Place: McHenry County College, Crystal Lake, IL
Dates: July 17-19, 2009
Times: Fri: 10am-6pm
          Sat: 10am-6pm
          Sun: 10am-4pm
Admission: $10/day, or on Fri only, you can buy a 3 day pass for $25! Admission is paid at the gate. Kids 10 and under are free.
Parking: FREE!

Come Celebrate the Work of our Hands! Join us this summer for the third annual Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair and SEIZE THE DAY!

  • Treat yourself to a Workshop
  • Wander through the Marketplace
  • Experience the Demonstrations
  • Be inspired by the Fine Art Show and other exhibits
  • Savor the Food
  • Enjoy the Music
  • Relax and work on your projects with us (or enjoy your new stuff).

You could spend a whole weekend...you see, we believe a fair should fuel all your passions and ignite all your senses.

We'll be updating the site as we build the Fair. Sign up for our email list to receive updates and news!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • SCHEDULE OF EVENTS is now available
     
  • THE VENDOR LIST IS COMPLETE ! All of our 2009 Vendors are on the list now. You'll find some old favorites, and some new surprises!
     
  • "DIY" FASHION SHOW! Last year our "Fashion on Parade - DIY Fashion Show" was so popular that we are making it a regular feature of the Fair. Come Share the Work of Your Hands! Do you have a project that turned out particularly well? Maybe it's your first sweater, shawl, or quilt that you are especially proud of? Something you designed yourself or something from a pattern you loved? Vendors, maybe it's a model of one of your patterns? Whatever it may be—share it with us at the Fair, we would LOVE to show it off for you! The DIY Fashion Show is open to all, regardless of skill level. All entries will be circulated throughout the entire Fair by our models, so that EVERYONE will have the opportunity to see them. All entries must be in by July 5, 2009. Click here for details and to enter your work.
     
  • GARMENT COMPETITION! The Windy City Knitter's Guild will present a Garment Competion at the Fair. We will present the garments in a Fashion Show in the Auditorium on Saturday, July 18 at 1pm. Garments must be hand made and original designs. All are invited to enter. Click here for details and to enter your work.

  • NORA MURPHY, author of "Knitting the Threads of Time Casting Back to the Heart of Our Craft", will be giving two lectures during the Fair. Join us in the Auditorium on Friday, July 17 at 1pm or on Sunday, July 19 at 2pm. Nora will also be available for book signings in booth #17 on Friday, Saturday am, and Sunday! 

 

  • MAGGIE JACKSON Join us on Saturday at 11 am for "A Mini Fashion Show" presentation from Maggie Jackson, hosted by vendor Yarns by Design. Maggie will be on hand to show us some of her styles and talk about her design process; how to work with drape and how fiber choices affect drape; how color can totally change the look of a garment; and how to dress for different body types!

  • WORKSHOPS ARE OPEN for registration. Come to the Fair and take a class and STRETCH your horizons! Register soon, some classes are already full. PSSST - your workshop fee covers your admission for the day of your workshop!

  • GUILD DEMONSTRATORS READY TO WEAVE THEIR MAGIC AT THE FAIR
    Guilds will be demonstrating a wide range of Fiber Arts at the Fair. Click here to meet our Demonstrating Guilds and learn more about them and when and where they meet.

  • MEMBERSHIP APPRECIATION TOTE
     (To see our current membership list, please visit "The Flock" here). Thanks to lots of suggestions from our members we will be dividing our vendor gifts into several Membership Appreciation Gift Totes (rather than just one). We’ve learned our lesson, so we are not going to commit to a number just yet - but there will be at least 3 of them. More vendors have been invited to the Fair and have yet to indicate whether they will be making a donation. Go to our Member page for complete details.  
    THANK YOU TO OUR MEMBERS-WE APPRECIATE YOU!

  • VOLUNTEERS are the backbone of our event! If you are interested in helping to bring the Fair to life, please fill out our form to sign up or download our Volunteer Flyer. Be sure to visit the Volunteer Page for more information!
     
  • 2010 Vendors - We are no longer accepting new vendor requests for 2009. If you would like to be considered for the 2010 Fair, please sign up here to be on 2010 New Vendor List.

  • In Rembrance of a Friend: Those of you who attended the Fair the last two years may have met Frank Foltz, (Frank Foltz Wooden Ware). He wasn't able to vend last year, but he taught Carving in the Scandanavian Tradition. Frank passed today (May 30) after a brief fight with cancer. He was a wonderful teacher, an excellent carver, and a friend. You can share your thoughts about Frank with friends and family at caringbridge.org under "FrankFoltz" (no space). Frank, you will be missed! Thank you for the wonderful legacy you have left behind and for sharing a little of that legacy with us. 

Thank you to our Partners and Sponsors! Please support them.
 



click here to experience a bit of Fair magic!

 
  "Yours was the best fiber fair that I've ever been to"
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"You have a great selection of vendors. Keep up the good work!!"
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"The fair was awesome we had a blast."
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"Can't wait for next year :-) "
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