As 2011 came to a close, Hello Craft had a lot of awesome crafts, new friends and events to reminisce over. 2011 was one of Hello Craft’s busiest years, not only for our organization, but for the ever-evolving handmade community that continues to lead the way in creative innovation, as well as an economic powerhouse.

Between the Summit of Awesome, Crafty Bastards and partnerships with innovative projects and new creative-minded companies, there was never a dull moment with Hello Craft. And while we are already gearing up for a fun and crafty 2012, we wanted to take a step back in time to check out all the fun happenings that made up 2011…

We wrote a (super awesome!) business-of-craft book that will be out in July of this year…

Partnered with Mt. Pleasant Mainstreet to produce D.C.’s favorite handmade pop-up shop, The Temporium…

Added new blog content and more contests and giveaways than ever…

Got a DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Grant to bring our Make Something Awesome Area to events around the Nation’s Capitol…

Co-Produced the 8th annual Crafty Bastards Arts &  Crafts Fair with Washington City Paper and 0ur new friends at Roadside Food Projects…

Brought the 3rd annual Summit of Awesome with our Craftnote Speakers, Debbie Stroller + Laurie Henzel (Bust Magazine), and Jay McCarroll (Season 1 Project Runway winner), to Baltimore, Maryland…

Hosted a super fun night of printmaking and booze with the awesome Kyle Durrie and her Moveable Type truck.

So while 2011 is behind us, we look forward to a fabulous year of new partners, new crafts and new events in 2012. If you haven’t joined Hello Craft already, we welcome you to become a member or join our email list.

This year the folks at Scoutmob are promoting a Shop Indie initiative this holiday season. Hello Craft encourages you to buy handmade and shop from local, independent businesses when possible.That’s why we think Scoutmob’s Pledge to Support Indie Businesses is pretty awesome.

Scoutmob says:

It’s the holidays. You’re in gift-buying, festive party-planning, dining out with friends mode. So what better time of year to jump aboard the Scoutmob “shop indie”" bandwagon? Make a decision to support independent shops and restaurants, using the Scoutmob app as a compass to discover the best small businesses at a great price near you.

Plus, when you sign up, you’re entered to win one of three Etsy shopping sprees. Enter to win here.

What handmade sellers or independent businesses are you buying from this year? Let us know your favorites in the comments below.

This year’s Summit of Awesome was a whirlwind of making, learning and connecting with fellow creators and DIY business owners. Day 1 and Day 2 zoomed by.

On Day 3, there was a half day of programming followed by the annual class photo, as seen to the right. The Summit of Awesome ended with the Make Something Awesome Party, sponsored by MailChimp. The party concluded with an ultimate Crafty Throwdown competition where one of our amazing volunteers Matthew won the title and a $100 gift certificate to Etsy.

Wondering what others had to say about the Summit of Awesome? Read on:

• Baltimore Etsy Street Team: The Summit of Awesome
• Baltimore Examiner: Local summit for craftspeople teaches marketing and selling your work
• Craftzine: Summit of Awesome, Day 2
• Carrie J Keplinger: Everyone Needs Some Awesome
• Poor Robin: Summit of Awesome
• The Scientific Seamstress: The Summit Awesome!
• Stylist Home: Crafters Unite for Summit of Awesome 2011
• Unanimous Craft: All Summit of Awesome Posts
• Isaac B. Watson: What I Learned At The Summit of Awesome , Who I Met At The Summit of Awesome

Photos from the 2011 Summit of Awesome are on Flickr here. If you attended the Summit as an attendee, volunteer or speaker we invite you to add photos to the group pool.

Want to party with someone that had the awesome idea to convert a delivery truck into a mobile letterpress studio and has been touring the country in said studio for a good chunk of 2011? Yes? Us, too!

Hello Craft is excited to welcome Kyle Durrie and her mobile letterpress studio to the District of Columbia next week! Please join us Thursday, November 3rd for a Make Something Awesome party we’re throwing in her honor. You can RSVP via Facebook here.

Stop by American Ice Company (near the 9:30 Club) next Thursday between 5:30pm-8pm to check-out Kyle’s awesome studio, try your hand at letterpress and dive into other craft projects available at the Make Something Awesome area. In addition to our button maker, we’ll have everything you’ll need to knit a beer koozie, decorate a coaster or make envelopes from old 6-packs.

What: Make Something Awesome Party with Kyle Durrie & her mobile letterpress studio

When: Thursday, November 3rd 5:30pm-8pm

Where: American Ice Company, 917 V Street NW, Washington, D.C. (google map)

Cost: Free!

Want to know more about Kyle and her Movable Type project? Follow the links and educate yourself.

• Media
  The Truck
  Tour Dates
  Kyle’s Kickstarter Project
  Kyle’s Etsy Shop

We had yet another super fantastic time at day 2 of the Summit of Awesome! See what Craftzine.com and Unanimous Craft say in their coverage of the Summit of Awesome. If you want to follow along in real time, you can check out the hashtag #summitofawesome or #soa2011 on Twitter.

