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Maker Faire: The Skills
Oct. 20th, 2007 05:38 pmOne thing about making is that it requires skills. I went to the Maker Faire hoping to learn some. I didn't. Oh, plenty of people were teaching things, but in most cases they just didn't have the resources to teach everyone who came by. Other people were just demonstrating how to do things. And most people were just showing off the things they had already finished making.
I mostly walked by people's booths, looked at their stuff, and moved on. If someone else was there asking interesting questions, I would hang around and listen for the answers. I wish I were better at taking initiative sometimes, but alas, not yet.
Silk Screening
I did take some initiative at the Swap-o-rama. Specifically, there were some folks with silk screening supplies all set up and ready to silk screen items you brought or found on the donation tables. I had actually brought two t-shirts for this purpose, just in case: a smokey blue one and a bright yellow one that I really like but never wear. I saw one design I really liked of an old-time bicycle where the front wheel is gigantic and I asked them to silk screen it onto my smoky blue shirt. They did. I got to hold the screen down while the volunteer provided the skilled labor. I learned that silk screen ink should be the consistency of hot fudge. It totally worked. Then she sent me off to the hair dryers to dry the ink. Now I have a cool shirt that totally fits me to wear with black shorts or pants.
Clothes Swapping
I also found another black jacket (I may have a lifetime supply now) and some dressy but flat and therefore somewhat comfortable black shoes. And I just picked them up off the table and stuffed them in the backpack I brought for the purpose.
Wardrobe Refashioning
There were some displays showing before-and-after images of things like shirts becoming dresses. And a few people were using their sewing machines to make such transformations.
One person showed me how she was using fabric from a second garment in a complimentary pattern to make sleeves for her original garment.
I even saw someone run to one of the donation tables, dig through it, and come back triumphantly with a garment of the same color as the one on the sewing machine. I think they liberated the donated garment of its zipper for a newly created skirt.
It was sometimes interesting to watch, but I could learn those kinds of skills more easily from the Wardrobe Refashion website and from asking my sister to show me stuff than from attending this event.
Tatting
I got to watch people tatting, which looks complicated and time-consuming and results in lace. Raaga123 was impressed. She knows some other lace-making techniques but had never been interested in trying this method until today because the results she'd seen before looked like something a drunken spider would make. (I think I got that quote right! The lady doing the awesome tatting also liked that description.)
Machine Knitting
I got to see people doing machine knitting. Many of the people who dropped by said they would prefer using knitting needles because they find regular knitting to be soothing somehow. The knitting machines involved sliding something back and forth and sometimes readjusting things. It was a bit noisy. And one of the knitters admitted you can't just have one of these machines on your lap in front of the TV. But it's so much faster than knitting just by hand.
They said that some of the machines are so perfect that the result looks like machine knitting, but some look like hand knitting. To me, the exciting thing about hand knitting is not the imperfection, but the perfection. Skilled knitters can make something that fits perfectly. That goes perfectly with something else you have. With yarn that is an exact match to your eye color. Using materials to which you are not allergic. It's the personalization I like best.
Electronics
I saw people messing with wires and computers and stuff. I didn't understand enough to be able to appreciate any of that.
Calligraphy
I got to see some of the most awesome calligraphy I've ever seen before today. The first time I went by the table I admired the calligraphy and allowed them to write my name on a bookmark and give it to me. When I dragged Raaga123 to see, she asked more questions, actually got to try dipping the pen in the ink and writing with it, and learned about the Capitol City Scribes. This is a group that meets monthly for the purpose of "fostering both community and personal growth through the art of beautiful writing."
(I love those kinds of groups. Who knows how many there are? How do you even find out about them besides randomly hanging around in cool places with cool people who ask the right series of questions? I saw that the Texas Juggling Society, a similar kind of group, was there, but I already know about their existence.)
I once got one of those calligraphy pens which are felt-tipped pens designed so that you can write letters of inconstant thickness. It was cool, but not easy. I practiced a while. Then for a while I used that pen every time I wanted to label something, even just a box to stick in the garage, just so I could practice.
Of course these folks don't really like those pens. The kind with cartridges are a step up, but they recommend buying a "real" pen.
It's not easy for them either, or at least it's slower than regular cursive writing.
Note for Today's Readers
I also saw a lot of really cool stuff, most of which I have no clue how to make. Like art cars, dancing fire, competing robots, rockets, disgusting Halloween ick, and performances, including hourly shows of a Rube Goldberg mousetrap and of a trebuchet. If this sounds cool and you are anywhere near Austin go there tomorrow. It's $25 per person with the usual discounts.
If you want to ride on one of the human-powered carnival rides or get something silk screened or take initiative and ask questions, show up right when they open tomorrow, like it's an amusement park.
Hints: No food or drink is allowed, but there is festival food at festival prices. There are water fountains and indoor restrooms available--in the buildings--even though you will also see port-a-potties and water sold by the bottle. There are two buildings and a big covered area plus some things out in the sun--don't miss any of it. You will be walking in dirt; wear comfortable shoes. If there is a long line to get the wristband you need to do some of the participatory things, just skip it; you'll have another chance to sign the release form near at least some of the things that require it.
