West Virginia State Folk Festival
Music, Heritage, and Appalachian Culture
June 19-22, 2025
Festival Artisans and Crafters
Download information and application below.
Now you can also reserve your space and pay online:
To apply and pay for a vendor space online, click here.
2023 Crafters
Crafters not on this list will be on hand at the Gilmer County Historical Society Holt House on Main Street. Some of the artisans listed will be located inside at the former FRN building on Main Street (Old Post Office Building).Adrian's Rustic Designs w/Adrian Duelley - wood working /crafts
Born Again Wood w/Bob Taylor - unique bird houses crafted from recycled wood
Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center w/Kenneth Cedar- adult education information (Saturday Only)
Citrine Salamander w/Autumn Moyers - beaded jewelry and accessories, art prints
Country Home Creations w/ Trisha Anderson
Craft Creations w/Christine Kuepfer - quilts, homemade aprons, pot holders, painted wood signs, general crafts
Craft if Like It's Hot w/Miranda Shaver - wreaths, wooden door handles, chunky blankets, earrings
Crafty Me w/BevBerlo-Tanner - crochet blankets, totes, angles, hats, scarfs, face painting, hair bands, scarfs, and more
Creations to Treasure w/Michael Tomey - all handmade soy candles, wax melts, essential oil diffusing, jewelry, key chains
Cut n Create Woodsmithing w/ - heirloom wood creations
Dirty Mama's Clean Soap w/ Erin White - all-natural handmade soap and body products, wax melts, essential oil blends laundry soap, dip, and drink mixes, bourbon coffee
Duffield Pottery w/Dwayne and Jo Ann Duffield - handmade, wheel-thrown, and hand-built stoneware pottery creations.
Fabric Arts w/Peggy Tanzey - fabric arts - hand quilting demonstration and free workshop
Granny Crafts w/Janet Blizard - homemade sew, crochet, and knit items
Hope Gems Jewelry w/Sara French - wire-wrapped necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings
Jones Signs & Designs w/Steven Jones - signs made with wood burner, hand-painted items, and more
Kayla's Homemade Gifts w/Kayla Strickland -homemade candles, wax melts, soap, pillows, lotion bars and lip balm
Kirk Tree w/Lisa Kirk - tumblers
LDA Creations w/Lacey Allman - shirts, cups, garden flags
Liberty Iron Works w/Mike Young (Saturday Only)- traditional and artistic handcrafted ironwork
Main Street Creations w/Angie Wilmoth and Peggy Dodrill - life-like doll babies, headbands, car charms, phone holders
Medicine Song Crafts w/ Kathryn Basham - handmade fiber arts, beadwork, wire-wrapping, mineral and fossil specimens
Mell's w/Millie Nichols - face painting, high striker for children, maybe tie-dyed and bleached flannel shirts
MoG Handmade w/Monica Goguen - Handmade artisan soap, bath bombs, and other bath and body
Moodlighting Beaded Jewelry w/Grenda Hawk - handmade beaded earrings and necklaces
Moss Scrollworks w/Terry Moss - scroll-sawed signs and decor
Ms. T's Lotion and Potion w/Thresa Liles
Nimbus Arts w/Kiera Theobald - stained glass creations
Paint Misbehavin' w/ Kristy Aldridge - face painting, balloon animals, henna, and glitter tattoos
Second Chance Bears w/Debbie Adams - hand-stitched stuffed bears, pot holders, primitives and hand-woven rugs
Silverwearables w/Becky George - products made from vintage flatware and silver; jewelry, key rings, bookmarks, ink pens, lamps, wind chimes
Stone Blossom Jewelry w/Jennifer Walsh - handcrafted bohemian/steampunk jewelry, driftwood/textile art, and homemade soap
Tanner Leather Works w/Eugene Breza - handcrafted leather products, belts, wallets, journals, key rings, pouches, knife sheaths, etc.
Uncommon Threads w/Libby Legg - home-sewn cork sallets, pouches, bags; hand stamped fabric products; wood earrings and jewelry
Vintage Steam w/Janet Jenkins - upcycled jewelry and junk journals
West Virginia Farm Charm w/Taylor Butcher and Logan McMillion - handmade apparel, accessories, and decor featuring farm animals and country living plus original photo canvases
West Virginia Public Broadcasting w/Kristi Morey - inside Appalachia program and podcast
Wild Child Herbals w/Pamela Sears - herbal salves and soaps
WV Natural Resources Police w/Soloman Carpenter - exhibit booth
2019 Craft Demonstrators
Sew With a 129-Year-Old Hand Crank Sewing Machine!
Manufactured in 1890 by the Singer Manufacturing Company, the hand-crank sewing machine pictured still sews a beautiful stitch. Also available to sew on, celebrating its 100th birthday, will be a 1919 Singer Sphinx sewing machine with a hand-crank attachment.
Listen to the soft clacking and whir of this machine as you try your hand at making a scented sachet. Like rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time, working a hand-crank sewing machine can start out slow but once you get the rhythm you will be turning out a lavender filled sachet in no time. (Fabric for sachets will vary in color)
It will be a once in a life time experience!
TATTING
Amy Walker will be demonstrating tatting at the Country Store as well as the Information Booth throughout the festival.
Although Amy is self-taught and has only been tatting for a few years, she is the fourth generation to tat in her family. Her maternal great-grandmother, maternal grandmother, and mother all tatted in their youth. Amy even has her great-grandmother’s and grandmother’s tatting shuttles which will be on display along with some of their tatted pieces.
WHAT IS TATTING?
Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace constructed by a series of knots and loops. Tatting can be used to make lace edging as well as doilies, collars, and other decorative pieces. The lace is formed by a pattern of rings and chains formed from a series of half-hitch knots, called double stitches (ds), over a core thread. Gaps can be left between the stitches to form picots, which are used for practical construction as well as decorative effect.
Tatting dates to the early 19th century. The term for tatting in most European languages is derived from French frivolité, which refers to the purely decorative nature of the textiles produced by this technique. The technique was developed to imitate point lace.
In German, tatting is called Schiffchenarbeit, which means the work of the little boat, referring to the boat-shaped shuttle. The Finnish equally describe tatting by calling it sukkulapitsi, which combines two words to describe the whole craft; sukkula, meaning shuttle, and pitsi, meaning lace; thus shuttlelace.
With recent trends towards being 'crafty', tatting is one of the 'new' old crafts being rediscovered. So make sure to stop by the West Virginia State Folk Festival and learn a sampling of tatting; tatting does not just have to be doilies and hankies, there is a whole world of imagination waiting to be explored.
Joe Yurkiewicz with Weaving (Located in the Country Store)
Melissa Dennison with Soap Making in a cast iron kettle
Peggy Tanzy with Simple Embroidery & Fabric Pin-Wheels
Making Brooms with Curt Cable (Hollow Hand Crafts)
Blacksmithing with Elijah Cable
More Demonstrators coming soon!!