Hosted by Judi Jetson, the Spinning Study Group meets every third Sunday at 1pm. All skill levels are welcome, from the professional spinner to the beginning spinner (some basic knowledge of spinning is required as this is not a group for beginners to learn how to spin). Group members are expected to bring their own supplies and fiber. Some fiber may be available to share, but it is not guaranteed at each meeting. The Spinning Study Group is free for members ($5 for non-members).
Stitch + Stab Circle | First, Second and Fourth Mondays (1pm - 3pm)
Bring your needles and grab your fiber! Hosted by Peggy Newell on Mondays at Local Cloth at 1pm (except for the third Monday of the month), the Stitch and Stab Circle is for all stitching- and stabbing-related fiber arts from knitting, crocheting and embroidery to needle felting. Although this is not a class (some basic knowledge of your chosen craft is expected), we suspect you'll learn something along the way. All skill levels are welcome! It is expected that group members will bring their own supplies and current works in progress. The group will supply extra inspiration from our fiber library, yarn for sale in the shop, and coffee and tea. The circle is free for Local Cloth members ($5 for non-members).
Calling all tapestry weavers and anyone who loves tapestry weaving! The Tapestry Study Group meets on the third Tuesday from 9am to 12pm. Hosted by Betty Hilton-Nash, the group focuses on engaging in good discussion and exchanging ideas about tapestry. Please bring a project you are working on, and/or a finished piece to share with the group, and any questions you may have about materials, techniques, etc. Please note that this is not an introductory class, so there will be no instruction, but by sharing ideas and experiences, we will all learn from each other. The Tapestry Study Group is free for Local Cloth members ($5 for non-members).
The Textile Study Group meets monthly, offering an opportunity for fiber lovers to get together and share studies, rabbit holes, obsessions, curiosities, techniques, research, and explorations. The Study Group also features special in-depth presentations from local subject matter experts, covering topics from the cultural identity of Harris Tweed to the historical development of Ikat. Co-hosted by Melanie Wilder, Instructor at Warren Wilson College, and Beth Ross Johnson, weaver, teacher and workshop leader living in Black Mountain, North Carolina, the Textile Study Group meets on the second Thursday from 6pm to 8pm. It is free for Local Cloth members ($5 for non-members).
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