Renegade in Austin

I spent last weekend in Austin at the Renegade Craft Fair. I was super psyched to be juried into this show! I went to the Renegade in Brooklyn last June and it was amazing. I agonized over how to set up my booth and finally break free from the table table display I've come to rely on. So, for this show I had a dress form with one of my shawls and three panels across the back of the 10 x 10 booth. I covered the panels with fabric and either clipped to or stitched through the fabric to secure the items on display. Yes, that is an IKEA bath mat that I repurposed as a background for an arrangement of pins! I still had my trays of crocheted button pins, baskets of crocheted scarves and hats, and my hanging rack of goodies, of course. But, I really wanted to try some new things with my display. I also added a new sign. I kept my crocheted script sign and added a logo painted on a large stretched canvas that could be propped up. 

I really enjoyed the process of preparing for this show. It was challenging trying to load the car for the first time with all of these new additions to the set up and a new car. The drive down to Austin was full of blinding rain, but we didn't have any more rain for the rest of the trip. We went to the Etsy meet and greet on Friday night and found Korean BBQ from a street vendor later that night. Saturday night we had burgers and sausage out on a patio. By Sunday evening I was ready to go home. Renegade was fun. I spent plenty of money buying wonderful goodies and oogling everyone's stuff. There are so many talented and creative people! 

Spring is finally here!

I just finished my contribution for the Spring Bash. I made tiny crocheted flowers with button centers and magnets on the back. Very cute and petite. I made ONE leaf. A very special person will find that in their Goody Bag. Although I'm not participating in the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash with Modest Ambition, I still want to contribute to the team! 

I will, however, be there with Hip Hazel Hoops selling hoops, classes, gift certificates, and demonstrating hooping. It's going to be so much fun! I just signed up for the decorating committee. I feel like we're getting ready for the prom.

Custom-ize Me

February and March have been surprisingly busy for me. I was lucky enough to have a flood of custom orders including all the ones featured in this post. I didn't have time to photograph all of them properly before shipping, but at least I have some kind of record. The pink and off-white shrug was based on my Chocolate and Cream Shrug. I'm working on a black version for my shop right now. 

Here's a better view. I forgot how much I like this item! the lacy grid on the arms and trim really help differentiate this shrug from all the others. I made two brooches in case the one photographed here was just too dramatic, i.e. too big.

This ivory silk mohair shrug was based on my Silk Mohair Orange Shrug. It was designed to go with a lovely floral print dress in shades of green. The brooch is just pinned on so this shrug will be wonderfully versatile.

This is probably my favorite custom item that I've done recently. The customer took my Silk Mohair Blue Dream Shrug and turned it inside out, reversing the colors and adding red for the rosettes. I love how it came out! 

Finally, this was the most complicated of the recent orders. The photograph doesn't do it justice at all, but this is a version of the Ivory Alpaca Lace Ruffled Shrug. We changed the fiber to a brighter shinier one, an alpaca silk blend, shortened the back and made the entire thing smaller. I took this photo at night and since it doesn't actually fit me I couldn't model it, in fact, I think my hanger was too big, which is too bad - the mohair ruffles were so pretty. 

White Rockin' It

I was at White Rock Local Market today and it was so much fun! I have a terrible sunburn from being outside from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. but I'm so glad it was such a nice sunny day. I split my booth between Modest Ambition and Hip Hazel Hoops, which made for some chaotic moments, but seemed to work pretty well. I wore my crocheted shrug and demo'd hula hoops. Kids love to play with the hoops, but really we focus on adult fitness hooping. The colors did sparkle in the sun. I'm experimenting with my display; I debuted my brooch board. Which worked great, until a great gust of wind knocked it over. Oh well. The hoop rack came down once too. Yikes! At least it wasn't as windy as yesterday. Some of the booths had tents and others didn't like mine. While I benefitted from the warmth of the sun in the early morning (like in the picture) when it was in the 40s, by the afternoon we were getting cooked but still it was only in the 60s. I'd say that was a perfect March day.

News and more news

So a bit of news to catch you up - first, Etsy Dallas announced their 2010 team roster and once again I am proud to be part of this group! I hope to become even more involved this next year, participating in the spring and fall bashes, writing for the team blog, and promoting team projects. 

I am also excited to announce that I have been juried into the Renegade Craft Fair in Austin, May 15-16. This is a very competitive show and I know many people that were disappointed not to be selected. I am so honored that they chose my shop and I'm going to be working very hard to take advantage of this opportunity. I know I need to completely rethink my booth display and I have some exciting ideas. Think installation art / scene setting with a heavy DIY emphasis. I want to present my designs creatively and thoughtfully, but never in an overly commercial pre-packaged generic way. I know this show means I have to step up my game and consider the entire exhibition space as an extension of my work. Excited!

Finally, I am so happy for my friend Regina who is the featured seller for this week on Etsy with her amazing soap shop Soapopotamus. She gave me a shout out as the maker of her favorite handmade item - a custom hood. I've mentioned this hood before in my blog (Post-Pop Anime Hood), but I here it is again. I thought I was going to go blind while working on it because I was using so many colors at the same time. I wish I had taken more photographs of it, but I'm working with 3 skeins of alternating colors for just about every row. It was so much fun! Congratulations to Regina for being the featured seller!

Warm Memories

This picture is dated 1975. That's me on the left and my older sister Karen on the right. The weird line across the picture above is from the plastic sleeve of the photo album. I didn't want to take the picture out to scan it. I love the weird compositions in snapshots. Karen's face is clearly in the center. I'm off to the side, but still nicely in the frame. The pink chair on the side and the bottom of the picture frames, well, those add interest to the side and top, right? Or, for me, it firmly locates the picture in my grandparent's formal living room. I remember fondly this coat, and later Karen's coat when I grew into it, and the detachable hoods with faux fur lining and black drawstrings. 

I've been a hood-kick lately. Designing and making hoods for adults that are playful, nostalgic, warm, and one of a kind, like this one. I love red and blue together and I've been inching my way towards more complex color switching and patterning. After finishing this project I can confidently say that I have this skill. Images are next! Playing with the geometric patterns was fun and easy. No mistakes here. The gusset is new too. I've been creating blunted points for the hoods by angling the last few inches and knocking off the sharp point. Here I stitched it up straight, as usual, then repositioned it and stitched straight across to create the gusset, which I tacked to the side-back, rather than the top. On the whole, I'm very pleased with this project. I can't wait to think of my next design.

Through the woods

After working on this piece for two weeks and three attempts at photography, I finally listed my newest item. I'm not totally happy with the images, but maybe I need to walk away from it. This is a kind of bizarre piece - not your normal hat to toss on when it's cold. I wanted to push myself so I completed the alternating zigzag pattern by counting stitches and rotating yarns. After the piece was felted I started to work on the brim and embroidery. I'm new to embroidery so it may appear a bit rough, but this is a lovingly handmade piece and I figured that would add to the quirkiness. It was made to be an exception to daily life, a kind of talisman providing escape to a world that actually does get cold, where are there forests to walk through, and wildlife to wonder at. It's still January, but it has been in the 70s this week already. I imagine this hood with a layer of powdery snow across the brim when extended. I can dream.