Adam’s Morgan Day-Art on Belmont

Hey, I was recently juried in to the Art on Belmont show, which will be part of the Adams Morgan Day festival in Washington DC on Sunday, September 14. So mark your calendars and come on down to see me and party with the rest of DC in the hip Adams Morgan neighborhood.

See you there!

Crafty Bastards Fall Show

 

Yes, once again it has been confirmed that I am one of the region’s biggest Bastards. I mean CRAFTIEST. I mean Craftiest Bastards. The Washington City Paper sent out notices yesterday and I have been selected (from amongst the hundreds and hundreds of crafty crafty people who applied…or was that from amongst the hundreds and hundreds of Bastards who applied? This is where I get all fuzzy) to be part of the AWESOME on Sunday September 28, 2008 in Washington, DC! This show will be in DC’s hip Adams Morgan district. I went last year (to check out the scene) and it was a mob scene. In a good way. I guess this region is achin’ for some cool crafts. Check out more information on the show here.

So, mark your calendars and come on down!

Thanks Torpedo Factory

So the Torpedo Factory has been good to me this month. Not only did I sell this dress (amongst other things), which I just had to post pictures of because it’s the coolest dress I’ve ever made (and I will sort of miss her), but they are featuring a detail of it on the slideshow on the front page of the Torpedo Factory website. They also just told me they’re including one of my images in an ad they’re placing in the Alexandria Guide. Free advertising. That’s cool. So a big thanks to the Factory for emphasizing The Devil…

Drop by Studio 14 and see some of my work any time. Maybe I’ll even be there and you can see me Making the stuff.

Viva la Revolution Dress

sleeve detail

Bottom Detail of Viva Dress

Yes, I am a Crafty Bastard!

The Washington City Paper is spotlighting me on their Crafty Bastards blog this week. Read the fabulous answers I gave to their questions here.

Crafty Bastards Silver Spring

So on Saturday I ROCKED the Crafty Bastards show in Silver Spring, Maryland. Or it ROCKED me. Or we all ROCKED together.

It was about 900 degrees outside and I was sellin’ wool (mostly). I had planned for this back in April when I applied for the show, but I was still hoping for something a bit milder. But, no.

Still, it was a fantastic day. Tons of people showed up to peruse the region’s indiest crafts, despite the heat. And despite the heat, literally hundreds of wonderful and supportive people stopped by my booth and had all sorts of nice things to say about my work (many of whom went out of their way to tell me that it was really too hot to think about wool, often while handing me their credit cards – he he).

My location ROCKED too. I was near the entrance and (more importantly) right across from Spooky Mommy and Spooky Daddy (who looks just like my friend Laura’s boyfriend John), who not only have hilarious plush wares, but put on a great show all day which involved puppets and painting mustaches onto people’s faces.

But what was really fantastic besides the heat and enthusiasm of the shoppers was the way the show was organized and run, and the way the artists were treated. Honestly, I have never been treated so well at a show in my life. When I arrived at the check-in, I was greeted by smiling faces and friendly people pointing me to my spot and where I could park. Next, a band of merry volunteers showed up at my car to help me carry all of my stuff over to my spot. And then they set my tent up! OMG. Usually I’m struggling to set up my tent while a bunch of people stand around watching me and sniggering because it’s nearly impossible to do alone. Already I was impressed. When I needed hand wipes because my hands were filthy from setting everything up, the Crafty Bastards people had them. When I needed any sort of help or information, the Crafty Bastards people were there with it. And then, just as the day started warming up – temperature-wise, and crowd-wise– the volunteers came around with a cart full of pastries, water, and fresh berries. “We just want to make sure everyone stays hydrated and feeling comfortable,” they chimed happily. Huh? At the Eastern Market, they just come around to collect money. If this weren’t enough, at lunchtime, they came around with a delicious bag lunch complete with a sandwich, apple, and cookie, all courtesy of Whole Foods, who sponsored the event. Instead of treating us like losers who really ought to go out and find REAL JOBS, they treated us like honored guests.

I’m afraid to say that this is a little like flying First Class. Once you’ve been up there and seen how good things CAN be, you really don’t want to squeeze yourself back into cattle class again.

Needless to say, it was a good day.  

 

P.S. Um, why didn’t I take any pictures?

I’m a Crafty Bastard!

Hey, don’t forget I will be selling my wares in person at the first ever Summer Crafty Bastards Fair here in the Washington DC metro area. Info as follows:

Saturday, June 28, 2008, 10am-5pm at the Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center at 8230 Georgia Ave. (Google Maps) in artist-friendly Silver Spring, MD.

I’m very excited to be taking part in this awesome indie craft show which is a highly prized event here in DC by both crafters and craft-lovers.

Of course I’d heard all about the Crafty Bastards when I first moved to the DC area last summer and was impressed with the Adams Morgan show last fall. Amazing crafts and an AMAZING crowd of craft-lovers. I  showed up early, before it got REALLY crowded, and I still wasn’t able to see everything.

So, as you can imagine, I’m stoked about meeting more of DC’s indie craftsters and being part of that scene. This is also a chance for me to see any of YOU who haven’t gotten down to the Eastern Market recently to see my new stuff. Look forward to seeing a few summer things, some jewelry, and (hopefully) a few things for GUYS (because I think men ought to have something cool to wear other than a t-shirt).

Hope to see you there!

