Emma Randle Caprez

Emma Randle-Caprez is another of my lovely friends that I got to know through the school playground. Emma is a brilliant writer (can't wait for that first novel to be published!), she has written several guides including very useful career guides for getting into art and design and the media, she is also a fantastic seamstress. Emma was showing her lovely shibori felt vases, embroidered artworks, customised coats and glamorous scarves. In the background you can see Lynn Towers with her fabulous portrait of the Duke of Wellington.

Felt and thrift

Felt and thrifted cafe jar.

I made 2 pleated felt pots for the fair, it was so good to make felt again after a long abstinence! And then we went to the car boot fair on Sunday where I found some lovely stuff including the cafe jar and a length of Timney Fowler b/w fabric from the 80s.

Autumn Art and Design Fair

The Feltbug stall with jewellery by Kate Hopwood

The fair was a great success - HOORAY ! - thanks to a fantastic team of organisers and sheer hard work which was all voluntary. We decided to keep the costs of the fair low and only charge people the basic minimum to cover the rental of the space. Tables were loaned to us, artwork was donated and people printed out their own flyers. We even got a mention in the local free press. This meant that we were not in huge debt before we even opened the doors - which is one of the major drawbacks of many organised craft fairs - the cost of taking part is so prohibitive unless you are an established maker with a massive income (huh?). The event started slowly but by the afternoon it became quite busy. Everyone was in good spirits, the children did a wonderful job leafleting the reluctant locals and we decided we might even do another one !

Kate Hopwood

Bracelet by Kate Hopwood, metal beads, clasp and recycled sweet wrappers with wire.

I love these bracelets by Kate Hopwood - she made them especially for my stall at the fair - I was delighted when I saw them. They are such a good example of recycled materials made into something exquisite. From a piece of rubbish to something precious. I can't wait to see more of Kate's work.

Linda Bryer

Necklace by Linda Bryer, vintage beads with hand felted flower and wire.

I met Linda 9 years ago in the school playground - I was determined to make her aquaintance because she always wore the most amazing clothes - which I soon discovered she made herself. We have become very good friends over the years and share many things including our year of birth, a love of making felt and many a late night of delightful debauchery with our fab friends.

Linda made some wonderful things for the fair (although she could not be there herself) including this gorgeous green necklace which I just had to own :) It looks lovely with my green thrift box which I found at a car boot fair on Sunday.

Feltbug

Lavender hearts and my favourite tea cup for the morning cuppa

Lavender hearts waiting to be stitched.

Early morning in the feltbug studio - getting ready for the Autumn Art and Design Fair, there has been a lot of planning with meetings, emails, research, leafleting and not much time for crafting. There is nothing like a deadline to get me working though. Our event was featured on the wonderful Make London blog yesterday :) If you are a London based crafts person with a website or a blog do get in touch with them as they are keen to feature events and designers. Have a look at some of the workshops on offer on The Make Lounge they are looking for people to run classes too.

Cheeky Leopard

Cheeky Leopard will be selling hand-made cards and gift tags and showcasing her new range of organic cotton bags at the Autumn Art and Design Fair on Saturday.

Gunilla Karlson

Memory protector by Gunilla Karlson

Gunilla Karlson won the metalwork and jewellery category of the Inspired by ... Competition held by the V&A Museum in London. Gunilla will be selling work at the Autumn Art and Design Fair.

London Mummy

London Mummy sources and makes gorgeous accessories for children. You can read more on the London Mummy blog and check out this adorable fabric house that she made, with a tutorial so that you can make your own. Rumour has it that she has exceptional taste in local cafes too :)

Maryam Mansouri

I am looking forward to seeing more of the work of Maryam Mansouri at the Autumn Art and Design Fair. I love this drawing.

Lynn Towers

Lynn Towers takes organic and natural forms to create paintings and drawings that are both beautiful and breath-taking. You can see more of her work on her flickr page.

Kate Bushnell

Girl in tree, mixed media on canvas

Kate Bushnell is a contemporary artist who uses a wide range of media to express her unique vision. Influenced by her family, her surroundings and experiences both past and present, she aims to explore the vibrancies of colour, form and material.

95% Danish

Danish contemporary home and lifestyle products from 95% Danish
Holmegaard - Unique glass crafted for modern everyday living.
Elvang - Exquisite Alpaca wool throws, cushions and scarves in Scandinavian colours
Ferm-Living - Wallpaper and unique Wallstickers for the modern home.
Unique Interieur - Collections from designers Verner Panton, Arne Jacobsen and Sofie Refer.
Rikke Jakobsen - Elegant and subtle fine bone china tableware and decorative vases.

Mark Hill Cards

Mark Hill makes exquisite hand made cards and photo albums. They will be on sale at the Autumn Art and Design Fair at 50% of the retail price. Clients include the V&A museum, Designers Guild and Liberty. You can see more on his website.

Urban Knit

Handmade bags made from colourful batiks from Nigeria and hand knitted scrummy scarves by Urban Knit. Check out their Etsy Shop and the Urban knit blog.

Hurley Burley

Hurley Burley stall, originally uploaded by jason sputnik.

Hand-made jewellery using silver and semi precious stones by Hurley Burley.

Autumn Art and Design Fair

The Autumn Art and Design Fair is on Saturday 29th September from 10am-4pm and it is going to feature the work of 20 artists and craftists including myself. I will be featuring some of the artists to give you a taste of the delights in store. It is in the beautiful setting of Barnes Common next to the village pond at the Old Sorting Office Arts Centre, 19-21 Station Road, Barnes, London SW13 OLF. Thankyou to Jason at Sputnik for designing our advert.