Sue Blatt and Kathleen Habbley

Audrey Cho

Renegade Handmade

1924 W. Division, 773-227-2707

August 3, 2007

OLD FRIENDS KATHLEEN Habbley and Sue Blatt used to talk about opening a vintage store—but instead they ended up starting the Renegade Craft Fair, which in the past four years has become a late-summer must-hit for anyone remotely associated with the DIY revolution. Last weekend they opened Renegade Handmade, their first permanent location, and they’ve folded their interest in vintage duds back into the equation. Along with the expected cloth tote bags and silk-screened T-shirts, you’ll find cool hoodies with off-center zippers made from recycled sweatshirts and printed cotton bonnets from Giant Dwarf that look like a cross between 60s Euro-chic and something Laura Ingalls would wear. Vintage offerings include jeans, suede loafers, cowboy shirts, and lots of dresses and skirts with polka dots—I particularly liked a melon-colored housedress with ruffles along the short sleeves and V-neck. Nonwearables include little round paintings of chimps, whales, and pandas, shadow puppets in the shape of mermaids and dragons, and journals with recycled book covers (College Accounting, The Three Musketeers). Most clothes run about $20 or $30, nicer jewelry can go as high as $110, and you can buy pins for a buck. Or go home with a Sublime Stitching embroidery starter kit and bring back something to sell. —Heather Kenny

Belmont Army Lakeview 855 W. Belmont	Phaiz West Town 673 N. Milwaukee	Andersonville Galleria Andersonville 5247 N. Clark	2 Sisters West Loop 1167 W. Madison
Golden Age Pilsen 1500 W. 17th	Pivot West Town 1101 W. Fulton	Charlotte Russe Loop 10 S. State	Renegade Handmade Wicker Park 1924 W. Division
Gray Old Town 1361 N. Wells	Florodora South Loop 330 S. Dearborn	A.Okay Official Lakeview 3720 N. Clark	Intermix Gold Coast 40 E. Delaware
Bess & Loie West Loop 1015 W. Lake	Gamma Player Wicker Park 2035 W. Division	Malabar Bucktown 1880 N. Damen	Mia Mora Logan Square 2639 W. Fullerton
Roslyn Bucktown 2035 N. Damen	Ouest West Loop 1063 W. Madison	Kaveri Lincoln Park 1211 W. Webster	Lissa on Maxwell University Village 729 W. Maxwell
TK Men Bucktown 1909 W. North	MNG by Mango Downtown Water Tower Place	Doggy Style Pet Shop Wicker Park 2023 W. Division	Sweden Shop Albany Park 3304 W. Foster
Permanent Records Ukranian Village 1914 W. Chicago	Michelle Tan Wicker Park 1872 N. Damen	Akira Bucktown 1814 W. North

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