Poppies, Pincushions and Purchases.
As well as the fair itself, two of our retailers are selling at the event too and we are being visited by a third. therefore I will be trying my best to produce enough work to send these ladies with some new stock for their shops.
Today I've started a batch of new pincushion rings with some new fabrics including a William Morris print in the perfect size for the pieces. I've also been working on some poppies both for the fair and for two November Wedding orders.
I've ordered a batch of 30mm ring bases from China, 200 leafy bead caps for Tudor clips from the USA and I've chased up my velvet leaf supplier in the UK!
Paula x
The Saltaire Arts Trail is now 14 days away! Preparations are in frantic full swing as far as my involvement in the organising committee is concerned but when it comes to Wychbury's involvement as an exhibitor at The Makers' Fair I have been as laid back as ever.
We've been selling at events for a number of years now and often treat it as a matter of routine, 'This is our job and we know what we're doing' sort of thing. The fact is though, The SAT Makers' Fair is not just another fair, it's the highlight of our calendar. Wychbury's five year commitment to promoting, volunteering and selling at the event has led to the situation I now find myself in. I am now proudly responsible for the Makers' Fair itself and May 2011 marks SAT's debut as a stand-alone event, its coming of age party and the first time our Makers' Fair and me are being allowed out on our own!
So, what about Wychbury? Well to make sure that my eldest child doesn't feel left out at the party, I've decided to countdown to the 28th with a daily diary of what WYCHBURY is doing to prepare to sell and make our mark at the event. Lesley and I will be snapping, posting, updating and tweeting every day for the next 14 days to record all our preparations and I will post a diary entry style blog at the end of every day.
Please follow us AND the SAT blog and keep a blogger tab open to get all our updates as we count down. Please comment if you are also involved in any way and we can link back and forth to us with your own preparations.
More about today's' preparations later on!
Paula x
For several years now, Wychbury have been exhibiting at the Saltaire Arts Trail Makers' Fair. For us and many other artists and makers, this prestigious event is the highlight of our selling calendar. This year I am proud to have stepped up my volunteer role to become the Makers' Fair lead on the organising committee. This is an amazing project to be involved in, meeting so many talented artists and getting to know about their work and how it can be showcased in such a large scale event is a fantastic experience.
Traditionally the Arts Trail has taken place as a partner event to the Saltaire Festival, a two week long festival of food, arts, music and family activities held all over the famous World Heritage site of Saltaire, built by Sir Titus Salt. The festival is now in it's ninth year and is held in the middle two weeks of September. The partnership between Arts Trail organisors Saltaire Inspired and the Saltaire Festival has always been a successful one and one which we hope will long continue. However, this year The Saltaire Arts Trail is being brave, coming of age and stepping out on its own. Although the Makers' Fair will still take place in September, the Bank Holiday weekend of the 28th, 29th and 30th May will see the very first stand-alone Saltaire Arts Trail.
Over the three days, twelve homes in the village will open their doors to the public. Inside, visitors can discover not only what the residents of this historic village have got on their shelves but also the unique and diverse artwork of over 50 Yorkshire-based artists. Family activities with a strong message of sustanability including Teepee Building, Children's mini-trail, Dens and Mazes and our famous Garden of Easels will be based at Shipley College and on the lawn outside Victoria Hall. The spectacularly grand Victoria Hall itself will house the Makers' Fair, 48 designer-makers and artists will be selling their wares and demonstrating their practices.
You will definitely have no problem filling all three days as even more exhibitions are dotted around the village, often in places where you can get food and coffee! These include the World's smallest cinema showing the 'Wondermental' films of Cherry Kino in Super8 format screening daily, also Out There, a project investigating sustainable art practices inspired and sourced from the environment, initiated and run by Kirkgate studios and Workshops and Textile Artist, Claire Wellesley-Smith. Shipley College exhibits work by its students and other spaces will be occupied with larger projects and installations by comtemporary artists.
Please visit www.saltaireartstrail.co.uk where you can download the brochure, follow our blog, facebook and twitter and browse the galleries and artists' links. Home to Salts Mill (which has the most mesmorising website ever and houses a permanant David Hockney exhibition) Saltaire's unique architecture, history, arts and culture attract visitors from all over the world and The Saltaire Arts Trail should not be missed.
Paula x
Saltaire Arts Trail 2011 Preparation Diary, 13 days left., originally uploaded by Wychbury.
