New Hampshire Craftsmen's Fair

Stalkers, pay attention! Every November, like clockwork, we travel to the City of Brotherly Love to attend the Philadelphia Museum Craft Show. We also like to seek out other craft venues to check out  their interesting designs and creations. When Jean was in New Hampshire earlier this week, she was thrilled to find out about the 81st Annual Craftsmen's Fair sponsored by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen at Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury, a hop, skip and a jump from New London where she was staying. It didn't take much persuading for her to coax her sister-in-law Maureen and niece Teresa to join her. She took lots of photos in order to report back to Valerie and to you, dear readers.  Please do click on the names of the exhibitors to link to their websites to see more of their handiwork.

Just inside the entrance, visitors were treated to a show by puppeteer Dan Butterworth. His intricately hand-carved puppets dance and whirl from the stage into the air. He masterfully manipulated this little clown to ride a unicycle around the stage.

Since it would be impossible to cover the glorious work of the hundreds of craftspeople, with the exception of a couple glass works, Jean focused on those exhibitors showing clothing and jewelry. Sally Bags by Janet Durkee-Prescott and Siiri Grubb are colorful and functional and come in a variety of styles and prints.

Julia Brandis' Glassworks from Westminster, Vermont featured desk and table lamps as well as illuminated stained glass panels.

Jean was delighted to run into one of our favorite exhibitors from Philly, Joy Raskin Metal Ornaments from Concord, New Hampshire, was participating in the show.  Joy does metal work and tablewear, but her jewelry rings our bell.  This amazing woven metal collar caught Jean's eye.

Another jeweler who shows at Philly, Kathleen Dustin from Contoocook, New Hampshire, was in the same tent.  Although we love her necklaces, like the one pictured below, she also does amazing purses in alternative materials.

Nathan Macomber of Macomber Glass in Conway, New Hampshire, displayed beautiful glassworks in his booth. On the outside, he had hung this demonstration of the process of the making of a striped glass marble.

The booth of Marcia Hammond of Brookfield, Vermont, was filled with scarves, handmade wearables and beautiful pastel knit tops that were lightweight and had a wonderful feel.

Hand weaver Nancy O'Conner from Ashuelot, New Hampshire makes rayon chenille scarves, tops and jackets that look stylish and feel amazingly lush.

Patricia Palson, also of Contoocook, New Hampshire, makes women's clothing that feels as good as it looks. Jean, of course, was initially distracted by her terrific eyeglass frames by MiuMiu.

Patricia focuses on jackets and coats and will be participating in the Philadelphia Museum Craft Show this year, so our paths will definitely cross again soon.

Jim Lambert is an artist from Hillsborough, New Hampshire, with an incredibly wicked sense of humor and a well-developed sense of whimsy. Jean was struck by his installation of a dress made out of tree bark, most especially by its halo of butterflies.  She chatted with Jim about the piece which had sold to a young couple and advised him to tell them to look up Philip Treacy's famous butterfly hat to add a dimension to their enjoyment of the piece. Although he doesn't have a website, his email address is: jimlabertfolkart@gmail.com.

Here is Philip Treacy's butterfly hat for Alexander McQueen's Spring 2008 collection. (Image from blog.liberio.it.)

Carrie Cahill Mulligan makes heirloom handknit hats. Her booth featured an example of what her buttery soft felted hats start out looking like before they are washed and shrunk.

Although it is a slightly different color combination than the one above, this hat gives you an idea of how soft and fitted her hats can be.

Feltmaker Miriam Carter's booth was chock full of beautiful designs. This shot only gives you a glimpse, so check out her website to view more goodies, including her gorgeous hats!

Hope you enjoyed Jean's whirlwind tour of the NH exhibition. If you are on the East Coast, we recommend the Philadelphia Museum Craft Show in November. And someday, we hope to make it to the Smithsonian's Craft Show in Washington, DC, which is held in the spring.