Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival

We had a great  response at the fiber festival held at Washington County Fair Grounds.  Harry helped me load the cars and answer questions at the booth.  Couldn't have done without his help.  He's gotten very good at felt talk.  It was trial by fire when I came down with the flu before my first open studio.  He stepped up to the plate and won a gold star from me, but this is where I know he'd rather be, with his bike on a mountian:

In its second year, this fiber event about doubled in the number of vendors.  Nothing like the sea of people at Rhinebeck, but the visitors seemed happy about that!  We took a lot of names on the Luckystone email list, and it was great to learn that everyone seemed familiar with the Shirt Factory- home to my studio.  There has been a big effort to promote and improve the building to increase visitation and improve the visitor's experience and it appears to be paying off.  The general feedback is "what a cool place".

Demo- took me much longer than I expected to finish a nuno scarf.  I should have known it would... I enjoy the methodical but spontaneous lay out process.  I laid out a fine layer of merino and silk on shibori dyed silk fabric for my demo.  Answering questions and the usual interruptions in public slowed me down even slower.  My plan was to demo nuno in the morning and make bracelets with kids in the afternoon.  I kept to schedule but it took me both mornings to finish the scarf. It's always funny to answer how we get the wool to stick to the fabric and let people know that no, it isn't boiled.

I displayed a lot of felt as examples of workshop topics I teach.  Strong interest in the felted and stitched pieces I had out as samples for the Artfelt Techniques workshop I'll be teaching at Rhinebeck's NY Sheep and Wool Festival in October.  I think people relate to stitched work more readily than felt alone.  I believe it is the element of the familiar.   I planned the workshop to encourage people to have confidence to explore.  An alternative to feeling that they aren't artistic... I just want them to feel when they create their felt.  Always my band wagon, to coax people to trust in their abilities, if they have an instinct to try.

I owe a word of thanks to Fiona Duthie who included info about my studio and a blurb I wrote about teaching at these two NY fiber festivals in her Fall 2010 issue of Living Crafts Guide to Fall Fiber Festivals in the US.  A couple of visitors to  my booth came from reading the article in this Canadian publication.  (Fiona was a student at the June felting retreat I organized at Silver Bay with Polly and Sachiko).
I apologize that this wasn't posted after I wrote it.  Still learning about posting  technicalities!