Join us May 10 and 11 for the Folk Art Center’s celebration of textile arts.

Throughout the weekend, crafts-people will be sharing their inspiration and expertise as the Southern Highland Craft Guild hosts Fiber Weekend 2014. Educational craft demonstrations on Saturday will include natural dyeing, sheep shearing, weaving on a loom, tapestry weaving, knitting, crochet, and surface design. Southern Highland Craft Guild members Sandra Rowland and Jan Morris will host activities designed especially for children.

Two new demonstrations this year are batik printing and yarn bombing. New Southern Highland Craft Guild member Robin Ford will show how she applies wax resist painting on cloth. Also, a local group of textile artists called Operation Colorstorm are collaborating to create a temporary fiber installation at the entrance to the Folk Art Center which will be on display during Fiber Weekend.

On Saturday they will be working on the world’s longest scarf, and inviting attendees to add onto the project. They will be offering impromptu knitting lessons for anyone who wants to give it a try.

Textile arts have always created a wonderful sense of community whether it be spinning groups, quilting bees, or yarn circles. To celebrate this community, combined with a love of craft and crafting, the Guild invites visitors to Fiber Weekend to bring their own handwork, whether it be knitting, embroidery or hand sewing.

Weather permitting we would like to fill the hill behind the Folk Art Center auditorium with people engaged in fiber arts. Bring a blanket and enjoy a spring afternoon of craft.

On Sunday, the Folk Art Center’s auditorium will be transformed into a runway for the Fifteenth Annual Fashion Show of Wearable Art. Fiber artist Liz Spear will emcee the event. Styles showcased will range from contemporary to traditional, from funky to classic, made by members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and other regional artists.

Throughout the fashion show, Liz will explore many fiber art processes, and focus on the various schools and studios in the area which offer classes in textiles to everyone from the beginner to the experienced fiber artist. There will be two separate showings of the Fashion Show, at 1 and 3 p.m.

Fiber Weekend is a free event held on May 10 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and May 11 (two fashion shows, 1 and 3 p.m.) at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Asheville. For more information, visit www.craftguild.org or call (828) 298-7928.