Meet the Makers at Maker Faire

May 15th, 2008 in other crafts, jewelry making

Laurel_Tuohy, member

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The Lifesize Mousetrap installation was an unforgettable site.

Photo: Laurel Tuohy

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Though we were busy for most of the weekend of May 3 & 4 talking to folks about CraftStylish at our booth at Make magazine's Maker Faire, I did slip away for a few moments to see the sites...

The installations at the fair were amazing: a life-size version of the children's game Mousetrap called, um, Lifesize Mousetrap and manned by people dressed up as mice; a carnival-style ride with swings that was powered by a single person riding a stationary bike in its center; a "bus" to get around the large fairgrounds that was powered by all the passengers pedaling bike pedals at once and the fairgrounds watched over by several-stories high statues of men and women crafted of rusted scrap metal, wires and chains.

I heard a talk by Jake von Slatt, founder of Steampunk Workshop, an online community of people who remake electronics to give them a Victorian-era feel - look for my video interview with von Slatt - coming soon!

There were also several oportunities to make things at the fair. Craft magazine was letting people felt wool and create small projects next to their booth; Stitch Lounge and Singer teamed up to create a sewing station where fairgoers could create a fabric lunch sack or buttoned bracelet out of a tie with assistance, if needed.

I chose to pay $25 for a ball of silver Precious Metal Clay (PMC) and worked with the very knowledgable Robyn Kleinhans of the California Institute of Jewelry Training. Then, I crafted two silver charms which then needed to dry, be fired for three minutes, cured in cool water and shined to perfection. My mom got one of them for Mother's Day. It felt good to make something.