buy and/or sell crafts in patterson park

Mark you calendars for the Patterson Park Flea Market & Craft Fair, on September 11th , 9am to 3pm. Location is on Lombard Street at Patterson Park Ave.

Want to sell your crafts? Spaces are only $25 (or $30 on the day of the market). Email bhfleamarket@yahoo.com or call 410.675.0148 for more information.

a few of my favorite things: badass crochet

Spoken word poet turned designer Hone Gryn Eyz of HGE Designs has crafted one wicked badass collection of crochet couture. Check it out:

Photos by Daria Johnson.

Featured Crafter: Hillery Sproatt

What led you to pursue crafting?

I always loved making things. I don't think it was so much a choice as it chose me. It seemed to be what I was best at.

What materials do you prefer and why?

I use mostly National Geographics from the 1950's-1980's when making collages. I think I prefer those years in part because of the imagery but also because the colors are so wonderful. The ink on the page is less saturated, it is more like hints of color. I also love to paint with gouache because it is very delicate.

I use lots of 100% natural linen, vintage cutting room scraps, and 100% wool felt that I order from Japan to make my embroidered objects. My mom is a woman's apparel designer; her company is called Rebe. I use lots of her fabric scraps as well to make my dolls and mobiles. She sources beautiful fabrics from all over the world. You can visit her site at www.myrebe.com.

What is your process like?

I am an intuitive maker. I don't often go into making with a plan. I try to look carefully at what I am making as I make it. I respond to what is happening in the work and go from there. I find it more fun that way and sometimes I end up somewhere I never imagined I'd be. I play.

What do you hope to achieve with your work (professionally and personally)?

I would love to have a store of found and handmade objects. It is my favorite dream. I hope to always be making things and support myself entirely by my handmade goods.

What advice do you have for other aspiring crafters?

Always be making even when it's not going well. Have fun. I often struggle with both of these things, but I've found that I make my favorite things when I remember them!

Do you consider yourself an "indie" crafter?

I am not sure I know what that means. I just think I am a maker of things.

Tell us something most people don't know about you.

I cry much too hard at movies - even the bad ones.

Visit Hillery's website at www.hilleryrs.com to read more about her work. She also has an Etsy shop and will be selling her work (along with her mother) at the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago on September 11th-12th.

Images courtesy of Hillery Sproatt. Profile picture taken by Matthew Yake.

wanderlust: nashville

Currently on exhibit at Nashville's Frist Center for the Visual Arts is The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957, featuring the most glamorous fashion houses of Paris and London in the years following WWII.

This"golden age" of haute couture began with the launch of Christian Dior's couture house in 1947, which is still considered to be "the most successful fashion business model of the 20th century." The period ended with Dior's death in 1957.

The exhibition also includes work by Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Balmain, and photographs by Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, and Irving Penn.

What sounds very exciting, is their section on handcraft and techniques with undergarments and the insides of dresses on display.

How about hopping a plane to Nashville? The exhibition ends on September 12th.

Image courtesy of Sanford Myers for Nashville Lifestyles.

fine handworks festival

On Saturday, September 25th, from noon until 5:00 pm, the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore will host its first annual Fine Handworks Festival, in the newly refurbished Enoch Pratt Parish Hall (North Charles between West Franklin and Hamilton Streets).

The festival will feature local artisans, a large used book sale, and food/drinks will be available for purchase. Admission is free.

Featured crafters include:

Brooke Behnken: custom pet portraits and prints
Lauren Brownlie: note cards, bookmarks, magnets and more
Betty Dabney: photographic prints and cards
Danamarie Hosler: soft sculpture
Laura Laing: sewn accessories
Pattie Lamberton: upcycled, vintage knitting needle jewelry
Ursula Marcum: decorative and functional art glass
Jen Menkhaus: hand-sewn felt accessories
Joyce Scott: beaded, sculptural jewelry

Image of beaded, sculptural jewelry by Joyce Scott, courtesy of Mobilia Gallery.

Featured Crafter: Jeffrey Everett {El Jefe Design}

What led you to pursue design?

I didn't really choose to become a designer or artist, I just kinda was. I can't really ever see doing something different. I can not play music, I am horrible with math and science, and besides building IKEA furniture, I am not technically inclined.

I did choose to be a designer instead of a "fine" artist and I am happy I did.

What materials do you prefer and why?

