World Maker Faire New York is this weekend, and we’ve put together a full schedule for of awesome demos for both days at the CRAFT booth. Each day this week, we’ll profile one of the folks who will be presenting. Be sure to mark your schedule and head to the CRAFT booth for all the fun!
Presenter: Maura Madden of CRAFTERNOON
Project: Soundplushies: Hand Prints: Stamps You Can Make and Find
Day/Time: Saturday at 11 AM
Tell us about what you’ll be demonstrating at the CRAFT booth at Maker Faire:
I’ll be showing folks how to make simple prints with handmade stamps and other techniques. I’m into really simple crafts that embrace the beauty of imperfection, so it will be messy. But I like messy things.
How did you get started with crafting?
My mom has always been a crafter, so I started crafting at a very young age. And when I got interested in seriously crafting again in my mid-twenties, my mom taught me how to knit and helped me get reacquainted with her sewing machine. She has always been a crafty role model for me.
What are your main sources of inspiration?
I host Crafternoons at the New York Public Library, and they are one of my main sources of inspiration. My co-host, Jessica Pigza, is a librarian, and she pulls amazing books from the collection for each event for attendees to explore, which is totally exciting. And then seeing all of the different crafts that people make and the many ways that people approach crafting is really invigorating. And of course, New York City is a constant source of inspiration. I live in Greenpoint in Brooklyn, and there are so many artists here. Even walking my dog, I’ve met people that have such cool, crafty jobs. There is a lady who lives near me who hand dyes fabric for top design houses! She has given me suggestions on how to make hand dyed clothes color fast. And my husband is and actor and a visual artist, and sometimes we will have craft sessions together, just the two of us. The way that he makes art is very inspiring to me.
What new idea (in or outside of your field) has excited you most recently?
I’m so into rooftop farms and edible estates. There is a rooftop farm in our neighborhood, and one of our favorite restaurants, Annella, gets a lot of their produce from there. It’s great to know that the local food they refer to on their menu is unbelievably local – about five blocks away! And the edible estates movement, which encourages people to get rid of their suburban front lawn and replace it with a garden, that is an amazing idea! I have been a member of a farmshare program for a few years now, and I am so happy to know where some of my food comes from. And with rooftops and lawns being converted into spaces that produce food, I know that people will continue to eat better and live healthier lives.
http://rooftopfarms.org/
http://www.anellabrooklyn.com/
http://www.fritzhaeg.com/garden/initiatives/edibleestates/main.html
What is your motto?
Handmake the life you want to lead.
Links:
Website: www.crafternoon.com
Twitter: crafternoonNY
Other: http://www.crafternoon.com/blog
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