This weekend will be a great time to see some Austin Craft Riot artists in action! From Austin to Fort Worth, the creativity from ACR never stops!

Don’t miss the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend at the Palmer Events Center. Look for Japanese chiyogami jewelry by PrettyKiku, $5 jewelry and one-of-a-kind stuffed sock critters by Gem Junkie, headbands by JaHanna Martinez Headbands and HeadWraps, handmade, vegan-friendly lip balms and skincare products by Lip Glosserie, and delicate hand-cut sterling silver and gold jewelry by Kate Winternitz. This event happens on May 18th and 19th, from 11:00am – 7:00pm.

Hidden Dragon Art will be showcasing metal art and sculpture at The Market at Snack Bar on May 18th, from 10:00am until dark, at 1224 South Congress. You can also look for custom coin jewelry by ManMadeDesign at the American Icon Rock N Roll Mall 2-year Anniversary Party on May 18th, from 3:00pm – 12:00am at Hotel Vegas, 1500 East 6th St.

Head out to Manor for hand-forged sterling silver and gemstone jewelry by Magpie’s Trick at Junk Salvation by the Funky Junk Sisters on May 17th and 18th, from 10:00am – 5:00pm. This unique event is located in the J.Lorraine Ghost Town at 14219 Littig Road in Manor, TX.

And finally, in Fort Worth this weekend, look for handmade metal and gemstone jewelry by SMS Jewelry Designs at The Ultimate Women’s Expo on May 18th and 19th, from 10:00am – 5:00pm at the Fort Worth Convention Center, located at 1201 Houston Street.

Hi everyone! Our super-talented ACR members will be out in full force this weekend. Please come out and meet them. It’s also a great opportunity to get some of those last minute Mother’s Day gifts too!!

The Austin Flea will be happening at The Rattle Inn, located at 610 Nueces St., on Saturday, May 11th from 11:00am – 5:00pm. Monica L Knighton, Illustration will be offering original art, prints, and jewelry featuring her illustrations. Rare Bird Boutique will be on the covered deck upstairs selling vintage items, including home décor, housewares, ephemera, and more. For something completely different, check out ManMadeDesign. They will be selling custom coin jewelry. Hidden Dragon Art will be outside enjoying the beautiful Austin weather and will have metal art and sculpture, including flowers and other goodies. You can get all your upcycled vintage clothing, accessories, and home décor from Junebeam. And last, but not least, bluebamboo will be rounding out the selection of Austin Craft Riot vendors with super-cool duct tape accessories.

For those who want to take a drive in the beautiful spring weather, you can head out to see Garden Charms at the Comal County Herb Festival on Saturday, May 11th, from 9:00am – 2:00pm. The festival is located at the New Braunfels Conservation Plaza, 1300 Church Hill Drive, in New Braunfels. Garden Charms will be selling yard art to brighten up your home.

Visit historic downtown Marble Falls for small town friendliness, good eats, and arts and crafts in the beautiful Texas hill country. Liberty Originals will be at the Marble Falls Main Street Market Day on Saturday, May 11th, from 9:00am – 4:00pm. Liberty Originals will have mixed media artisan jewelry – everything from bright, shiny baubles to natural, earthy relics.

Meanwhile, Georgetown Market Days is going on in the historic courtsquare of Georgetown on Saturday, May 11th, from 9:00am – 4:00pm. Look for Magpie’s Trick in the red tents by 7th and Main. They will be featuring hand-forged sterling silver and gemstone jewelry along with organic soaps and bath and body products.

Phishstuff will be at the SoFlo Second Saturday Market in the new SoFlo district of San Antonio from 11:00am – 7:00pm on May 11th. The market is located at 1344 South Flores in San Antonio. Phishstuff will have handmade glass beads, wearable art jewelry, and unique gift items.

Austin Craft Riot hopes that you find something fantastic for that special lady in your life!

The sun is out, and this weekend is packed full of happenings!  Shoppers–you won’t want to stay home!

If you’re at the Austin Fashion Show on Friday, May 3, you can see Sarah of SMS Jewelry as a showcase designer at Langford Market from 3:00pm – 7:00pm. She will also be at the Black and Tan Fashion Show that same evening at 9:30pm.

The second annual West Austin Studio Tour finds Hidden Dragon Art at Glass Blowing Austin with her gorgeous metal art. She will be there on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00am – 6:00pm.

