Report on the October Maker Festival in Mesa, AZ
From October 24 to October 28 a new Maker Festivals happened in Mesa, AZ. The event was organized by Interweave, held at the Mesa, AZ Convention Center.
I was very eager to try out this new event and location. What I found interesting was the combination of yarn fest, art fest, bead fest, and stitch fest. The variety of classes offered truly sparked my interest.
The level of learning possible was unmatched. Classes about watercolor drawing, freehand quilting, knitting, and jewelry making all in one building, for five days in a row. What a great idea!
The marketplace also included a wide variety of craft supplies, including yarn from local dyers and far away Canadian suppliers.
Since this was the first ever Maker Festivals at this location, the event was small, the marketplace was small and the class offerings were also limited. But the different crafts available all at the same time made up for that. I also saw it as an advantage to have class sizes of not more than 6 -8 students.
I hope this will become an annual event and gain in popularity over time.
— Renate Kamm