Spreading the Love: FabMo on the Road
FabMo’s monthly Mountain View Selection Events are anticipated and loved by textile artists, sewers, crafters, and creators seeking unique materials to create with. But not everyone can make it to Mountain View, so every now and then FabMo takes these events on the road.
FabMo travels around the Bay area to where there are communities of interested people, a venue available to loan or rent, and a local crew of volunteers who are willing to make it happen. Events in Vallejo and Santa Cruz have generated lots of local interest and spread the joy of tables stacked with colorful designer samples and yardage. A selection event is a feast for the eyes, an invitation to touch and imagine, and an opportunity to gather with like-minded creators.
FabMo has been taking Selection Events to Santa Cruz every 4 months or so since 2014. The last week of January, the FabMo van was loaded in Mountain View on the 30th, and headed out the next morning to the Clubhouse in Harvey West Park for a full day event. A team of volunteers had tables lined up and ready to be filled with fabric samples, tiles, wallpaper, and notions. Our shiny and new-to-us van brought over enough to keep more than 100 running feet of tables and counters stocked throughout the day.
Volunteers load the van in Mountain View, and the Santa Cruz team gets the Clubhouse staged and ready.
Promotion for the event was done by a Santa Cruz volunteer, generating a steady stream of shoppers eager to find the right pieces for their next project. And everyone had the satisfaction of knowing that their creative reuse of the materials and donations to FabMo were supporting efforts to keep these designer materials in active use and out of landfills.
It was a busy day with lots to be done. Volunteers greeted guests and gave them a quick orientation, and straightened and restocked the tables of goods while sharing creative ideas. Educators and program coordinators picked up boxes or large bags of 8” squares for their classes or groups. Just like the Mountain View Selection Events, everything was available for donations made in support of FabMo. Visitors were encouraged to take what they would use and donate what they can, which they did with enthusiasm.
Eventually the daylight waned and the hall got quieter. The last of the guests finished their shopping and got ready to leave, but not before telling us how much they love these events and asking “When will you be back?”
Soon, we said, soon. With so many engaged guests and dedicated volunteers, how can we stay away?
Do you have a group that would like to host a FabMo Selection Event in your area?
Contact our Satellite Events committee (satellites@fabmo.org) and let’s make it happen!