Five Days in Philly for Makers!

Philadelphia surprised me. I mean, I knew it would be good — I wouldn't have built a tour around it otherwise — but it exceeded what I'd imagined, in the way that only happens when a city is genuinely alive with making AND genuinely wants to share it.

Five days. Six fabulous, curious women. And a heartful of workshops, museums, markets, and more good food than was strictly necessary. (It was necessary; the food is ALWAYS necessary.)

We made things with our hands every single day. Is there any better way to spend your time?  We sewed maker caddies at NextFab — my workshop, a good way to get everyone's hands busy and talking — and by the end of the week those little bags were holding everything we'd collected and created along the way. We screen printed at the Fabric Workshop Museum, pulling ink through templates we'd designed ourselves (as a surprise, I cut the canvas to tote bag size so I could sew everyone's work into bags afterward.) We wove at Wild Hand in Mt. Airy, did bojagi with Matthew at Approved Textiles, and spent a rainy, snowy morning at the Barnes letting color do what color does when the weather outside is grey. (Pro tip: when visiting an art musuem, ALWAYS ask for a docent-led tour.)

Philadelphia fed us well and didn't apologize for it.  Suraya set the bar on night one. Roast pork sandwiches at Reading Terminal. A French bistro-ish lunch at Parc. Chinatown. Fitz on Fourth. Picnic. Egg tarts from Gilda. Philly's chefs are also makers, and it just made sense to make this a highlight, not an afterthough, of the tour. 

The city gave us things I didn't plan for.  PAFA had an exhibit featuring a collab of their grads and the Fabric Workshop Museum (which sorta showed us just how much work large scale screen printing actually is). The Museum of Art & Wood was a hidden gem that should be considerably less hidden. Walking through Old City, we stopped into Claudia Mills' studio — she was actually there, actually weaving — and she put down her work and spent forty-five minutes with us. Where else but Philly does that kind of generosity happen? It happened here because Philadelphia's maker community is genuinely open: no gatekeeping, no performance of exclusivity, just people who love what they do and are glad to share it. We felt it at every stop, from the Fairmount Fibers warehouse tour (and yarn tasting) to Forever Yarn and HomeSewn out in the suburbs, each delightful in their own right.

It was the perfect storm. Mostly great weather (but hey, snow just keeps us from complacency), involved workshops, conversation and connection with our instructors, the yummiest meals, and, it goes without saying, the absolute best group of adventurous, curious, talented women.  

And we're doing this all again September 15-20!  I cannot wait to host you!