Louet Order

Hello!
We are going to be making an order to Louet soon. If anybody would like to check out the beautiful yarns, roving, spinning wheels, carders, looms, and kits they have to offer check out their website http://www.louet.com/ .
If you order through us you will get 10% off the listed price.
Let us know if you are interested or if you have any questions! Upperroomstudio1@gmail.com

Janome Magnolia 7306

Brand New Janome Magnolia 7306
I bought this thinking I would need it ( hey, you can always use an extra machine, right?) but am trying to downsize.
Asking $100
This is brand new, never even opened the box.
Same model machine is listed for $129.00 in stores or on eBay
From Janome's Wesite:"The Magnolia 7306 Machine from Janome is the perfect starter machine. It delivers Janome quality with easy to operate features and a great price. With 6 of the most popular stitches and a 4-step buttonhole, the 7306 is the perfect machine to get you started in quilting, home dec, garment construction, or any other craft.Features:6 stitches plus 1 four-step buttonhole Auto-declutch bobbin winder system Push in bobbin case Stitch length control Lightweight"
Please e-mail with any questions!
upperroomstudio1@gmail.com

Louet S15 For Sale

Louet S 15 spinning wheel $300
This is a used S15 spinning wheel that spins fine and is in very good used condition.
There is a small nick and scratch on the back that won’t even show in the photo and does not affect the performance of the wheel.
I highly recommend Louet as it is a sturdy and awesome wheel for beginners, as well as advanced spinners. I have tried many wheels and don’t want to part with it but need the money and…I do have another one.
Again the wheel is in good shape and comes with 3 bobbins and attatched lazy kate and a niddy noddy for winding your spun yarn.

Just in time for Christmas!

Please e-mail with any questions!

Upperroomstudio1@gmail.com

Event at Merry Sherwood

Merry Sherwood will be holding a Christmas Tea with a Spin and Knit Workshop on December 7, 2008 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Tickets and information available by calling 410-641-2112. Demonstrations include spinning wool and knitting with Claire from Julia A. Purnell Museum, Stacy from the Fine Needle both from Snow Hill, The Lilley's from Berlin and Linda Flood from Salisbury. There will be lunch with tea and punch, and sounds of the season.

Meeting Scheduled for November

The Central Delmarva Fiber Guild will be holding a meeting on Monday, November 10. The gathering will take place at 6pm in the meeting room of the Worcester County Library in Snow Hill. New and prospective members are welcome to attend. The guild includes weavers, quilters, spinners, knitters, crocheters, tatters and more. Those wishing to learn these skills are invited to join the guild as well.

The Central Delmarva Fiber Guild provides a network for regional fiber artists and those interested in learning fiber art skills. Members of diverse interests and skill levels are welcomed; the guild includes professional fiber artists, hobbyists, experts and beginners.

For more information, or for directions, contact Stacy at (410) 632-0772.

Festival Foods

There are a couple of additional food vendors for FiberFest, which I am pleased to report. The Girdletree Volunteer Fire Department will be selling clam fritters to raise funds for their efforts, our friends from Abundant Life Apostolic Church will be back selling hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries as a fundraiser for their youth group. There will also be breads and baked goods from Olivia's breads. Olivia's Breads is an area bakery business specializing in organic and natural ingredients and supporiting local agriculture, fair trade and environmental awareness in their choice of ingredients and materials. Check out their site, Oliviasbreads.com to see some of the delicious treats you'll have the oppotunity to buy.

Guess Who's Coming to FiberFest

I have a few more additions to FiberFest: Woolart will be there with handspun and hand-dyed yarns, accessories, dolls and toys along with a couple of sheep; The Gathering Place will have lunch fare; Snow Hill's very own Fine Needle will have knitting and quilting supplies and hand-crafted items; Generations Tie Dye will have groovy wearables for babies, kids and adults; and Fibre Cafe of Cambridge will have specialty yarns and hand-crafted accessories.

I don't know if Delmarva has ever seen such a gathering of fiber-philes in one place! Join us for the fun on Saturday, October 11 from 10am to 4pm at Sturgis Park in Snow Hill, MD.

Yet Another FiberFest Update

FiberFest (October 11, Sturgis Park, Snow Hill) fans will be glad to know that there are a few additions to the festival line-up: Handmade by Rita will be there with hand-crafted wearables, Woolart will have handmade buttons, handspun and hand-dyed yarns, accessories, dolls and toys, Liberto's Art will have traditonal floorcloths, and hand-crafted all natural soaps, Katie Armstrong will be selling hand-bound fabric-covered journals, and Sharon's Natural Gardens will have hand-woven willow baskets, along with jams and herbal products.

