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Craft Con in the Time of COVID-19

“It’s better to have loved conned and lost quarantined…”

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All photos courtesy of Chris Rutan Photography

As I think back to our glorious time at Midwest Craft Con 2020, I feel really lucky to be part of such an incredibly community. It was such a timely reminder before such an isolating time full of uncertainty.

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We learned. We shared. We brainstormed. We crawled, crafted, karaoked. We grew as professionals, creatives, human beings. We bonded as sisters.

Thanks to our craft supply sponsor, Darice, for inspiring our instructors and offering casual crafts between sessions. We’re so happy to work so closely with an Ohio-based supply company who prides itself on supporting independant artists!

We were inspired by our speakers and instructors. Sara Trail, whose message of justice for all (and quilting for all!) resonated profoundly, despite being the youngest speaker we’ve ever had. Jennifer Perkins got us comfortable being out of our confort zone with her mixed media painting class. Elaine Grogan Luttrull got us over our fear of taxes with tips and tools. Plus many, many more.

As we move forward, before we even think about future programming (although we did announce that we will be hosting some kind of one-day event in the summer of 2021!), we want to make sure that our community is ok and want to help everyone stay connected.

We’ve hosted some virtual karaoke parties and happy hours in our private Facebook group, but we’d like to set up a more structured schedule of programming as we move forward.

Starting in April, we’re planning the following:

First Thursday: Craft Crawl: go Live in our Facebook during the day and share your craft projects, a book you’re reading. Share what you are working on or how you are passing the day.

Second Thursday: State of Craft Panel Discussion via ZOOM. We will record it and share if you can’t attend. Different topics each month with some panelists. We will record this if you can’t view during the specific time.

Third Thursday: Karaoke DAY – Dance, sing, lip sync for your life.

Fourth Thursday: Office/Happy Hour – Share a skill or offer advice.

Save the dates and we’ll get more details out soon! The best way to stay in touch is to sign up for our Newsletter.

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Until next time, stay healthy and stay crafty. There are good things to come!

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News

Get Ready to #craftyourownadventure!

Midwest Craft Con is coming up fast! If you haven’t already gotten your ticket, you can get a weekend pass or day pass right here until noon on Feb. 28, and then day passes will also be available on site.

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The con officially kicks off at 6pm on Thursday, February 27th at the closing reception of Undeniable Threads at Blockfort Galleries.

Selected from a call-for-entries, these works cross traditional craft with topics political and social justice, showing just how loudly modern craft can speak as an art form.

Artists featured in the exhibition include Bonnie PetersonAlyson TooneJessica WohlAl Hoff, Rachel BakerZak Foster, Jen Edwards, and Letitia Kenemer.

There will be an exclusive reception for Craft Con attendees in addition to the public reception.

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Sessions will be taking place at the Embassy Suites Friday through Sunday during the day

We have so many good things for you and your creative business. You can see the full conference schedule right here! There’s good stuff going on every single day. We’ve also got more details on our craft workshops and evening craftivities, which will include peer meetups, karaoke, and a craft crawl.

What’s a craft crawl, you say?

Inspired by Craftcation’s art walk, Wanderings, we’ve organized a Craft Crawl for Saturday night. Experience DIY projects, pop-up shops, games, fun times and crafty drinks in the rooms of select partners and sponsors throughout the hotel on Friday evening from 9 to 11 p.m.

Start things off with our pals at Handmade Arcade, where they’ll be playing crafty bingo complete with prizes, drinks, and snacks in their suite. From there, grab a flyer with the room numbers of our other hosts, who will lead you through casual make and takes, high stakes craft-offs, hot tub fortune telling, and ending with karaoke!

You’ll be able to meet and shop with many crafty businesses in our trade show, and many of our speakers are offering one-on-one meetings with Conners in sessions you can sign up for on site. None of this would be possible without the support of our fantastic sponsors from across Ohio and across the country!

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Phew! With so much going on, it pays to be prepared. We created this list of essentials to help you pack!

