Farewell, PDX Church of Craft

Yesterday was the last Church of Craft meeting in Portland. I’ve decided to shut the group down.

There are many reasons for this, but mostly: a) attendance has been dwindling over the last ten months, and b) after organizing this group for five and a half years, I need to stop.

My emotions have been all over the place about this transition. I’ll certainly spare you my careening angst, but suffice to say, starting a Church of Craft chapter in Portland was the first step I ever took toward building a craft-centered life for myself. So there are ways in which this feels like losing a treasured friend.

Still, Portland is in an interesting moment: the crafty culture here has exploded, and we may be beginning to reach a saturation point. It seems to me that events that happen regularly can get forgotten, what with all the shiny new events crowding the scene. It’s a good problem to have, but it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.

Anyway, our last meeting was lovely. Susan taught everyone to make Solo Earrings from Bead Simple, and there was lots of nice hanging out and chatting. It warmed my heart to see so many good friends, and a lot of them brought cards and gifts, so it felt like a kind of Bon Voyage/Christmas party. A good wrap-up for a project that has enriched my life immeasurably. If you were there, thank you so much.

(Up above is a cute card the PDX Crafty Vixens brought. Perfect illustration of a Church of Craft!)