If that doesn't get you excited about FiberFest, here is a pic (Alex hugs an alpaca from LuckyGirlZ Alpaca of Salisbury at FiberFest 07)

Eastern Shore Yarn Crawl

If you haven't yet heard about the Eastern Shore Yarn Crawl for the month of September, you can find out about it on The Sanguine Gryphon blog, www.sanguinegryphon.blogspot.com, or the Eastern Shore group on www.ravelry.com. Seems like a good opportunity to check out the shops that are a little further afield.

Show and Tell

The Central Delmarva Fiber Guild invites the public to a Show and Tell on Monday, September 8. The program will take place at 6pm at The Fine Needle quilting and yarn shop in Snow Hill. Bring a project—knitting, quilting, crochet, weaving, spinning, sewing, or any other kind of textile art—to share with the group. It will be a fun chance to check out what others are working on, and get inspiration for your future projects.

The Central Delmarva Fibers Guild provides a network for regional fiber artists and those interested in learning fiber art skills. Members of diverse interests and skill levels are welcomed; the Guild includes professional fiber artists, hobbyists, experts and beginners.

For more information, or for directions, contact Stacy at (410) 632-0772.

FiberFest at Sturgis Park on October 11, 2008

I wanted to let everyone know that we will have this year's FiberFest (October 11, 2008 from 10am to 4pm) at Sturgis Park in Snow Hill. For those of you not from the area, it is just a couple of blocks (walking distance) from the museum itself.

In the past we have had the event at the museum (actually on our neighbor's yard!), and this year we have outgrown that. So, while I was hesitant to move the event away from the museum, having it at Sturgis Park will benefit the festival in several ways. There is more room, including pavilions; electricity is available for any vendor who needs it; parking is ample and close; there are more bathrooms; there are picnic tables for visitors to sit; and it is right in downtown so there will be more foot traffic. The town has generously offered to shut part of River Street off to cars that day, so that there will be more room to mill about. So, I think this is a good decision for our growing FiberFest.

Museum admission will still be free on FiberFest day, and the annual Delmarva Needle Art Show and Competition will be up, so I hope festival-goers will take the short walk over to visit the museum.

PS. This year, Frivolous Fibers from St. Michaels will be at FiberFest, and our friend Carolyn will be selling off her collection of hundreds of fiber art books, including many that are out of print.

If You Can't Get Enough FiberFest . . .

I'm happy to report that our alpacas friends from LuckyGirlZ Farm in Salisbury, and their mama Nancie, will be joining us once again for FiberFest on October 11. They have been the festival's favorite attraction for the last several years.

This year FiberFest will also welcome new vendors Yarnigans (amigurumi and accessories) and and Crash Into Ewe (hand-dyed and painted yarn and roving, and other knitting goodies).

Join us on the Eastern Shore group on www.ravelry.com for futher FiberFest chat.

Needle Felted Doggie

My sister took these photos of a little needle felted terrier I made for my niece, so I thought I would share them with you. It has been vigorously played with since the photos, and now is pretty squished, and missing an eye!

FiberFest Update

I thought I would give a brief update on FiberFest planning, since I know the details of events planning are fascinating to all. Several new vendors are confirmed for this year: Upper Room Studio, The Quilting Witch, and Misty Meadows Alpacas. And The Sanguine Gryphon will be returning. Yea for FiberFest!

Anyone who would like to know more about the event can give me (Claire) a call at (410) 632-0515.

Children's Fiber Art Program

Our July Children's Fiber Art Workshop was a fun time, and we are now looking forward to the next one, on Monday, August 11 from 2-4pm. It will once again take place at the Snow Hill Library meeting room. There is sure to be more fiber art fun for kids of all ages--from pre-schoolers to preteens. The program is free, but please call Stacy at The Fine Needle at (410) 632-0772 to register so we will know how much yarn, looms, felt, roving, and glue-the-wool-on-the-sheeps to bring. See you there!

Pictured are Emily Magee and Jonathan Lilley working on projects at the July children's program.

Textile Arts Instruction Programs

At the Guild's June meeting, programs that offer instruction in fiber arts were discussed. Below is contact info for a whole slew of programs around the country and beyond.

Maryland Shores Rug-hooking Workshops
304-9 33rd Street
Ocean City, MD 21842
www.marylandshores.blogspot.com
Classes held each spring at the Dunes Manor Hotel in OC.

