Visit My Booth at the Stowe Street Arts Festival!

Join me and over 50 other artists at the Stowe Street Arts Festival on July 18! It’s going to be a great day, with lots of art to see (and buy), delicious food, music, and artist demonstrations. Stowe Street and Bidwell Lane in Waterbury are closed for this event. You can get the whole schedule of events by clicking on the following link: http://www.revitalizingwaterbury.org/ssaf_event.php

I’ll be showing my handmade quilts and baby blankets and I will be available for questions and custom orders, too!

 Date: Saturday, July 18, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Location: Historic downtown Waterbury, Vermont

Directions: Click on the following link to access a Google Map of the show location: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=waterbury+vermont&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.778911,93.076172&ie=UTF8&ll=44.339028,-72.749362&spn=0.008518,0.022724&z=16

Parking: Look for festival and municipal parking signs. There’s plenty of parking on Main Street and at Thatcher Brook Primary School on Stowe Street. There is a wide range of art for sale (not just mine!) and plenty of reasonably-priced food. And best of all, admission is free! Please tell your friends and let people know about this great annual arts festival, celebrating all the arts on July 18.

 

The End Is Here!!

I am so excited!  Craft Fair season is now officially over for me!  Yesterday saw me packing up from the Greater Barre Craft Show where I wrapped up this year’s Craft Fair season.  I am very happy to see it done and will not be doing nearly as many shows next year as I did this year.  Seven is just too many.

One of the reasons I am glad to be done is that I can focus more on the two quilts I need to finish ASAP.  One is a turtle quilt from a kit that a client wanted me to do.  I was OK with doing a quilt from a kit and will be focusing on this project in the upcoming weeks.  My second project is a memory quilt for a Mom out in Germany, stationed there as a member of our Armed Forces.  She sent me all of these great baby clothes that I will be making up into a throw size quilt for her.

Another reason to be glad the Craft Fair season is over is it is difficult to be a vendor at a craft show and have really poor sales thanks to this challenging economy.  I don’t like to moan and groan, but it is difficult to put on a happy face when most people leaving a craft fair don’t even have a single purchase!  I know I am not an impulse buy (with pieced quilts starting at $150) but it is still difficult.  Most people say “oh, my Mom quilts” or “those are just too pretty to use”.  I think I need to stick to focusing most of my efforts on-line where I have better luck.

My final reason to be glad craft season is over is that I want my week-ends back! 

 

A Week in Craft

This past week has seen me travelling from one craft fair to another and getting a little “frayed” around the edges!  Next year I have already resolved to not do as many shows, but I am definitely sticking with my Vermont Hand Crafter’s Show at the Sheraton Conference Center in South Burlington, VT.   It is a massive four day long event going from Thursday through Sunday with over 130 artists and crafters that is a shopping treat. 

I really love this show because the artists are required to attend.  Some shows do not require this, but I love the opportunity it gives me to meet other crafters and get inspired by their work.  Here is a partial list of some of the artists that inspire me at this show:

Paper Crafts -

• Blue Roof Designs – www.blueroofdesigns.com – Hand made journals and photo albums featuring paper from around the world

Fiber -

• Knit to be Tied – Jan Brosky – Unique, whimsical hand knit scarves
• Jenny Hermenze – www.japanesedesigns.us – Katazome -Japanese stencil dyeing- on natural fiber clothing
• Jackie Mangione - www.JackieMangione.com – Hand painted & hand dyed silk scarves
• Laura Z – www.laurazonline.com -  Fun, Funky, Fashionable bags and accessories

Paintings and Photography -

• Pika Works – www.pikaworks.com – Colorful, bright paintings of wild and whimsical animals
• Jeff Schneiderman Photography – www.jeffschneiderman.com – Limited edition fine art photography of nature, landscapes, and abstracts

Glass -

• Gabriel Glass – www.gabrielglass.com – Crystal art glass hand blown by second generation Vermont glassblower

Jewelry -

• Anne Havel – Lamp worked glass beads incorporated into sterling & copper jewelry designs
• Novation Glass – www.NovationGlass.com - Contemporary fused dichroic glass jewelry in a variety of styles
• Marsya Ancker – www.marsya.com – Beautiful jewelry with a unique set of energetic properties
• Stray Cat Jewelry – www.straycat.biz – Whimsically elegant polymer clay jewelry

Cool Stuff -

• Julia Emilo – Painted Gourds - Hand painted gourd ornaments, boxes, jewelry, and standing characters
• Vermont Rock Candles – www.vermontrockcandles.com - Oil Lamps made from Vermont stones
• Mary Stone – Clay Whistles – Clay Whistles – Musical sculptures individually hand formed from terra cotta, stoneware and porcelain
• Woodzels by Wetzels - www.woodzels.com - Handmade wooden items are hand painted in the traditional style  

Holiday Decorations -

• Sunnie Andress Designs – www.sunnieandressdesigns.com - Whimsical, Folk Art Santas & Folk Figures and Hooked Wool Rugs in original designs or adaptations of antiques
• Jeanne Rae Crafts – www.jeanneraecrafts.com - Hand painted glass ball ornaments
• Jalin of Vermont – www.jalinofvermont.com – Individually handmade polymer clay ornaments
• Robert Weaver & Deb Salzarulo – Bob & Deb’s Sugarhouse - Handcrafted wood door harps and wood mosaic ornaments 

For more information on these and all of the other great artists, please visit the VT Hand Crafter’s – Artist Pages.

