Archive: Maker Faire
September 22, 2009
Maker Faire on the Travel Channel Tomorrow!


Set your DVRs for this awesome segment on the Travel Channel, filmed at Maker Faire Bay Area 2009.
Extreme Conventions, Travel Channel, "This ain't no Dental Convention!"
Wednesday, September 23rd at 8PM Eastern time (check local listings for your area)
Posted by Becky Stern |
Sep 22, 2009 01:00 PM
Events, Maker Faire |
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September 17, 2009
Today! Maker Faire on CBS's "Eye on the Bay"

If you're in the SF Bay area, don't miss the segment on Maker Faire tonight at 7 p.m. on CBS 5's Eye on the Bay!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Sep 17, 2009 09:00 AM
Announcements, Maker Faire |
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August 15, 2009
Crafty Chica, Fellow Makers Profiled in airTran Magazine
During Maker Faire Bay Area back in May, we had the pleasure of having the Craftzine area situated right across from the ILoveToCreate booth, where Crafty Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo spent the weekend demoing glitter-filled crafts. It wasn't unusual to visit her booth and come back trailing glitter on our shoes or clothes, but we were still blown away when Kathy came over to visit and was - quite literally - covered in glitter. She explained that she had just been photographed for an article in go magazine from airTran, and that the photographer had decided to dump an entire bottle of Crafty Chica Bollywood Blue glitter over her head for the picture. I can't think of a more perfect setting for her! The article is now available on the magazine's web site, and also profiles several other Makers at the Bay Area Maker Faire. I only wish there was a larger version of Kathy's picture, so the glitter could be in full effect!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Aug 15, 2009 03:00 PM
Maker Faire |
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July 17, 2009
Vote for Swap-O-Rama-Rama in the Grant for Change

Maker Fair's own Swap-O-Rama-Rama has been nominated for a grant in the Grant for Change program. Your vote for it is needed! The founder of Swap-O-Rama-Rama, Wendy Tremayne is also a writer for Craft and Make. Please cast a vote today!The way you vote is to log in, and rate it by clicking the stars at the bottom right. Five stars is the highest rating.

As you may well know Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a creative commons, non-profit that offers cities around the world assistance in producing Swap-O-Rama-Rama events in which communities are engaged in artist lead workshops, silk screening and sewing as they repurpose used clothing into new goods. The essence of the event is the transformation of consumers into creators through experiential play. The event, now in over 60 cities world wide, has recycled hundreds of thousands of pounds of clothing.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jul 17, 2009 10:00 AM
Maker Faire |
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July 6, 2009
Maker Faire: Crafting with Sylvia

On the Sunday morning of Maker Faire, I was armed with paper and glue sticks to start my paper bead jewelry crafts with the kids. One of them was this adorable girl named Sylvia who wanted to make a paper bead necklace. Sylvia worked on her necklace while her mom helped her cut strips. She quietly planned her design while coloring and glueing her strips of paper. In the end, she wasn't satisfied with just paper beads around an elastic band. She started to cut out a small piece of paper and gathered scraps that were on the table. It turns out that the final touch to her design piece was a triangle pendant embellished with pieces of glittery elastic which she attached to the necklace with piece of ribbon. I loved how she whipped up her own touch to the project in a matter of minutes. Her mom took a picture of us to capture her finished necklace and then she adorably asked for my autograph.
Sylvia recently did a blog post (with special help from her dad) recapping our morning at Maker Faire. It turns out today is Sylvia's 8th birthday so I wanted to wish this little crafter a Happy Birthday! I can't wait to see you again at the next Maker Faire!
You can see more photos of us crafting in my flickr set. She also got meet with our fellow MAKE peeps, Kip Kay and John Park.

Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jul 6, 2009 12:00 PM
Kids, Maker Faire |
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June 26, 2009
Mini Maker Faires at Copperfield's Starting This Weekend

Starting this weekend, Copperfield's books in CA is hosting a series of mini Maker Faires, we hope you can join us for a fun afternoon this summer! Download this PDF for more information.
Mini Maker Faires at Copperfield's:
6/26 - Sebastopol (11am - 1pm)
7/11 - Petaluma (11am - 1pm)
7/18 - Montgomery Village (11am - 1pm)
7/25 - Healdsburg (11am - 1pm)
8/1 - Petaluma (11am - 1pm)
8/8 - Montgomery Village (11am - 1pm)
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 26, 2009 02:00 PM
Events, Maker Faire |
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June 20, 2009
CraftyPod at Maker Faire: Why Do You Make Things?

