WORKSHOPS
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LOCAL CLOTH EVENTS
Designer Divas is a wearable art group. Members and guest speakers share their passion and knowledge for creating one-of-a-kind art-to-wear, special garments through fabric choices, couture sewing techniques, and embellishments. Meeting is located in Local Cloths classroom the third Monday of the month with exception of December. Members gather at 10am. Brief business meeting at 10:30, followed by scheduled presentation/demo and show and tell. People interested in our group are encouraged to come and see what we are about. First meeting is free. Annual Dues are $20
The Design Divas are a private group that rent the Local Cloth Studio for their meetings. You can rent our studio space for personal use or to host your own class!
CLICK HERE to learn more about Studio Rentals
Local Cloth is thrilled to be included in the 2025 Mountains to Sea 2025 Yarn Tour for the month of July! From their website:
"North Carolina Yarn Tour-From the Mountains to the Sea is a self-guided tour connecting fiber artists and enthusiasts with locally-owned yarn shops and fiber destinations across the state. This event encourages the fiber arts community to discover and support local businesses, while also exploring the beautiful state of North Carolina."
Join this tour and learn more at https://ncyarntour.com.
Learn how to weave a washcloth on a 12 inch loom. Squares can be used for other items and will be discussed in class. What is continuous strand weaving on a square loom? Continuous strand weaving on the square frame loom follows the same principles as with the Triangle frame looms, in that the weaver is just weaving loops which become both a warp and two wefts woven at one. The main differences between weaving on the square versus the triangle are: the weaver only weaves in the top right corner, rather than alternating between the right and left corners and the weaver lays in two warps for every row woven, rather than just one
Level: Beginner
Instructor: Marilyn Haas-Haseman (Read Marilyn's bio)
Members: $100
Non members: $120
Materials fee: $0
Materials Provided: Looms
Materials students should bring:
Optional
Learn about our COVID policy here: Workshop Policies
After a long day at work, how about a little creative time with friends mid-week? This is not a class - you should know how to stitch, crochet, knit, or practice your favorite fiber craft but we suspect you will learn something along the way. We have experienced fiber enthusiasts in our group, so you can count on getting and giving some advice. Materials supplied by participants: Please bring whatever project/s you are working on, items for show and tell as well as yarn or fiber-y acquisitions and new project ideas. Bring your own supper or snack. Skill level: All skill levels are welcome, but some basic knowledge of fiber arts is encouraged. This is a free event for members, but please sign up so we know how many to expect. Cohosts: Judi Jetson & Mary Euler
After a long day at work, how about a little creative time with friends mid-week? This is not a class - you should know how to stitch, crochet, knit, or practice your favorite fiber craft but we suspect you will learn something along the way. We have experienced fiber enthusiasts in our group, so you can count on getting and giving some advice.
Materials supplied by participants: Please bring whatever project/s you are working on, items for show and tell as well as yarn or fiber-y acquisitions and new project ideas. Bring your own supper or snack.
Skill level: All skill levels are welcome, but some basic knowledge of fiber arts is encouraged.
This is a free event for members, but please sign up so we know how many to expect.
Cohosts: Judi Jetson & Mary Euler
Members! Join us for coffee or tea, conversation, and quiet handiwork. Suggestions: knitting, crocheting, hand sewing, sock darning, embroidery or any other portable project you have going lending itself to a get together. Let’s exchange ideas and chit-chat! The Handwork Circle will now be in person on the first and third Thursday of every month and on Zoom for the remaining Thursdays of the month from 1 - 3pm.
Bring. Yourselves, a mug, and your ongoing work. Also optional: bring a piece of your finished work to show others what your interests are.
Hosted by Susette Shiver and Ceil Jensen
Sign up at least 2 days in advance to receive registration information ahead of time.
