No matter how long you’ve been doing public presentations you likely still get that sick feeling in your stomach just before walking on stage. Public speaking anxiety is incredibly common. Although most of us struggle with it at least to some degree, there are tried and true techniques you can teach yourself that can make a big difference in your level of ease on stage.
SNAP Conference is an annual event held in Salt Lake City, Utah, targeting creative bloggers/content creators. This year in 2019, it ran Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, April 11-13. In their own words from the conference’s website: “We’re joined by the best bloggers representing modern handmade, contemporary craft, mind-blowing home-based events, and DIY, along with dozens of creative entrepreneurs.” Stephanie Woodson was there and brings us this report.
Craftcation, the five-day business and makers’ conference held in Ventura, California, has once again served up a delightful mix of hands-on craft workshops, business classes, and problem-solving “think tanks” geared to makers and creative entrepreneurs. The event, which ran from April 3-7 and is now in its 8th year, attracted about 500 people, including presenters, sponsors, staff, and volunteers, many looking to start, build or refine their businesses while having fun and learning new skills. Roberta Wax was there and brings us this report.
Set within view of Washington State’s majestic Mt. Rainier, the 35th annual Sewing and Stitchery Expo took place February 28th – March 3rd. According to organizers, a record number of attendees shopped over 400 vendors and took over 100 classes per day from industry experts at this year’s show. Unique in the world of sewing shows, the Sewing and Stitchery Expo is owned and managed by non-profit Washington State University and is the largest consumer sewing show in the USA. Attendees and business owners come from all over the US, Canada, and several other countries. Annette Millard was there and brings us this report.
Motivated by the desire to make their own costumes, cosplayers are buying sewing machines, patterns, fabrics and supplies and they’re taking classes to develop their sewing skills. The sewing industry is taking note, especially since cosplayers are typically between 18-39 years old, a market that retailers are desperate to reach.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, about 15 million American adults suffer from this disorder, which can seriously and negatively affect one’s life, from social to business.
In its 6th year, Edinburgh Yarn Festival (EYF) welcomes thousands of knitters and crocheters from around the world for five full days of woolly fun. The festival, with its ancillary events, took place March 20-24 at Edinburgh Corn Exchange. Paige Sato was there and brings us this report.
The creative market in the European Union is nearly as big as the United States’, but with some very curious differences.
The fiber festival is a unique and specific kind of yarn experience. Differing from a retreat or educational conference, a fiber festival has its roots in connecting small-scale fiber producers and makers to fiber enthusiasts who are looking for specialty products and to those who are curious about where yarn comes from.
During QuiltCon 2019 Modern Sewciety recorded two live podcasts in collaboration with Craft South. Called Modcasts, the two shows sold out quickly and featured an all-star panel of guests. Andrea Tsang Jackson was there and brings us this report.
The torrential rains that washed out roads and closed schools in Nashville, TN could not dampen the enthusiasm of visitors to QuiltCon 2019 at the Music City Center from February 21 – 24. Arriving at the airport, you could already pick up on the excitement, as friends met up for their weekend of fiber fun. Even strangers could recognize fellow quilters among the crush of travelers. Tina Curran was there and brings us this report.
Carolina Moore says Creativation, the annual trade show for the Association for Creative Industries (AFCI) which took place in Phoenix Arizona January 17-21, 2019 was smaller this year and there was intrigue surrounding the move to a management agency, but was still a great show that was absolutely worth attending. Here’s her report.
The Road to California Quilters’ Conference and Showcase, or “Road” for short, opened on Thursday, January 24th, at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, CA. The building was crowded with thousands of enthusiastic quilters and festooned with quilts, turning it into a sea of color and inspiration.
Katie Hunt of Tradeshow Bootcamp and Proof to Product will share her three secrets to maximize your trade show investment and keep wholesale orders coming in long after your show ends. You’ll learn: Why you need to leverage two key ingredients to create a beautiful, impactful booth that sells your products. How to avoid costly […]
SNAP, the conference for creative bloggers and influencers, has new owners and they’re ready to guide the popular event into its next chapter.
Each year, quilt teachers, judges, quilt shop owners, museum staff, conference/show organizers, and guild representatives gather for regional Meet the Teachers (MTT) programs. Quilt teacher, Sarah Goer, describes MTT as “speed dating for quilt teachers and guild program chairs. It’s a great face-to-face opportunity to meet dozens of people in a short period of time.”
Many people consider the International Quilt Festival, held yearly in Houston, TX to be the Mothership of all quilt shows. It’s certainly the largest, most diverse gathering of quilters in the world. As a long-time teacher in the industry, Lyric Kinard has had the privilege of attending a number of times and has met quilters from all over the United States and around the world. Who knew there were quilters in Greece and Turkey? This time around she ran into friends from Australia and New Zealand, Europe and South America. It’s truly a place where she can find her tribe in all its glorious diversity. Lyric tells us all about what was new and exciting at Festival this year in this show report.
On October 26-28, 2018, fiber enthusiasts gathered at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center for the Southeast Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF). This year’s show was no ordinary year, though, as SAFF organizers and attendees celebrated the 25th anniversary this year. Ashley Little was there and brings us this report.
Although ‘trunks’ themselves are virtually a thing of the past, ‘trunk shows’ produced from a multitude of travel bags and boxes containing all sorts of beautiful handmade items are very much a thing of the present.
The Handmade Fair took place September 14-16 at Hampton Court Palace in London. Founded in 2014 by Kirsty Allsopp, a British television presenter, the mission of the event is to help attendees appreciate the beauty of handmade and to become makers themselves. The show offers an exciting weekend of learning, community, and shopping for crafty people of all kinds.