The basics: Our program doubles as a place to take notes, but you might want to pack an extra notebook and pen. We also recommend that you bring a water bottle and snacks to get you through the day. Remember to wear comfortable shoes!

Crafty things: During our evening craftivity time and in the introverts’ room we have plenty of space for you to work on your in-progress projects. We also won’t judge at all if you want to knit while you listen to talks!

What to wear: Many crafters wear really spectacular outfits — often handmade! Wear whatever is comfortable for you, and feel free to be as crafty as you wanna be. Bring sequins for karaoke night if you want to sparkle! As for outerwear, the temperature in Columbus is likely to hover around freezing, so bundle up! If you’re a freezebaby, no worries — you never have to leave the hotel if you don’t want to.

Extra cash: The hotel has a free breakfast for guests, and we’re covering lunch Saturday and Sunday, and then dinner is on your own. If you wanna go DIY, you can always bring Tupperware! There will also be opportunities to shop at our Trade Show all weekend. Save a few bucks for raffle tickets for some amazing gift baskets from our sponsors and community partners. And remember to tip housekeeping a few dollars each day!

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A smart device: You might not want to drag along your laptop, but we encourage you to bring a smartphone or tablet to access the internet and take pictures. Connecting with other conners directly by trading numbers or following each other on Instagram is easier than busting out business cards. And, of course, don’t forget your charger and backup power source!

Personal items: This is YOUR weekend. Bring your must-have toiletries, maybe a yoga mat, a book for downtime, your bathing suit for the pool, or anything else you’ll need to make this your home away from home.

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What NOT to bring: Leave your stress at home! This weekend is about improving your business, reinvigorating your creative spirit and having some fun with fellow crafty folks! Make sure to take a look over our Code of Conduct, which is made to ensure everybody has a good time.

Get your ticket for Midwest Craft Con if you haven’t already, and we’ll see you at the con!

News

Sponsor Love: Darice

Get to know the makers, businesses and faces who are helping us create Midwest Craft Con! Today we meet Darice, our official crafty supply sponsor for this year’s Craft Con!

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Darice is a premier wholesaler in the arts and crafts industry with over 65 years of trusted business. With over 45,000 items across several product categories, we’re your one-stop source for supplies for your crafting hobby or business. Our top supply categories for makers include craft basics, art, jewelry, floral, wood, paper crafting, tools and so much more! Buying your supplies wholesale direct means more profit for you. Let us be your partner in craft with easy ordering, fast turnaround times and free shipping with our Freight Included program. 

Let Darice be both your DIY source AND your resource.  Our website and blog feature trend reports, small business tools and articles, project ideas and so much more to help you run your creative business. 

Darice is excited to participate in the Midwest Craft Con for the first time and sponsor the craft programming at the event. We’re looking forward to connecting with local makers and creatives – we are an Ohio company!

Keep a look out for our supplies in all of your workshop classes. Stop by our tradeshow table to learn more about buying your supplies wholesale and information on how to sign up for an account. Enter our giveaway for a special supply gift basket or $100 Visa Gift Cards and enjoy a free make and take while you’re there. We’re also excited to offer daily craft projects during lunch!

conference · craft shows · News · speakers

Full 2020 schedule + a special opening ceremonies!

Welcome to 2020, the year of Midwest Craft Con! We’ve just put up the full schedule of our creative business conference for your perusal. It is three days of business workshops with incredible speakers, hands-on crafting sessions and inspiring keynotes. If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, those are available right here — and day passes are now available if you can only join us for part of the weekend. 

To help kick things off we are hosting a creative art show with our friends at Blockfort Galleries.  wohl_whiteamerica - Jessica Wohl

Statements crocheted in yarn. Manifestos in embroidery. Quilted declarations.

In a season of heated political discussion, Midwest Craft Con has partnered with the Blocfort to host an exhibition of craft as activism. Selected from a call-for-entries, these works cross traditional craft with topics political and social justice, showing just how loudly modern craft can speak as an art form.

Artists featured in the exhibition include Bonnie Peterson, Alyson Toone, Jessica Wohl, Al Hoff, Rachel Baker, Zak Foster, Jen Edwards, and Letitia Kenemer.