 

Vermont Hand Crafters Show

I wanted to let everyone know that this week-end is the 56th annual Vermont Hand Crafter’s Show at the Sheraton Conference Center in South Burlington, VT.  So, needless to say, I have not dropped off the face of the Earth – I am just in crunch time for the show!  In the last 4 days I have quilted 6 quilts and 4 toddler blankets, pieced 2 tops and gone through about 3,000 yds of thread (and this is in addition to a trip to the ER and working as a substitute at the school).  So wish me luck everyone, and I will try to post updates of the week-end from the hotel.  It is running from Thursday through Sunday and is usually packed.  Think happy thoughts about the economy and that folks are looking for holiday gifts!  Have a great week-end!

 

A Crafting We Will Go…

Well, I am back safe and sound from the craft fair in Manchester, VT, but I can’t say the same for my pocketbook.  WOW!  What a craft fair!  I know my goal is to make more than I spend but it sure is hard when you are surrounded by beautiful mountains, beautiful fall foliage, and beautiful crafts to buy.

Here is a shot of the field and the two HUGE tents and one smaller tent that housed about 200 crafters and food vendors.  Luckily they were heated but on Friday with the gusting wind and sleet, it didn’t help much at all.  I will be lucky if I don’t come down with something in the next week or so!

As always, I would like to point out some of the amazing folks that I think it would be worth your time to see the work of:

• Neil Colston Wyatt – fraah.boundlessgallery.com - Original oil and acrylic art
• Tomas Savrda – tomassavrdaartcraft@volny.cz – Unique recycled metal and wood kinetic sculpture 
• Edith Hiller – dutchgirl12@hotmail.com - Realistic oil paintings of flora and fauna
• Cynthia Schmidt – crankycats.com - Fun art of cranky cats, fairies and other fun stuff
• Alexis St Croix – Novation Glass- Stunning diachroic glass jewelry
• Solmate Socks – http://www.socklady.com – Life is too short for matching socks!

Please browse the other fantastic artists at the Hildene Craft fair.

Here are a few more shots of the location.  Just beautiful!

Unfortunately, the sad reality of our economy really hit us crafters hard at the show.  And while some of us did really well, most crafters had very few sales.  We are all hopeful for the upcoming holiday season, and that the presidential election will give us all a new sense of optimism.  As for myself, I did about the same as I always do at shows and feel that I need to focus more of my efforts on-line where I am having the most success.  Next year, I will limit myself to a select few shows that I do really good at or meet the most people since I have to look at the shows as being more of an advertising opportunity than anything else.

 

Quilts Now at Frog Hollow Gallery

Today I got a letter in the mail saying that I am accepted into the Frog Hollow Craft Gallery!  This is a wonderful honor and a real testament to the quality of my quilts and the time that goes into each of them.  And after you read how the jurying went, you’ll understand my shock at getting in.   

I was so nervous when I got there – I was running late (kids!) and had about 5 minutes to set up when I arrived.  Still vibrating from spending 2 hours in the car traveling there, I walk in the gallery only to find out that the jury was in another building down the road!  I hoof it there as fast as I can to arrive breathless and looking even more disheveled than usual.  After I lay out the quilts and get ready to go, the manager says to wait – I have to present my work to the panel!  How had I totally forgotten this?!

No kidding, there I was, in ratty old shorts, sweating, with ketchup stains from the fast food burger I had grabbed on the road, hair frizzing out from the humidity, and I’m trying to pitch my quilts to get them to show them in the gallery!  Eeek!  Luckily, I had popped a tic-tac to take care of the onions from the burger, and I start my spiel.  Tell them all about how I learned to sew, the materials, where I get my supplies, and how I make the quilts, and 15 minutes later I’m walking out the door thinking I had totally bombed the jury.

Well, ratty clothes and ketchup stains apparently didn’t bother them too much ’cause I’m in.  Woohoo!!

 

More Craftspeople I Would Like You To Meet!

Quiet event – GREAT shopping! 

I spent the day in downtown Montpelier, at the T W Wood Gallery.  We had Day 1 of 2 for the Open Studio Weekend craft fair.  Only 130 or so people came today and very little was bought (most by me!).  This gem of an event has events throughout the state including 13 craftspeople at the Wood Gallery displaying their handmade goods.  You cannot beat the quality or the prices.  Here are some of the highlights (in my opinion) of the magnificent items for sale:

Trudy’s Fancy Handweaving – http://www.trudysfancy.com/ - Truly beautiful handwoven scarves from tencel yarn - a wood based fiber that is exceptionally soft and brilliantly colored.   Trudy’s scarves are very luxurious and I am now the proud owner of one in shades of lavender, maroon, purple and blue.  It was so hard to choose a scarf as each one is unique and truly beautiful.

