About Us

Wimberley Valley SAORI weaving studio is part workshop / part retail shop. As an authorized SAORI distributor, we sell brilliantly made SAORI looms and equipment, SAORI coned yarns, and SAORI weaving supplies. We also carry a beautiful collection of yarn and fiber art “ingredients” from other suppliers, such as Japanese-sourced Dan-Doh cotton, silk and linen yarns, and WEBS Bamboo yarn in cones. We’ve sourced an assortment of exquisite hand-spun art yarns, hand-dyed ribbons, fiber rovings, and sheep locks, which are often used for pops of color and texture, from a variety of indie fiber artists, and these are also on display and available for student purchase.
Yarns and limited edition warps for sale at Wimberley Valley Saori
Inspiration comes in many forms at Wimberley Valley SAORI! It’s an in-person and online shop for SAORI-made wearables, accessories, and ready-made weaving kits assembled and curated by studio owner Kathy Utts.
Above all else, Wimberley Valley SAORI is a destination for those seeking inspiration for their own creative journey as well as connecting with a creative community of like-minded, supportive friends.

Location & Hours

Wimberley Valley SAORI
765 Gardenia Dr.
Wimberley, TX 78676

**Gardenia Dr may not show up on your GPS. The studio is accessed via Puerto Rico Dr., through the gated entrance to Escondida Ranch.

Phone: (512) 569-1668

Please leave a message if we are unable to answer when you call.

The studio is located inside a gated neighborhood and is open for visitors and students by appointment. If you are interested in visiting the studio or setting up an appointment, please contact us.

SAORI logo

Our Studio

Click below to view photos of our studio space!

The new studio at Wimberley Valley Saori
The new studio at Wimberley Valley Saori
The new studio at Wimberley Valley Saori
Yarns and limited edition warps for sale at Wimberley Valley Saori
The new studio at Wimberley Valley Saori

My Journey So Far

As a girl, fashioning “distinctive apparel” for my dog and dolls eventually led to sewing my own clothes in high school, and later achieving a degree in home economics education to pursue my dream of teaching garment design and construction. However, career opportunities and further education took me in the direction of nutrition and dietetics, and I worked for many years as a registered dietitian in Austin.

My husband and I moved to Wimberley, Texas when our children were young, and I began a love affair with nature, magnificent sunsets, organic gardening, and our 15 fluffy alpaca. These gentle and amazing creatures were my initial inspiration for opening a yarn shop on the Wimberley Square in 2013 (Ply! Yarn). Four years later I sold the yarn shop to a friend so that I could focus more on weaving.

Wimberley Valley SAORI is a manifestation of my fiber arts journey so far. There have been many amazing teachers and artists who have influenced me along the way, but what has remained constant is my interest in anything “free-style” related to fiber arts: knitting, weaving, and hand-spinning art yarn. At last, I discovered the name for what my creative heart yearned for: SAORI weaving! Now I know I have found the right medium for my artistic voice.

In accordance with Saori Global’s website, our mission at Wimberley Valley SAORI is inspiring a growing community of weavers and fiber artists to discover, nurture and respect the endless creative potential that lives within and connects us all.

What is Saori?

SAORI weaving, defined most simply, is free-form, uninhibited weaving. But it is so much more than that! SAORI is a combination of the Zen word “sai,” meaning everything has its own individuality and dignity, and “ori,” meaning weaving.

Founder Misao Jo (1913 – 2018) was 57 when she decided she’d like to learn to weave. That was inspiring in itself. Don’t we often limit ourselves by thinking “it’s too late” or “I’m too busy” to start something new?

Misa Jo, Founder of SAORI

Photo credit: SAORI Global

Misao Jo did not have any conventional credentials or desires for materialism. Instead, she held to her dream of global harmony, passion for inspiring humanity, and creativity, and a spirited commitment to challenging and expanding the status quo.
From SAORI: Self Innovation Through Free Weaving
Saori woven fabric made into a vest
In the same book, Misao describes both her evolution as a weaver and the philosophy she developed that sets SAORI apart from conventional or traditional weaving.
In SAORI we break with conventional, patterned thinking which values uniformity and perfection, and strive instead to let the creative expression of our true selves shine and guide our work.
Misao felt that we should not aspire to create like machines, but rather celebrate our humanness in its perfect imperfection. She would say,
We do not make an imitation, but rather a creation. We do not weave a piece of cloth, but rather our true selves.

As SAORI weavers, we aspire to express this “free-spirited” weaving with color, texture, and irregularity in our woven cloth.

To learn more about SAORI and Misao Jo, please visit the official Saori website at saoriglobal.com.

And so, I invite you to join me on this creative journey

filled with beauty, design, freedom, and originality.

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