Trampoline Hall + City of Craft.

Greetings, Citizens,

We here at City of Craft HQ have something very new and exciting to announce - over the course of 2012 we will be teaming up with local bar room lecture series, Trampoline Hall, to present a series of craft-based installations to serve as the one-night-only sets behind (or around) their trio of lecturers.

Dates and artists are still being worked out, but we wanted to give you all a heads up. Trampoline Hall is a wonderful and unique happening that has now being running in the city for over ten years! It is one of those special events that makes Toronto what it is and we could not be happier to be teaming up with them. Don't know about the show? Read up!

We will be posting more info and individual set/installation details as they emerge. See you there!

Get Ready for Your New Year!

The big show may have come and gone, but we know that that does not mean your holiday shopping is done. And as we careen towards another apocalyptic year, I thought I would share some 2012 calendars from our vendors and friends. All available for purchase online!

First and foremost, I fear I would be run out of craft town if I didn't mention the mother of all handmade calendars - the annual Kid Icarus screen print opus that has become a cult phenomenon among local design lovers. Featuring twelve glorious pages designed by twelve distinct artists, the calendar is an art collection unto itself. It is also a one two punch for City of Craft fans; not only is it printed and curated by Kid Icarus, it also features City of Craft 2011 vendors Selena Wong, Reverend Aitor and Claire Louise Milne amid its artist ranks. At $80, it is less than $7 per hand-pulled, two-colour, 100% cotton, heavy-weight page - which is crazy. Available at Kid Icarus and other Toronto locations.

Feeling like a new year is just another twelve months lost at sea? Well you are not alone. Actually, you are, but you are alone in good company and this screen printed calendar by Jacob Rolfe is the perfect way to commemorate your endless drift.

You just can't take the cat out of Fieldguided's designs, can you? And who can blame them? Cats own the internet and our hearts. These dreamcats 2012 calendars, designed and screen printed by Geoff Piersol, are available in either mint or peach from their shop.

Claire Louise Milne's contribution to the next year takes a more DIY approach. She has designed an ingenious fabric through Spoonflower as her 2012 calendar. Order a fat quarter and you have one full calendar, order a yard and you have four! Just hem (or bind) the edges and you're done!

Finally, Laura George, who joined us all the way from Chicago this year has also created a multi-page 2012 calendar that expresses the joys of each month in her own inimitable style. Personally, I am partial to February's mix tape, and not just because I want the children of today to know what they are.

Sponsor Profile: Bespoke Uprising

Who are you? I'm Roisin, maker of textile goods at bespoke uprising.

Where are you located? A new migrant to Hamilton, with a very lovely studio on James Street North. Previously in London, Ontario & Halifax, Nova Scotia

What do you/your business/your product do? I do heaps of drawing and screenprinting, and also lots of sewing on an industrial Brother machine that my brother shipped to me in Halifax when he lived in Vancouver. I also do a good bit of fabric dyeing, including a natural fermentation indigo vat as well as marigold and queen anne's lace that I grow on the back deck of my studio.

What gets you pumped about doing what you do? Colour, pattern, and form! I love the science of it all, how various mordants react to the plant dyes and fabrics, and how specific fabrics function best with specific jobs - like the hemp & organic cotton that I use for my teatowels. It's just such a great absorbent cloth, and washes up so nicely. I am also thrilled over tiny details that I put into my work, including my patterns. The new burlesque print has a man in it, after years of requests!

What does your sponsorship for the show entail? I've printed 20 small cotton bags, and filled them with some of my hand printed fabrics, and put one of the fabric covered pins on it as well. I think they're going into the swag bags on Saturday. I also just finished printing jersey circle scarves and bandana scarves for the volunteers.

What are you crafting this holiday season (festive beverages & baked goods count)? Well, my mother-in-law has been hinting at cushions for her livingroom, so some of those for sure. Also all the goods that I'm bringing to the City of Craft show, and hopefully many cookies and a cake or two. Oh, and festive cocktails!

When City of Craft (and other awesome indie shows) is not on, where do you go for your crafty fix? I sell my work in a few shops, so I get my fill of craft most of the year in my studio. Across the street from me is White Elephant, and when I'm in Toronto I make sure to buy too much fabric that I'll have a hard time cutting up at the workroom. I also teach at Sheridan College, and the Alberta College of Art, both of which are full of so many fantastic crafty staff and students.

Prolonging the Magic (or How to Keep Crafty When City of Craft is Sleeping).

So, the big weekend is now behind us. It was a real rush for all involved and it's easy to feel an end point after that. But nothing is stopping in this crafty city! Below are some tips on how to extend the crafty love right through to eternity (or at least the new year).

1. Come back to this blog. We have a whole bunch of content scheduled through the holidays to maintain the wonder, and share information and resource with y'all.

2. Browse back through our vendor list or 2011 Pinterest board. Many of our vendors sell online or locally, so if you missed something at the show, you may still be able to get it. But only maybe.

