COME ONE, COME ALL

to the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair’s Garment Extravaganza!

We have partnered up with Fine Line Creative Art Center with help from the Windy City Knitting Guild to create a unique new feature for Saturday’s Fair.

The all new Garment Extravaganza consists of three parts:

Runway Presentation: We will accept original, wearable-art and present the garments to the public in a Runway Presentation on Saturday, June 23 at 1pm.
Wearable Art Sale: Entries for sale will be available Saturday from 3pm to 6pm in the FairWear Booth.
Awards: Three awards will be announced at the Runway Presentation: Best of Show - $200; Most Creative Use of Materials - $100; Best Use of Color - $100.

Who should enter? Anyone who designs and creates their own unique garments may enter. The entries can be knitted, woven, crocheted, felted, quilted, sewn, etc, etc. Garments do not have to be for sale, although we encourage it. Entrants may also choose to sell patterns or kits through the Wearable Art Sale. We have left this very open to encourage more entries.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRY: April 15. There can be NO extensions, we need time to put it together. Get complete information and sign up at www.fiberandfolk.com/garment.htm

Note: this presentation is unique to the Fair and has nothing at all to do with Fine Line CAC’s beautiful Uncommon Threads Wearable Art Runway Show. Consequently, Uncommon Threads and Folk & Fiber are different shows and you must enter each independently.

Who can attend the Runway Presentation & Sale? Anyone who comes to the Fair! This is a part of the Fair on Saturday; there is no extra cost or admission for attending either the Runway Presentation or the Wearable Art Sale. Sale is Saturday ONLY.

Our many thanks and gratitude to Fine Line Creative Arts Center for offering their valued expertise and help and our continued thanks to Windy City Knitting Guild for helping us to make it happen.

To enter: www.fiberandfolk.com/garment.htm

Note: The page changed today - you may have to refresh your browser.

ANIMALS!

We are having ANIMALS in the BARN this year! YAY! Thanks to Barb Parsons & Animal Acres Llamas we will have llamas, perhaps alpacas, and maybe more fiber animals in the barn this year on FRIDAY and SATURDAY! Details will be coming soon. If you would like information about bringing your animals to the Fair or would like to help us with the animals, please contact Barb Parsons at theparsons@prodigy.net .

Note: Barb will be attending DIIP this week in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to talk about the animals in person – feel free to join her! Information about DIIP is at www.fiberandfolk.com/diip.htm

MEMBERSHIP MONTH - LAST CALL

Reminder – sign up to be a member of “The Flock” by MARCH 15, 2012, and get the preregistration benefit for workshops! Teachers like Nancy Bush,Franklin Habit, Jacey Boggs, and Frank Mullarkey (sponsored by The Fold), not to mention many other fine teachers and workshops, make this is our most valuable membership benefit!

Sign up at www.fiberandfolk.com/membership.htm TODAY!

This year marks the 5th Anniversary of “The Flock.” It is the last year that you can sign up and be considered a “Charter” member. You must sign up by the end of the Fair to have the Charter status.

VINTAGE HANDBAG EXHIBIT

This year's "diamonds" bag promises to be a great exhibit! Have you signed up yet?

Don't stay on the fence! Sign up NOW! The Vintage Handbag Exhibit is stunning and an homage to all the creative ways ONE idea can be accomplished.

See www.fiberandfolk.com/handbag.htm to sign up!

FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY!

Did you know we have a page on Facebook?

If you "Like" our page, we'll be giving away a Fair tote every month from November to May to a lucky "liker" ! We are currently at 655 - we can do better than that! Tell your friends!

Our Fair Tote recipients (so far) are:
November: Marion Munson Krause
December: Knit StitchHeaven
January: Michelle Klein Arszman
February: Judy Levine

NEWS AT FINE LINE CREATIVE ARTS CENTER (FLCAC):

The Fine Line Creative Arts Center is such a valuable learning resource for northern Illinois. They offer wonderful classes and teachers year round! To learn more see www.fineline.org

The FLCAC is holding a fundraiser to pave a new driveway and entrance, enabling them to expand zoning, hours of operation, and the addition of more campus events. The fundraiser will be held April 20th. For more information or to sign up see www.fineline.org or call (630) 584-9443.

FOR LOVE OF FIBERS

I am so excited to work with Fine Line CAC and Windy City Knitting Guild to morph our old Garment Competition into a Garment Extravaganza! What a wonderful way to “Celebrate the Work of YOUR Hands!” I encourage all of you who create unique garments to enter. Market Vendors, Teachers, Students…You. Yes! YOU! The Runway Presentation will be awesome with choreography, music, and narration. The Wearable Art Sale will be a fantastic opportunity not only for those who enter, but for those who shop.

Animals are a large part of all things fiber. Yes, we have cotton, flax, and other plant fibers and don’t forget “bug juice”! I am particularly fond of bug juice (silk) these days, but at the heart of it all are the animals. It is a wonderful educational opportunity to meet up close and personal with the animals who bring us so much fibery goodness and with the people who raise them with dedication and with so much love and care. The Fair and many of the products you will find in our wonderful Marketplace originate with these lovely animals. Many thanks to Barb Parsons for all her hard work on this for the Fair.

It’s taken 6 years to get us to this Fair. I thank all of you who have come to the Fair and enjoyed it and helped it to grow. And, thanks to the many who have worked with us as partners, volunteers and staff. I will leave you with a quote that I received recently from a new member. I hope it gives you the same thrill it gave me: “This event truly has changed my life for the good, and I am thrilled to be considered a charter member.”…Lorna from Evanston. Thank you, Lorna!

Thank you to all of you who help us by telling a friend. It is ENORMOUSLY helpful and we are grateful to you. Please continue to help us spread the news about the Fair and share this email with a friend, your guild, your church group, your business associates, your "teams", etc, etc. (see the "forward" below)!

Until next time, Fair Friends...

Celebrating the Work of Your Hands,

Carol

Carol Cassidy-Fayer
The 6th Annual Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair
June 22-24, 2012
The Expo Center at the Lake County Fairgrounds, Grayslake, IL
"Come Celebrate the Work of Your Hands!"