Photography Workshop Make-up Date  

We’re sorry for the last-minute cancellation of the Photography workshop. That kind of thing doesn’t happen often, but GROW needed to use their space and we couldn’t find another place to host it last-minute.
Liz has a photography group meeting at the Norfolk Botanical Garden this Sunday, April 19th for anyone who is interested in a make-up, hands-on workshop. Here are the details:
Meet up in the Japanese Garden Cafe in the Norfolk Botanical Gardens at noon on Sunday, April 19th (entry fee into the Garden is up to you).
She will hand out a list of items for you to find and photograph. We will post the images and vote on the best in each category. 

Stoney’s Produce Craft Market

Stoney’s Produce is across from VB General hospital. They sell ornamental and veggie plants, veggies, fresh flowers, prepared food items from local venders, and have animals on site! 
Saturday, May 9th they will be hosting a Craft Show exclusively for the 7 Cities Crafters. You will need to provide your own table and you  may want to bring a tent since it is outdoors and we all know Virginia Weather is unpredictable. 
Please contact Sloane if you would like to participate in this FREE show. Her email is sloanie@cox.net.

Virginia Beach Spring Craft Market

I got this email from the VB Spring Craft Market folks. This is the big craft show at the pavilion. We have been invited to share a booth. If anyone is interested, please start a topic in the forum and feel free to organize a booth! It’s sort of short notice though! 
——
We have our Virginia Beach Spring Craft Market coming up Apr. 24-26 and were wondering if some or all of the Seven Cities Crafters would be interested in participating.  We typically don’t allow booth sharing, but in this case your group would be a good exception.  It could be a great opportunity for those starting out to do so on a smaller scale than usually required, and it would give the group exposure to a wider audience of people interested into crafts.  More information about the show is available on our website at www.emgshows.com or I’ld be happy to answer any questions directly at 757 417 7771 or by email at erin@emgshows.com!
Best regards,
Erin Estes
Events Management Group, Inc.
(757) 417-7771
——

Looking For Some Folks To Take Over 7 Cities Crafters

Last but not least, I will be stepping down as the main leader/organizer/whatever you’d like to call me of 7 Cities Crafters. I love what I do with the crafters and all the fun events we’ve had, but I am going to be swamped for at least the next six months with another big project. I am going to be opening a community art & music space here in Norfolk (the crafters will be more than welcome to use this, in fact I hope it becomes “our home”), but the time and energy it is going to take to organize such a feat is going to be overwhelming.
I need a few people to take on the various roles that I’ve been handling so far including planning & coordinating events, being there to unlock and lock up for our monthly craft-togethers, sending out emails and posting things to the website. All these tasks are simple, yet take a little time. I would be glad to walk people through them if they are willing to donate a little time each month. 
I also will need a LOT of help with Handmade Parade. I would like one or two people to be the point of contact for the show. If you think you are up for this, I will definitely help you get everything organized before I turn it over to you, and will be available for any questions you may have.
I am so excited about this new venture, and I hope there are a few people willing to give a little time to keep the crafters alive while I pursue this other project! I also will be needing your help and support once we get it open! I can’t wait to see what this summer will bring!
If you are willing to help run the crafters in some capacity, please email me at amber@myaimistrue.com. 
Thanks so much, and see you soon.
Amber

Hello! It’s Cassie. Last weekend, I hosted a surgery bear-making party for the 7 Cities Crafters.

My infant son recently underwent surgery at CHKD and while we were in the waiting room, a nerve-racking experience to say the least, a volunteer approached us with a basket of wonky-but-charming handmade bears. She encouraged us to take one for our son, who at 3 months wouldn’t appreciate the gesture, but the generosity touched us – that people are compassionate enough to craft something for a child they’ll never meet.
Volunteers make the teddy bears for the children undergoing surgery at CHKD. Each child (or parent) is allowed to choose his/her own bear and for children who undergo multiple surgeries, it’s a souvenir they can look forward to collecting. It’s like getting to choose a plastic ring after a dentist visit.
So on that rainy Saturday night, we brought some leftover fabric to the table and started crafting.

Kristen and Agnes did most of the sewing, while others cut and stuffed.

For safety reasons, the faces must be drawn on with fabric marker. The later it got, the more creative the bear faces became. Each bear is one-of-a-kind with different fabric combinations and facial features/expressions.

Thanks to everyone who came! Enough was made to brighten the hospital experience for 20 children.

Last night a bunch of us braved the awful weather and headed out to the 7 Cities Crafters knitting workshop.

There were plenty of laughs, some crafting and some dessert. Sounds like a perfect rainy night to me!

Thanks so much to Kristin, Liz and Truly for helping out. I think our beginners got a really great start on things!

Look at Kathleen flying on those DPNs! She learned knitting on DPNs, how to do cables and how to knit continental. Girl is a machine!

Sloane’s socks are growing and growing! She’s doing these two at a time on a long circular needle using a technique called magic loop.

Yummy yarn. Speaking of yarn, don’t miss the Yarn Stash Swap this Saturday at Craft & Sew Studio! Details are on the events page.

I wanted to remind everyone of the big event this Saturday, January 10th - the 7 Cities Crafters & Friends Craft Sale at the Suffolk Museum. The event is free to attend and will be open from 10am until 4pm that day. A variety of handmade crafts will be for sale. Stop by and browse and visit with the many talented vendors:

Soraia Gobin
Michele Oxton
Jeannine Peregrine
Vikki Marr
Deborah Johnson
Laura Webb
Kelly Guswiler
Charmaine Panares
Sherry Warren
Kristen Runberg
Lindsay Pless
Patrice Johnson
Tiffani Henry

For more information call the museum at 757-514-7284. Spread the word to your friends.

The museum is located at 118 Bosley Ave. Suffolk, VA 23434. Please visit our forums; maybe you can grab a ride with someone from the beach or Norfolk if you're not close to Suffolk! Hope to see you there!

I hope everyone is having an awesome holiday! Our monthly craft-together would normally be held on Sunday, January 4th but we're going to take a month off to relax and recoup after the holidays. Take the night to do something to pamper yourself, spend some quality time with a new craft or just relax!

Our next get together will be on Sunday, February 1st at Grow. See you then!

Had tons of fun at the 7 Cities Crafters holiday party on Sunday night! Check out this adorable pincushion that was one of the many awesome gifts in our white elephant gift swap.

We had a huge group there! At least 25 people came.

Presents ready for swappage.

Mary W. led several of us in some embroidery…

…while the rest of us worked on needle felting led by Kristin!

Great results, guys! We had some delicious food, got to hang out and had a terrific holiday & craft-inspired time. Can't wait to see what 2009 brings for our group!

Episode 12 - Interviews from Stitches East

Subscribe: iTunes | RSS | download episode 12
Email: craftmentality@gmail.com
Please leave us iTunes reviews!

This episode we talk with several awesome yarn and fiber vendors live from Stitches East 2008! We had a great time and met some really cool people. Thanks to everyone for letting us interview and take pictures of your beautiful wares!

You can view our photos from Stitches here: Amber | Tasha

Full show notes and links to the vendors are here.

Elizabeth Henry's art career goes back to elementary school. Her first work was a drawing in marker of a tiger jumping out of the jungle. "I wrote '$5' underneath of it, like I was going to sell it," she said.

Norfolk artist and 7 Cities Crafters member Liz Henry was interviewed this week in Link, a free daily paper in Hampton Roads.

Read the full story and view her paintings here. Congratulations, Liz!