3. Other shows. There are two weeks left until Christmas and lots of fairs all over the city. We are especially excited about two events run by friends, The Sassy Little Craft Fair (Thursday in Mervish Village) and Movies & Makers (Saturday in The Beaches). And I plan to stuff some stockings (okay, maybe my own, too) with some micro publications from the second annual XPACE Zine Zone (also happening Saturday on lower Ossington).

4. Make something! You still have time. We have lots of favourite shops that sell excellent supplies - the workroom, The Knit Cafe, Lettuce Knit, Knit-O-Matic and The Paper Place to name just a few. Most, if not all, of these establishments also offer classes, tips and general insights through their knowledgeable staffs.

5. Read about our sponsors. I know, you think 'sponsors' and the word somehow means cold corporations. Not so at City of Craft. In fact, that could not be further from the truth. We partner up every year with a slew of amazing makers, supply distributors, indie publishers, bloggers, florists, DJ's, venues, shops...you name it. And most of them offer either gift ideas or can direct you towards holiday activities. They are all really inspiring as a matter of general course, too. Grab a cocoa and read up!

6. Toronto Craft Alert. As always, your source for a thoughtfully curated stream of craft-specific news in the city. I am actually on the blog team there, but Jen and Tara are the real stars. They seem to be able to hunt down every single cool craft thing going.

That seems like a fair amount to get you through the next two weeks.

Personal goal: no malls or big box whatsoever.

Thank you!

Photos by Celine Kim

Greetings Citizens,

I just wanted to pop out of my post-fair coma to thank each and every one of you for making City of Craft 2011 the dazzling spectacle it was. I also wanted to share a few rush images taken by our lovely event photographer, Celine Kim. Going through these photos I am reminded of how it takes literally 100 people to make this event happen. It is amazing to me that all these people want to pour their hard work and inspiration into this one thing and I am so blown away by the work that vendors, staff, installation artists, community groups, workshop instructors, volunteers and friends put in every year.

Click on photos for vendor/artist information. For more photos, check our Flickr account and group pool (you can add your own to the latter!).

Sponsor Profile: Deadweight

Who are you? Sandi Falconer / Deadweight.

Where are you located? Toronto!

What do you/your business/your product do? I am a designer & screen printer. I do custom illustration and design work plus a slew of personal projects/paper goods! I also make screen printed leather goods with my friend Danielle under the name Falconwright.

What gets you pumped about doing what you do? Learning new things, trying to get better, having something to direct my nervous energy towards, and being exposed to tons of neat people who make cool things.

What does your sponsorship for the show entail? I am the 2011 designer for all City of Craft related imagery! Becky and I decided that playing on the culty-ness of craft circles with witchy images, magic eyes, and various other tools of the trade would be a fun direction for 2011. A spell has been cast on you! Did it work? I hope so!

What are you crafting this holiday season (festive beverages & baked goods count)? Besides a slew of Deadweight stuff, I hope to put together some sweet personal gifts for pals (can't discuss that - shhhh!) and a big meal on Christmas Eve with those pals (my fave Christmas tradition).

When City of Craft (and other awesome indie shows) is not on, where do you go for your crafty fix? Mainly the vortex that is the web! But I get sucked into package design at the supermarket, books, and magazines too!

Sponsor Profile: Yelp.ca

Who are you? My name is Vivek S and I'm the Community Manager for Yelp in Toronto.

Where are you located? Well, Yelp is everywhere. As long as a business has an address, anyone can review it. As for me personally, I can be found behind a brewed coffee from one the city's finest cafés, or exploring an undiscovered 'hood, or at an event with the Yelp community!

What do you/your business/your product do? Yelp is a website where you can read and write reviews of great local businesses. You can find all the places Torontonians love from bars and restaurants, to local services and shopping. We also have a weekly newsletter where you can learn about unsung local biz heroes; in our latest newsletter, yelpers share where to find those great one-of-a-kind gifts this holiday season (in addition to City of Craft, of course)!

What gets you pumped about doing what you do? I love connecting people with local businesses. With online and big box shopping everywhere, people sometimes forget that there are amazing, unique and absolutely perfect finds literally right around the corner from where we live. Toronto is a treasure trove of amazing businesses, so it's easy to get excited about that. Plus, as an Official Glutton™, Yelp keeps me in the know about the best places get my eat on.

What does your sponsorship for the show entail? Yelp is donating gifts for the gift bags and is featuring City of Craft as the sponsor of our Yelpiest Gift Guide Ever! We're also asking yelpers to pledge to shop local this year. We're helping the cause by pointing yelpers to local shops and fairs — like City of Craft!

What are you crafting this holiday season (festive beverages & baked goods count)? Does eggnog and rum count as "crafting"? If so, I will be crafting up a storm this holiday season. Oh, and my greeting cards are always handmade.

When City of Craft (and other awesome indie shows) is not on, where do you go for your crafty fix? I live for Toronto's many arts and crafts stores. I've even started a list on Yelp to keep track of my faves. Yep, you can review art supply stores too!