Sanguine Gryphon
Easton, MD
www.sanguinegryphon.com
Opportunities to learn spinning and dyeing.

Stitches East
Baltimore Convention Center
November 6-9, 2008

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival
Howard County Fairgrounds
West Friendship, MD
www.sheepandwool.org
The first full weekend in May. Courses are available the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before the festival.

Lahara Textiles
PO Box 315
Barnesville, MD 20838
301-349-0056
www.laharagallery.com
Saturday courses in knitting, rug-hooking, weaving and design.

Springwater Fiber Workshop
808 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-549-3634
www.springwaterfiber.org
Spinning, weaving, knitting, crocheting, felting and more.

Joan Griffin Tapestry
1800 Yorktown Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22901
434-979-4402
www.joangriffintapestry.com

The Mannings
1132 Green Ridge Road
PO Box 687
East Berlin, PA 17316
1-800-233-7166
www.the-mannings.com
Weaving, spinning and knitting classes.

Spin Off Autumn Retreat (SOAR)
Pocono Manor, PA
October 5-12, 2008
Register through www.interweave.com
Scholarships available.

John C. Campbell Folk School
1 Folk School Road
Brasstown, NC 28904
1-800-FOLK-SCH
www.folkschool.org
Courses in all types of fiber art, plus tons of other things. Also programs for school age kids and teens.

Penland School of Crafts
PO Box 37
Penland, NC 28765
828-765-2359
www.penland.org
Many textile courses including knitting, weaving, textile sculpture, design, screen-printing, dyeing, millinery and more.

That Hat!
Wilmington, NC
910-397-9099
www.hatshatshats.com
Millinery workshops around the USA and at the studio in North Carolina.

Peters Valley Craft Center
19 Kuhn Road
Layton, NJ
973-948-5200
www.petersvalley.org
Fiber art courses include spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, color & design, needle felting and more.

Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts
PO Box 567
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
865-436-5860
www.arrowmont.org
Fiber art courses including dyeing and weaving. Scholarship and work study opportunities.

Rhode Island School of Design
2 College Street
Providence, RI 02903
401-454-6100
www.risd.edu
Summer and special programs in fiber art for continuing education.

Quilt Surface Design Symposium
464 Vermont Place
Columbus, Ohio 43201
www.qsds.com
Symposium focusing on non-traditional and art quilts with instructors and attendees from around the world.

Haystack
PO Box 518
Deer Isle, ME 04627
207-348-2306
www.haystack-mtn.org
Quilting, knitting, dyeing and more. Scholarship opportunities.

Knitting Cruises on the Schooner Isaac H. Evans
Captain Brenda Walker
PO Box 791
Rockland, ME 04841
1-877-238-1325
www.midcoast.com/~evans/

Sievers School of Fiber Art
Jackson Harbor Road
Washington Island, WI 54246
920-847-2264
www.sieversschool.com
Courses on knitting, spinning, weaving, dyeing, felting, stitchery and design.

North House Folk School
PO Box 759
Grand Marias, Minnesota 55604
218-387-9762
www.northhousefolkschool.com
Courses on knitting, embroidery, spinning, felting, weaving, and dyeing.

Sharon Alderman
734 South 500 East
Salt Lake City, Utah 84102
801-355-0215
www.sharonalderman.com
Weaving courses.

Sarah Natani Navajo Weaving Workshops
PO Box 2270
Shiprock, NM 87420
505-368-4906
www.navajovalues.com

Idyllwild
PO Box 38
Idyllwild, CA 92546
www.idyllwildarts.org
Summer programs in Navajo weaving. Also family camp and children's programs.

Weaver's School
Madelyn van der Hoogt
PO Box 1228
Coupeville, WA 98239
300-678-6225
www.weaversschool.com

Craft Cruises
craftcruises.com
Cruises with knitting, crochet, beading classes.
Destinations in US, Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Central & South America.

Traditions Mexico
01152-951-571-3695
www.traditionsmexico.com
Fiber art tours to Mexico.

Weaving Course in Norway
contact: Dr. Carol Colburn, carolcolburn@cfu.net
Focuses on weaving and design in vadmal.

