Indie Craft Experience (ICE) was the definitely the hottest spot for shopping in Georgia this weekend. 100 booths were packed into the upstairs ambient plus studio, which had wooden floors and an exposed ceiling. As the crowds poured in, dj ZANO kept the place jumping with upbeat merengue music and sounds so new I couldn’t even tell you what they were! Besides the music, the place was just loud- you could hear the buzz of everyone conversing. Listen to it on a video I made:
To my delight, the venue was equipped with a kitchen where a few people were busy concocting yummy treats. I bought some vegan chili, and an amazing grilled cheese sandwich with pesto squeezed between wheat bread and swiss cheese. There was also a selection of yummy cupcakes from Dulce Vegan Bakery. In another corner, volunteers from MODA were sitting amongst piles of torn fabric helping event-goers gift wrap presents. People who were taking a break from shopping were chomping at the bit to sign up for a free shoot with LeahAndMark.com. The duo was there snapping portraits all day.
This year’s ICE was especially cool for me, because I got to meet some really accomplished crafters, including The Small Object and Alena Hennessy (both were featured in the book Handmade Nation). I chatted all day with my booth neighbors Mammie Ruth and Talulah B., and got a chance to hang out with So She Sews again. See some of their booths in this photo slideshow:
What I Couldn't Live Without:
The Small Object's Fabric sew-in buttons. I’ve been reading her blog articles for awhile and wanted to get a piece of the fun. I might have to knit up a sweater just to give these cute buttons a home:
What I Made for the Swag Bags:
I made patches for some of the swag bags that were given to the first 200 attendees of ICE. They were inspired by the canvas fabric patches I used to collect from rock shows as a teenager (I would safety pin them to my backpacks and purses). Indie Craft Experience added a pic of them to their newsletter (scroll down to "Swag Bags"). I screen printed them by hand:
Well, I guess that's it!
No, not really- there was so much more. But I guess you'll just have to attend next year and see for yourself! Thanks to everyone who came out this year, and especially those who stopped by to support Stitch Machine. All purchases at ICE have directly helped to support each individual artist! Thanks again!
Hey Stitch ~ Great stuff! Love your stitch machine bag!
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