Featured Friday - Going Renegade!

While this Feature Friday is neither about one artist in particular, nor is it necessarily about a greyhound craftster (though we hope we find some here!!), we felt the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair was too amazing to pass up blogging about!  Whether it's street performers, local theater and artisans, or large-scale DIY events like the Chicago Craft Social or next weekend's Renegade Craft Fair, Chicago is an unbridled mass of raw talent and energy just waiting to explode on the crafting and art scene at every turn!  We here at Greyhound Threads are most excited about the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair, having read about it and longed to attend since way before moving out here to Chicagoland.  Here's the skinny on the event (you can also see this same information on the Renegade Craft Fair's Chicago FAQ page):

What is the Renegade Craft Fair?

The Renegade Craft Fair is a large-scale DIY event featuring hundreds of independent artists and their unique handmade items. RCF is held in cities across the US every year - including Brooklyn, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles & Austin. The fair is known for being one of the first events of its kind, and for featuring top-notch indie-craft artists and designers who travel from all over the map to participate.

What kinds of crafts will be there?

At RCF you’ll find all sorts of cool handmade stuff – including clothing, housewares, posters + prints, plush items, ceramics, jewelry, stationery + more. Each Renegade Craft Fair draws hundreds of applicants, all juried so that only the best arts + crafts are available.  The fair also features choice local eateries, marching bands, entertainers, dj’s, raffles, workshops, photobooths and other festivities!

When and where is the fair being held?

Chicago’s 8th Annual event will take place Saturday + Sunday, September 11 + 12 from 11AM – 7PM each day. Vendors will stretch down Division St. between Damen + Paulina, in the Wicker Park neighborhood.

How do I get there?

We encourage you to bicycle or take public transportation to the Fair!

By L train - Take the Blue Line to Division St. From there, head West on Division and it will take you right to the event. You can also take the Blue Line to North Ave., and walk south on Damen Ave. until you reach Division St.

By Bus - You can take the Division St. bus to Ashland Ave. from the East, and to Damen Ave. from the West. Coming from the North + South, you can take the Ashland or Damen buses to Division St. From Ashland, head West on Division and it will take you right there. The Damen bus will let you right off at the fair at Division St.

What if I can't make it next weekend?

If you can't make it next weekend (and we really hope you can!), this event is brought to you by the same owners of RENEGADE HANDMADE, a unique one-stop shop for DIY goods that features the work of over 300 artists!  It was created as an extension of the RCF and the store serves as a permanent location for people to buy and sell unique handmade items throughout the year (yep! They do consignments!).  Their store front is located in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, and they are also found on the interwebs here.  They have an amazing variety of handmade housewares, jewelry, posters+prints, plush items, clothing, stationery and more from the most fantastic crafsters around!  You can also head over to their fantastically hilarious (and informative!) blog so you don't miss a renegade beat.

We hope to see you there!