Trashion at Maker Faire

Maker Faire says its "A two-day, family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement". Its also a group of brilliant geeks, a few Burning Man vehicles, the Life Size Mousetrap Game (literally), edgy crafters, 3D printers, food and lots more.  There are even some boring corporate booths but no one pays much attention to them because they don't have the cool stuff. 

Last weekend I presented my Trashion Accessories workshop at World Maker Faire in New York and won an Editor's Choice Award. The creativity and the crowds (estimated at over 50,000 people) were overwhelming! 

It was a bit crazy to present a one-on-one workshop to hundreds of people (mostly kids) outdoors for two full days. The goal was to make a fun and wearable accessory. I brought an array of interesting materials that cost me next to nothing: discarded weed wacker cords, T shirts, computer cables, felted sweaters, wire, a leopard print Snuggie, safety pins, thread, magazines, cardboard, Diet Coke bottles and, most importantly, a ton of patience. 

I was really amazed to see how people were able to stop and create in the middle of a chaotic festival surrounded by so many interesting things. They committed to making something and didn't walk away until they were done. Then they walked away very proudly wearing their creation -- which in almost every case was quite cool. 

Disney was giving away plastic kites just a few booths away.  In spite of Disney's resources (and the obvious name and character recognition) the kids had a much richer experience making their own things out of a bunch of stuff that cost practically nothing. 

Interesting Footprint

Amid all the footprints in the sand  along the shore this one caught my eye. I'm assuming that someone wore flip flops with "REUSE" carved into the bottom.

I love my recycled flip flop doormat and I have recycled flip flop bracelets too. I reuse all kinds of things that come across my path but so far I haven't made anything out of flip flops. So that's my latest challenge. What can I make out of this summer's old flip flops? (They're in the washer now getting freshened up.)

Crafting & Activism

Crafting and activism are two of my very favorite things, so when I get to do both at the same time its just a perfect day. Last Sunday I joined the Occupy Arts & Labor group Debt Squares project.

I made the square in the foreground of this photo. It represents my home because I almost lost it due to medical debt after a serious illness. Debt is a huge burden, and to make matters worse many of us (like me) feel guilty about, even if it was though no fault of our own. It was so healing and empowering to sew and share with the other people participating in this project.