There will also be a large group at the Violet Crown Festival on Saturday, May 4, from 11:00am – 6:00pm in beautiful Brentwood Park. This festival is an Austin classic, with local music and kid’s activities. Look for bluebamboo with her duct tape goodies, Go Glitter Girl Go with her glitter art, Junebeam with her upcycled wares, lost little things with her home goods, jewelry and other accessories, Monster Dance Designs with her etched glass, Bright-Eyed Birdie with her stationery, by Lillian with her enameled and wire wrapped jewelry, Lip Glosserie with her vegan-friendly lip balms and skincare, and inviting with her letterpress goodies

And if that wasn’t enough, come on out on Sunday, May 5 from 10:00am – 6:00pm to Austin Mini Maker Faire at the Palmer Events Center to watch artists at work, and even make something of your own! An all-star line up includes PrettyKiku with her Japanese paper and wood jewelry, bluebamboo, and lost little things with her screenprinted and upcycled goodies.

Last, but certainly not least, Liminal Designs and her lovely jewelry and handmade soap will be at Sips and Stones at Art Affair out at Lake Travis.

Wow!  Austin Craft Riot is busy!

This last weekend we had our very first Clothing and Craft Supply Swap and it was amazing! We had so much fun bringing people together to trade clothing, craft supplies, and ideas for new projects.

Getting a chance to introduce the public to new skills is one of our favorite things. Our hands-on craft this time was making reusable bags out of old t-shirts. The result was a simple but very useful item that could hold so many goodies. Several of our visitors had never used a sewing machine before and after making one, they were ready to make even more.

Our wonderful host, Remnants:fiber[culture], provided a gorgeous space that allowed swappers to spread out and sort through all the treasures. Remnants should be your destination for any sewing and quilting needs you have.

Finally, as if all of this was not enough, Yeti Frozen Custard made the day even sweeter by dropping by with some out-of-this-world treats. Be sure to make the journey to find them wherever they are.

We want to thank everyone who came out, hope that everyone had fun, and want to remind you to keep June 1st free for our next craft party. It will be a blast!

Springtime means showtime for several Austin Craft Riot makers, who can be found all over Texas this weekend.

First up, shop for whimsical felt sculptures by Gypsyharte Arts, gorgeous jewelry by Jennie Claire, and vegan-friendly lip balms and skincare products from Lip Glosserie at the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash from 11:00am – 7:00pm on Saturday at The Shops at Park Lane. The event is family friendly, and both parking and admission are completely free!

You can find three of our talented jewelry designers — Sidonia Jewelry, Liberty Originals, and Magpie’s Trick — at the Red Poppy Festival from 10:00am – 6:00pm on Saturday and 11:00am – 5:00pm on Sunday in the historic town square of Georgetown.

Metal artists Hidden Dragon Art and Hammer It Out will head down I-35 to San Antonio to sell their wares from 9:30am – 6:30pm on Saturday at the King William Fair.

Hidden Dragon Art is also part of the West Austin Studio Tour from 11:00am – 6:00pm on Saturday and Sunday at Glass Blowing Austin.

Duct-tape extraordinaire Blue Bamboo, bag maker *annemarie*, and clothing designer LaLa will be selling their handmade masterpieces from 9:00am – 3:00pm on Saturday at the Sunset Valley Art Fest in the Toney Burger Center. There will also be free music and a kids’ art station!

Glass bead artist and jewelry maker Phishstuff will be setting up shop from 10:00am – 4:00pm on Sunday at the Boerne Handmade Market, about a half-hour northwest of San Antonio.

And finally, it’s wiener time! Marci’s Crafty Corner will be selling her embroidered sling bags from 8:30am – 7:00pm on Saturday and 8:30am – 6:00pm on Sunday at the Buda Wiener Dog Races, which have been a fun Central Texas tradition for 16 years.

By now, you must have heard about the awesome Clothing and Craft Supply Swap that Austin Craft Riot is having at Remnants:fiber[culture] this Sunday from 12:00pm – 5:00pm. But did you know we’ll also be holding future events there as well? The generosity of the Owner, Ms. Jessica Sloan, has allowed us to make Remnants:fiber[culture] one of our Gold Sponsors!

Austin Craft Riot Member *annemarie* had the chance to ask Jessica a few questions. You’ll definitely want to read this. Her story should serve as an inspiration to us all!

I heard that you got into this business as a teenager? That’s rad! Tell me about how you got started.

