Mother of all fabric dumpster dives !!!

Mother of all fabric dumpster dives !!!, originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

The office park where my brother works is probably the world's best dumpster diving location, and the dumpster is about 5 steps away from the back door of the office. Over the years, he has salvaged office panels, file cabinets, phone systems, tools, chairs, carpet, Pergo flooring, computers, bookcases, and just this week-this box of tons 'o fabric !!! There is heavy duty Ultrasuede and canvas, plus silks, cotton, and cotton and rayon velvets. And it couldn't have come at a better time, I'm embarking on a mad scramble to make lots of recon purses and stuff for the Ballston Art Market .

Artistic Artifacts

I want to congratulate a fellow Potomac Craftsmen Gallery member on the fulfilling of long-held dream. Judy Gula is a fiber artist whose wonderful handmade fiber bead jewelry and art quilts I have been admiring for the past four years.

For the past several years she has had a traveling and online business of selling her hand-dyed vintage linen and found object packets to quilters and collage artists. Her website, Artistic Artifacts lists all kinds of interesting fabric, game pieces, collage packs, books and supplies and now, artists can shop for all her goodies in a retail setting at the Artistic Artifacts Annex in Alexandria, Virginia.

I was able to stop by yesterday to see her new space and products for sale. Although I'm not a quilter or collage artist, I was getting seriously tempted by the myriad beautiful hand-dyed fabric packs, beads, sequins, vintage linens and embroidery packs, buttons, antique game pieces and vintage paper goods for sale. I can't imagine a more thorough stock of materials for the mixed media artist or quilter at any traditional art and craft store.

The store does not maintain daily business hours for now, but is open during workshops and classes which are posted on the website. Judy has already scheduled some fascinating workshops for fiber artists and I may schedule a few beading classes there myself.

Artistic Artifacts

A fellow member of http://potomaccraftsmengallery.com, Judy Gula, is selling fiber and embellishment supplies on her website, http://www.artisticartifacts.com . She collects fabrics and trims and hand-dyes them into colorful sets, and also sells found objects like game tiles, etc.

She will be a vendor at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo at the Chantilly Expo Center Thursday, September 28th, Friday the 29th and Saturday the 30th. Check the link for hours and additional information: http://www.sewingexpo.com/cities/chantilly.htm

Artistic Artifacts booth is # 322. Artistic Artifacts, collects and sells all those funky items that are great for your quilts /paper/mixed media/dolls/assemblage Art. Buttons, Beads, Game Pieces, Angelina, Hand dye laces, trims and fabrics, Vintage linens, quilt tops and "out of print fabric." Paper and Fabric Collage kits. The new hot embellishment is GLITTER and she will have kits of glitter from the The Art Institute and the coolest sequins in town.