CRAFTY CORNER

WHAT ARE ACEO's AND ATC's?

By FabricGreetings

ACEO's stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals. They are also known as ATC's – Artist Trading Cards.

I first heard of artist trading cards in an article in “Quilting Arts” magazine in 2004. Pokey Bolton, who was the editor, had challenged readers to send in a ATC. In return, she would send everyone who participated a card she had made. I sent her a card and received one in return that September. Then in October when I was attending the International Quilt Market in Houston, Texas, I was thrilled to see my card displayed along with all the others she had received on a wall of her booth at the show. Since then, I have been making them. The challenge is to get your design into such a small space.

These little work of art are a specific size -2.5” x 3.5” or 64mm x89mm. They are the same size as sports trading cards. And they are traded by artists and collectors all over the world. Many groups are organized and plan weekly trades.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/artisttradingcards/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/artisttradingcards/

ACEO's are often designed using watercolors, pen and ink, screen printed, mixed media or fabric.

There is a team of ACEO artists on Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/teams/6297/acetsy-aceo-etsy-street-team

Two of our HHU Members also sell ACEO's. Both sellers use very different techniques.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/anikasart

http://www.FabricGreetings.etsy.com

A CRAFTY DESTINATION

By FabricGreetings

There are some places you hear about and just want to see – The Statue of Liberty, 
The Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore... the list can go on forever. Many years ago I
was attending a sewing event and heard someone mention a fabric store in North Carolina.
I immediately filed it away in my memory bank. Since my sister moved to Georgia and we
drive to see her, I get to visit this “find”. And a find it is.

Mary Jo's Cloth Store is located in Gastonia, NC. Right off of I-85.  
Over the years, we have made Gastonia our overnight stop on our trip south. It has been
said that if they do not have it, you do not want it. Located in this  32,000 sq foot store
is everything a sewist could want....fabric, trims,  buttons, notions, and on and on. 
They are most helpful when you call and offer a mail order service that is fantastic.
They now have a web site and a blog.

So I encourage you to read about this little bit of heaven in the following article.
I am heading there in a couple of weeks and am already making my list.


mhttp://www.charlotteobserver.com/2008/08/23/148179/landmark-store-
is-the-fabric-of.htl


http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/6948/a-special-trip-to-mary-jos-cloth-store


http://maryjos.com/ 

http://maryjoscloth-design.blogspot.com/