I mostly walked by people's booths, looked at their stuff, and moved on. If someone else was there asking interesting questions, I would hang around and listen for the answers. I wish I were better at taking initiative sometimes, but alas, not yet.
Silk Screening
I did take some initiative at the Swap-o-rama. Specifically, there were some folks with silk screening supplies all set up and ready to silk screen items you brought or found on the donation tables. I had actually brought two t-shirts for this purpose, just in case: a smokey blue one and a bright yellow one that I really like but never wear. I saw one design I really liked of an old-time bicycle where the front wheel is gigantic and I asked them to silk screen it onto my smoky blue shirt. They did. I got to hold the screen down while the volunteer provided the skilled labor. I learned that silk screen ink should be the consistency of hot fudge. It totally worked. Then she sent me off to the hair dryers to dry the ink. Now I have a cool shirt that totally fits me to wear with black shorts or pants.
Clothes Swapping
I also found another black jacket (I may have a lifetime supply now) and some dressy but flat and therefore somewhat comfortable black shoes. And I just picked them up off the table and stuffed them in the backpack I brought for the purpose.
Wardrobe Refashioning
There were some displays showing before-and-after images of things like shirts becoming dresses. And a few people were using their sewing machines to make such transformations.
One person showed me how she was using fabric from a second garment in a complimentary pattern to make sleeves for her original garment.
I even saw someone run to one of the donation tables, dig through it, and come back triumphantly with a garment of the same color as the one on the sewing machine. I think they liberated the donated garment of its zipper for a newly created skirt.
It was sometimes interesting to watch, but I could learn those kinds of skills more easily from the Wardrobe Refashion website and from asking my sister to show me stuff than from attending this event.
Tatting
I got to watch people tatting, which looks complicated and time-consuming and results in lace. Raaga123 was impressed. She knows some other lace-making techniques but had never been interested in trying this method until today because the results she'd seen before looked like something a drunken spider would make. (I think I got that quote right! The lady doing the awesome tatting also liked that description.)
Machine Knitting
I got to see people doing machine knitting. Many of the people who dropped by said they would prefer using knitting needles because they find regular knitting to be soothing somehow. The knitting machines involved sliding something back and forth and sometimes readjusting things. It was a bit noisy. And one of the knitters admitted you can't just have one of these machines on your lap in front of the TV. But it's so much faster than knitting just by hand.
They said that some of the machines are so perfect that the result looks like machine knitting, but some look like hand knitting. To me, the exciting thing about hand knitting is not the imperfection, but the perfection. Skilled knitters can make something that fits perfectly. That goes perfectly with something else you have. With yarn that is an exact match to your eye color. Using materials to which you are not allergic. It's the personalization I like best.
Electronics
I saw people messing with wires and computers and stuff. I didn't understand enough to be able to appreciate any of that.
Calligraphy
I got to see some of the most awesome calligraphy I've ever seen before today. The first time I went by the table I admired the calligraphy and allowed them to write my name on a bookmark and give it to me. When I dragged Raaga123 to see, she asked more questions, actually got to try dipping the pen in the ink and writing with it, and learned about the Capitol City Scribes. This is a group that meets monthly for the purpose of "fostering both community and personal growth through the art of beautiful writing."
(I love those kinds of groups. Who knows how many there are? How do you even find out about them besides randomly hanging around in cool places with cool people who ask the right series of questions? I saw that the Texas Juggling Society, a similar kind of group, was there, but I already know about their existence.)
I once got one of those calligraphy pens which are felt-tipped pens designed so that you can write letters of inconstant thickness. It was cool, but not easy. I practiced a while. Then for a while I used that pen every time I wanted to label something, even just a box to stick in the garage, just so I could practice.
Of course these folks don't really like those pens. The kind with cartridges are a step up, but they recommend buying a "real" pen.
It's not easy for them either, or at least it's slower than regular cursive writing.
Note for Today's Readers
I also saw a lot of really cool stuff, most of which I have no clue how to make. Like art cars, dancing fire, competing robots, rockets, disgusting Halloween ick, and performances, including hourly shows of a Rube Goldberg mousetrap and of a trebuchet. If this sounds cool and you are anywhere near Austin go there tomorrow. It's $25 per person with the usual discounts.
If you want to ride on one of the human-powered carnival rides or get something silk screened or take initiative and ask questions, show up right when they open tomorrow, like it's an amusement park.
Hints: No food or drink is allowed, but there is festival food at festival prices. There are water fountains and indoor restrooms available--in the buildings--even though you will also see port-a-potties and water sold by the bottle. There are two buildings and a big covered area plus some things out in the sun--don't miss any of it. You will be walking in dirt; wear comfortable shoes. If there is a long line to get the wristband you need to do some of the participatory things, just skip it; you'll have another chance to sign the release form near at least some of the things that require it.