photos from a trip for international students to a pottery town.

kyoto is a center of traditional crafts in this area (kansai, western japan). it's great that people in general love these crafts, and also interesting that craft traditions continue for hundreds of years, but remain relevate to contempoary life--often in the form of traditional fabric/patterns used for bags, ect. this store is interesting--they make all sorts of figures from silk cocoons.

here's a random design that i saw the other day: its a photo album (a fully analogue traditional one, with paper and a plastic pockets), but it's called a blog album. hee hee. usually, quirky english doen't phase me much anymore, but this one works on a different level.

the internet (itunes makes it even easier), allows me to listen to kexp and watch democracy now...awesome.
the best independant radio station in the world:
and the best news source:
if you don't know, check them out. if you do, give them money!


"i don't know many people who are still interested in art for art's sake...we have flowers for that"
-alice walker , democracy now 11.17.06

well, i finally have the internet again!
my day job, here in kobe japan, is researching post-disaster community-building.
but never fear, i'm still crafty.
i think in the kansai area, most of the craft stores/ traditional craft culture is located in kyoto (about 1.5 hours by train from me). tomorrow i'll go back to a great little shop there that sells all sorts of wool supplies: http://www.hitsuji.co.jp/ (yup, it's all in japanese-welcome to my world)
also, i'm going to track down a store that specializes in dyes...
these leads are coming from the itami craft museum: http://www.mac-itami.com/english/index.html
which i visited last month, and offers TONS of crafting classes...i plan to join a few starting in january.

taking a little break from packing...
i'm been planning my first purchase in japan next week: a rice cooker from muji.

renegade craft fair

was this last weekend in chicago's wicker park.
as the final summer craft fair for feltcafe, it was a great way to go out with a bang.
this was my first time at the chicago renegade (last year's renegade brooklyn was my first big craft show), which has had a HUGE impact on the national d.i.y. craft scene.

i'll post more details when i get home this weekend, for now i'm still enjoying chicago!

bumbershoot
bumbershoot is a huge annual music and arts festival in seattle that happens on labor day weekend. this year, i was a vender, and very excited to be part of the inaugural indie craft marketplace presence.
this was my corner of the tent...which i shared with two awesome women, from hankie tankie and solacescents
we had a great time all weekend, and everybody--staff, vendors, customers--was so nice!

new materials, new process

felt cafe products made using organic and chemical free merino wool, from sheep raised on farm in montana, dyed by me with all-natural dyes. (ipod cozy, wrist bands, little scarflet, baby booties)
products that i made from one ounce of wool (the amount included in my kit #1)
some of the dyed roving
the dying process, inside the kettle.
the merino wool (so soft!) from beaverslide