Hi folks! Just poking my head in after a much longer than anticipated blog break. Whenever one of our Felt Club events happens, I spend the next month recovering from the months and months of work that go into putting one on. Then before you know it, it's time to throw another one. Craziness! Anyway, the XL Summer event was an asbolute smash, with 3,000 antendees and a whole lot of happy vendors. You can see a ton of photos here. As you can probably tell from the pix, we've definitely outgrown our venue, so our next show will be taking place at a larger, much more comfortable location. I'm really looking forward to revealing all the details to you guys, but for now I gotta stay mum. Sorry! I do want to say, though, that the best part of doing these shows is meeting so many amazing and inspiring new people, and hanging out with old friends. It's enough to get a girl all verklempt!
So, what else is new? I've been working on my garden a lot, which is a big deal for me since I have a black thumb. A month or so later and everything I've planted is still alive, even thriving, so I'm pretty relieved. I've hit up a few flea markets and thrift stores, as per usual, and many of my favorite finds can be found in my Thrifty photoset on Flickr. I got to hang out with several out-of-town friends, like Alison, Faythe, Vanessa, and Trevor. My pal Cathy and I spent a day judging crafts for the L.A. County Fair, where we'll also be teaching a series of craft classes throughout September (details to come on the Felt Club website). I also paid a super enjoyable visit to my friend Hannah's house in Eagle Rock, where we ate sandwiches, tromped around the yard, took photos and talked craft. Hannah's an amazing gal, and if you're not already familiar with her unmistakable (and ridiculously cute) hand-silkscreened, hand-sewn clothing, please do check out her website and blog! Keep your eye on CRAFT magazine as well, because I'm writing an article about her for the issue-after-next (06). Here's a gorgeous shadowbox Hannah created, which I was lucky enough to go home with as part of a fun trade we did. I'm so grateful, and it looks so cute in my little woodland-themed studio. Siiigh!
Speaking of CRAFT, I have an article in the new issue (04)! I interviewed lots of crafty entrepreneurs and wrote up a "Business Basics for Crafters" article for all you potential small business owners out there, full of tips and resources that will hopefully help you on your road to self-employment. That's the idea, anyway. In related (and totally exciting) news, I've been hired as a writer for the CRAFT magazine blog, so keep an eye out for posts from me there, too! I've been posting for just a few days now, and am having a blast. FYI, every Tuesday I'll be posting a Craft Biz Q+A with one of the pro crafters I interviewed for the above-mentioned article. Should be a lot of fun. I'm so happy and proud to be welcomed into the CRAFT family, I can't even tell you!
On another exciting (and sort-of terrifying) note, I'll be on TV this Tuesday with fellow Felt Clubbers Wendy and Teresa. HGTV is finally airing our long-awaited (to us, anyway!) second episode of Uncommon Threads, which we taped last summer. This episode's theme is "Baby Bonanza" and the projects are seriously cute: a felt storybook, a birdie mobile, and a crocheted rug made from soft teeshirts in Neopolitan ice cream colors. My project (a scalloped baby quilt) actually got cut due to time constraints, which was ultimately kind of fun for me since it took the pressure off. I was able to simply enjoy being there, learning how to make everyone else's projects. So if you're able to tune in, please do, it should be a really good time. Be sure to check your local listings for times and all that (or check out the directions online here).
I'm sure there are a zillion things I'm forgetting, but that's just one of the dangers of taking such a long a blog break! So fill me in. What have you dudes all been up to? I've missed ya, dammit!
Well, it was about time I made it formal! I've been running my crafty website, SewDarnCute, for five years and it's been a blast. I've met so many wonderful people and have learned so much in that time, of course it's sad to say goodbye. But the truth is, I've just grown so busy with other projects (such as writing, event planning, and attempting to have an actual life) that something's got to give—and this is it. Naturally I won't stop crafting, I could never ever stop crafting! I'll just be crafting for my own enjoyment from now on, as opposed to rushing to create stock for a craft show or the holiday season rush. I think it will be a refreshing change for me (and for my neighbors, who have spent countless hours listening to my vintage Singer cranking out handbags at 3 o'clock in the morning).
