giveaway! A Gathering of Stitches photo workshops & books

Hiya ! Enter between now and May15 May 22nd by leaving a comment on A Gathering of Stitches, saying what image of mine you like from sometime on this blog. Details at that link, and below.

Some people have had trouble leaving comment son the Gathering of Stitches blog. If that happens to you, leave a comment below, and you're entered. (and sorry!).

The backstory:  an out-of-the-blue email from a Samantha Lindgren arrived. She told me about her wonderful making space for stitchers & crafters in Portland, Maine. That sentence right there? has several of my favorite words in it, including the location.  Her space, A Gathering of Stitches,  was on my radar. Some of my favorite chums were teaching there - Mary Jane Mucklestone's Eeeeks! Steeeks! class come to mind- and block printing on fabric, and indigo, and of course it is my fondest dream to have a space like hers in my own community.

Anyhoo, Samantha was wondering if I'd be interested in a photo weekend, and oh by the way, did I remember her, with a different last name, she had been my photo editor, I used to shoot for her, for Forbes and People magazines. whaaaaat? We were both tickled to reconnect in the world of handmade.  

I know you've seen this before. I never tire of it.

So we put together classes that I've never offered before, and lined'em up so that you could take one, two or all three. Whatever floats your boat, so to speak (see that? Portland's a harbor city? I'm so lyrical).  

 Here's what they are, but click thru to get the full description and register from A Gathering of Stitches website.
• Photography for Handcrafters - Saturday June 28 9:30-4:30 (with a lunch break)
A full day to demo camera techniques, do hands-on shooting, explore photo editing and then have a critique of what we all shot .

•Photo Editing for Handcrafters - Sunday June 29   9:30-12:30
A tiny bit of shooting but mostly, you'll do lots of photo editing, using a simple user-friendly online software (not Photoshop) to make your images really stand up and crow. If you've ever wondered why your images lack the ooomph you thought they would have when you shot them, this is where you will learn the tweaks that make a good image look fabulous. Taught in non-jargon language, to boot!

•Make iPhone Masterpieces of Your Handcraft (and everything else, too) Sun June 29 1:30-4:30
Title says it all, right? Any smartphone welcome. This is going to be super fun. Because the best camera is the one you have on you, and we always have our little phones along.

Spread the word, too, OK?  If Portland Maine (easy peasy drive from anywhere n the Northeast, and has an airport right in town. Well worth a visit)) isn't within your June realm, there are giveaway books too. Check the link.

the road ahead! new places & a workshop giveaway

front of a new promo card I made for TNNA, featuring images from a Kirsten Kapur shawl shoot

 Here I sit between flights on my way to TNNA, the big knitting & needlearts tradeshow, in Indianapolis. It's all about business:  seeing industry clients & collaborators, catching up with yarn world friends, making new connections.  I offered  up small photo shoots at the last minute, and am thrilled beyond the beyond at who responded: Laura Nelkin, Angelia Robinson, and Zen Yarn Garden.*  Can't wait to land and scout me some killer locations. I've recruited my friend  and former New Havenite Stacey Trock of Fresh Stitches to reprise her model role for me.  Win-win all the way!

and speaking of winning...(smooooth segue, yes?) you must go over to the website for  AGathering of Stitches, the fabulous Portland Maine makerspace for stitching, knitting, surface design and all sorts of handmade. 

Kirsten's classic shawl, Cladonia

I'm going to devote a post to our plans... but let's cut to the chase: we've cooked up a photo weekend June 28-29th  at Gathering of Stitches:




















There's a full day Photography for Handcrafters (complete with shooting, editing & critiquing), and two fun new half day workshops: Shooting iPhone Masterpieces, and PhotoEditing for Handcrafters.  Take one, take two, take'em all...and best of all enter to win a seat for the weekend. Giveaway goes from now  till May 15 so click on over to there. 
If a trip to  Portland Maine isn't realistic for you, we're also giving away some books, so please do enter and spread the word. *Portland Maine is such an awesome city to visit- great arts, cool shops, great food, waterfront- it's, y'know, the other Portland.

But , more about that later. 
On the left, another image from my photoshoot with Kirsten Kapur Designs, if you are at TNNA you'll see this image and ask her about her shawl book project, OK?

the other side of my new promo card, 11th hour project before trip!

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I'd gladly accept an extra pairs of hands for the Saturday morning photoshoot, if you want to see us in action up close & personal, and possibly hold a reflector-- send me a note ezisusATsnetDOTnet