Opening Tomorrow!

The Ontario Crafts Council Holiday Pop-Up Shop officially begins on Friday, running until Christmas Eve, but there's an opening preview event tomorrow evening (that's Thursday, Dec. 5), from 6:30-9:30pm at 990 Queen St. West.  There are about 30 participating makers, and I'm sure some of us will be there in person. 

Holiday Events

Updated my website yesterday with upcoming events.  There are 3 things coming up:

- I will be showing a few pieces in Port Credit's Guilty Dog Cafe in December & January
- My silk clutches will be available over the holiday season (starting soon), in the Port Credit Emporium
- Additional silk clutches will be available during the Ontario Crafts Council's Holiday Pop-up Craft Shop in their Queen Street gallery, Dec. 6-24

Work in Progress

I am working on new clutches, intending to have them ready for the Studio Tour in a couple of weeks.  I listed one on Etsy the other day, rainbow stripes on a white background.  It seemed to make sense to have a rainbow on white one, as I'd already made some rainbow on black. 

I am also re-working the scarves, I think they work better opened up, rather than sewn in the round as 'tubes'. 

Lastly, I have been using up my accumulated small scraps of silk that I can't use in the clutches/butterflies, i started free-motion stitching them down onto a tear-away stabilizer, intending to use the results as bookmarks and on cards, but I like it so much, I've cut a couple of larger pieces from it, and will be making 'patchwork' clutches from those pieces, and using the rest as originally planned. 

Port Credit Emporium

Tonight from 7-10pm is Port Credit Emporium's 1st year party.  The theme is Mad Men, I'll be there with my silk clutches, and it sounds like there will be a lot going on. 

Sketches

I am working on a workshop/course proposal about sketchbooks...  It's a process, I want to be organized and there's a lot of things to look at.

Also, this weekend is the end of my show of my butterflies at Woodside Pottery & Gallery Craighurst in the Barrie, Ontario area.  There is a new show going up on Sept. 2.  They will continue to carry a few of my pieces, like my silk clutches. 

Picture with strap on purse

Here's one of the silk bags with the strap attached.  My Etsy listings for the clutches indicate which colour the strap on each listed bag is - black (like this one), navy, gold, or beige.  The cross body style, as pictured here, measure about 46" (117cm) long.

Clutches with Straps

My silk clutch purses have now got straps.  The strap is 50-50 cotton viscose cord.  I have added shoulder/cross body straps to many of them, and wristlet straps to a few. 

Gallery Craighurst

We took a trip up to Craighurst, ON, north of Barrie today to bring a selection of my work to Woodside Pottery & Gallery Craighurst.  The owner is a potter himself, and has his studio space attached to this gallery shop, in which he sells work by various artists and craftspeople, including his own work of course.  He visited the Spring OOAK show, where I had a small booth back in March.  He now has some of my butterflies, scarves, and silk clutches. 

One of a Kind Show Spring 2013 Recap

Back at the One of a Kind Show I received this gift from another vendor -- they are into real insect specimens, and had several of the same varieties of butterflies that I've made in fibre.  We had quite a chat about them.  This top left one is very similar to one I made a while ago.  The cocoons are from luna moths. 

These are from the One of a Kind Show, my booth during setup, the centre aisle feature display, and a closeup of some of my clutches, which were included in the feature display. 

OOAK preparations

It's less than 3 weeks until the One of a Kind Show starts in Toronto, and I'm getting nervous and excited.  If you're in town, visit me at booth # O-28.  Meanwhile, here's a little peek at the things I have been working on lately.