The first morning sessions began including Letterpress with Baltimore Print Studio; Goals and Intentions with Kari Chapin; Pricing Your Work with Megan Auman & Tara Gentile and Craft Fair Booth Set Up and Display with Caitlin Phillips.

Next up was: Letterpress with Baltimore Print Studio; Wholesaling 101 with Kasey and Kelly Evick and Rhonda and Elijah Wyman; Storytelling in Marketing and Business Creation with Tina Seamonster; Craft Fair Applications with Rachel Bone and Andrea and Robert Tucker and Pitch Your Craft Book with Kate McKean.

Today’s lunch and Craftnote was with the amazing Jay McCarroll, as seen to the right. He painted a picture of how he got started in fashion and how he got to where he is today.

The first afternoon sessions were: How and When to Hire Help with Jon Wye, Rhonda and Elijah Wyman and Willo O’Brien; Best of Etsy Success with Danielle Maveal; Your Craft in Galleries with Jaime Zollars and Diane Koss and Crafty Throwdown with Kimberly Dorn and Christine Ernest.

The next afternoon sessions were: Brainstorming and Recording Stories with Tina Seamonster; Event Sponsorship with Kimberly Dorn and Christy Petterson; Copyright vs. Trademark with Diane Leigh Davison MLA; Email Marketing with Amy Ellis and Sharon Teng and Etsy Shop Critique with Danielle Maveal.

Finally the day ended with a Book Garland Workshop with Caitlin Phillips, Let’s Gocco Like It’s 2004! Workshop with Raina Hassan; The Importance of Photography with Miranda Lievers; What the Creative Business Owner Can Learn from Improv with Amanda Hirsh; Social Media 101 with Lish Dorset and Willo O’Brien and Etsy Shop Critique with Danielle Maveal.

Later tonight is also an Etsy Meetup in Baltimore which is open to the public. More information is available here.

To view more photos from the Summit of Awesome, please check out our Flickr pool here. And all attendees, volunteers and speakers are invited to add their photos as well!

One of the most inspiring, hardest working crafters I know is my business partner. She organizes the Indie Craft Experience with me and is an amazing crafter (duh, otherwise she wouldn’t be my business partner). Shannon Mulkey is a busy gal (understatement.) and we literally had this conversation while on our flight to the Summit of Awesome in Baltimore!

Hi Shannon, thanks for sitting next to me on the way to Baltimore! Tell us a little about your art and craft background.
I’ve been crafting my entire life. I studied psychology and art in college but I’ve always crafted. I started sewing and making clothes in 2004 and helped organize a fashion show in that year in Atlanta called Breaker Breaker. That’s when I knew I’d found what I’d be doing. There was a full page in the AJC (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) of photos of my dresses and I felt like if I got that without even trying that I better keep it up.

Then I met you in October of 2004 at Kraftwork at Young Blood in Atlanta and also participated in Stitch in Austin that same month. We started organizing the Indie Craft Experience in January 2005 and participated in our first Renegade in Brooklyn in June of that year. The rest is history. I haven’t stopped or looked back since then.

It’s crazy how things snowball! Before you know it, you are busy with crafts all the time! What are you working on right now?
I’m an art educator at a Montessori elementary school and I teach a modern craft class at Savannah College of Art’s Atlanta campus. I’m also an art educator at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Also at the High, I’m creative director of Culture Shock, which is programming for 20 and 30 year olds. It’s exhibit specific so currently I’m working on our Masquerade Ball for Halloween weekend which ties in to the “Modern Masters, Picasso to Warhol” exhibit. For New Year’s Eve we are transforming the museum into Andy Warhol’s factory. I’m also working on the next Indie Craft Experience holiday show and our wedding show that’s in a few months and our holiday pop-up shop.

I’m the sole designer and seamstress for Patina. Right now is the busiest time of year. I just got back from doing Renegade in Chicago and Crafty Bastards in DC. I’m getting ready to restock stores that carry Patina for the holiday season. I also just joined the beehive in Atlanta and will start selling there in November. Patina is a small line of handmade clothes and accessories. I use mainly vintage and recycled materials, a lot of knits and wool. I make my own patterns inspired by vintage clothing but with a modern twist. I come out with two limited edition lines per year. Sometimes I’m inspired by the vintage fabric that I find and I’ll only make like 3 dresses of that particular design. I also make a lot of one-of-a-kind.

I sell at craft shows around the country and at small boutiques. I like combining textures and colors. When I started sewing I’d take a vintage dress apart to see how it was made. I also used old sheets and sewed them into dresses. It was economical and also made the pieces unique. I love finding a small run of vintage fabric, like 3-10 yards, and making something modern out of it. It’s satisfying because it is more one-of-a-kind and there is some history to it.

So what inspires you?
My friends inspire me. Seeing what they’re making as well as other crafters and members of the DIY community really inspires me.

Well you certainly are busy Shannon! Thanks for talking with me (and not ignoring me while I’m sitting next to you on the plane).