crafty travel report: seattle

I was recently down in Seattle - my first time visiting there, despite having lived in nearby Vancouver for a few years now. I was there for work, but did manage to squeeze in a few crafty happenings.

The first crafty thing that happened was totally random. While working, I spoke with an elderly man who was wearing a tie that I had made into a 'cravat cat' toy! This may not seem such an amazing coincidence, but seeing as it was (A) an old ("vintage") tie that I picked up at a thrift store, (B) had the Oympic rings on it, and (C) was made in Yugoslavia, I figured it was one of a kind. As I was speaking to the man, I couldn't figure out a simple way to explain to him that I'd used his tie to make a cat and isn't that an amazing coincidence - so I didn't say anything about it to him, and just tried to concentrate on what he was saying instead of staring at his tie.

When I got out of work, I headed over to the Bluebottle Art Gallery + Store, which is, in a word, awesome. It's owned by the lovely Andrea Porter and artist Matthew Porter, who also recently published a great ABC book. I treated myself to a ring that says ROBOT on it. Love at first sight! It turns out, was made by another Seattle artist, Fancy.

Another evening after work, I checked out the amazing Seattle public library. If you haven't seen or heard of this building, have a look at this slideshow. The pictures don't even do it justice. Wow.

After that I walked back toward the market (where I did NOT see anyone throwing fish! boo!). On the way I stumbled across the Marimekko store! I didn't even know they had stores in North America. Of course, I went in and looked at the gorgeous bags and fabric. Unfortunately, fabric was $40 US a yard, so I just admired the pretty colours and patterns from a distance.

That's the field report from me, Sleepless Crafty in Seattle.