News

What Makers Want: Gifts for Creatives

Looking to buy a gift for the creative in your life?

We decided to highlight the keynotes of Midwest Craft Con past, not to mention those of Midwest Craft Con future in 2020. Explore their shops and products to find something for the creative on your list.  Of course, the most helpful thing you could give a maker for the holidays is a ticket to Midwest Craft Con.

LISA CONGDON – 2016

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One of our first keynotes at Midwest Craft Con artist, and illustrator Lisa Congdon brings her expertise to this guide to the process of artistic self-discovery.

GEMMA CORRELL – 2018

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Gemma Correll taught us that periods and pugs make the world go round and she offers a limitless supply of products that keep us entertained and inspired.

JEN HEWITT – 2017

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Our 2018 Keynote, Jen Hewitt, fills the pages of this book with textile examples and simple sewing projects for creatives.

TWINKIE CHAN – 2020

For those who love food and crochet, explore the online shop of Twinkie Chan. Download a pattern, some brightly colored yarn and start making. Also explore books and premade goods. We can’t wait to meet Twinkie Chan at the next Midwest Craft Con.

CRAFTY CHICA – 2018

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Kathy Cano-Murillo, aka Crafty Chica, sprinkled in all her positivity in 2018 with how she built her creative business from the ground up, with the assist of glitter and hard work. She offers a wide assortment of books and products.

ABBY GLASSENBERG – 2016

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In 2017 we meet Abby Glassenberg, a sewer, podcaster and who was in the infancy of Craft Industry Alliance. This online membership group hosts live meetups, articles and provides countless discounts and advice for and from other creatives.

YAO CHENG -2017

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Yao Cheng continues to share her skills, as she did in 2018, through online session on Creativebug. Sign up and follow along as she teaches a series of beginning watercolor courses.

SARA TRAIL – 2020

We are all looking forward to hear more about Social Justice Sewing Academy and the journey that craft has taken Sara on through her work with this non-profit. You can give the gift of a donation and attend Sara’s keynote address in 2020.

CHRIS GLASS – 2017

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Back in 2017, Chris Glass taught us to slow down and observe our surroundings. To take the time to walk around, to reevaluate what and how we wanted our life to transform. His side business Wire & Twine offers apparel that speaks to Midwest roots.

Anything else on your wish list this year? Share your favorite gifts for makers in the comments!

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DIY at Midwest Craft Con sponsored by Darice

Have you ever thought to yourself – I need a break or a little vacation to make things and get creative with my kind of people? Then Midwest Craft Con is the place where you can make it happen.

  The Con has a wide variety of DIY, hands-on workshops – all geared for skill levels ranging from the beginner to the intermediate crafter and maker. The weekend is guaranteed to have you meeting lots of new friends and learning too. Explore all the making you can enjoy over the three day weekend next February. A big thank you to Darice for sponsoring the 2020 craft programming at the conference.

2020 Con DIY Workshops include:

Block Printed Wall Hangings + Tea Towels  with Yetunde Rodriguez @yatoonday 

Learn how to carve a block and design a pattern to create a block printed wall hanging or tea towel.

Hand Lettering with Natalie Keller Pariano @natterdoodles

New to hand lettering? Natalie will share her techniques to make a hand-lettered, canvas wall hanging. 

She will also be teaching intermediate lettering for those who want to learn new and advanced techniques. 

Voter Engagement Felt Patches with Al Hoff @alhoff2000

Make your own non-partisan, voter engagement patch for use on your jean jacket, bag, or whatever place you want to express yourself.  

Mixed Media Painting with Jennifer Perkins @jenniferperkins 

Jennifer will teach us how to “embracing our creativity” with a unique mixed media painting. 

Inspirational Shrinky Dinks with Betsy Salzman @thesciencebee

Create “words of wisdom” favorite phrases, and words to inspire and motivate with this classic and fun craft now making a comeback. 

Succulent Indoor Fairy Gardens with Nicole Pearch @partynwithplants

Design a magical landscape that tells a story in fun miniatures. 

