Foothills Craft Show

This morning all of us Tuesday Weavers are relaxing, thankful that the last show of the year is done!!  It was the 3 day Foothills Craft Fair here in Knoxville. It's a high end, juried show where you have to submit items to just become a member. It's not easy to get in but once you are, you can do their show each year. Back in 2011, we were juried in as an educational center. It is what we are, teaching classes and educating the public on what weaving is. So we've done the show each year since.

This year we decided to try to have some lower end items for sale. Hair clips, pins, key chains were there to temp customers along with our regular stock of rugs, placemat, scarves and bags. 

I didn't take pictures until the second day so a lot of things had sold from the trees but you can still see some of the ornaments we made from scraps of handwoven fabrics. The group booth is right next to mine and we left a space open between them. 

We had 2 small trees. One on each side of the booth.

The lighting isn't great here but you can see how mine is always set up, colors prominently featured.

It's been so much fun playing with the MX dyes and then weaving vests and pullovers in bamboo. In January we plan to have another few dye days so we can get more done. I do need more pullovers. Deciding what colors to do and what wefts to put with which warps makes for a fun day!!

Knowing that some of these pieces found new, good homes is very satisfying. Oh, and don't you like my new rug? The old one wasn't nice anymore plus it was heavy and bulky, hard to transport in the van. This one is actually a bit bigger but because it's thinner, it folds up. Tuesday Weavers have the same one. Got them at Home Depot for less than $40 each!! They're actually plastic but once taped down to the floor, sturdy. Never slipped on them.

So today is the end of the year inventory. What do I take to a couple of shops and what stays here for next time? Also, what do I need to weave for next year? That all starts today. This morning I didn't get up til 9. Pure luxury!! I may take a break later on, put my feet up and read a book. But then, it's back to organizing the studio, moving the piles that got stacked the last couple of months as I got ready for these shows. Can't really hibernate. Too many ideas and projects to do!

Isn't that great?

Til next week, keep weaving! My loom is empty and it'll be pulling at me by the time I come home from weaving tomorrow!

Carol