This is a two day class which will take your book making to the next level. On day one we will make materials for our covers: book cloth and surface design on paper. You can use some small, treasured pieces of fabric from your stash and convert it into book cloth. We will also learn a traditional form of marbling called Suminagashi which uses sumi ink. These papers can be also used for end sheets, cover paper, cards, collaging, etc. On day two we will learn a soft cover journal that has removable signatures. Your pages can be multiple types and sizes of paper or fabric. It is a great book to take along on a trip or keep in your purse for when your creativity strikes. The second book will be a traditional hard cover Japanese Stab binding with a decorative, intricate stitch called asa-no-ha-toji . As a bonus we will do some cyanotype printing IF the weather behaves, we need the sun for this
Level: Intermediate
Instructor: Joyce Tromba (Read Joyce's bio)
Price of this workshop reflects the 20% off Summer Series Discount!
Members: $160
Non Members: $192
Materials fee: $15-20 (paid the day of workshop)
Materials provided by instructor: Materials for Suminagashi, book board, text paper, bookmaking tools, chemistry for cyanotpes linen thread
Students should bring: A small piece of fabric, and a selection of papers or fabric for the journal, your bookmaking tools if you have them
The Local Cloth Tapestry Study Group is headed to the Blue Ridge Mountains Art Center in Blue Ridge, GA to see HGA’s Small Expressions show! This show was juried by Tommye Scanlin who will be meeting the group there at 11:30am.
Interested in joining in on this field trip? Reach out to Betty Hilton-Nash at bhiltonnash@gmail.com.
Oh Sew Asheville, an Apparel Sewing Interest Group meets monthly and is an opportunity for garment sewing enthusiast to share projects, tips, techniques, fitting help, and camaraderie. The Interest Group will have 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. The Apparel Sewing Interest Group meets on the third Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is free for Local Cloth members (and $5 for non-members).
Hosted by Mary Euler and Mary Earle-Sigler
The Spinning Study Group's purpose is to share the joy of handspinning. We welcome anyone from the professional spinner to those who are just beginning - all share a love of learning.
Supplies: Participants must bring their own spinning wheels and fiber. Some fiber may be available to share but is not guaranteed at each meeting.
Skill level: This is not a group for beginners to learn how to spin. All skill levels are welcome, but some basic knowledge of spinning is required.
Host: Judi Jetson
Knitters! Crocheters! Needlefelters! Let's get together with your needles or hooks and make stuff. This is not a class- you should know something about your chosen craft but my suspicion is that you will learn something along the way. Knitters, needlefelters and crocheters are just like that. We do have some experienced folks in our group so you can count on getting some advice too. Materials supplied by participants: Please bring whatever project/s you are working on, any FO's for show and tell as well as yarn acquisitions and new project ideas. Skill level: This is not a beginner's class. You should have some knowledge of your craft, but all skill levels are welcome! This is a free event for members but please sign up so we know how many to expect.
Knitters! Crocheters! Needlefelters! Let's get together with your needles or hooks and make stuff. This is not a class- you should know something about your chosen craft but my suspicion is that you will learn something along the way. Knitters, needlefelters and crocheters are just like that. We do have some experienced folks in our group so you can count on getting some advice too.
Materials supplied by participants: Please bring whatever project/s you are working on, any FO's for show and tell as well as yarn acquisitions and new project ideas.
Skill level: This is not a beginner's class. You should have some knowledge of your craft, but all skill levels are welcome!
This is a free event for members but please sign up so we know how many to expect.
Hosted by Eileen Berchem
You can book our studio space for a private event!
CLICK HERE to request a Private Event at Local Cloth.
Hosted by Susette Shiver
Sign up at least 2 days in advance to receive your Zoom log-in information ahead of time.
Please use this listing to register to sell at the Anything Fiber Sale.
REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN!
CLICK HERE to access our Vendor Registration Information Sheet to answer your questions about vending with us.
Check out our Instagram here: Local Cloth Instagram
RATES: $45 for Local Cloth members and $55 for non members. Only online registration will be accepted. You must pay by credit/debit card when you register. Registrations will be deleted if payment is not received within 15 minutes of registering. Register early!
