It’s that time of year, folks, when knitters, spinners, weavers, crochet enthusiasts and the people who love them gather at the Allegan County Fairgrounds for a weekend of yarn and fiber appreciation at the Michigan Fiber Festival. I’m headed down to Allegan to meet some talented crafters after today’s craft segment on WZZM Channel 13′s [...]

I’m feeling rather fickle as I indulge in the visual feast that is ArtPrize. Each new piece I see becomes my favorite. I’m currently enamored with this “Rag Rug” dress created by Betsy Timmer that is on display at the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). The piece is made of found sheets, curtains and tablecloths [...]

On this episode of CraftSanity you’ll meet West Michigan fiber artist Beth Ann Williams, an accomplished quilter, teacher and author who never ceases to inspire the people around her. Tune in to hear the story of how Beth Ann turned to quilting after serious health problems forced her to edit her life plan. Beth Ann, [...]

It’s official. I entered ArtPrize 2010, the international art competition based here in Grand Rapids. I’m working on a hexagon quilt called “Power Ties in Bloom” made out of neckties that will be displayed at the David D. Huntington YMCA in Grand Rapids Sept. 22 – Oct. 10.  The ties were collected by Safe Haven [...]

Hello! I have a little catching up to do this week. I’m going to start off by participating in Kathreen Ricketson’s blog tour for her new book: “Whip Up Mini Quilts: Patterns and How-to for More Than 20 Contemporary Small Quilts.” Read on for a sneak peek of the piped binding tutorial from p. 44 [...]

I’m happy to report that Sunday’s Apron Sew-In was a lovely success. It was slightly less intense than my husband’s video implies, but we had a lot of fun. Thank you to the kind ladies who joined me for an afternoon of apron design. It was a pleasure to see some familiar faces and meet [...]

Walking into the fabric store often results in sensory overload for fabric addicts like me. So, this week I decided to take a step back and work with my favorite fabric of all time: unbleached muslin. Huh? What? That’s right. I LOVE plain old muslin because it invites creativity in a way that the wild [...]

Get the <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/mp3-player-muzicera” mce_href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/mp3-player-muzicera”>Mp3 player</a> widget and many other <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/” mce_href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/”>great free widgets</a> at <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com” mce_href=”http://www.widgetbox.com”>Widgetbox</a>! Download the show (you may need to right-click the link) Subscribe to CraftSanity on iTunes RSS feed for podcast Laurie Sharp has a gift for turning bits and bobs of wool roving into animated sculptural pieces. [...]

Hi. Jeff, Jennifer’s husband here. Jennifer is out doing an interview, but she wanted share these videos from here appearance on “Take 5 & Company” Friday morning on WZZM-13. She talked about handmade items made by five Grand Rapids area artists and crafters. Here are more details about the artists and crafters Handwoven chenille scarves [...]

Today my Grand Rapids Press art & craft column is about Sierra Cole, a fiber artist I mentioned in a previous post. Here’s a preview to get you started… Sierra Cole might be the fastest knitter I’ve ever met. Her metal needles moved with near-lightning speed as we chatted about how she landed a great [...]

Lowell, Mich. -Sierra Cole had one of the most colorful displays at the Fallasburg Fall Festival Saturday, and I’m so glad she was okay with me snapping an obnoxious amount of pictures. These boiled wool handbags are beautiful all lined up together. Oh, to be able to buy them all and hang them up in [...]

Bev and I are still making art quilts and writing about them every month over at Posted Stitches. I invite you to check it out and tell us what you think . The quilt above is Side A of my August “Dreams” quilt. You can read more about it here and see Side B here. [...]

Download the show (you may need to right-click the link) Listen to show in browser Subscribe to CraftSanity on iTunes RSS feed for podcast Cat Bordhi isn’t satisfied with doing things the way they’ve always been done, especially not when it comes to knitting. A curious woman, Bordhi, 57, of Friday Harbor, Wash., uses her [...]

After working on it quietly in the for the last few months, I’m finally ready to introduce you to a new collaborative project I’ve been working on. It’s called Posted Stitches and it’s a monthly art quilt challenge that I’m doing with, Bev Laing, a bright and talented artist, writer and crafter who I met [...]

Okay, folks, this is a big weekend in West Michigan for Art and Craft. Here are a couple events to check out this weekend: I’m headed to the Michigan Fiber Festival, Saturday with the girls to see all the fiber-bearing animals and check out all the great art and craft vendors including Letty and Rita. [...]