Kathrena Ravenhorst-Adams- 802-485-8387, 540 Bear Farm RD, Northfield VT 05663 – Lovely watercolor paintings of nature scenes, still life, and various flora and fauna.  Each painting is masterfully done and she uses several different styles and techniques in her art.  A renowned art teacher, she has been extensively exhibited at galleries throughout Vermont.  I know my Nanna will love the painting of the chubby little chickadee for her birthday!

Dick Ellsworth – Sensuous turned wood bowls from various wood burls.  Each bowl is completely unique as he works with what nature has given him.  Dick’s designs are complemented by the hollow of the log he turns a bowl from, the tunnels ants made in the wood or the water marks left after a flood.  An organic craft in it’s truest form, my father in law will surely enjoy his gift on Father’s Day!

Joan Marie Davidson - Whimsical, one-of-a-kind jewelry in a wide range of styles and colors.  You will love the fun approach Joan takes to jewelry be it in her bead-work or her new passion for antique buttons.  I particularly love her handcrafted earrings as I bought my second pair from her today.  She keeps saying she isn’t going to make any more earrings as they are so detailed and complex, but more keep turning up in her booth.   A treasure trove any lover of sparklies will enjoy!

Of course, I feel that my quilts are also a highlight of the event and would love to see some of you tomorrow at the T W Wood Gallery!

 

Buy Local!

When the toys we are giving to our children turn into Trojan horses full of toxic chemicals and lead paint, it is time for change!  When your toothpaste makes you sick, it is time for change!  When your apple juice makes you sick, it is time for change!

Yet change isn’t happening.

People in this country and around the world are slowly waking up to the realization that dependence upon foreign made goods has serious consequences.  You hear on the news about people opting to buy local and American made goods for the holidays, but they are standing outside Toys R Us and Wal-Mart and the local mall. 

You aren’t going to find American made or local products there.

 If you truly want to buy American, support your local craftspeople.  They are the epitome of the true American made product.  As a crafts-person, I know exactly what goes into each and every one of my quilts – from the kind of thread to the detergent I pre-wash it in.  The reason I know this is because I personally made it.  My customers have the assurance of knowing what I make is truly American made and safe.

Ask a potter what glaze they use, ask a wood carver what finish they used, ask a weaver what dyes they use and they will be happy to tell you (often in great detail) every little thing that was needed to make their craft.  Ask them if it is safe for babies and children and they can definitively tell you “yes” or “no”.

So support your local craftspeople this holiday season.  You will find that many of our products are very reasonably priced for beautiful, one-of-a-kind gifts.  Little Timmy won’t have a million plastic parts missing an hour after the box is opened and Susie will not have a tea set she can’t drink out of, too.  Make your holidays special and buy local first.

 

New Ideas Abound!

WOW! I was so pleasantly surprised by my local craft fair this week-end at the Barre Auditorium.  I tend to do better at more high-end fairs and shows, so I was not expecting great results at my local craft fair.  I was mainly looking to meet old friends, network, and advertise my custom quilt work. 

Boy was I wrong!

Not only did I get to do all of that, but I had a profitable week-end, too!  I think everyone was really in the holiday mood and looking for unique gifts.  Ones not made in China!!  There is so much talent in Vermont I cannot believe that people do not come to more fairs and shows.  So many unique gifts that are supporting local artists and craftspeople.  Gifts that you do not need to worry about getting duplicates of (ask me about the Thomas Trains one year).

My neighbors to either side of me were so supportive, Debbi and Adam of Woodzels by Wetzels and Donna Ellery.  Being a “newbie” to the craft fair circuit, they really took me under their wings and had so much advice to share.  They recommended shows, suggested new product ideas, we had brainstorming sessions, and gave me TONS of tips for cutting some of those expenses for out-of-town shows.  I have returned from this show renewed, and full of wonderful new ideas which I hope you will start to see in the coming months!

 

Dash to the Finish Line

Well, here it is.  My last craft fair for the year (I think!).  Today I get to set up and then, come Sunday, its all done.  The really great thing is that the craft fair is here in Barre, about 5 minutes tops from my home.  Because it is so convenient, I figured I would be crazy not to do it. 

My biggest challenge with this fair is the booth size.  Anyone who has seen my booth from past shows knows that my booth looks pretty cool.  But it is a 10′x10′ booth and the space for this show is 8′x6′.  That is barely enough room for my display racks!  I wish they were a different size so I could use my backdrop and lights.  Lighting makes such a difference in a booth.  Really helps to set the mood and make it look great. 

Because of this, I will not be able to set out my table and I’ll need to come up with a creative way to lay out my brochures and business cards.  I think I will try to go to the store and get a rolling 3 drawer cart that might work – or “borrow” one from the kids!  That way I can store my $ and lay out the info on the top.  We’ll see!