Group keeps heritage fiber arts alive in Henderson County
Photo by Rachel Pressley
The year was 1974, and Ruth Howe’s cousin needed help with a storage problem.
“She had this big loom,” says Howe, “but her husband was upset by the amount of space it took up in their garage.”
A lifelong fiber artist who began running stitches at five years old and making her own clothes at 13, Howe agreed to adopt the “orphan loom.” But she wasn’t going to let it gather dust. Instead, she enrolled in a weaving class and promptly put the heirloom to work.
“That was 50 years ago, and I’m still weaving,” says Howe, who recently finished her two-year tenure as the president of the Heritage Weavers and Fiber Artists (HWFA), an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving heritage fiber arts in Henderson County.
According to Howe, HWFA’s origins date back to the 1950s, when local teacher and weaver Bessie Jordan founded a small club. In 1961, she established a dedicated weaving studio at The Opportunity House — eventually sited on Asheville Highway — creating space for members to gather, learn, and practice their craft.
In need of more room, the group moved to a 100-year-old boarding house at the Historic Johnson Farm in Hendersonville in 2009. That same year, they adopted their current name to reflect a broader focus.
Photo by Rachel Pressley
“We needed to offer much more than weaving,” says Howe, who helped found the newly renamed organization. “We knew if we didn’t learn and teach these different fiber arts, we would lose them.”
Now 98 members strong, HWFA offers a full roster of educational programs each year. Class topics range from introductory basket weaving to indigo dyeing to needle-felted Christmas sheep.
For the weavers in the bunch, HWFA also provides instruction on using different types of looms, including rigid heddle looms (simple, portable looms ideal for beginners and smaller projects like scarves or placemats) and inkle looms (narrow looms designed for weaving long, narrow pieces such as belts, straps, and bands).
“Our classes are designed to achieve HWFA’s mission statement, which is to promote the continuation of traditional fiber arts,” says Sara-Beth Black, HWFA education coordinator. “These include spinning, weaving, knitting, crocheting, fiber dyeing, needle felting, embroidery, rug hooking, pine-needle basketry, basket weaving, wool appliqué, and punch-needle embroidery.”
This January, community members had the opportunity to meet HWFA instructors, watch demonstrations, and sign up for upcoming classes during the Fiber Arts Expo, a free public event.
“It’s a day where people can see what we do,” says Howe, who has taught weaving classes for many years now. Though she works with students of all skill levels, she has a soft spot for beginners.
“I love their enthusiasm,” she says. “It’s like magic when a student makes cloth for the first time.”
The Heritage Weavers and Fiber Artists (3346 Haywood Road, Hendersonville, at Historic Johnson Farm) For more information, visit hwfawnc.org or call 828-595-9475.