{"id":94003,"date":"2026-06-27T06:00:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T10:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=94003"},"modified":"2026-06-22T13:40:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T17:40:40","slug":"feature-artist-rachel-elise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-rachel-elise\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>Feature Artist:<\/strong> Rachel Elise"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_94005\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-94005\" class=\"size-full wp-image-94005\" src=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Barn-Quilts-copy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Barn-Quilts-copy-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Barn-Quilts-copy-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Barn-Quilts-copy-2-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Barn-Quilts-copy-2-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Barn-Quilts-copy-2-810x455.jpg 810w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Barn-Quilts-copy-2-1140x640.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-94005\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barn Quilts. Rachel Elise, artist<\/p><\/div>\n<p>By Gina Malone<\/p>\n<p>When Rachel Elise Aughtry was growing up in Houston, TX, her mother made painted t-shirts, scrunchies and hair bows, selling them at craft shows to help pay for her daughters\u2019 preschool. And just as her mother had with her, she passed the knowledge of sewing on to Rachel when she turned ten. \u201cOne of the first things she taught me to sew was a little drawstring bag that I used to carry my pencils and markers to school,\u201d says Rachel. \u201cMy friends all wanted one, too, and after a few weeks, I\u2019m pretty sure every girl in the fourth grade had one. So, it didn\u2019t take long for making bags to become my thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_94007\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-94007\" class=\"wp-image-94007\" src=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Woven-Satchels-copy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Woven-Satchels-copy-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Woven-Satchels-copy-2-283x300.jpg 283w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Woven-Satchels-copy-2-965x1024.jpg 965w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Woven-Satchels-copy-2-768x815.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Woven-Satchels-copy-2-810x860.jpg 810w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Woven-Satchels-copy-2-1140x1210.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-94007\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Woven Satchels. Rachel Elise, artist<\/p><\/div>\n<p>She continued to learn from her mother and took as many art classes as she could while in school. After briefly considering a career in photography and then graphic design, she ultimately, at the direction of a college advisor at the University of North Texas, decided to explore fiber art. \u201cI had no idea what that was,\u201d she says, \u201cbut I quickly learned this was the place for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After her first year at college, she began making bags and selling them at a local coffee shop and on Etsy, a new platform at the time. \u201cAs I learned new skills, including screen printing and weaving, I started to grow my little bag business\u2014at first just to make a little money, but I soon wondered if it could be more,\u201d Rachel says. \u201cAt the time, Etsy put out a weekly article called \u2018Quit your Day Job,\u2019 interviewing artists that left their careers to pursue their art businesses full time. I eagerly awaited the publishing of that article every single week, and I began to think that maybe this was the path for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her boyfriend at the time, Bo\u2014now her husband\u2014offered practical advice. She was graduating in the midst of the Great Recession. She might go to work for someone else, he told her, then have a hard time leaving the job, whereas if she started her own business, she could get a job later if it didn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n<p>Bo worked to support them the first year while the business got off the ground. And her father helped her make a spreadsheet to determine what the business would need to bring in to offset expenses. \u201cWe still refer to this spreadsheet whenever a big financial shift is happening in the business or in my life,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Her early bags were made with vintage and found materials, embellished with techniques such as appliqu\u00e9 and embroidery. When demand increased for her work, however, she brought her screen-printing skills into play, printing her own textiles. During this time, Bo joined her in the running of the business and, with that change, they decided to move the business to Western North Carolina, where Elementality and another shop already carried her work.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_94006\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-94006\" class=\"wp-image-94006\" src=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-Sunset-Scarf-copy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-94006\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunset Scarf. Rachel Elise, artist<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cMoving to WNC really changed my relationship with nature, and in turn, the imagery in my work,\u201d Rachel says. \u201cIn Texas, my work largely focused on geometric designs, but once I was in the mountains and spending so much more time outside, local scenery, flora and fauna started popping up in my photography, then my sketchbook, and then on the textiles for my bags.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She hand paints her designs onto mesh screens to create the stencils used in the printing. \u201cOnce I\u2019ve printed the image onto canvas fabric, I cut the fabric to the correct size and shape and sew it into a bag, paired with other canvas fabrics, including many that are weather-resistant,\u201d she says. \u201cAll of my inks are non-toxic and my fabrics are made of completely vegan, natural fibers. I really strive for my bags to be equally functional, durable and beautiful, with materials that honor our planet as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During the pandemic, she found people willing to support local businesses both for the sake of their survival and because of the realization that supply chains were unstable at the time. \u201cBy 2022, Bo and I had scaled the business to a point that it didn\u2019t fit inside our home anymore, so we rented 1500 square feet at 10 North Main Street in Mars Hill,\u201d Rachel says. \u201cThis now houses the studio as well as a gallery and gift shop. I\u2019m not sure we would have made that leap without the pressure and fast growth of the late-pandemic economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_94008\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-94008\" class=\"wp-image-94008\" src=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-x-Solstice-Handmade-Collaboration-copy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-x-Solstice-Handmade-Collaboration-copy-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-x-Solstice-Handmade-Collaboration-copy-2-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-x-Solstice-Handmade-Collaboration-copy-2-1024x716.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-x-Solstice-Handmade-Collaboration-copy-2-768x537.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-x-Solstice-Handmade-Collaboration-copy-2-810x566.jpg 810w, https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feature-Artist-Rachel-Elise-x-Solstice-Handmade-Collaboration-copy-2-1140x797.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-94008\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rachel Elise and Solstice Handmade, artists<\/p><\/div>\n<p>It was a time of excitement but also burnout as she felt the pressures of more time manufacturing and less time being creative. She scaled down a bit and took up an old passion: weaving. Today, the business, with the help of her studio assistant, Ellie Weiner, is on an even keel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReintroducing weaving into my life has been such a gift,\u201d Rachel says. \u201cWhile my printed line of bags is my bread and butter, I usually only come out with two to three new print designs a year, which means most of my time is spent producing rather than being creative. Weaving changes that. I do a lot of designing at the loom, so it\u2019s a fresh and creative practice every time I sit down.\u201d Visitors to Mars Hill\u2019s First Friday events, held each month from 5\u20138 p.m., can find Rachel demonstrating weaving at her studio.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Rachel Elise Studio is located at 10 North Main Street, Mars Hill. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. Learn more at <a href=\"http:\/\/RachelElise.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RachelElise.com<\/a> and follow on Instagram <a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/rachelelise_studio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@rachelelise_studio<\/a> and Facebook (<a href=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/rachelelisestudio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rachelelisestudio<\/a>). Regional galleries carrying her work include the Southern Highland Craft Guild shops at the Folk Art Center and on Tunnel Road, and Grovewood Gallery. During the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands (story, p. 24), Rachel Elise Aughtry will demonstrate weaving on Thursday, July 16, and Friday, July 17.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Rachel Elise Aughtry was growing up in Houston, TX, her mother made painted t-shirts, scrunchies and hair bows, selling them at craft shows to help pay for her daughters\u2019 preschool.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":94006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-fashion"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Feature Artist: Rachel Elise - The Laurel of Asheville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Rachel Elise Aughtry was growing up in Houston, TX, her mother made painted t-shirts, scrunchies and hair bows, selling them at craft shows to help pay for her daughters\u2019 preschool.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-rachel-elise\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Feature Artist: Rachel Elise - 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