Time to Make the Doughnuts....

Sigh...I meant to write about the Fine Art of Fiber show last weekend before it occurred. (gotta get that marketing stuff down...) It's my largest show of the year (4 days) and it's held at the lovely Chicago Botanic Garden. And I love that the focus is on fiber arts. But.... it is run by local guilds (quilting and weaving primarily) and instead of each artist having their own space, it is organized by item and the show is run collectively with tedious rules. It's fair to say that I have a real love/hate relationship with this show. Well, maybe more like love/really annoyed relationship.

I've noticed that many quilters and weavers tend to be on the Type A side and I am decidedly Type B. Add that to the fact that many show participants are from the North Shore (read: Ladies Who Lunch) and well, I seem to need a drink after the show. To be fair, I'm sure that I have the same effect on many of the people there. The whole square-peg-round-hole sort of thing.

The setting was beautiful as usual, with the trees and late blooms putting on a spectacular display. I saw many old friends and made a few ones as well. And now I'm putting the ole' sweat shop into full drive, as I try to re-stock my inventory for another show this weekend (Barrington Junior Women's fashion show) . It's a good "problem" to have but it kind of reminds me of that old commercial: "Time to make the doughnuts..."

Art in the Barn--Barrington

This weekend is a new show for me--the Art in the Barn in Barrington. I've heard great things about this show and it is an annual fundraiser for the Good Shephard Hospital in Barrington.

I'm especially excited because this will be the first show for my new Flamenco Felted Scarf design. It is always helpful to hear the comments from people on new designs. I'm not a girly-girly type of person, but I love the ruffles on these scarves and how it hugs your neck. Just the other day, it occurred to me to make a shorter, scarflette version of it. I like this version, too. It's just the perfect size to keep the tuck on and keep the wind off your neck, yet still has that fun, elegant look to it.

Bucktown ArtsFest this Weekend!

My favorite show of the year is here--the annual Bucktown Artsfest, Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 - 7:00 at 22oo N. Oakley in Chicago. Great artists, food, music and atmosphere. I feel like I got my start here--six years ago (can it be that long ago?!?) I did the Bucktown winter show after years of shopping the summer and winter shows and wondering "what if?".

I'll be at the same booth as last year--#171, right by the entrance to the food/beer tent (do they know me or what?) Stop by and say hi!

I have lots of fun new scarf designs, as well as new flower pins and felted jewelry, thanks to the encouragement of my great customers!

Making up for lost time

Ok, so it's been a while.... Not sure where to start--how about yesterday? I went to the 2nd annual Midwest Folk and Fiber festival and was just blown away by the selection of fiber and other fun stuff. Silly me, I thought I would be able to whip through there before heading out to my folks for the afternoon. (I really should know better by now). First of all, I couldn't walk 10 steps without seeing friends from all over the midwestern fiber arts scene-lots of fun catching up with people.

And the fiber, oh, the fiber....I've been playing around with merino and silk mixes and love the sheen and drape. So I was thrilled to see so many options of hand-dyed and blended mixes. I also bought some gorgeous merino/tencel mixes, which also look lovely.

Lots of felting planned for this week to try out the new stuff. Perfect timing, because I'm doing the Indie Designer Market show at the Randolph Antiques Market this weekend.

Trunk Show this Weekend!

May 17 and 18

12:00 -5:00

3759 N. Ravenswood in Chicago, buzzer #134

at Circa Ceramics Studio

Nancy and Andy, the dymanic duo behind Circa Ceramics have graciously opened their studio for fellow Chicago artists on Etsy. A dozen of us will be there this weekend, so come out, shop early and often, Chicago Style :), and say hi.

I'm really looking forward to being there among some very talented and fun artists--I always come home inspired to create more! I'll have some fun new scarf styles, as well as pincushions, bowls and knit sterling jewelry.

Best of intentions

I was going to post all about the new designs I was making, the holiday craziness and the upcoming shows, complete with sneak previews. Never happened. Oh, sure, I thought about it, composed blog entries in my head, but never got around to actually logging in and doing it. I'm not a complete Luddite, but technology somtimes has a way of mentally bullying me into sticking my head in the sand.

Yesterday, I finally took photos of a few pieces and posted them on Etsy. So, in the spirit of making progress, here are some "postview" photos from a show this past fall. I'm really excited about my new Stained Glass and Trellis scarves.

Maybe I'll tackle the DVD player this afternoon....

Oh, and Happy New Year!