Darice will also be hosting their own creative sessions at Midwest Craft Con too! Pocket Journal with Darice

It’s made with cardstock and paper bags which create little pockets in each page of the journal.

Beaded earrings with Darice

Plus, there will be lots of casual, evening time craftivities for you to relax, enjoy, and spend time making with new friends.  Experience pop-up shops, fun times, and crafty drinks in the rooms of our Craft Con partners and sponsors throughout the hotel on Saturday evening through our Craft Crawls. 
Midwest Craft Con 3-day conference and one day tickets available now.

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Opening Ceremonies – Open Call

Calling all makers, creatives and artists!

Blockfort Gallery, in association with the Midwest Craft Conference, is seeking entries for Undeniable Thread, an exhibition featuring works of art that utilize craft mediums as social or political discussion points. Throughout history, the use of art and craft in creating discussion around social and political issues is undeniable.

Inspired by the 2018 curated exhibition, Making Change at MODA put on by friend at 2020 breakout instructor Betsy Greer, Undeniable Thread seeks to highlight current uses of craft in modern discussions.

Works of artwork for the exhibition may range in medium and content, however, both evidence of craft and it’s social or political discussion will be considered when selecting works for this exhibition. Works will be selected by the Midwest Craft Conference team and aided by Blockfort Gallery.

Artists are able to submit as many works as they would like, with the knowledge that the selection committee may only select up to two pieces from any one artist. Blockfort Gallery takes a commission of 30% of the sale of work. Works should be priced accordingly. Works exhibited in the gallery will also appear online for sale on the Blockfort Gallery website for the duration of the exhibition. Artists are not required to price work for sale.

The exhibit will house a private reception for attendees as an opening ceremonies the Thursday evening before the conference. There will also be reception that will be open to the public.

Our call for entries will close November 30th with notifications going out by December 15th, apply here.

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Win a scholarship and attend Midwest Craft Con 2020!

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If you’re a lover of craft who needs a little boost to come to the con, you are welcome to apply for a scholarship, which covers your full weekend pass (a $249 value) and all the benefits of the conference, including many meals and shared room lodging.

We are covering TWO full scholarships to Midwest Craft Con 2020!!

As an attendee you’ll gain access to our private Facebook page, participate in hands on creative classes, hear our keynotes and attend break out sessions.

Midwest Craft Con is a creative business conference happening just north of Columbus, Ohio, returning for our fourth event on Feb. 28 -March 1, 2020. We’ve got a full weekend of activities lined up, which includes a Thursday evening opening exhibition.

Scholarship applications will close on November 30. We can’t consider any late entries. The organizer team of Midwest Craft Con will review all the applications and select the winners based on the applications by December 15,2019. You can fill out the scholarship application here! Good luck!

Help our efforts of supporting the scholarship program by making a donation to Midwest Craft Con.

City Guides · craft shows · News · Resources

Fall + Holiday Shows around the Midwest!

The handmade season is upon us! Makers are working their magic building up holiday inventory while still hustling their way through the summer fairs and festivals. Fans of DIY can start planning their shopping lists while makers can explore new markets to sell their handmade items.

Want to make sure you get access to early bird tickets? Sign up for our emails to get details on the next con in 2020 — Early Bird tickets will go on sale September 1st!

Know any other indie craft shows that should be on our list? Add them in the comments!

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Twinkie Chan

You may know Twinkie Chan as a crochet designer, author, blogger, YouTuber, and Creativebug instructor known for her colorful, food-themed accessories like cupcake scarves, hamburger mitts, and slushee cup purses.

She also happens to be one of our 2020 keynote speakers joining us at the 4th installment of Midwest Craft Con! We found a minute to chat over the phone to discuss her unexpected start and her proudest moment in craft.

What was it like when you first launched Twinkie Chan? 