Textile Study Tours to Norway
Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum
PO Box 379
Decorah, IA 52101
563-382-9681 www.vesterheim.org

World Wide Knit in Public Day Event in Snow Hill

World Wide Knit in Public (WWKiP) Day was started in 2005 by knitter Danielle Landes as a way for knitters to come together and enjoy each other's company. Knitting is such a solitary act that it's easy to knit alone somewhere and sink into your own work without thinking about all the other knitters out there. Neighbors can spend their entire lives never knowing that the other knits. This is a specific day for knitters (and those who want to learn) to get out of the house and go to a local event (with knitting in tow). WWKiP Day is the largest knitter-run event in the world, and each local event is organized by volunteers.

A WWKiP Day event is being held at Sturgis Park in Snow Hill on June 14 from 10am to 3pm. Knitters can stop by any time to network with other area knitters and check out each others' current projects. Knitters should bring a chair and their knitting (and snacks if they'd like). Stacy Mitchell, owner of the Fine Needle quilt and yarn shop in Snow Hill, is offering free goody bags to those who register ahead of time by calling the shop at (410) 632-0772. Visitors can pick up the bags from Stacy at the event.

The Julia A. Purnell Museum in Snow Hill is offering free admission coupons to participants in WWKiP Day. They can be picked up all day at the event. “Knitters can knit at the KIP, have lunch in town, and then walk a few blocks to the Purnell Museum. It's a great way for visitors to Snow Hill, and locals, to spend the day,” said Julia A. Purnell Museum Executive Director Mary St. Hippolyte.

There were nearly 200 event for last year's WWKiP Day, and the number will probably be even higher for 2008. Events are being held in the USA, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, France, Australia, Netherlands, Finland, the UK, Portugal, Austria, New Zealand, Belgium, Iceland, Czech Republic, and Mexico.

Knitters can stop by the Snow Hill event any time from 10am-3pm. Those who are interested in learning to knit—including kids and teens—are encouraged to join in too.

For more information on the event contact Stacy Mitchell at the Fine Needle at (410) 632-0772. To find out more about WWKiP events around the globe, visit www.wwkipday.com.

Craft Yard Sale at Fine Needle

On Saturday, May 31 we're having a CRAFT YARD SALE at The Fine Needle. The sale begins at 9 a.m. and will go to about noon or so. You can shop for crafty items (supplies and [un]finished items) and/or set up your own table of craftly goodies. If you'd like to set up a table just drop me (Stacy) an email. You supply your own table/chair. Any type of craft stuff - supplies, tools, finished projects, unfinished projects! - are welcome.

I've been cleaning out my craft bins (and I did a lot of crafting before "concentrating" on quilting and knitting!) and will also have oodles of stuff from the shop that just needs to find a new home.

If you are part of - or know of - an organization that will accept craft items for donation, please contact me. We will be happy to place boxes with signs (designating organization and types of items accepted) at the sale for collection. The only catch is that we won't deliver - someone will have to pick up the box for the group/organization.

"Back to School" Program--June 9, 2008

The Central Delmarva Fibers Guild is offering a program for fiber artists wanting to upgrade their skills, from beginners looking to get started, to those would like to learn a specific new technique. The “Back to School” program will take place on Monday, June 9 at 6pm at the Snow Hill Library meeting room.

Participants can learn about instructional fiber art programs--teaching weaving, knitting, dyeing, spinning, quilting and more--in our region and beyond in a round-table discussion. This will include information on several east coast arts and crafts schools, knitting cruises, and opportunities in Maryland. Visitors are also encouraged to share their experiences of instructional programs.

The “Back to School” program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

The Central Delmarva Fibers Guild supports promotion and education of the fiber arts, and holds frequent public programs for adults and children. Members include those of all skill levels, from beginners to professionals,and new members are welcomed. New and prospective members are welcome to attend. For a full list of the Guild’s activities, or for information about becoming a member, contact Stacy at (410) 632-0772.

FiberFest 2008

Plans are already in the works for the annual FiberFest at the Julia A. Purnell Museum in Snow Hill. This year's Fest is on Saturday, October 11. Several vendors are already on board. The Sanguine Gryphon will be there once again selling beautiful handspun and hand-dyed yarns. You can visit Gryphon's own blog at www.sanguinegryphon.blogspot.com. Several area Etsy vendors are planning to be there as well: Crash into Ewe, Kelly's Creations and Yarnigans.

For those of you who haven't been to the FiberFest before, it's a small--but growing--textile arts festival with demos, vendors, activities for kids, live animals and food. The Central Delmarva Fibers Guild has been very involved with the festival since its beginning. Festival admission is free. As in past years, there is no charge to vendors, since we want to encourage as many fiber artists as possible to participate. So if you're interested, let us know! You can call the Julia A. Purnell Museum at (410) 632-0515, or leave a comment.

