The Big Crafty, this weekend

Posted on by Alli Marshall

When I was a kid, craft fairs were called bazaars and were held in church basements and the local grange. Grandmother-types sold plastic dolls in crocheted gowns meant to cleverly disguise rolls of toilet paper. There were macrame owl wall-hangings, silk flower arrangements and an inordinate number of pot holders.

The Big Crafty indie craft fair, to be held Sunday, July 13, at the Grey Eagle, is anything but that. In fact, over 35 crafter booths, craft demos, DJs spinning, food and drinks and a raffle (but probably not for a popsicle-stick picture frame) will be part of the event.

Press for the event explains, “Indie craft is a big deal these days, but The Big Crafty isn’t just jumping on the bandwagon. Asheville has craft and indie cred in its bones. It just hasn’t had its grand coming out party yet. We think it’s time that local indie crafters (over 100 Asheville-based sellers on www.etsy.com) came out of their basement workshops to show their wares and party handmade-style. Consider The Big Crafty the debutante ball of Asheville craftisans, and please do come join in our fun!”

Crafters and artists include fashion designer Sew Moe, painter Julie Armbruster, jewelers Figs & Ginger, and outsider artist Gabriel Shaffer. Suzie Millions, author of The Complete Book of Retro Crafts, is a featured presenter.

The Big Crafty runs from 1-7 p.m. Info at crafty@thebigcrafty.com

—Alli Marshall, A&E reporter

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About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall
View all posts by Alli Marshall →

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2 thoughts on “The Big Crafty, this weekend”

  1. jeribella.etsy

    sunday july 15th? is it really the 13th? as an etsy seller i was surprised i didn’t find out about this one sooner!

  2. Jon Elliston

    jeribella.etsy:

    Thanks for noticing the date discrepancy. The event is in fact on Sunday, July 13. We’ve corrected the version above.

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