Carlyle's annual Homespun weekend, held on Sept. 20 and 21, is a much-anticipated event throughout southern Saskatchewan. As "The Biggest Little Craft Show in Saskatchewan," Homespun has evolved into an economic and public relations success story for the town of Carlyle and has expanded from a one-day event to a three-event show that encompasses the entire weekend, and now includes the Homespun Quilt Show and the Dennis Neelin Memorial Show and Shine.
The 28th edition of Homespun was held at the Carlyle Sports Arena and the juried show and sale featured over 80 vendors from across Canada, this year from the west coast to Ontario.
Homespun founder Judy Riddell says, "We are juried and we don't take all of the vendors who apply. About one-third of our vendors are new every year. We like to keep it fresh and we like to keep evolving."
Among the additions to this year's Homespun vendors are Duane Leicht of Kipling's 'You've Got Maille' who brought a Saskatchewan Roughrider jersey made entirely from chain maille for display and to sell his line of jewellery and home accessories. "I came because it's kind of an untapped market for me and I want to see how my stuff would sell," he says, adding, "It's been great. I've had tons of people stop by our booth. They're fascinated by the fact that the jersey and all of our stuff is made of individual rings."
This year, the unique and varied selection of items for sale included jewellery, furniture, original art and clothing as well as accessories for men and women, children's wear, toys and games and a carefully-curated assortment of edible items.
Homespun attracts 3,500 to 4,000 shoppers every year and Riddell says "about $180,000 worth of product goes out the doors. We're told that for every one dollar we generate, we create five dollars in community value."
Many of Homespun's patrons return year after year, such as a group of Saskatoon nurses who have made it their Christmas shopping destination. Says Riddell: "They've made Homespun a destination and a tradition," she says. "They stay at the [Bear Claw] Casino and they also do their shopping."
"It's awesome," says Debbie Bedecs of Carlyle. "There's a great cross-section of exhibits."
Sarah Villamar who now lives in Carlyle, but who comes from the Phillipines, says, "It's great. There is lots of room and it's very well-organized. There are so many different things for all ages and tastes, from baby stuff and up. It's good to show Canadian crafts here. It's good for me to be able to learn about them here."
Vendor Erin Kembel of Winnipeg's EMK Clothing agrees. "It's my second year here. It's been great, because it's a pretty big demographic here. I've had 12-year-olds up to 80-year-olds at my booth."
In addition to shopping, many Homespun visitors also viewed collectible autos at the 7th Annual Dennis Neelin Memorial Show & Shine and barbeque lunch at Merit Ford and also enjoyed the artistry at the Quilt Show at Carlyle Memorial Hall.
The hospitality continued with a pancake breakfast on Saturday morning, hosted by the Legion, followed by a roast beef 'Supper in the Field' that evening. Throughout the weekend, the Rink Board also supplied homemade food at the Homespun Pantry in the arena.
Twelve-year-Homespun veteran Bonnie Freitag says, "We couldn't do any of this without our volunteers and sponsors. There are so many and we would really like to thank them all, because we couldn't do any of it without them. For example, Subway supplies us with cookies for our vendors and Royalty Drycleaning presses all of the hostess aprons for us."
From the beginning, Riddell says, "The focus of Homespun is to create a quality show while showcasing the hospitality of the town."
Once again, Homespun has succeeded on both counts.
