Thank you, thank you, thank you

I had an absolutely wonderful time on Sunday at the second Stash reHash fabric market and I hope you did too. I hope your stash is topped up with new treasures and that you are inspired to make beautiful things. If anyone was ever in doubt about the resurgence of crafts and the existence of the hand-made movement in Christchurch, then yesterday was proof of how strong it is amongst women and men (yes, I was wrong) of all ages.

I must admit that I felt like an alcoholic running a pub, but I managed to stick to my plan and not buy a single thing. Now that my fabric stash has completely disappeared I feel a bit like a sailor without a boat, but I have no time to dwell on that as today I have to do my GST! Aargh! No time for muckingaround again this month, but I can see the future and it involves a reward...

But enough of the silly similes; I have some serious thanking to do.

Thank you to:
• the wonderful stall-holders for taking a punt on this event,
• all the generous people who donated goods for the Arthritis NZ stall,
• the people at Arthritis NZ for always being such a pleasure to deal with especially when it became evident that the gorgeous but gigantic monster we created for the first market had been eating steroids,
• the lovely new people I met along the way who volunteered their time to help at the working bee and at the market,
• all the people who helped spread the word about the event through the press, via Twitter and Facebook, in shops, on blogs and out in Realworldland,
• and of course to all you many, many shoppers. I doubt there has ever been a more patient queue or a friendlier, more enthusiastic bunch of shoppers.

But again mostly thanks to my fabulous friends and family. Many people asked me if I planned to run this event in my soon-to-be-hometown in Western Australia. The answer has to be no because this event only works because here I have such a great network of friends and supporters who help me at every stage of the organisation.

The other big questions of the day were variations on “Will Stash reHash happen again? / Who is going to run it next time? / When will the next one be? / How do I find out if and when the next one will be? / How do I have a stall at the next market?”

At this stage I can’t answer those questions. Discussions need to be had – preferably in wine bars. If definite plans are made before I leave, I’ll let you know on this blog.

Otherwise here is my tip for the best place to find out about any crafty event. In Christchurch we are lucky enough to have Craft Royalty in the form of Lucy from Felt. Her Felt blog is the best place to find out about all things crafty - both in Christchurch and around the country.  I've already got wind of a few upcoming events I'll be very sad to miss, so keep an eye on that blog and make sure you don't miss them too.

Top quality goods

I had a wonderful time on Sunday at the first ever Stash reHash market and I hope you did too. Today I am feeling a bit shell-shocked but happy.

Thank you to:

• my wonderful stall-holders for taking a punt on this event,
• all the generous people who donated goods for the Arthritis NZ stall,
• the people at Arthritis NZ for always being such a pleasure to deal with especially when it became evident that we had created a gorgeous but gigantic monster,
• the great new people I met along the way who came and helped at the working bee,
• all the supportive people who spread the word about the event to their readers, customers, friends, sisters, daughters and Mums and meant that we got an astonishing turnout on a publicity budget equivalent to my household's monthly Weetbix spend,
• all the patient shoppers who waited understandlingly or came back later when it became evident that the hall was not capable of safely holding another person,
• the enthusiastic people who have have asked when it is happening again, how they can help or how to book a stall.

Thanks to all the lovely, creative people who sought me out to say hello, compliment me on this blog, tell me stories from their stashes and about their lives as makers. You have inspired me to get my making-mojo back.

Thanks too to the many positive people who have given feedback on how to improve the event for next time.

But mostly thanks to my fabulous friends. I already knew that my friends - old and new, vintage and contemporary, kitsch and classy, shabby chic and designer - were all top quality goods. They are the sort of people who tell you when you have lipstick on your teeth, kidnap your children when they realise you are doing it solo with a rotten cold, open the door and say "Want a cup of coffee?" when you spring a visit on them at a bad time and can turn your day from bad to fab with a quick conversation.

Since I first planned this event, a lot has happened in my household. Our knitting fell off our needles somewhat. What I had thought would be a peaceful and ideal time in which to plan and run such an event has turned out to be anything but.

So while I may have run this event for the same hourly rate as a worker in a Chinese jean factory, my friends rallied around and worked on it for free. They realised that my LoneWolf act just wasn't going to cut it this time. These gracious ladies gave me pep-talks and sound advice when I needed it ("Nah, stink idea"), wrestled with the mountain of donated goods at the working bee, left their sleeping children at dawn on Sunday morning to help me set up, worked all day on the Arthritis NZ stall then helped me pack up and clean up after the market.

Then my friends thanked me for a great day and encouraged me to continue working on the other event I've been cooking up. Talk about quality goods!

They all assure me that they are still my friends. That is a relief because I want them around whether I'm on top of the world and off to a party or have just returned from the Ladies' Room with my frock tucked into my undies.

Above are some photos from the day. The bright, in-focus ones are courtesy of the very talented Mel from Black Swan Designs (thank you). The blurry, spookily-lit ones are by me.

I'm off now to take up my very wise sister's suggestion of a very large cup of tea and a lie down.