Good Morning! And welcome to the third day of Stitches West 2023.
Here is the weather for today…
Classes will be running from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm PST and 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm PST. If you’re interested in seeing which classes may still have spots open, please check out our list of Stitches West 2023 classes here.
Of course, if you’re onsite and you want to check available classes—or if you are registered and want to pick up your badge, today… you can go up the escalators and see our good folx at the Stitches Registration Desk. The Stitches Registration Desk will be open from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm PST.
The Stitches West 2023 Market is opened to the public from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm PST. Tickets for today can be purchased for $14 onsite or online here.
You can download a copy of the the Stitches West 2023 Show Book PDF here. And since every exhibitor at this show has their very own online show book page, you’ll want to check out those listings here.
Here is schedule of Saturday’s demos in the Playground:
12:30 pm WEAVING: GET STARTED THE EASY WAY in the Playground with Deborah Jarchow, Stitches Instructor
1:00 pm A METHOD FOR CREATIVE PLAY — DEVELOPING PERSONAL, COMFORTABLE SHAWL STYLINGS in the Playground with Laura Bellows of JUL DESIGNS, Booth 218
1:30 pm 3-D KNITTING MADE EASY in Booth 206 with Ellen Sibelius of Ellen’s Wooly Wonders
2:3 0pm TUNISIAN CROCHET in the Playground with Jacqueline Frost of Kimonomomo, Booth 219
3:00 pm KNITTING BOARD BASICS in Booth 206 with Robin Cannon of Ellen’s Wooly Wonders
3:30 pm MAKE IT BETTER WITH BEADS in the Playground with Cecillie Bond of Bead Biz, Booth 311
Yesterday we had a great first day of the Market. I added a bunch of pix from yesterday at the Market at the bottom of this post. Here is the video of the virtual Market Tour we did yesterday for our Stitches at Home friends…
Last night we had a sold-out Fashion Show. It was incredible I want to thank all of the companies who provided prizes for the Fashion Show. I’d like to thank the dressers, the models, and the crew for doing a great job putting on the show. I’d like to thank Barry and Fontelle for doing such an excellent job moderating the Fashion Show. I’d like to thank Rick Mondragon for the expert styling and the supurb way he put this show together. And I’d like to apologize to Nicole from Frost Yarn (booth 406) for accidentally leaving her company off the Fashion Show program. Here are a few pix from the Fashion Show. We’ll post the more professional looking runway pix later today or tonight.
The wonderful folx over at the Oregon Woodworker (booth 714) have a free ball winder station setup for anyone who needs it. Thank you Peter!
Today from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm PST in the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, Room B5, we have the BIPOC Meetup. Join us for a casual gathering of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color fiber artists. Sit and stitch, show off your marketplace finds, and make some new friends! No pre-registration is required, but please respect that this meetup is for BIPOC members of the fiber community only.
These meetups are hosted by yelley (they/them), a knitter, crocheter, spinner, and maker in the San Francisco Bay Area, working to promote diversity and inclusiveness in the fiber arts world. Their goal is to create safer and more accessible spaces for marginalized folx (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Neurodivergent, Disabled, all kinds of marginalized folx!) through representation, visibility, and community-building events. They live in Alameda, California, with one of their partners, their very spoiled dogs, and a ridiculously large stash of purple and rainbow yarn. Find them on Ravelry and Instagram @yelleyknits.
And tonight at 7:30 pm PST, we have the Stitches Makers’ Showcase. Better than street fashion! This is a showcase of what you sew, knit, crochet, weave, and wear. Join your Stitches classmates, fellow attendees, and teachers for an evening of fun! Bring your favorite creation, share it on stage, and see what incredible pieces others have made. The evening’s antics can never be predicted, but it’s always an unforgettable night!
And because I’m very interested (and some of you might be), here is what Rick Mondragon will be wearing today. Saturday is chameleon day… white shirt, dark slacks, and a change of a second layer throughout the day… he has five sweaters to show!
We’ll be covering Rick’s wardrobe every morning throughout the show.
That’s it for now. Don’t worry, I’ll be back tomorrow morning with another update. In the meantime please check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The hashtags we’ve seen used so far are #stitcheswest and #stitcheswest23.
I hope you have an amazing, memory-filled weekend!
All my best.
Benjamin Levisay (he/him)
CEO & Host of Stitches Events
P.S. If you would like to email me a comment or suggestion, please do so at [email protected]. I do not promise to answer every email… but I will do my best to read every email. Thank you.
Here are some images from the Market and around the convention center yesterday…
