A Conversation with Susan Gaire About the Tapestry Interest Group at Local Cloth

On March 29, 2026, I chatted with Susan Gaire about the Tapestry Interest Group at Local Cloth. Their newly completed project had drawn my attention at the Local Cloth Studio in the River Arts District.

Susan led me through the group’s inspiration, her participation in organizing the project, and the group’s collaborative interactions in completing the work. Susan is highly energetic and enthusiastic about the tapestry project.

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Blue Ridge Mountain Collaborative Tapestry Postcard

Location: Local Cloth, Asheville, NC March 17, 2025

Weavers from left to right:

Susan Gaire, Stephanie Lyons, Madeleine Hairrell, Betty Hilton-Nash, Susan Gaire, Kathy DeOrnellas, Anne Burg, Kathy Dennison, Jennifer Zia, Jaqueline Fay

Size: 7’ x 3’

Materials: warp: cotton seine twine, weft: wool, silk, assorted fibers.

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First, Susan Gaire showed me the folder she created for this project. She had collected photos of a project in which the same city view was photographed at different times. Slices of the images were extracted and reassembled so that, from left to right, a progression from day to night could be seen. One common element in their composition is the water-land interface.

The tapestry project was also highly influenced by another tapestry artist collaboration, The Murmuration Collaboration.

The Murmuration Collaboration

Susan Gaire showed me the foldout page from the Murmuration catalog publication.

We live in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, which provided the next major influence for the textile interest group project.

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The group worked on colored-pencil renditions of a beautiful photograph of the mountains at sunset and chose three strong ridgelines to act as the continuity thread between the individual contributions of the tapestry members.

From there, full-size strips matching the actual dimensions of the individual contributions were drawn, and the three ridgelines were penciled in. They were cut out and handed to each of the participants. Betty Winters is shown holding her pattern piece.

Individuals created sketches and small samples containing the yarns to be used so they could compare them for compatibility. You can see that the textile group collaborators have strong talent in coloring and drawing the mockups.

A deadline was set for April 2026, and they went to work.

Handwork Circle: Project #3

We are working on a 3rd collaborative project now. However, for review, I present the first two projects: Project #1 was lost to Helene and mud, but recovered; project #2 was never recovered.

Project #1. Susette Shiver, Carolyne Morrison, Ceil Jensen, Katya Krenov-Hoke, Paddy Lynch, Rebecca Norris, Tori Masaki, Silk, cotton, felted wool, miscellaneous items.

Project #1

Project # 2 Tori Masaki, Susette Shiver, Katya Krenov-Hoke, Paddy Lynch, Ceil Jensen, Rebecca Norris, Mary Kelley. Japanese kimono fabrics, sashiko, silk, cotton, Temari balls.

Project #2

Kathleen Lewis started the next project and we choose a theme from our experiences at Local Cloth of from the Helene hurricane of 2024: before, just after/during, and after.

Kathleen Lewis passed this project beginning to Martha Brandon. cotton, photo-transfer to fabric images.

Kathleen Lewis started the project by creating a linen background with photos transferred onto fabric and a dark-colored center.

Martha Brandon had to think awhile about what her contribution might be, but she followed Kathleen Lewis’s beginning brilliantly.

Martha Brandon’s contribution centered on the top of the piece: cards from Local Cloth vendors who lost inventory during Hurricane Helene, along with elements of thread, weaving, surface design, and photo transfer.

List of participants:

1 Kathleen Lewis done

2 Martha Brandon done

4 Katya Krenov-Hoke done

5 Tina Hvitfeldt done

6 Ceil Jensen working on project

7 Judi Jetson

8 Linda Hayward

9 Rebecca Norris

10 Susette Shiver

I’ll keep you all posted!

Katya Krenov-Hoke added the tree and then the fallen tree. This reflected an event she and her husband endured when the tree fell on their house. When the house was built, they had carefully preserved the beautiful tree, only to have it topple over a few years later during the heavy rains and hurricane winds.

Christina Hvitfeldt’s contribution was a phoenix rising out of the oval cloth rubble.

Handwork Circle: Post-Helene Project

Post hurricane Helene recovery in Asheville has been a struggle for most artists in the River Arts District. Local Cloth members have poured their energies into bringing the Local Cloth studio back from the 11 foot mud onslaught. Check out localclothinc Instagram posts for progress! Local Cloth with its retail studio, dye studio, classroom, resident artists spaces, workshops and expanded retail opportunities for local fiber artists is supported by staff and many volunteers. Local Cloth will have improved resources for serving artists and fiber farmers in the Blue Ridge Fiber Shed (100 mile radius from Asheville).

I am a member of Local Cloth and I lead the Handwork Circle interest group. During covid, we started on zoom and are still going strong with both in person and zoom meetings weekly with the help of several members.

As a group we began collaborative projects in 2023. We pass a project from person to person. Each person adds their artistic stamp in the form of embroidery, patchwork, Temari balls, felted critters; each individual has artistic say on what to add based on how the piece speaks to them. Check out these Local Cloth blogs on the first and second projects.

