Saturday at the Maker Faire
October 20, 2007 at 10:05 pm | Posted in Conference/Fair | Leave a commentWow. Maker Faire.
I was not sure what to expect when I went, but let me just tell you that I have never seen such a collection of involved and amazing stuff in one place. The Faire is HUGE, first of all. Ten booths just for the Robot Group here in Austin. A whole floor of electronic geekery, a field of organic foods, a store of kits and books, a barn full of DIY. I was worn out well before it was finished.
So, what was there? Modded computers, animatronic animals, air & water pianos, robot spin art, mechanical flowers that open up, a kick ass beer brewing setup, mini transistors to make, crazily articulated models, dimming 3-color LED lights – oh, and Instructables was there 
…
Organics: lots of tea, brownies, vegetables from multiple places, honey, goat cheese
Art cars, make-your-own buttons, carnival rides, demonstrations on several stages, Tesla coils, Jacob’s ladder, mechanical wood carvers (at least 3 kinds), Darth Vader Legos, Tinker Toys
(deep breath)
Sewing demonstrations, a truckload of yarn to try out, a big ol’ clothing swap & fashion show made of re-made clothes, spinning and weaving demonstrations, and various kids of machines that screamed and wailed when you touched them.
And dude, they had those guys with the Mentos and the Diet Coke – the Eepy Bird guys. And did I mention the rockets?
Seeing all the Austin people represented was very nice, although clearly there were a lot of out-of-towners as well. Very inspiring to go to, very obvious that a large part of Austin certainly doesn’t go home after work and crash in front of the TV.
So tired now. Will do show and tell later.
@ the Market
October 18, 2007 at 11:32 am | Posted in Blogging, Conference/Fair, Why craft? | 3 CommentsIf you’ve ever been to a craft fair, purchased a craft or piece of art, or sold at a fair, you’ll want to read the following two posts and the comments on them. This is the sort of post to inspire a new appreciation of artisans and handmade items - a great deal goes into the production of these items and what goes into being the person producing them.
I was really sorry to hear about Margaux’s experience at the Crafty Bastards fair in DC. As a regular Barbie-defacer when I was young, I am quite taken with Margaux’s work and the statements she makes with it. I really wish she made something with Barbie hair, as that was my favorite aspect to deface.
I am really disappointed in the show attendees. I am a former DC resident, and although it’s not probably the artsiest place around, it’s not a void, either, so why the unfriendlies? Plus,I’m sure the show attracted plenty of non-residents as well. So why so many people who came to a craft fair and made stupid, insensitive comments. Were they not expecting artisans? And for pete’s sake – the artist is right there and you’re being rude about her art to her face? Hello basic politeness? Plus, what’s up with people telling an artist what she “should” and “should not” be creative about? I think Margaux (and the other artists who put up with this crap) had tremendous restraint.
I have quite a few more thoughts about all this, and hey! I have a blog, so I can sit down and tell all of you all about them. If you want to read (and I am somewhat garrulous), then the rest is after the jump.
You know about the Maker Faire, right?
October 11, 2007 at 9:10 am | Posted in Conference/Fair, Nerd Craft, Weekend Warrior | Leave a commentAustin’s mayor, Will Wynn, just declared October 20 and 21 Maker’s Weekend in honor of the Maker Faire that will be in town that weekend. If you don’t know about the Maker Faire, it’s a giant … well, fair that brings together people who like to do it themselves and show you how to DIY too. It’s sponsored by the same folks who bring you the Make zine and the Craft zine (the O’Reilly publishers). And it IS for Crafters as much as for Makers. I think they oughtta change the name to the Maker/Crafter Faire! But this is only the second Faire (the first was last spring in San Francisco) so maybe it’s too early??
So… The “Maker Weekend” is in collaboration with the Keep Austin Weird idea that epitomizes much of what makes Austin a great place to live and work.