I became a long-arm quilter when I was 15 years old by happenstance. My best friend Leann Fryer’s mom, Pat, owned a longarm service company in Northern California for 30 years. I wanted a cool, easy job after school and on weekends that wasn’t fast food. I had no idea that my after-school job would turn into my career and my life-long passion.

What brought you to Austin? What’s your favorite spot for breakfast tacos?

I came to Austin by the same way I came across quilting – through Leann. I am so fortunate that she moved out here in January of 2008. I followed her in February of 2009, and it is the best life-altering decision that I have ever made! I love Austin and I am proud to call it home. As far as breakfast tacos go, I’m lame and I don’t eat them! However, on Monday nights, you will always find me at Trudy’s North Star with a Mexican Martini in hand. That’s Austin-y, right?!

How has Remnants been involved in the local craft/sewing/maker scene?

Since day one, Remnants has attracted the attention of local fashion designers, quilters, young fashionista mommies, and other creatives. We host a twice-monthly stitching group that welcomes any and all to finish their projects, and we also have an informal charity group called Friends of Annie that pieces and finishes quilts and donates them to various charitable organizations.

What customer base have you had the hardest time reaching? Any advice for aspiring business owners on target marketing?

The hardest customer base to reach is the traditional quilter. Our aesthetic is so modern, fashion-forward, and fresh that it sometimes does not grab the attention of the more muted, shades-of-taupe kind of quilter. I just can’t bring myself to order a traditional quilt fabric line, however–I think it would displease my modern gals that come here for the exclusivity of the modern aesthetic.

Tell us about your experience with the National Quilting/Fabric Manufacturing/Pattern Publishing Scene. Do you think Austin has a place in the National Scene?

My experience with the national quilting/fabric manufacturing/pattern publishing scene: My second mom Pat (the one I worked for for twelve years) is a pattern designer. In fact, so am I! When Pat retired from the quilt shop in 2008, she started designing postcard patterns called RoseCards for her new design company, Villa Rosa Designs. The entire quilt pattern is on a postcard and the pattern costs just $2. They’re fast, stylish, and simple to make, and at $2 you can have five patterns for the cost of one regular paper pattern. I watched her grow this company from just a few postcards to now being consistently on Moda’s Top 25 patterns three years in a row.

I finally got a promotion this year (!!!) and now have my own edition of Villa Rosa Designs. My division is called Homegrown, which is an homage to the fact that I was raised in this industry and am now cultivating others to forge their own path, as well as a nod to our garden interests – Pat (or Mom, as I call her) and I are both avid gardeners and lovers of all things organic and floral.

As far as Austin having a place in the National Pattern Publishing/Quilting/Manufacturing Scene, I think that Austin is already an epicenter of DIY. Malka Dubrawsky and Laurie Wishburn are two highly respected fabric designers that live in Austin. Liz Porter (of Fonz and Porter fame, as in, the boss of quilting pretty much) lives here in Austin as well. I can name ten people off the top of my head with rockin’ DIY blogs that are gaining national attention. For Austin, it is about creating a stronger sense of community and bridging the paths between the local crafting and fabric stores. None of us are as strong as all of us. Partnering with Austin Craft Riot has been a great pleasure, and I only hope to create a stronger sense of DIY family with our upcoming events!

This is a hip-hop-happening week for ACR artists, full of fun things you won’t want to miss, so get out your calendar and let’s get started!

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Magpie’s Trick will be offering hand-forged sterling silver and gemstone jewelry, along with organic soaps and bath and body products at the Founder’s Day Festival on Mercer Street in Dripping Springs, TX. Hours are from 10:00am – 6:00pm each day.

On Saturday and Sunday, look for Hammer It Out and her stainless steel goods for the home and garden at April in Edom. Edom, TX is halfway between Canton and Tyler on FM 279. Hours are from 10:00am – 5:00pm each day.

Do the Tennesee Waltz with Lip Glosserie and her vegan-friendly lip balms and skincare at the Spring Chatty Crafty Spark Bazaar this weekend at Ross’s Landing, in Chattanooga, TN. This bazaar is part of “Spark: a right brain celebration”, a festival dedicated to all facets of creative culture. Friday hours are from 4:00pm – 8:30pm and Saturday hours are from 10:00am – 8:30pm.

Earth Day is set aside for us to think about why we buy what we buy. It is a time to think green. Check out Go Green! by Moontower Vintage.

The Spring rains have finally arrived here in Austin and we are all anxiously waiting for the blooms to pop. Until then, the team has created a garden of goodies for you curated by Liminal Designs.