Connection, Community, and Creativity

Local Cloth is a fiber-driven organization founded on connection, community, and creativity. We support and sustain the regional fiber and textile arts economy of the Blue Ridge Mountains through collaboration, education, and innovation.

Our Blue Ridge Mountains Fibershed—within roughly 100 miles of Asheville, North Carolina—spans the rural, mountainous region of Western North Carolina, parts of Eastern Tennessee, and Upstate South Carolina. This region of Appalachia has a deeply rooted history in handcraft and textiles, as well as in perseverance and resilience.

On September 27, 2024, our studio in the heart of Asheville’s River Arts District was devastated by Hurricane Helene. Floodwaters and debris destroyed nearly everything—our front door and windows were blown out, waters rose more than ten feet inside, and our studio, shop, and teaching spaces were left in ruins. The loss disrupted our operations, damaged tools and equipment, and wiped out collections from our fiber artists and farmers. Some of our resident artists lost everything.

Yet, even in this destruction, we found the strength that defines our community. Members, volunteers, and neighbors showed up in muddy boots and gloves to help us clean, rebuild, and restore what had been lost. Like any good fiber artist, we are stitching something new from what was torn—creating beauty, strength, and connection from the threads that remain.

In the year since, through the unwavering support of our community, Local Cloth has rebuilt and fully reopened in September 2025, restoring our retail shop, studio, and programming.

Your support helps us continue this vital work—sustaining our region’s fiber artists and farmers, preserving traditions, and ensuring that the creativity and resilience of our community continue to thrive for generations to come.

Local Cloth

Sustained by a passion for fiber. Founded on connection, community and creativity. Strengthening the local fiber economy.

2025 Twelve-by-Twelve Fiber Show