Are you a maker? With all the emphasis on high tech gadgetry, it can make you feel a little left behind if you can't swing a 3D printer on your budget or lack the skills to wield some soldering equipment.
But, like the science-technology-engineering- math portmanteau STEM which added an "A" added to encompass art and become STEAM, the expansion of the "maker" trend to incorporate arts and crafts as a creative and productive use of time and space is a step towards recognizing the wide variety of material production that libraries have long been supporting. And it's an easy way to get in on the making trend with supplies you likely have laying around.
We've had success with this sort of low-stress, drop-in crafting at our library.
Fairhope, a top-notch public library in south Alabama, coined the term "crafterfnoon" for this sort of activity, which I am appropriating.
Don't have a dedicated makerspace? Crafternooning can take place from a cart, as Shannon Miller RTed:
Last month at the Library Technology Conference, I heard middle school librarian Jen Legatt talking about starting her makerspace with jigsaw puzzles and origami paper...so expand your thinking about making. Any space that gets people interacting and collaborating around a constructive activity works!
It's been quite a year so far for magazine appearances - a few weeks ago, my ever popular pattern for doglets were featured in the Comic Relief/Mollie Makes Crafternoon bookazine. This was the first pattern I ever wrote, over three years ago and people still seem to love it! You can still buy the digital version of this from Amazon UK via this link. I've also started writing patterns for the UK's best selling craft magazine, 'Craftseller' - my first contribution was in last month's issue, number 48, a set of three tropical bird brooches. This is a copyright free pattern, which means that people can make and sell their versions of it. You can buy the back copy of this issue directly from the Craftseller site here. This month's issue, number 49, sees me on the cover, with a cute trio of pet shop sweeties. These designs are also copyright free and they hit the selves on April 4th, so there's plenty of time to grab a copy and start making.
Craftseller is a UK based publication and on sale at WHSmith, good newsagents, large supermarkets and some craft shops. I'm really thrilled to have been asked to work for them and also to have snagged my fourth magazine cover. Bottoms up!
In non-needle felting news - lovely Joe has mended the shed roof after a couple of large chunks were torn off in recent gales. It's good not to be alone anymore, in so many ways.
We’re always so happy when praise for the store surfaces in our google alerts. This one just came today. Thanks Colleen! (and for the record, ABE books is now owned by Amazon, so they are not quite as independent as they once were).
Here’s more recent praise from the cyber world:
Thanks to our friend Maura Madden, the queen of crafts, for telling the world she’s obsessed with the store on her blog.
David Rees’ thanks on his site made us smile.
Here’s a glowing review of our Rick Moody event.
Finally, thanks to Miss Heather for profiling our exclusive “Greetings from Greenpoint” postcards on her site.
.jpg?picon=679)