By Arwen O’Reilly
Minneapolis is a crafty town! As if the No Coast Craft-o-rama weren’t proof enough, I got a whirlwind tour from Trish Hoskins, of Crafty Planet, of some of the best craft Minneapolis has to offer. Crafty Planet is every crafter’s dream come true.
Walls of luscious fabric, from kitschy prints to Amy Butler designs, rub up against soft-as-a-cloud yarns and fun installations, like this rubber dress, printed with yellow roads and dotted with toy cards.
My favorite part was this fabulous robot display cabinet, topped by a Subversive Cross-stitching of “Beeyatch.”
Or for the book hungry, there is a mouth-watering display of books (as a textile-ophile, I left with Cath Kidston’s yummy In Print, for the gorgeous photos if nothing else).
Everywhere you look, there’s more to ooh and ahh over….
and if you get the shopping urge, there are even vintage shopping baskets to use in the store. Crafty Planet should be an inspiration to craft stores everywhere, even down to its “satellite” classroom next door, Sputnik, where they teach classes.
We stopped by Design Collective, a small store bursting at the seams (and I choose my metaphor carefully!) with great fashion and craft. Their website highlights the gorgeous local fashion designers, but every nook and cranny of the store is packed with lovely jewelry, screen printed Ts and bags….
Lovely stationary (the pencils are emblazoned with silver lettering that reads “for writing love letters,” a delightful imperative if I ever heard one, wallets made from duct tape or paint chips…
Stenciled ties, duct tape purses, and hand knit sweaters.
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