WHAT TO SELL: The Anything Fiber Sale is a yard sale for fiber people. We all have hanks and cones of unused yarns, piles of unloved fabric, obscure tools that we forgot we had, looms that need a new home, duplicates of knitting needles, fleece that doesn’t seem to get spun, right? So, really clean out that closet and rent a space to sell your surplus fibers, materials and tools, and bring home a little cash! Yard sale-type goods only! No finished goods unless they are appropriate to use in other fiber techniques (i.e., hand-spun yarns, dyed yardage).
Key information for vendors:
-Unloading and set up will be available on Friday July 25th with limited time on Saturday. We’ll have volunteers again to assist you.
-Each vendor space is 9’6” x 8’ with 3 tables and 2 chairs.
-Reach out to Cathy at catherinenielson@gmail.com with any questions!
The Anything Fiber Sale is the yard sale for fiber people. We have hanks and cones of unused yarns, piles of unloved fabric, obscure tools that we forgot we had, looms that need a new home, duplicates of knitting needles, fleece that doesn’t seem to get spun. Now it can be yours! We've cleaned out that closet and rented a space to sell our surplus fibers, materials and tools. Yard sale-type goods only! There will be no finished goods unless they are appropriate to use in other fiber techniques (i.e., hand-spun yarns, dyed yardage).
The sale will be at the Conference Center at AB Tech again where there’s air conditioning and parking! There will be plenty of shopping to do. RSVP so we know who to expect to see there!
Local Cloth is excited to offer a sewing camp for teens! Teens aged 13-18 are invited to join us for a week of making clothes with a sewing machine, upcycling thrifted clothes, and learning dyeing and surface design techniques.
Camp will run from 9am-3pm each day.
Email programs@localcloth.org with any questions.
As part of our summer series this class will take you on a deep dive into all things indigo. We will learn to set up and maintain two indigo vats: the thiox vat also known as the workshorse vat and an organic vat made with fructose. We will also dye directly with fresh indigo leaves. You will learn the essential components of each method, along with the chemistry behind it. We will dye on cellulose, wool and silk fabrics and learn the traditional resist techniques of shibori. including simple folding and clamping, stitched, arashi. We will learn the essential techniques and chemistry behind each of these methods as well as trouble shooting. At the end of the series you will have an excellent grounding in the art of indigo dyeing.
Instructors: Joyce Tromba and Denise Arcuri (Read Joyce & Denise's bio)
Prices reflect the 20% Summer Series discount!
Members: $240
Non members: $288
Materials fee: $45 (collected at time of workshop)
Materials supplied by teacher: all dyes, assists, fabrics, yarn and equipment
Materials students should bring: apron, additional fabric or small garments may be dyed. We will talk about this on the first day of class.
Suitable for both complete beginners as well as those not-so-new who need a little more guidance, this class will cover spinning on both a drop spindle and a spinning wheel. We’ll cover the types and parts of these tools and which may be right for you. Other topics include how to use a niddy-noddy, drafting, plying, hand carding and finishing. Most of the time will be spent working on the spindle and wheel and learning to use fiber tools. Our goal is to send you home with a plied skein of yarn. Judi recommends that you practice treadling a spinning wheel - both forward and backwards - prior to the class.
Instructor: Judi Jetson & Jamie Sparks (Read Judi and Jamie's bio)
Non-members: $120
Materials Fee : $25, including a drop spindle and wool to take home! (to be collected day of class)
Instructor will provide: You'll receive a drop spindle, roving and a variety of animal fibers in both natural and dyed colors. We can loan you a wheel for the class if you don't have one.
Students should bring: Bring your own spinning wheel and/or drop spindle, if you have one. If you have clean fleece, or a braid you want to try spinning, you can bring that, too
Learn about our COVID & cancellation policy here: Workshop Policies
The long awaited re-opening of our space is finally here! Local Cloth members, we can't wait to see you and celebrate with you at this members-only soft re-opening. While not totally open to the public yet, we are ready to welcome our members back into the space to help warm it and fill it with that fiber-loving community we've been missing. This will be a FREE drop in event! Please RSVP so we know how many to expect.