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

Last weekend was the annual Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival and it was pretty great. My group included my two year-old niece B., so this year our visit was all about the animals. We got in plenty of face-time with the baa-baas, and visited the llamas, alpacas, rabbits, and those precious mini angora goats. I have been told there is talk of eliminating the non-sheep animals at future festivals, and I think I speak for toddlers (and their handlers) everywhere when I say this would be tragic. Perhaps we could mount some act of civil disobedience; species-discrimination will not be tolerated!

Here is the wrap-up of the event according to B.:

Best part of the festival: 3 pavilions of wall-to-wall sheep

Worst part of the festival: not being able to "hold the baa-baa in my arms"

Yummiest food: sugary pecans

Ickiest food: lamb (also most traumatic food)

Best vendors: Anything with needle felted animals

Most mesmerizing demonstration: spinning wheels go round and round

Be sure to bring: your own potty. The bathroom lines can be long.

Sit and Sew or Knit or...

Need a few uninterrupted hours of crafting time? Join the Central Delmarva Fiber Guild for a Sit and Sew (or Knit, or Crochet, or Cross Stitch, or...) on Saturday, May 3, 2008 at the Snow Hill Library in Snow Hill, Maryland. The cost is FREE! We'll be meeting from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. - you can stay the whole time or just for a few hours. Stacy Mitchell, owner of The Fine Needle, will be on hand to help with quilting or knitting questions. You will need to call ahead or e-mail to reserve your spot.

April Meeting

On Monday, April 21, 2008, the guild offered the program "The Business of Crafting:"

Taxes
Sue Kenny of Larry Leese & Associates, PA presented information for the small-business crafter about taxes and proper record keeping. Highlights of her presentation included being sure to register with your state in order to collect sales tax, and keeping business records separate from personal. Keep track of your expenses, breaking down purchases into categories (like supplies, shipping, advertising - and there are no "miscellaneous" expenses). A good place to find a list of categories is a schedule C form from the IRS.

Marketing
Members Stacy Mitchell, Debby Lewis-Idema, and Shoshana Matthews led a discussion about marketing one's art through shows and fairs, the internet and promotional materials. Debby and Shoshana both sell at shows and art fairs and offered many good tips on how to find the right show for what you sell.

Finding the Right Craft Show
Keep in mind your price point (the price at which you sell your items) and pick your show accordingly. Craft shows typically feature a wide variety of artisans with price points averaging below $50. Fine Craft shows are sometimes juried (you have to be accepted to be a vendor) and feature artisans with a higher price point average - often several hundred dollars. If you make one-of-a-kind quilted jackets in the $150-$300 price range you are probably going to have a hard time selling at some of the craft shows, especially those lumped into other fairs (like Chicken Festival, County Fairs, and other local flavor events). Likewise, if you make hand-knit scarves and sell them in the $15-40 range, you may have a harder time selling at a Fine Craft show, where items are typically priced much higher and buyers are expecting a certain level of craftsmanship. [Not to say your scarves aren't great!]

Pricing Your Work
If you are crafting for a hobby and selling occasionally, please bear in mind that those who are selling for a living (and there are quite a number of people who's main income is from their craft) don't appreciate having their prices undercut. Professional crafters and artists have to sell their items at prices that not only cover their raw material costs, but also their overhead - insurance, booth fees at shows, electricity, travel, etc. - not to mention their time. If you make items to sell and only mark the price to cover your material costs and maybe a few dollars for your time then you are hurting yourself and your fellow artisans. Think about it - isn't your time worth more than $1 an hour! Value your work!

The Business Card
Stacy Mitchell, owner of The Fine Needle, spoke on ways to market your work and sell on the Internet. The number one marketing tool is the business card! Whether you print them yourself or have them professionally printed, be sure to include your business name, personal name, contact information (phone, address, e-mail, and/or website), and a description of your craft if it's not obvious from your business name. You're probably thinking "Duh! of course you need that info!" - but we all recounted the numerous times we received a card that was missing a way to contact the artisan.

Central Delmarva Fiber Guild Business
Carol Haarman provided a fiber interest survey for members and guests. Claire Otterbein provided updated membership forms and 2008 events flyers. We then followed with a short business meeting where we agreed to set up this blog! We will be posting information about upcoming events, as well as resources for the fiber artist and craftsperson - whether professional or hobbiest.