Fiber & Folk Art Fair to celebrate handmade work

Come celebrate the work of your hands at the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair.

The event, scheduled for June 24-26 in the Expo Center at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E. Peterson Road, Grayslake, is celebrating its fifth anniversary as a regional draw for fiber artists of all disciplines, from knitting, crocheting and felting, to beading, quilting and weaving.

Fair hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 per day, $25 for three days and free for workshop participants. For details, visit www.fiberandfolk.com.

The fair will feature fiber art competitions and exhibits, workshops, as well as performances daily by professional folk musicians. The fiber marketplace will have 112 exhibitor booths.

Exhibits include a garment competition, do-it-yourself fashion show, fine art exhibit and vintage handbag exhibit. New this year will be a fleece judging competition.

Nationally known fiber artist instructors will conduct 78 workshops, covering 19 fiber art-related subjects, including dyeing, spinning, knitting, crochet, quilting and basketmaking. While many of the workshops are filling, fairgoers may sign up for workshops at the fair.

When she conceived the fair in 2007, founder Carol Cassidy-Fayer of Crystal Lake envisioned the event as the centerpiece of a burgeoning fiber arts community.

“I started the fair because I want people to understand the value of and celebrate the work of their hands,” Cassidy-Fayer said.

A fiber artist in her own right, Cassidy-Fayer has been an advocate for the arts in northern Illinois. That includes nurturing young artists whose primary medium is fiber.

The fair has awarded $10,000 in scholarship money since its inception in partnership with sponsor Toni Neil of The Fold in Marengo, Ill. This year, four students enrolled in fiber arts programs around the United States will receive $6,000 in scholarships.