Join us throughout the day for demonstrations and make-and-takes with our many Interest Groups! Have you been thinking about checking out one of these groups? This is the perfect time to see what they are all about and get involved. Check out THIS SCHEDULE to see when your favorite topics will be covered!
Learn the art of standing wool! Standing wool was popular before the Industrial Revolution as a thrifty way to use up extra scraps and create rugs for the home. However, this technique fell out of use during the advent of machine-made products because the slow, handmade process is impossible to recreate using automation or machinery. Standing wool rugs are also called quilled wool rugs or quillies. This technique can be used to create rugs, trivets, coasters, and of course, wall art!
You will learn:
Members: $50
Non members: $60
Instructor: Amy Reader (Read Amy's bio)
Materials fee: $25
Materials supplied by teacher: All supplies provided: strips of felt, embroidery floss, and needle to keep. Scissors to share.
Materials students could bring: N/a
Level: Intermediate (Students should know how to spin yarn on a spinning wheel. Beginners are welcome, but some skill is needed.)
Instructor: Silver Davin (Read Silver's bio)
Materials fee: $40 cash, credit card, venmo, or paypal (to be paid on day of workshop)
Materials supplied by teacher: 3+ oz crazy art batt and a spool of core yarn. There will be many different colorways to choose from.
Materials students could bring: You'll need to bring your spinning wheel. Please bring a jumbo flier if you have one; the bigger your wheel's orifice, the better!
Join us for a week-long day camp at Local Cloth! This Farm to Fabric camp will give campers opportunities to meet furry fiber animals, learn felting, try their hands at paper-making, and experience spinning, dyeing, & weaving. Kids aged 8-13 are invited to join us for a week of fiber fun!
MENDING MATTERS:
A space for helping us each be accountable to our ever growing piles of holey items in need of mending; a space to get advice and inspiration and technique sharing on ways to mend items of all kinds; a space to also share with one another insights gleaned from our mending. Mending Matters sessions will be facilitated by Elizabeth Schell, but with all gathered teaching and learning from one another. Some tools and materials will be available to pull from at each session to help with your mending. Elizabeth Schell is co-owner of Purl's Yarn Emporium, and a life-long sewer, mender, maker and re-maker. You may notice two sections of this group--a morning sections on the first Monday of the month and an evening section on the second Tuesday of the month. You are welcome to come to either or both as fits with your schedule!
A space for helping us each be accountable to our ever growing piles of holey items in need of mending; a space to get advice and inspiration and technique sharing on ways to mend items of all kinds; a space to also share with one another insights gleaned from our mending.
Mending Matters sessions will be facilitated by Elizabeth Schell, but with all gathered teaching and learning from one another. Some tools and materials will be available to pull from at each session to help with your mending. Elizabeth Schell is co-owner of Purl's Yarn Emporium, and a life-long sewer, mender, maker and re-maker.
You may notice two sections of this group--a morning sections on the first Monday of the month and an evening section on the second Tuesday of the month. You are welcome to come to either or both as fits with your schedule!
Create a one-of-a-kind doll infused with intention, beauty, and a touch of mischief. In this full-day workshop, you’ll craft your own Spirit Doll—a soulful, whimsical companion made with fabric, thread, and your imagination. This is slow crafting at its best: sewing, stuffing, painting her face, giving her wild yarn hair, and adorning her with beads, appliqué, and meaningful bits and bobs.
These dolls are cute, but even more so, they’re magical! Each one holds a secret wish, intention, or prayer nestled inside. As you stitch, you’ll also be weaving in a little piece of your story, your hopes, or the energy you want more of in your life.
Whether you're a knitter, sewer, weaver, or just someone craving a creative day of play, this workshop will delight your inner maker.
Come stitch something meaningful—just for you.
