Every now and then, it can be a good thing to put down the iPhone and pick up a hand-bound book; to remove a satin comforter from the bed and wrap up in a colorful cotton quilt. Sometimes, it’s just soothing to touch, hear and see handcrafted items and, in the doing, to connect with a simpler time in the not so long ago.
This weekend, in Chantilly, Va., less than an hour’s drive from D.C., the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival will feature works on display from more than 250 of the nation’s most accomplished craftspeople as well as renowned artisans from Virginia, all of whom have been jury-selected. This colorful marketplace sets down temporary roots at the Dulles Expo Center starting Friday. Booth upon booth of affordable and one-of-a-kind crafts will enthrall lovers and collectors of these treasures, both beautiful and utilitarian.
For example, no one need brave the cold weather in and around lovely Chantilly without the warmth of wool sweaters, fleece-lined jackets and coats, alpaca wraps, thermal gloves, hats, and caps in a variety of styles.
Additionally, homemade candles, handcrafted andirons, earthenware pots, mugs, bowls and platters are on display and for sale. Think of an item, and you’ll probably find it amid a plethora of artists who, in addition to making a sale, wish to demonstrate the crafting of their pieces and answers questions about materials and technique.
Mary Louise Ravese, owner of Bella Vista Photography, has been participating in the Sugarloaf Festival for eight years. An award-winning photographer who has traveled the world, she will be selling her handmade note cards as well as her matted and framed photographs.
“When people visit my booths, I can show them parts of the world they may not have experienced firsthand,” she said.”
Subjects of her photographs include tulips from Holland, slot canyons on a Navajo reservation in Arizona, snow monkeys in Japan and wild mustang horses in Colorado. One of the aspects that appeals about her creations is the effort she puts into her matting and framing, calling it “an extension of the creative process.”
Sugarloaf Festival’s founder and coordinator, Deann Verdier, calls her 34-year-old life’s work a “business near and dear to my heart.”
She is proud of the employees who make the festival run like a top year after year. And of her market, she notes: “Northern Virginia just seems the perfect place to be; people appreciate fine crafts and fine art and recognize a good value when they see it.”
In a high-tech world of mass-produced goods, the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival is a trip out of the fast lane and a return to days before batteries and “how-to” manuals.
