D’Elin Lohr’s fascination with weaving began in high school. It was the late 1960s when there was a resurgence of the craft. Lohr then took classes with a friend at UC Santa Barbara, further developing a love for textiles and fashion.
Weaving a community
The Central Coast Weavers Guild is holding its annual sale and showcase on Nov. 7 from 1 to 6 p.m., Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will take place at the Strawbale Barn Weaving Studio in Atascadero. The guild hosts meetings, workshops, and speakers throughout the year. Dues cost $40 per year, and the group is open to weavers of all skill levels. For membership information visit centralcoastweavers.org/membership.
“It just started my whole journey into weaving, spinning, and dyeing,” Lohr said about the classes. “I did it all for years and years.”
The Santa Maria native has been president of the Central Coast Weavers Guild for almost seven years, overseeing the more than 130 members in the group. Meetings are usually held in San Luis Obispo or Santa Margarita, but Lohr said weavers travel from as far north as Paso Robles and Cambria and as far south as Solvang and Buellton.
“When you walk around Santa Maria, there’s not that many weavers. So, I love getting together with people that are interested in what I’m interested in,” she said.
This year marks the guild’s 18th annual sale and showcase but is the first time Lohr is running it herself. More than 40 sellers will gather at the Strawbale Barn Weaving Studio in Atascadero on Nov. 7, 8, and 9. Attendees will likely see clothing, toys, household goods, finger puppets, and more at the vendors’ booths. Weavers will demonstrate different types of looms upstairs in the barn, too.
As a member of the guild for five decades, Lohr has seen it evolve. She remembers when a lot of young weavers joined in the 1970s and started holding meetings on Saturdays because they worked during the Thursday gatherings. A decade or two later the study group program began, giving members the chance to dive into one topic for an entire year.
Then special interest groups formed to allow weavers to explore niches within the larger practice. And now the prevalence of Zoom has opened virtual opportunities.
“People are interested in different things, and so we try to have different groups,” Lohr said. “Weaving is so varied and so broad that anyone could find their place in the weaving world.”
The guild can also be a social network for people who like practicing the craft or want to learn. Lohr suggests that prospective members, beginners, and veterans attend a meeting or contact the guild online.
“It’s social,” Lohr said. “A lot of my friends are in the group.”
While she’s continuously been a guild member, Lohr rediscovered her passion for weaving after a career owning a yarn dyeing business.
“Weaving is problem solving,” she said.
She recently taught herself how to rep weave by reading a handful of books published about the technique. Rep weaving creates a textured surface with yarn packed together tightly. Lohr makes place mats and table runners, which she’ll sell at the upcoming sale along with ornaments and jewelry.
“I’m doing my own designs,” Lohr said, “and I’m having fun with that.”
Highlights
• Lark and Sparrow in Orcutt hosts weekly community events. On Mondays the wine bar hosts trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. and karaoke with a DJ on Thursdays from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Follow the bar on Instagram @lark_andsparrow for updates on upcoming events. Visit the bar and market at 155 E. Clark Ave., suite 110, in Orcutt.
• Take the whole family out to the Buellton Fall Fest for food, drinks, and carnival rides. Live music will play on two stages and vendors will sell beer, wine, cocktails, and snacks. The free event is set for Nov. 7 from 4 to 10 p.m. and Nov. 8 and 9 from noon to 10 p.m. on the Avenue of Flags in Buellton.
Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 6, 2025.