Diane of CraftyPod launches her first of several podcasts she recorded at Maker Faire. This CraftyPod episode asks "Why Do You Make Things?" to a bunch of crafters such as Crafty Chica, Nicole Vasbinder, and Kristin Roach.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 20, 2009 06:00 PM
General, Maker Faire |
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June 9, 2009
Threadbanger Maker Faire Coverage
Check out this rad video by the folks at Threadbanger of their experience at Maker Faire. Awesome, thanks Rob and Corinne!
Last weekend, Threadbanger hosts Rob and Corinne traveled to San Francisco for the world famous Maker Faire. On Sunday, they launched their first-ever Twitter-activated scavenger hunt that led participants through the throngs of booths and vendors to the best of the best crafters. The grand prize winner picked up a brand new Janome Sewing Machine, but while on the hunt, participants picked up dozens of prizes from the likes of Kodak, Duncan, Provo Craft, Make Magazine, Coats and Clark Thread, Generation T/Dritz, Simplicity Pattern Company and Janome.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 9, 2009 09:00 AM
Maker Faire |
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June 8, 2009
Giant Needlearts Display at Maker Faire
One of the most eye-catching booth displays at Maker Faire came from The National NeedleArts Association. Their oversized knitting and embroidery props were not only fun to see, but were actually fully functional, too! This video captures the folks from TNNA working with students who visited Maker Faire and were able to actually stitch on plastic fence webbing with a giant embroidery needle and knit with 10-foot long knitting needles. They stitched with giant lengths of yarn made from plastic bags tied together.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jun 8, 2009 03:00 PM
Maker Faire, Needlearts |
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CRAFT at Maker Faire: Talking with Lion Brand Yarn
The Lion Brand Yarn booth is always a fun place at Maker Faire. It's always constantly busy so I found some time on Sunday morning before the fair opened to talk with Zontee Hou and Liz Shaw on all the fun things coming up with Lion Brand Yarn and their podcast at YarnCraft.


See some of my photos from Lion Brand Yarn at Maker Faire and photos from Lion Brand's blog.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 8, 2009 12:00 PM
Maker Faire, Yarn |
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June 5, 2009
Thousand Hand Quilt at Maker Faire
The San Mateo Area Chapter of the Embroiderers Guild of America was at Maker Faire last weekend with a fascinating project. They brought 24 crazy quilt blocks and encouraged folks to stop by and hand embroider on them, with their goal of having one thousand hands work on the quilt. Over the weekend, they had at least 100 people stop by for five to 30 minutes to stitch designs and beading on to the quilt blocks.
I added a five-petal Lazy Daisy flower on one block, and loved chatting with the ladies at the booth. I love the idea of a collaborative stitching project like this. The chapter will continue to take the blocks to various events throughout the year, and hope to have the completed quilt finished and on display at the 2010 Maker Faire Bay Area. I'm looking forward to seeing it then!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jun 5, 2009 03:00 PM
Maker Faire, Needlearts, Quilting |
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Maker Faire Crafty Fashion

Sarah James of Instructables (scoochmaroo) modeled her Instructables t-shirt dress she refashioned. How adorable is that? i love that she had Instructables buttons to hold up her dress straps.

This crafter came over to the CRAFT booth and I was dying over the handmade dinosaur sweater vest she had on! She didn't make it herself but it is handmade and she picked up this gem for only $4 at the thrift store. Check out the awesome terradactyl on the back.
More Maker Faire crafty fashion photos after the jump!
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Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 5, 2009 08:00 AM
Fashion, Maker Faire |
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June 4, 2009
CRAFT at Maker Faire: Talking Star Wars Crafts
I caught up with Bonnie Burton of StarWars.com and her crafty assistant Terri Hodges after their last Star Wars kids craft workshop at Maker Faire on Sunday afternoon. Watch the video and find out some of the cool stuff coming up in the world of Star Wars crafting!
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.

Check out Bonnie's Maker Faire recap on the Star Wars blog and Ewok Sock Puppet photos and Yoda Stick Puppet photos, as well as all of her photos around Maker Faire.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 4, 2009 05:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Kids, Maker Faire |
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June 3, 2009
Fluid Sculpture Dress at Maker Faire


