Craft Fair

The irregular and intimate quality of things made entirely by the human hand.
-- Willa Cather

Sunday, November 22, 1998
One year ago: Grand and Griefless

After lazing around this morning, I was checking Sidewalk to see if there was a movie playing that I should go see. But before I got to the movie listings, I saw a listing for "Best of the Northwest," a juried craft fair being held at Seattle Center. I printed out my 3-dollars-off coupon, got my umbrella, and headed on down.

But I spoke to my sister M---- on the phone before I left. She already knew I wouldn't be around for Thanksgiving. She found out from my sister in Delaware, who read it on the web! My sister here doesn't have regular web access, so sometimes the bulletins get passed around that way.

I had to walk all the way across the Center from the bus stop to get to the exhibition hall where the fair was being held. It was strange to see it all so empty! When I was there for Bumbershoot, it was wall-to-wall people. Now there were just a few folks visible on the leaf-covered walkways and plazas.

I restrained myself from buying anything until I'd made a complete circuit, scanning all the booths and examining things at the booths where I was actually in the market for the merchandise. I knew I didn't want to buy any windchimes, ceramic tiles, rustic furniture, or fancy knives. I was interested in clothing and jewelry.

After a break for a sandwich -- I was in line for a crepe, until I heard someone ask if the wait would be longer than twenty minutes! Fahgedabout it! -- I went back out on the floor and started buying. I wish I had a scanner to show off the earrings I bought!

• A black burnout velvet circle skirt, short, and large enough for me. This was from Simone of Eugene, Oregon. She really had some beautiful stuff! Most of her things were long dresses and overtunics, of silk velvet, hand dyed or painted in beautiful colors. Nice tassels and beads attached to sleeve corners, and hanging from shoulder pleats on some of the tunics or coats. I'll try and visit her store when I'm in Eugene for Potlatch, this January.
• I got three pairs of earrings from Michael Barley, made from dichroic glass. I'm always attracted to the shiny, reflective beads made of this sort of glass, but most of the designs I've seen haven't suited me. The ones I bought are made from single beads, about five-eighths of an inch long, and a little less wide, shaped like two blunt-tipped cones, bases together. The middle part of each bead is the dichroic, fiery glass. Here's a page that shows some similar styles of beads. I got one pair that tone amber, ivory and gold, one dark grey to purple with multi-colored sparks, and one wine colored or crimson. Yum! Michael kindly switched these from hoops to earwires as I watched, which was very good customer service.
• I also bought earrings from Beth Richman Designs. Her booth was attractive to me because she had about a zillion pairs on her racks! (See my thoughts on abundance from the other day.) I took a long time to pick through all of the varied styles since they all met my minimum requirements (pierced, small dangle) and all were very pretty. I think I have enough earrings now that I need an inventory, and I need to carry a "want list" with me like a book or record collector. I need to fill in the gaps where I don't have earrings in a particular color or style, and avoid buying something that is too much like a pair that I already have. I finally settled on two pairs: diamond-shaped, black with crystals around the edge and in the center, about a half inch long; and celadon-green enamel discs, three quarters of an inch in diameter, with crystals in a crescent around the lower edge of the disc.
• For a while, at each street fair or shopping opportunity that has come my way, I've been looking for a bag or pack that I could keep my dance shoes in, along with hair clips, mints, hand cleaner, and all the other acoutrements that one might need for a night of serious dancing. I hadn't really seen anything that appealed to me. I could have bought a Jansport day pack or the like, anytime, but I wanted to get something special, and to support some craftsperson. So I found a suitable leather bag today, very nice black leather, the right size, and good features.

I was fairly exhausted after all the hoofing around the fair. This is the kind of shopping that is probably best done on my own. I don't know anyone else who would want to examine so many pairs of earrings! Of course, taking the bus back home in the rain, tired, cold, and damp, is not as much fun as walking a block from my house at the exact time to get on the bus. In fact, I think I missed the bus up the hill by about one minute. I walked a few blocks in the direction I wanted to go, and found a stop that was undercover and sheltered.

As I was waiting for the bus, I fantasized about a warm bath, but when I got home I settled for taking off my wet shoes and changing my socks. I watched my fave Xena for the first time in a long time (the episode was "Xena in a Women's Prison Movie") then logged on to a distinct lack of email.