It all started kind of slowly and accidentally. I launched a website which had only 12 Paypal buttons on it. I’m not a web person so I didn’t know how to update it and Etsy wasn’t yet a thing that everybody was doing. A lot of DIY fashion people were using eBay which was really easy to set up and you could watch everyone bid on things. I was list something for $0.99 and for some reason a bidding frenzy would mean that somebody would buy a cupcake scarf for like $300! I never would have priced my work at that high of a price but it all created a word-of-mouth for my business. There was also a negative response from people, who would get upset, as if I was creating false accounts and raising the prices on my own but that’s not what I was doing.

eBay was really its own unique experience but then I started to sell on Etsy, and I liked the idea of more than one person being offered the chance to buy my items and giving customers more options. At first I had a woman in France who bought multiple items– She was buying everything!

Craft shows for me just didn’t work with crocheted products but it served as great marketing and I viewed the expense as advertising.

Most recently you’ve segmented your business into a download format where people can buy patterns from you. When did you identify that pattern design would be an additional revenue stream for you?

In the beginning I never thought I would share the patterns because I thought it was a secret, but in no way is that true. I thought that if I released the pattern that people would go to make that item and sell it in their own shop and I would be creating an army of competition against myself. 

I would release some patterns on Etsy, but I never really put a lot of time into it like I could’ve. I have a YouTube channel, classes at Creativebug, and advertising revenue from the blogging, but there wasn’t really a turning point for me sewing patterns when people started demanding it.

 

I initially launched Twinkie Chan it in the fall of 2005. I was doing it full time from 2009-2017, and now I work as a social media manager and digital marketing for a small clothing and gift company.

I’m an English major and worked in publishing as a literary agent for a while. I learned how to turn art into a commodity, which sounds sad, but we are here to make a living. Thinking of it from that mentality helped me with my Twinkie Chan brand. I picked up the skills as my own brand grew and while marketing is not a passion of mine— my love is designing— but when you’re promoting your own work you really need to learn how to market yourself. You really have to be a one women show.

Did the literary job help you in launching your books?

It definitely helped. With the whole process. You don’t just write a book and pitch it. You write a proposal, and pitch that before you start writing the actual book. So I was very familiar with what goes into a proposal and what makes it appealing. For my second book, I wrote my own pitch letter and had a friend who helped pitch the book. I created my own list of editors to seek out.

Then there’s the process for after you write the book. I think a lot of first time authors think the publisher is going to help handle a lot of it— but it’s really on you.

Publishers don’t have the money, the resources or the manpower to market the book, so you really have to find a way to self market after it’s been published yourself. 

My job was really just to help creatives make money through their art, but my book deal really didn’t come from any of those connections at all. My goal in the beginning for my crochet work was to mass-produce the finished designs and have a licensing agent for that. For various reasons it was difficult to break into licensing agreements for my scarves. My first licensing deal was for the books, which was organized by my licensing agent who handles it and not through any of my own contacts.

What is the one either product or experience that you’re the most proud of?

I promised with my first book that I would have my book signing at my local yarn shop, and I didn’t know that my parents were going to show up. It wasn’t as much as they were there, but it was kind of the first time that they understood that this is what I was doing and saw tangible representation of my work. It was actually a thing I was just super proud of! It makes you feel good when your parents understand what you’re about and I don’t think they understood until that point. 

What do you enjoy about conferences?

I’m a fairly introverted person, so any idea of attending or speaking is very intimidating, but I think it’s like summer camp: you’re really stressed out inside with anxiety, but once you start to meet the other people that are there and you all have a common love or common skill, you start to make really good friends. I never assume that it’s going to happen but it always does, especially if you keep in touch with social media. Meeting people that you’ve only really met on social media and making personal connections with people that love doing things that you love doing is so worth it.

What has your creative adventure been like?

Unexpected and unplanned, with an emphasis on creativity!

I never thought of myself as a business person. I started my crochet website and designed because I loved it. I had all these ideas and I wanted to share them. I ended up doing it full time for a small period and went through a licensing adventure in the apparel industry. I’ve published books and had a lot of things happen that I never could have imagined! It definitely wasn’t smooth or easy and there have been a lot of downs that have gone up with the up. You learn things and that it’s okay to fail.

Don’t forget to RSVP for Midwest Craft Con and get ready for grab your early bird ticket on September 1st!