Chicago is My Kind of Town!

What a great time we had at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair!  The Fair was just outside of Chicago in Grayslake, which may be home to the nicest people anywhere.  From the young woman who served breakfast at the hotel to the young man who helped me in Target to the delivery guy from the Italian restaurant, everyone had a smile on their face and a kind word to say.  Even driving across the Midwest at madding (like Thomas Hardy Far from the Madding Crowd) speeds -- not one person was rude until we were within 30 miles of the George Washington Bridge on the way home. (The speed limit here on Long Island is still 55, so the 16-hour trip at 70 mph across Ohio and Indiana was fast and furious for me.  And nobody drives the limit that is posted, lol.)

So here are some photos of the weekend.

Our booth:

The crowds waiting to get in on Friday:

The Foxy Lady Rug Hooking Guild booth:

And some Foxy Ladies:

Beth (in the pink shirt above) hooked this stunning paisley rug.  I wish I had designed this rug! I may have to hook it.

The Foxy Lady Welcome Mat -- how cute is that?

Fantail Fibers is run by Leslie, a New Zealander, who was very sweet and helpful, as was her husband Bob.

Behind Leslie's booth was Sue of Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods.  If you love ribbons, trims and buttons as much as I do, you need to go to her website asap!

Kelly, Eliza and Christine of Tucker Woods Mocha's Fiber were behind us.  It's funny -- they are three sisters from Connecticut, and Barb and I are two sisters from Connecticut.  Christine and Eliza are both scientists who feed the other side of their brains by helping Kelly out when she does shows.  They will be at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival with us again this year.

Rug hooker and basket weaver Kay Kjeldgaard had baskets made specifically for fiber artists.  The rug hooking baskets were great -- they had lots of sections, holes for hooks and magnets for scissors.  The rim of the quilting basket was stuffed fabric so you could use it as a pin cushion -- very clever!

I lusted after these leather handles.  I am thinking of using them on a hooked purse in the near future.

There were other guilds in attendance.

Our friend Toni of The Fold who we know from Rhinebeck was there with her helper Nan.  It was fun to see them again.  Toni and Carol, who runs the Fair, were on the local tv station Saturday morning to promote the weekend.

More booths with fiber and rabbits and pottery and you name it . . . .

The whole cloth quilt above was part of the fiber art show.  I neglected to get pictures of lots of other stuff - the fashion show, the harpist, the opera singer, the many other musical acts, the food . . .  Carol Cassidy-Fayer and her helpers did a terrific job.  The Fair was as exhilarating as it was exhausting and I think we'll be heading west again next June.