You thought you didn’t need a basket, didn’t you?  Yeah, me too until I saw these pictures that Sheila Schindler of Woolgatherings sent me.  Now I’m really scared to enter her booth because I think all of my money might fall into her hands.  I asked Sheila the same questions that you have seen for the other vendors, but the story that she sent me was so interesting I’ll leave it in her words.

My  appreciation of fiber arts began when I was a little girl playing underneath a quilt the community ladies were quilting for my mother.  My mother, grandmother and great grandmother all quilted and crocheted.  Though I did not seem to inherit their needlworking skills, I loved the work and the textures of the fabrics and threads.  I did do various crafts as a teeenager and adult which helped me begin my 25 year career for The Parks and Recreation Department of Mesquite, Texas.    Four or five years before I retired from recreation I discovered primitive rug hooking which led me to designing The Woolgathering Basket.  I work with an Amish family in Iowa to make The Woolgathering Basket.  I began to vend The Woolgathering Basket and other Amish made baskets at a few rug hooking camps and events and quilt shows in Texas, Mississippi and Lousiana.  My Woolgatherings web-site www.wool-gatherings.com is less than a year old and is advertised in Create & Decorate, Country Sampler and Rug Hooking Magazine.  I work to provide baskets that crafters and fiber artists can use to help organize their creative projects and still do a little rug hooking as time permits.

DFW FF:  Were you a crafter before you got into your current business?

Alisha:  Yes! Aside from knitting, crocheting, weaving, spinning, and dyeing, I also sew, quilt, garden, and collect Japanese toys and urban vinyl. Last Fall, I started pottery classes in the ceramics department at Southwest School of Art and Craft in San Antonio and I love it.

DFW FF: Do you still have time to do your favorite crafts?

Alisha: Depends on the craft. Some things I make time for, like ceramics and knitting. My sewing machine has a layer of dust right now and the garden is due for a weeding. If I didn’t need sleep and if I didn’t have a family, I could still do all my crafts, but I really like sleeping and I really like having a family, so I don’t.

DFW FF: How many shows do you attend a year?

Alisha:  In the past six months, I’ve done Kid N Ewe in Boerne, an event at Old Oaks Ranch in Wimberley, then my first trip to TNNA in Long Beach, California. Coming up for the rest of this year after DFWFF, I’ve got Yellow Rose Fiber Fiesta in Seguin, TNNA in Columbus, Ohio, Best Little Yarn Crawl in Austin/San Antonio, and I may squeeze a few others in along the way. Aside from TNNA, the wholesale market, I don’t go much beyond Texas for shows.

Alisha: I love making people happy, when someone finds something they Have To Have. I like to send my yarn off to a good home. I love seeing finished products.

Alisha: I’ve been to DFW many times. My husband was an Air Force brat and lived in Arlington for most of junior high and all of high school. I moved to Texas, from Minnesota, when I was 16. When my husband worked for the Army Corps of Engineers, we almost moved to Fort Worth. We had a neighborhood picked out and a stack of applications to schools for our son. Aside from house hunting, we’ve mostly done the kid-friendly, touristy things like the zoo and botanic gardens. When I get to DFW by myself, it is usually for a concert or to pick up furniture I’ve bought on eBay. Even though Fiber Fests are a lot of work, I’m looking forward to taking classes, spending time with friends, and maid service at the hotel. I’m very happy that, at least for a few days, I won’t feel compelled to dye yarn. I even plan to get some knitting done.

DFW FF:  What new product are you most excited about?

Alisha:  Anything with silk is making my heart go pitter-pat. There’s Bevy of Swans (Superwash Merino and Silk DK and Fingering), then Richness of Martens Fingering (Superwash Merino, Cashmere, and Silk Fingering), Charm of Hummingbirds (Baby Alpaca, Cashmere, and Silk in Lace and Fingering), and Raft of Otter (Superwash BFL and Silk Fingering). I’ve got projects on the needles in all of those yarns. I’m in a very, “Oooh, Shiny!” place right now.