I use bond paper, my sketch book, and my swank Prismacolor Lead Holder to do all initial sketching before transferring it to the computer to finish it off, add type, etc. I am still using Adobe CS 3 - Illustrator mostly - to work the art to finish. I purchase all my fonts and so should you. I use French Paper because the quality is outstanding.

What is your process like?

For concert posters, I listen to the band a lot. I pick up lyrics and imagery to get inspired on what to draw. Little details and references go a long way to appeal to fans and make the posters mean more to buyers. People can tell if you don't know the music.

Some bands, like The Gaslight Anthem, are rich with poetry and make it easy to draw out imagery to use. Other bands are more about feelings and intent so you have to do more interpreting. Neither way is better though I will say I have around 100+ unused sketches for Gaslight Anthem that may never be made into a final product.

What do you hope to achieve with your work (professionally and personally)?

I would like to eventually support myself full-time by doing posters and illustration. Right now, I do fun things like logos, websites, and other things to help pay the bills, which isn't bad but there is nothing like doing large scale illustration for people you respect.

Do you consider yourself an "indie" artist?

I do. Mainly because I fell I work outside of the "fine" art world (though my work has occasionally been shown in galleries) and my work is not seen as important as "real" design jobs like annual reports and logos (though my work has been shown in many design magazines and books). What I do, i feel, straddles the line between "art" and "design" and thus is neither. Some people feel concert posters are about advertising the band, while others will buy a poster regardless of who it is for - they just like the art.

I get a lot of "that would be fun to do" by designers and artists who don't know how hard it is to do this.

What advice would you give to other aspiring artists/designers?

Learn how to talk about your work and don't be shy. Don't wait for people to give you assignments - be your own client - create things to do. Get a lawyer and accountant to help you build and protect your business. Pay your taxes!

Tell us something that most people don't know about you.

My son Max can draw better than me.

Visit El Jefe Design to learn more or purchase work. Jeffrey has posters for The Bouncing Souls, The Budos Band, New Medicine, Wovenhand, and The Gaslight Anthem coming out soon. Stay in touch and sign up for his e-newsletter at http://www.eljefedesign.com/ or become a fan on Facebook. You can also check out the El Jefe Design Etsy shop to purchase his new line of tees, or visit him in person at Crafty Bastards in Washington D.C. on October 2nd.

don't forget those crafty bastards

Just a little reminder to mark your calendars (if you have not done so already) for Crafty Bastards 2010 on Saturday, October 2nd. The fair will take place from 10am - 5pm on the grounds of the Marie Reed Learning Center in Adams Morgan, Washington D.C.

Read more here.

Image by 2hawks2fishes.

Featured Crafter: Elizabeth Voss {Raw Olive}

What led you to this particular craft?

Raw Olive was born out of a desire to find pure, natural body products for my family. I was shocked to learn that a lot of the "natural" products offered at health food stores still included potentially harmful ingredients such as parabens, sodium laurel sulfate, and petroleum. I started experimenting in my kitchen with natural ingredients that were already in my cabinets such as cold-pressed olive oil, raw sugar and raw honey, to name a few. Soon enough, friends and family were hooked on some of our yummy creations.

Raw Olive has become a perfect marriage between my love for cooking and all things natural.

What is your process like?

The creative process is what I enjoy most. With three girls, 7, 9, and 12, I am constantly trying to create products that I feel comfortable with them using. Once I have an idea, I experiment in the kitchen until I am happy with the final product. Once complete, I test the new product on my family and audacious friends and hope it's a hit.

What do hope to achieve with your work (professionally and personally)?

With Raw Olive, I am devoted to educating people about the dangers of chemical-laden body products and providing a pure, natural alternative. I strive to provide products with as many food-grade and organic ingredients as possible. My mission is to create handcrafted, natural body products that are safe for the consumer and the environment. If I do this, I have succeeded both professionally and personally.

What advice do you have for other aspiring crafters?

Do what you love and offer a quality product. Whatever you are trying to sell has a little piece of you in it, so you need to be proud of your products. I'm also a big fan of Etsy. I started my shop a few months ago and absolutely love the forum for selling. Etsy crafters are incredibly creative and inspiring.

Do you consider yourself an "indie crafter"?