Torpedo Factory First

On Thursday my lease for my space at the Torpedo Factory was finally approved and so they were able to put some of my pieces out. Hooray! On Friday I spent my first day there getting to know the ins and outs of the place. I learned many practical things like where the light switches and body parts are (for display), where to buy good iced tea, to remember that even though it’s 96 degrees outside, the temperture inside will be in the low 60s…Good thing I make sweaters!

I got to meet (and get to know a bit) the two studiomates I hadn’t met yet. The very BEST part, of course, was that I made my first Torpedo Factory SALE! I’m so glad I was there to see how fantastic this piece looked on the lady who bought it (It was one of my new sweaters for fall that I am not posting on-line yet). She was thrilled. I was thrilled. It was one of my favorite and best pieces EVER, for so many reasons…

 
I put so much detail into this piece. I absolutely LOVE the way the sleeves turned out. And I don’t know if you can see it, but there’s a big HOLE at the bottom in the center in the back.

BIG NEWS: Torpedo Factory

So, as I told you in April, I was juried into the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria Virginia. When I started this whole process, I realized that even if I DID get juried in, it might be YEARS before I actually got a studio space there (My friend Jenae is there and she gave me the inside poop). First you have to sublease a space for 180 days. This is usually done in spats and spurts (a week here, maybe as long as a month somewhere else) as other artists go on vacation and need someone to open their space while they’re away (every studio is obliged to be open a certain number of hours each week). While subleasing, you get to be at the TF and see what it’s like working there, you get to put up a few of your things; it’s a good way to see if it will work for you (some people don’t like working in public), but it’s all very itinerate and the 180 days can take years.

After you manage to sublease for 180 days, you then (as I understand it) become eligible to be a lease-holding artist (instead of merely an Associate artist) and you get put on a list of eligible artists waiting for studio space. Getting your own space is nearly impossible. Some people have been in the Factory since it opened (over thirty years ago) and don’t plan on leaving until they die. But you can get asked to join someone else’s studio…bladdy bladdie blah. You get the picture. It ain’t easy.

So, what’s amazing to me is that I’m going to be part of the Fiber Works studio, which is one of the founding studios at the TF. It’s right on the main floor, so it’s easy to find and gets lots of traffic. Right now I’ll be sharing with 5 other fiber artists, which means I’ll only have to be there 4 or 5 days a month (doable for me right now), yet my work will be there every day. This situation seems almost perfect in that I get to be at the TF, get a sense of it, start building my 180 days, have my work on display, be a part of the community, etc. It’s only a three month trial at the end of which I’ll decide if it’s working for me. But right now, I’m VERY excited to be getting my foot in the door there and to have my work on display in such a gorgeous space in Alexandria. Right now I’m putting some of my very best work there, stuff that I haven’t put up on-line because it’s really NEW for the FALL. We’ll see how it goes.

Fiber Works information is as follows:
Fiber Works, Studio 14, on the ground floor.
Gallery hours are 10am - 5pm Mon-Sat & 12noon - 5pm Sun.
Telephone: 703.836.5807
Email: fiberworkstf@hotmail.com

My schedule there is variable, so if you want to come when I’m there, shoot me an email beforehand and I can let you know what days I’ll be there.

Hope to see you there!

Craftiest Bastard of the Week!

Well, the Washington City Paper has bestowed me with the great honor of being named Craftiest Bastard of the Week this week. Yeah!

Here’s the text of the ad:

The Devil Made Me Do It makes one of a kind clothing that is 99% recycled, 100% FABULOUS. The clothing collection includes knit hats and girlishly flowing knit sweaters and skirts.

Visit the The Devil Made Me Do It Website to see more designs!

Thank you City Paper!

The only drawback, of course, is that my site is an utter mess and I’m in the process of having the whole thing designed and updated. I hope this doesn’t cause too many problems and I can enjoy the attention.

More Fun!

So this week was totally fun. Not only did I have an excellent day at the Eastern Market on Saturday (where so many of the permanent vendors have been nothing but helpful, encouraging, and absolutely wonderful to me. In fact, one of them has done the near impossible and has stuck my foot into the door for a coveted and hard to come by (semi)-permanent spot, which would mean I no longer have to get up at 5 a.m. to drive down there only to discover I am already 19th in line!!!! and despite all the effort might not actually procure a spot to sell in!!! but that is a whole other story, one worth telling later, and we’ll see if it all works out–cross everything for me.)

But this week I also found out that I’ve been juried in to the Crafty Bastards show in Silver Spring Md in June (check my website for full details coming soon). This was my first time applying to the Bastards and apparently the competition is stiff. So I’m glad to have that opportunity to sell and I look forward to meeting some of the other Crafty Bastards around town. 

 

If that wasn’t enough, I went to my reception at the Torpedo Factory today and there were my two pieces standing in the Target Gallery—my very first ART EXHIBIT. I walked into the gallery, which was packed and buzzing and hot under the big lights and this German photographer, Michael, said to me with a thick and serious accent, “Is that your work?” pointing to my work with a drink in his hand. “Ah, yes,” I told him, bracing myself for what he might say. “If I were a woman, I would wear that.” he told me. Wow. I can’t ask for a better compliment, can I?

Check out these photos of the show, including one with my work. Here’s a grab.

Loads of other people came up to tell me how much they liked my work, the whole atmosphere was very excited and supporting, and even the gallery director was nice and talked to me at length (wow, a nice gallery director! what will they think of next?) All I can say is that the whole thing was AWESOME!