Level: Beginner (no doll-making experience needed)
Instructor: Stacy Vajta (Read Stacy's bio)
Non Members: $120
Materials fee: $35 (paid via cash, card, or venmo day of workshop)
Materials provided by instructor: Stuffing & weighted pellets, Doll-making needles, Clay faces & paint, Beads, crystals, embroidery thread, Assorted fabrics and trims for embellishing, Glue and basic supplies, extra fabircs and yarn, sewing machine
Students should bring: Fabric for your doll (½ yard is plenty) • Yarn for hair • Two small matching buttons (½” size for arms) • Basic sewing thread and scissors • Any personal adornments you'd like to include (special fabric scraps, charms, etc.)
Spend some time with me and learn how to make a Fabulous 3-Dimensional Vessel using a Flat Resist! We will be using beautiful merino wool fibers, wool prefelts, silks and an assortment of fibers to create texture and interest!
You will learn~
Instructor: Betty Ann Winters (Read Betty Ann's bio)
Non-Members: $60
Materials fee: $20 cash (collected at time of workshop)
Materials provided by instructor: wool, silks, embellishments and a resist that you can use again and again at home.
Students should bring: 1 large towel, 1 small towel. We will be stuffing our vessels to block them, please bring at least 15 plastic supermarket bags or small towels/ rags. Note: Wet felting requires the physical ability to work with your hands in a repetitive motion. Please bring lunch or a snack for a mid-class short break.
Open to all tapestry weavers, or tapestry weaver wannabes. We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of the month.
Supplies: Please bring a project you are working on, a finished piece to share with the group, any questions you may have about materials, techniques, etc. We are looking for a good discussion and sharing of ideas about tapestry.
Skill level: This is not an introductory class so will be no instruction, but by sharing ideas and experiences we will all learn from each other.
Led by: Betty Hilton-Nash
This introductory class provides an overview of Sashiko, the Japanese stitching and mending practice, and guides beginners in gaining basic skills and knowledge to apply this practice to both functional and decorative goods. This class is a prerequisite to the other classes in the series. Participants will learn to stitch a basic Sashiko geometric pattern, making a coaster or patch by class end.
Instructor: Gail Clement (Read Gail's bio)
Materials fee: $35
Materials supplied by teacher: Supply kit containing Sashiko needle 2-pack, Palm thimble, Finger Cots , Coron naturally-dyed thick Sashiko thread on bobbin (24 m approx) , Yokota medium Sashiko thread (40 m), Daruma 20/4 thin Sashiko thread(40 m), 3 Fabric samples (Sarashi cotton; Kaufman Essex cotton/linen blend; thrifted linen 1 Lined water soluble transfer, Preprinted Washout Fabric
Materials students should bring: Embroidery snips and straight edge
Building on basic skills gained in “Introduction to Sashiko, a Japanese Stitching Practice”, we will explore the Hitomezashi Sashiko style based on single stitches placed on gridded patterns. This workshop introduces the history and development of Hitomezashi, surveys traditional patterns using this style, and applies this stitching practices on pre-printed fabric. Participants will also have the opportunity to design their own Hitomezashi pattern and at least start stitching a coaster or patch. Participants with equivalent Sashiko skills covered in “Introduction to Sashiko, a Japanese Stitching Practice” must purchase the materials kit accompanying that introductory workshop. Participants who have completed in “Introduction to Sashiko, a Japanese Stitching Practice“ need to purchase the add-on supplies specific to Hitomezashi ($15).
Materials fee: $15 (to be collected day of event)
Materials supplied by teacher: Hitomezashi add-on fabrics and instructions
Materials students could bring: Embroidery supplies and ruler
Guild members work in several different mediums creating art dolls – clay, fiber, cloth, etc. Skill levels are beginner to professional. Guild membership is not required for registration to this interest group.
No supplies are necessary. Participants are encouraged to learn from one another & encouraged to continue their individual journey crafting and appreciating the art of the doll. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their work for sharing with the group.
While step by step instruction for creating a piece of figurative art is not offered at meetings, all skill levels are welcome to share in discussions of work that is presented for Show & Tell. Future workshops and demonstrations will be available for learning purposes.
