Maker Faire 2011, Part 5 - Fun with Fabrics

My ONLY complaint about Maker Faire this year was the slight under-representation of the traditional handicrafts. I felt like it was heavier on tech and science than previously. In 2010, Martha Stewart, Lion Brand and Red Heart really anchored that section of the Faire. Also, there was a lot more swag last year. However, if you looked, you could find your niche and your loot of buttons, cards, and magazines. Burda Fabric presented sewing demos and Craftzine also was featuring demos and discussions.

Here are some of the crafty highlights.

l: This lovely lady proudly inked herself with a vintage Singer. She also made the most darling dress for Elle. r: Look at the ruching and pining on this dress. It, and the sari featured below, were made by the students at one of the special arts high schools in NYC.

The dress below on the left is one of the creations of Nit Ra Sit (www.nitrasit.com) who combines global diversity with modern designs. This cloth was from Africa, recreated into an intricate gown. She also showed Jane and me two beautiful turquoise tunics made from one Indian sari. We also saw obi cloths transformed into belts and wraps. Gorgeous.

The pins on the right were on the label of the jacket shown below. Further below: It's amazing how iconic some of the Sesame Street Muppet characters truly are. One field of color and some eyes and you know who exactly is hanging out. Say hello to my little friends ... Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Oscar.

l: See Spot. See Spot Run. See Spot be made with a framework, fabric, and some fake fur.

r: Don't let the look on his face fool you. He jumped on the chance to try his hand at the machine. It just jammed and then the little old lady had to help him out. Dude's street cred was shot.

One of the high points for me and Jane was attending a quilting demo by Lish from Craft. She made it seem so simple, I want to crack out Grandma Ollie's sewing machine and my stash of fabric. (Alas, I must get the machine looked at first.) As a bonus? I won a drawing for a vintage out-of-print copy of the magazine.

Maker Faire is great. I keep thinking that I need to get a two-day pass next year. One day you look around and see the sights. Day 2 would be for getting to the lectures and more demos. Also, some of the fun stuff all seems to be at the same time. Two years in a row I didn't get to see the Coke/Mentos explosion. This year there were great fun speakers like John Hodgman and David Pogue, not to mention Crafter extraordinaire Brett Bara - who came in on Sunday. Plus, who knows how much international cuisine will be there for the tasting?

If you have a chance to visit at Maker Faire in your area, I highly recommend that you go.