Then, Helene happened. Alas, we only recovered the first piece. After soaking and rinsing and soaking and rinsing we brought it back to a somewhat similar state! (See the photo).

We have started a new collaborative project for handwork circle participants!

Kathleen Lewis said she would start the piece.  The “rules” are as previous, that is, the project is passed from person artist to person artist.  During their turn, the artist has complete freedom to add to the piece based on their vision.

The theme we decided on will be the recovery of Local Cloth, the rising from the ashes so to speak.  New inspiration and hard work is driving Local Cloth to reopen and wow everyone.  We have big expectations.

Let me know if you want to participate and whether you know anyone else I may have missed that might want to be included. 

Cheers!

Susette

Signed up so far, Jul 28th, 2025:

1 Kathleen Lewis (currently with her)

2 Mary Kelley

3 Martha Brandon

4 Katya Hoke

5 Tina Hvitfeldt

6 Ceil Jensen

7 Judi Jetson

8 Linda Hayward

9 Rebecca Norris

10 Susette Shiver

Spinning Study Group at Local Cloth 2020

List of fibers and their sources

(information as of 2-3-2021)

Local Cloth Spinning Study Group Blog

Fiber farmers in the WNC Local Cloth Area

List of Fiber Samples for Spinning Study Group

Sept 21, 2020

Alpaca, Last Penny Farm

Mohair, Good Fibrations

Montadale, Windy Wool Windings

Shetland, a farm in Henderson County

Oct 20, 2020

Blue Ridge Mountains Blend #1,  Local Cloth (30% Montadale, 25% Shetland, 25% Alpaca, 20% Mohair)

Blue Ridge Fine #1, Local Cloth (60% Montadale, 40% Alpaca)

Jacob, Hobbyknob Farm

Lincoln, Hobbyknob Farm

Nov 20, 2020

Romeldale, CVM Windy Wool Windings

Tunis, Wellspring Farm, Yancey Co, NC

3/4 Blue Faced Leicester x 1/4 Leicester Longwool (first shear), Love Handle Farm, Alexander, NC

3/4 Cormo x 1/4 Corriedale, Martha Owen Woolens

Dec 28, 2020

Dorset, Brian Grimm, Blackberry Ridge, Southwest VA

Icelandic, Katie Gaddy, Hidaway Farm 

Cormo top, Sebette Hamil, Leicester, NC

Romney, Barnardsville 2019

Jan 26, 2021

Teeswater, Dry Creek Naturals, Taylorsville, GA

Llama, Peace of Eden Farm, Madison, NC

Merino, Khakalaki Farm, Trenton, SC

Black Shetland, Sourwood Fiber Farm, Scott Spell, Fletcher, NC

I have mentioned Local Cloth, an Asheville fiber group supporting artists and farmers, in a previous blog (Nov 20, 2020). Local Cloth just sent out a member survey with questions particular to this past covid year. One of the questions was “Did you acquire any new hobbies this year?” My enthusiastic answer was blogging and hand spinning wool (double exclamation points, smiley face)!

I have always loved anything to do with wool and knitting. I sometimes become bored so I tend to switch projects and work in parallel on 3-4 projects. I also take workshops (from Local Cloth) or learn by videos or books. I often lack patience to follow complicated patterns, however I love to design and make things to my specifications and preferences. Since a teenager, I have tried to make many kinds of things, but a lasting interest is working with wool. I think I speak for other knitters when I say that a display or basket full of beautiful yarns makes my heart race; I rush over to look and feel. Visual and tactile pleasures—please drag me out of the shop! Hence, the famous stashes so many of us create.

I am a newbie at spinning. After a lesson and some internet learning, I jumped in at the deep end by joining Local Cloth’s Spinning Study Group last fall. This is an opportunity to be around experienced spinners and fiber farmers (virtually on Zoom at present), to experience and learn about spinning fibers obtained from different sheep breeds and local farmers, and to enjoy spinning in the company of others. Judi Jetson gave me my first (socially distanced, outdoors) spinning lesson at her home in Weaverville. Judi, the driving force behind the creation and development of Local Cloth and the current president, is very generous with her time and talents. By the way, I’ll trade ya—something I made for something you made or taught me! Contact me!!

During the Spinning Study Group sessions, we look up only occasionally at the computer screen while spinning. I learned from leading Local Cloth’s Virtual-Handwork Circle that my screen grabs are much better when I say to the group “Look up and smile”! (Photo 1). Spinners like to spin together indoors or outdoors, at your house or mine. Spinning alone indoors on a rainy day is also wonderful. In the spinning study group, each 2 hour monthly session involves spinning, discussing, and characterizing four different yarns from local farmers. To see my photos of the fibers before spinning check out the Local Cloth blog by clicking Learn More. To see how my yarns look and how they knit up, stay tuned!

Photo 1. Spinning Study participants on 12-28-2020.