Panic time

It is almost time for my annual panic, making enough beads and jewelry for the Kutztown Folk Festival.  This is a local festival celebrating the PA Dutch culture, and it runs 9 days over the 4th of July- this year it is June 29 to July 7.  That's right, 9 days!  It is a tough show to do but so much fun, with all the music, wonderful food and entertainment.  I set up a mini studio and two friends come and demo all week.  So many people don't understand that I actually make the beads. The photo is my work table, and I see at least 10 jewelry projects that have been started (or beads grouped to start).  The festival is like doing 3 or 4 shows back to back, so I need to have a lot of jewelry made.  A whole lot.

In May, I try to take care of all the little details of life so I can spend June just working in my studio, but somehow it never works out like that. 

Panic time

June 1st!  Well, actually it is June 2, but close enough.  This starts my yearly panic, making beads and jewelry for the Kutztown Folk Festival.  It is a 9 day festival so I need to have lots and lots of beads and jewelry!  My work table is a mess, which means I have been working.   I really do need to finish some of those projects so I can see what I have done, and what I need to work on.

I worked hard in May to cross items off my to-do list so I could concentrate on studio work this month, but fate is playing with me.  Among lots of other things that keep popping up, I have jury duty on June 25.  I will try to get excused from that.  I am all for civic duty, but not 3 days before I set up for my biggest show of the year. 

My pile of beads is growing and the boxes of my jewelry is filling.  While I am torching, I am listening to Water for Elephants and really enjoying it.  Now if I can just keep going until the end of the month!

Bench chair

Here is my workbench chair, where I should be spending a lot of time this month.  I need to make tons of beads so I can put jewelry together for the Kutztown Folk Festival, which runs July 2-11 this year.  Getting ready for a major show like this is a huge commitment, and is very stressful.  I call it my Kutztown panic mode.

Notice the mat under the chair.  The floors slants away from my bench and the chair tends to roll backwards- a real problem when making beads.  I solved that by putting a heavy mat under the chair.  Oh, the problems beadmakers must deal with (with which beadmakers must deal?)

Panic mode

Today I loafed.  It will probably be the last day I can loaf for 6 weeks or so.  Tomorrow I start working overtime to have enough beads and jewelry for the Kutztown Folk Festival.  The festival runs 9 days, this year starting July 3 and running until July 11.  This will be my 15th year exhibiting there- hard to believe. It is a tough show to do, sort of like running a marathon, but it is also a ton of fun. My neighbors at the show have become family- one of them started bringing their 3 grandchildren to the show years ago and I have seen them grow up. They still come by and say hello, and see if I need any help.  The photo is Johnny Claypoole, who painted hex signs.  He has passed away and his son Eric has  picked up the paint brushes to continue the family tradition at the festival.

The food is wonderful- the PA Dutch know how to cook, so I eat good all week.  My favorite is strawberry shortcake with vanilla ice cream!  Down the street from me is an ox roast, and the meat is so tender it melts in your mouth.  There are also sausage sandwiches, funnel cakes, soft pretzels, pork and sauerkraut- I could so on and on but you get the idea.

There is music everywhere with strolling bands and musicians, and clog dancing, and wonderful traditional crafts, and of course quilts!  Hundreds of quilts!  It is a great way to spend the day, or even several days.  I will try to take lots of photos this year!

So off to bed for me.  Tomorrow I work!