Get Comfy

Cocooning done right! Thank you Chrissa.

> Scott on 02/26/08 #

Handmade Slippers & Shoes

I recently came across this flickr photoset of the most beautiful handmade embroidered slippers by Teresa Cunha and also mary janes made by etsy seller netamir.

We interviewed maker Jenine Bressner last year and she talked about making her own shoes too, in 2006 she was featured on the MAKE blog.

> Handmade Nation on 02/25/08 #

Necktie Wallets

Laura Skelton makes the cutest wallets out of neckties among other sustainable upcycled things.

> Tsia on 02/22/08 #

To Dye For

My mom, handspinner and fiber artist extraordinaire, recently told me about Culinary Colors, eco-friendly dyes for fiber and fabrics. Great colors and non-toxic for one's stove-top experiments. So long RIT dye, there's a new kid in the vat!

> Abigail on 02/18/08 #

smockshop

Andrea Zittel has been working with ideas of uniform and clothing in her work since 1991. I was first introduced to her smockshop project when she was an artist in residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts last summer. Zittel designed a pattern for a wraparound smock which she gives to artists who reinterpret it and sew one-of-a-kind garments. Part of the concept is to create an income generating enterprise to help support artists who have primarily non-commercial project-based art practices. The smocks flew off the shelves during the smockshop installation in October at Susan Inglett Gallery in New York and there is a plan for a storefront in L.A. in the near future.

> helena on 02/18/08 #

Detergent Paintings Visible Only Under UV

Craig Paul Nowak paints with laundry detergent. The resulting images are invisible under ordinary light but fluoresce brilliantly under UV. I always wanted to make some paintings that incorporated both visible and UV-active pigments, so that the image would look like one thing under normal light, and something else under blacklight.

> Sean on 02/15/08 #

a refashioned shipyard

I may not agree with some of Urban Outfitters business practices, but damn, I want to work there...

> pretendingsanity on 02/15/08 #

DIY City Mag Launches

Today marks the launch of a new online magazine called DIY City Mag
www.diycitymag.com

From the mouth of the editors Deb and Wendy:

DIY City is an online magazine that celebrates the independent artist and the DIY spirit. The idea for the mag grew out of a need to find art supplies and resources in New York City. NYC was a natural pick for our first issue as it seems that just about everyone moonlights doing some type of creative work. DIY, or do-it-yourself, has a broad range of meanings. For us it represents the creative spirit of individuals making things in a move away from mass production. Some of the DIYs we've met make wares to give or trade with others, while many others make them to sell in the ever growing DIY marketplace.

> Handmade Nation on 02/14/08 #

Making Headlines

spun newspaper makes yarn. I have seen some other paper rugs and they were shockingly durable. Greetje van Tiem from the Design Academy Eindhoven’s Man and Leisure dept. Here I was in regular old textiles. Thanks Ritch.

> Scott on 02/14/08 #

Outsider Quilt Lecture NYC

Susan Shie, quilt artist and teacher, will speak about her work at the February 20th meeting of the Textile Study Group of New York.

> Tsia on 02/11/08 #