I’m going to copy for you some of what the Maker folks had to say about it all:
“The geek-loving, gadget-happy, DIY-fest, known as Maker Faire Austin is less than two weeks away! Tickets for the Oct. 20-21 event are selling fast, and geeks and hackers from across the country (and even overseas) are making their travel plans. To welcome them, Austin Mayor Will Wynn has officially declared the weekend ‘Maker’s Weekend.’”
“Austin is such a creative, vibrant town, and Maker Faire fits right in to our vibe and spirit,” explained Mayor Wynn. “America has such a thirst right now for creative self-expression. We also have an incredible need for out-of-the-box innovation. Maker Faire embodies the best of both of these worlds, and in a way that’s smart and fun. Therefore, we couldn’t be happier to welcome Maker Faire to Austin and to declare Oct. 20-21, ‘Maker’s Weekend.’”
Maker Faire Austin
- When: Oct. 20-21, 2007
- Where: Travis County Expo Center, 7311 Decker Lane
- Hours: Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 10am-5pm
For more info see the Make post on the blog or go to the website.
Crafting for Charity: Various bits
September 25, 2007 at 9:24 pm | Posted in Conference/Fair, Crafting for Charity | 4 CommentsOh no! I in my brilliance forgot to post that last Friday was World Alzheimer’s Day and that I’d seen a couple things craft-wise about it. I’ve kind of kept track since I posted about the Alzheimer’s Quilt Initiative a few weeks ago. Do good intentions count?
In other news, I noted that the upcoming Maker Faire in October here in Austin, Texas has given a nod to giving/charity via FirstGiving, a website where you can start a fund for a nonprofit. The Maker Faire will have a FirstGiving booth on hand.
[Note: I've taken off my information about giving, because Alison from FirstGiving stopped by my blog, and you can read more (and better!) information about it in her comment! Hi Alison! Just on another note, the nonprofit that I work for is on FirstGiving - I haven't figured it all out yet, but it seems like a really neat site!]
On a side note, can I say how exciting it is that the Maker Faire is approaching?
Finally, this week’s charity – this charity is in the business of collecting & delivering knitted orcrocheted teddy bears for children that have been involved in tragedies of some sort in Lebanon, Romania, Costa Rica and Brazil.
This site, Teddies for Tragedies, is a Canadian operation inspired by an English operation that began in the 1980s. There is a pattern on the website (use theirs, please!), and some pictures.
What neat things people do to help others feel better!
Handmade Nation Documentary
September 17, 2007 at 3:00 pm | Posted in Conference/Fair, Indie!, People Doing Crafts | Leave a commentThe documentary is nearing completion – it is in editing phase, and the clip below is a taste of what’s to come.
Wait, wait, what is this? It’s a woman who took 2006 to document the rise of the DIY/craft/indie/making movement in the US. More info? Check out the website.
See if you can spot all the Austinites and Austin pics in this clip. Wow.
Weekend Warrior: Bat Fest 2007
September 4, 2007 at 9:42 pm | Posted in Conference/Fair, Weekend Warrior | 1 CommentLiving in Austin means bats. We have a huge bat population in Austin, and a crowd of them – in fact the largest urban bat population in the world- lives under the Congress Avenue bridge over Lady Bird Lake. Three years ago they began the annual Batfest, which is a combination craft fair and music venue in addition to food, bat watching and other stuff.
Here are some pictures of my time at the craft festival – water in hand, thinking about the sunburn I was likely to get, listening to Texas rock and zydeco, wandering down the middle of a bridge. Sadly, it started pouring about an hour after I got there, but not before I got a good look at some things.
This is my husband, Jeff, on the Congress Avenue bridge with the craft fair and downtown Austin behind him.
This next is a lovely display of stained glass. There was a particularly nice sun piece I would have gotten if it hadn’t started pouring rain.
This is the booth for Fleegal Farms handmade soap & body care. The owner is there on the far left. I tried a bunch of stuff and talked a while to the owner and bought …
Two bars of soap! The Lavender Fields is for my mom, who is a Big Fan of Purple. The clay soap is for me, as I love facial clays.
Jewelry booths always seem to be the most popular, such as this brightly colored display of necklaces. There on the right is the necklace I bought from this very table.
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