Here's one of the pieces I was looking forward to seeing at Maker Faire this year. Rachel Hobson managed to snap a few photos, and I got to meet the creator of this fluid-pumping dress made from surgical tubing. From the Casual Profanity site:
There was one question I got frequently that is worth answering, and that is: “how did you think of this”?
Forgetting for a second that we’re talking about a dress made with tubes and a pump and not, for instance, something useful. I would like to propose that the origin of this, and most any idea, is a bit absurd and mostly irrelevant.
What is vital though, and of greater influence on any project, is how it perpetuates.
The Maker Faire is what motivated me. The receptive, forgiving, and care-full group of people represented there and on the internet is of much greater consequence to my project than whatever random elements fused at its conception.
More:
Knitted Plastic Tubing makes Fluid Sculpture
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 3, 2009 04:00 PM
Arts & Design, Fiber Art, Maker Faire |
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Maker Faire Through The Eyes of a Pre-Teen
When we report on Maker Faire, a lot of it surrounds cool things we see. Truly, though, the best part of Maker Faire is the people we meet. Online connections are great, but it's that in-person interaction that really makes events like Maker Faire exceptional. Back in October at Maker Faire Austin, I had the pleasure of meeting Maddy Sherman and her mom and younger brother. I stopped her to compliment the Pysanky egg she'd made at the Craftastica booth. I took her picture, we chatted briefly, and I wrote down her name and email address before parting ways.
This past weekend at Maker Faire Bay Area, we had hundreds of people coming in and out of the CRAFT area, and as one woman and I started to talk we had a simultaneous moment of recognition. It was none other than Maddy's mom, and she quickly pointed out that Maddy was busy working on a needle felting project in our needle felting lounge area. It turns out that Maddy and her family live in Los Angeles, and have been to the last three Maker Faires - including traveling out to Texas for Maker Faire Austin. I had a great conversation with her mom and with Maddy, who proudly declares, "I make something every single day." I asked Maddy if she'd be up for writing a post-Maker Faire report from the eyes of a 12-year-old, and here's what she had to say.
If any of you have been to the Maker Faire, the first thing that stands out is the people. There is no average maker. They range from LEGO obsessors to women and men in 18th century couture. The interesting part about it is that they are all there for the same reason - creative insight and inspiration.
I, being a 12-year-old girl, was more than overwhelmed by the throngs of people with cup creations and tape wallets marching around to get from one hall to the others. Other than that, it was a crafter's dream. Every which way there another spectacle. Whether it was Japanese art or adorable felt toys, there was no way you could be bored. There was always some tutorial or show we could see. The first day we went, my seven-year-old brother accompanied us. To put it nicely, Milo is fascinated with LEGO. I should say obsessed. Anyways, when he reached the LEGO exhibit, he freaked. He screamed. He yelled. I mean that literally. After that piercing example of excitement, he raced to the LEGO buildings. My mom said that I could go find something to look at while he played. Next, I wandered to the Ponko table, where they displayed their innovative methods of creating laser-cut art. I made a bracelet made of plastic with a laser-cut tree design. It was so awesome.
We cruised through a ton of things. We looked at a learn to knit booth that was giving out yarn to customers. The next day we got to the things we missed. My mom and I sat in on an embroidery tutorial led by Rachel Hobson. After that, we looked at the Bazaar Bizarre and Swap-o-Rama-Rama. I found a sweatshirt that was perfect. A little big, but it was in perfect condition. I got it screen printed and was amazed at how wonderful it turned out. The guys at the silk screen station had a ton of designs and we were able to choose them for free. How great is that?
The next few hours consisted of being constantly amazed by the jewelry and machines being sold and demoed. Overall, there is no way you can be in the vicinity of Maker Faire and not attend. You don't even have to be crafty! It will get you inspired and pumped up to create things. This is a definite worthwhile place to visit.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jun 3, 2009 03:00 PM
Maker Faire |
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CRAFT at Maker Faire: Talking with Crafty Chica
I walked around the craft area at Maker Faire and got some great short interviews with some crafters which I'll be posting up here for you each day. First up is Crafty Chica herself, Kathy Cano-Murillo where she and the team at Duncan's Ilovetocreate.com made glitter art and sparkly sequined treasure tins.
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 3, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Maker Faire |
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June 2, 2009
More Views From Maker Faire
I just got back to Austin from Maker Faire at 1:00 this morning, so I'm going to let these pictures do the talking for how amazing our Maker Faire experience was. We met fantastic people, held hugely helpful demonstrations and got great feedback from people who are keeping up with CRAFT on the Internet. Stay tuned for more coverage this week, including a kid's point of view report of Maker Faire!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jun 2, 2009 11:00 AM
Maker Faire |
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June 1, 2009
Maker Faire Coverage Continues

As our team recovers from Maker Faire, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all the people who came by to say hi to us at the CRAFT booth! We love what you are making and that you are reading CRAFT online and following our tweets. It was an amazing and inspiring weekend for us. Give us a bit of time and soon we will have lots of post-faire coverage.
Here's some fun pictures from me in the meantime. (L to R, Top to Bottom) Rachel and me [ photo by Marie Kare ], Diane from CraftyPod doing the Button It Up! button hairclip demo, Bonnie from StarWars.com and Terri with the Ewok sock puppets and R2D2, "The Gang" Rachel, Matt, Becky, and Alex waiting in line for the amazing paella dinner on Friday, Becky after her awesome "Intro to Soft Electronics" demo with the winner of her giveaway, and finally, myself with Corrine and Rob from Threadbanger where they hosted the Threadbanger Twitter Scavenger Hunt. More pics and videos are coming!
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 1, 2009 12:30 PM
Maker Faire |
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May 31, 2009
Boy Makes Needle Felted Surfing Chicken at Maker Faire

Maker Faire: We missed this 5 year-old's name while he was at the needle felting playground yesterday with Brookelynn Morris with his mom and brother, but he made the most awesome surfing chicken sculpture from wool! It even has some white froth at the edge of the wave.
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 31, 2009 10:52 AM
Maker Faire |
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May 30, 2009
Views From Maker Faire
I took some time Friday evening to walk around Maker Faire and soak in as much as I could. I knew that when the Faire officially kicked off this morning, I'd be too busy to get to spend much time strolling! I peeked in on folks setting up their booths at Bazaar Bizarre, scoped out the Swap-O-Rama-Rama area while it was empty and still and got lost in LEGO world. Stay tuned for full coverage, and don't forget to follow us on Twitter for our on-the-spot posts from Maker Faire!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
May 30, 2009 08:00 AM
Maker Faire |
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