Next up in the vendor spotlight is a DFW Fiber Fest veteran vendor, Bonnie of bonny beads.  You can call me a little biased if you want to, but I won some of Bonnie’s buttons in a door prize last year and that sent me straight to her booth to buy more.  I joked with her that they are still sitting in my button stash because I haven’t made a project that is worth of them yet - they are too darn pretty to use.  She swears that isn’t true - she is making new ones all of the time!

Bonnie:  DFW Fiber Fest 2009 was my first fiber event and since then has been my favorite event!  Everyone who stops by my booth is great fun to chat with and they offer so many helpful ideas for products and such.  I definitely need to get more involved with the fiber community… it has been on my to do list for too long!

Bonnie: Yes and I still am!  I started making jewelry in 2001 and started glass work in 2004.  All of the items I sell are handmade by me (well, with the exception of the rubber stitch markers!),  I am primarily a glass artist but also enjoy designing and creating finished pieces as well.  I do still have a day job, so bonny beads is my side gig…. for now!

Bonnie: Not as much as I’d like but I make time.  Working with glass is my stress relief and I can really lose myself at the torch for hours on end.  Because my torch time is limited, I really prefer to work on items from my magic inspiration box and do not do much custom work.  I do, however, like to have general knowledge on what my customers like to see… favorite products, favorite colors, etc.  These can then be dropped into my magic inspiration box so I can incorporate them into my designs!

Bonnie: The people attending are my favorite!  Being a crafter myself, I love being around these like-minded folks. And I love that the event is 3 days which often gives me time to chat with the same people several times during the event, since they return each day for classes.

Bonnie:  Yes!  Obviously my buttons and shawl pins can be used for knitted or crocheted items…. this year I have created a number of sets of crochet specific stitch markers (based on DFW Fiber Fest participant requests!).

Bonnie: I picked up a new tool that has allows me to do better custom cuts for my glass shawl pins, certainly not an easier task but I have much more flexibility in my designs.  I sure hope everyone likes them!

Shelley : Yes, knitter, dyer, spinner, felter, jewelry maker

Shelley: Sort of. I do still knit and spin for myself but not nearly as much as I use to.  But I so enjoy the dyeing process that it’s a good trade off.

Shelley: DFWFF will be my first!  I’ll be in two this spring, and hope to double that next spring.  I also go to shows during the holidays, and the Coppell Farmers Market pretty regularly.

Shelley: I’ll be traveling to Seguin (outside of San Antonio the week after DFWFF.  That’ll be the farthest so far, and with gas prices going up, that’s as far as I want to go!

Shelley: Oh, the colors.  People look at my colorways and say they don’t get how I can come up with them, but this is a wonderful outlet for me. I “think in color” and always come up with new colorways after reading a good book, watching a movie, driving into a sunset.  Even my friends and family inspire colorways!

Shelley:   I’m thrilled to get to spend time with other fiber artists and enthusiasts!  I’ll get to see a lot of friendly faces as well, since my knitting group and close friends will all be coming to play.

Shelley: My favorite fiber right now is Wensleydale.  It’s so fantastic to spin, and reminds me of a super soft kid mohair.  I can’t keep it in stock though so I don’t get to spin it often!  It’s always the first thing to sell after I update the store.

My favorite yarn is currently my Frosted Feet with gold sparkles.  I adore my Riley colorway with the gold flecks coming through!
My favorite tool has got to be the Bulky Production Babe spinning wheel with the Helix Level wind.  Seriously awesome wheel.  It has huge bobbins that hold 2 lbs, but the fatcore lends itself to lacce spinning as well.  The helix level wind keeps the bobbin filling evenly.  Great for all spinning and especially art yarns with additions!

Shelley: Nothing crochet specific, though my yarns are equal opportunity fiber arts supplies. :-)  You could say they aren’t knit specific either!