I am totally an indie crafter. I love the freedom of owning my own business and having total control from beginning to end. Sadly enough, the corporate giants have compromised their quality with cheap, and potentially dangerous ingredients in order to greedily make money. I don't subscribe to that. We need more environmentally and socially responsible companies to step forward and lead the beauty industry.

Tell us something that not many people know about you.

I sometimes race mountain bikes and don't like to lose!

In Good Fashion

Get your tickets for the In Good Fashion Fashion Show Charity Event on September 25th, from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Clipper Mill Pool.

Produced by Form Boutique and Urbanite Magazine, the show will feature exclusive fall fashions from Form and debut the new Form clothing label by shop owner Aimee Bracken and local designer Julie Bent (the creative force behind LOT 201).

In Good Fashion will benefit House of Ruth Maryland, and all guests are asked to bring at least one item of women's clothing in good condition to donate to Ruth's Closet.

Pre-show offerings include a silent auction, swag bag, and the oppportunity to shop Eye Candy, No Worries Cosmetics, and Rebecca Myers Jewelry.

Light fare and cocktails will be provided by Zia's Cafe and Woodberry Kitchen.

Space is limited and tickets must be purchased prior to September 8th. Tickets are $80 (VIP) and $55 (general). Contact Aimee Bracken at Form Boutique for more information: aimee@formtheboutique.com or 410-889-3116.

lovely news from lovelyarns

Check it out: new yarns, fall classes, hats and mittens for Hampden Elementary School, and a big 'ole Trunk Show on September 12th! That's just some of the most recent lovely news from Lovely Yarns. For details, visit their website or just head over to Hampden for some of the most droolworthy yarns in town.

Image courtesy of ArtYarn.

buy bye natty paint

The time has come to bid farewell to one of Baltimore's most beloved indie designers: Emily Li Mandri of Natty Paint, who will soon be heading north to get her MBA at NYU. In celebration of her departure, Emily will host a final summer sale at her house/Natty Paint headquarters in Hampden, this Sunday from 2PM - 8PM. All tees and tanks will be going for $10, and all vintage will be $20. 812 Powers Street. Stop by, say bye, and buy some stuff. We'll miss you Natty Paint. Good luck!

Stay in touch with Natty Paint: visit her website, blog, and Facebook page.

raw olive+resonates=yum

Local crafters Raw Olive and Resonates have a sweet thing going: they promote each other's work on Etsy. Both sellers have a shop section called "Our Etsy Friends," where they list one another's products. So, while browsing for sugar scrubs and body butter, you might very well stumble across a pretty resin pendant, or vice versa. And, for a limited time, Resonates is offering free shipping AND a free Raw Olive lip balm with any order of 2 necklaces. Yum.

Images courtesy of Raw Olive and Resonates.

SKILLED: Art, Labor, and Business in Baltimore

"Baltimore is a place where artists can build their own economies: rather than coming to or staying in Baltimore to fill a job, creative people in this city make them," says artist Hannah Brancato, whose current project SKILLED: Art, Labor, and Business in Baltimore, documents how artists build business and contribute to their local economy through a creatively driven practice.

As an MFA candidate in MICA's Community Art program, Hannah recently served as a full-time Artist-in-Residence at House Of Ruth Maryland, where she taught women to create and sell jewelry in support of the shelter's art program. The empowering effect of using labor to both help oneself and to give back in some way led Hannah to think about how and why people make crafts in general, and how, purposefully or not, making and selling things helps to improve a person's surroundings. This experience, combined with her hypothesis that "people need a feeling of empowerment and control over their work in order to feel valuable" led to SKILLED.

Presented as a collection of conversations with artisans who have made their craft into their work, SKILLED will mark the beginnings of Hannah's research into the impact that small, creative business has on personal and collective happiness. The project will also provide advice, tools, and resources about how to start and maintain a small business in Baltimore.

AND (drum roll) I am so excited to announce that on September 13th, SKILLED will make its debut right here on Baltimore by Hand, with an interview profiling Kasey and Kelly Evick of Biggs and Featherbelle - a company that makes, markets, packages, and distributes health conscious body care products (pictured above).

"In documenting these businesses and individuals, SKILLED will help form a network of artists who are working from the ground up to shape Baltimore's future," says Hannah, whose lineup of forthcoming interviews includes some of Baltimore's best artisans.

So please mark your calendar and don't miss this ongoing series of engaging conversations about craft, creativity, and collective happiness. See you in September!

Image courtesy of Hannah Brancato.