Come celebrate our official GRAND RE-OPENING of the Local Cloth shop and studio! For the first time since the devastation and loss of Hurricane Helene, Local Cloth will be fully operational and ready for business. Come shop your favorite fiber artists, enjoy refreshments, participate in a make-and-take, and rejoice in the restoration of our community's home!
Join guest artist Mike Durkin in a community mending and quilting project. FREE to attend! Please RSVP so we know how many to expect.
Four sessions will be offered - participants are welcome to come to as many as they would like.
Let us mend together. Mike will conduct story-sharing sessions centering around mending, while we mend our clothing or supplies. Participants will gather with torn clothes and items and Mike will teach and help mend those clothing. We will also talk about other areas in our life we need to mend, relationships, habits, and other important issues the participant is engaged in. The focus will be on occupying time, the mending, will be hand-sewn. This action which will take lots of time will help the individual working on focusing, grounding, and being present. Participants can come to a single workshop, or throughout the 4 workshops.
We will explore the concept of mending and repair as we think about 1 year since Hurricane Helene. We then will use this information to make a collaborative quilt. Inspired by the story-sharing sewing circles of the women in Gee’s Bend, AL, we will create our own mending quilt. Participants will hand-sew their own designed squares to be part of the larger quilt. This will culminate in a sharing session where we will unveil the quilt as well as participants will share stories around their squares.
In preparation for the workshops, participants should bring any items they are looking to mend. This could be a sweater, a purse, a blanket, a sock, or anything else! This project has been conducted all over the country and the contribution of fabric and materials to the fiber bank aids in this. If possible, participants can bring materials or fabric to be incorporated and donated to the fiber bank.
Members: $35
Non members: $45
Materials provided by instructor: Handout
Materials students should bring: Notebook
Please purchase the $5 application fee to finalize your application.
To fill out the application form, click HERE.
Join us at the annual Southern Highland Craft Guild Fair! Local Cloth will host a booth with local fiber arts vendors and offer fiber arts education opportunities.
Applications to vend in the Local Cloth booth open through July 3rd.
APPLY HERE
Join us at the annual Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair at the WNC Agricultural Center! Local Cloth will host a vendor booth and make & take opportunities.
Applications for vendors open July 7th-August 29th.
Take a deep dive into Natural Dyeing on cellulose and protein fibers. Learn to successfully use natural dyes to produce clear, long lasting colors on a variety of fibers. You will learn the important steps of fiber preparation: scouring and mordanting that is so important in achieving good results with natural dyes. We will the extract our dyes from the raw plant materials, dye the fibers and finally explore post dye modification and over dyeing which extends the range of hues from our primary colors. We will make 12 different dye baths to get a rainbow of colors.
This series requires some knowledge of the chemistry of natural dyeing. If you are a beginner please take the Introduction to Natural Dyeing offered the week before this class.
We will provide all the materials, dyes, adjuncts and equipment as well as a detailed handout.
Level: Informed Beginners (see above)
Instructors: Joyce Tromba & Denise Arcuri (Read Joyce & Denise's bios)
Members: $300
Non members: $360
Materials fee: $50-60 dollars, we will calculate the exact amount at the end of the series.
Materials provided by instructor: Cotton and silk fabric, wool yarn, plants, extracts, equipment, mordants, modifiers, detailed instructions
Materials students should bring: Dye plants (optional). Please contact instructors if you have questions about what to bring.
Delve deeper into the art of standing wool! Standing wool was popular before the Industrial Revolution as a thrifty way to use up extra scraps and create rugs for the home. However, this technique fell out of use during the advent of machine-made products because the slow, handmade process is impossible to recreate using automation or machinery. Standing wool rugs are also called quilled wool rugs or quillies. This technique can be used to create rugs, trivets, coasters, and of course, wall art!
You should already know:
You can review the basic techniques here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6xfvckuZ7tay6E1oArJ0f6MhEUaQRkXV&si=f7oOiwM2myn5mjww
Address:
408 Depot Street, #100 | Asheville, NC 28801
828.774.5134 | Info@localcloth.org
Copyright © 2012-2025 by Local Cloth, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Artists' work and images are property of the individual artists.
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