Adventures

The team at Steepletown and the West Side Garage Store kept me busy yesterday! Three workshops, lots of Tee Partiers, and a great venue (if you’re in the area, check out the home/fashion thrift store — it’s well-organized (staffed by members of the local youth program) and has some wonderful treasures for you to discover (I picked up a yellow T-shirt that says “Life’s a Beach” as well as an old perfume bottle with a top that looks like an oversize thimble).

Here are some highlights from the 10:30 workshop!

The 2:00 workshop!

The 6:30 workshop!

Thanks again to Lilibeth, Dick, Eileen, Valerie, Amanda, Tracy, and all the other folks at Steepletown for making the day possible!

What a night at the Museum of Art and Design (MAD)! To those among the over one hundred who came through the workshop studios last night–thanks for stopping in to create the rock star atmosphere, and thanks for sticking around for lots and lots–and lots!–of T-shirt refashioning. The evening began at 5:30 with my first ever live podcast on Etsy Labs, moderated by the lovely Julie. People signed on from all corners of the globe while I transformed a T-shirt worn by the lovely Jessica (of MAD) into a halter top.

1-3) Then “moderator Julie” of Etsy seamlessly (ha!) transitioned into the role of “model Julie” as she put on a T-shirt while I demonstrated how to make the ever-popular Back in Action T-shirt:

It was back to the halter top an hour later, as Christina, also of Etsy, stepped up on the demo stool to face the scissors! But more exciting was seeing what all of you were up to.

4) Digging into the piles of T-shirts that MAD and Etsy scavenged from a Brooklyn Salvation Army store.  5) Showing off cutting and looping techniques to make Back in Action.  6) More Back in Action (it’s a popular design!–find it in book 2, project 101!)

7) An “apron halter”–made with a Martha show T-shirt. 8 ) Hmm….what T-shirt to choose? 9) Hems make great drawstring material!

10) Well, what does the book say? 11) And what does the book say here? 12) Getting down to business with those scissors…

13) Expanding and embellishing a too-small T-shirt with Outer Lace (project #16 from the first book). 14) Poking holes down the sides on that Outer Lace project… 15) And putting it on in order to put on the finishing touches–I like her style!

11) 16) Hyun purchased a copy for her maternity-bound boss–see the Kid Rock chapter! 17) Hard at work… 18 ) T-shirt scraps can be braided to make any number of accessories–like headbands, necklaces, handbags, and here, a bracelet!

19) Back in Action (project #101) was clearly the crowd favorite, whether it be in purple… 20) Gray, aqua… 21) Or minty green — hi Mom!

22) Here, the Back in Action top gets some full frontal attention! 23) And this party-goer reminds us not to leave out the sleeves. 24) An oldie but goody, here’s Tying Game, project #33 from the first book!

And thanks again to MAD and Etsy for the abundance of orphaned T-shirts  they provided so that all of us, with a little bit of shear genius, could give them loving homes!

First off: Happy Birthday, Mom! It’s your day!

After an early morning, I got to drop my bags in my room and head out to explore before my event tonight. Less than a block and I was in the Public Market! I roamed all over, from the 1) fish market to the 2) fresh flowers…

…the 3) the cheese curd cauldron to the 4) crazy car installation in the rafters of the Seattle Art Museum atrium…

…to 5) the art of the Olympic Sculpture park, perfectly framing the Space Needle behind it. I stopped and rested and read a book beneath a 6) rotating ampersand…

…before heading back to my hotel to get ready for the bookstore event tonight. 7) What a view from the hotel deck! 8 ) I got to watch the sun set over the Public Market.

The last bookstore event of the tour proper was an intimate affair at the 1) Third Place Books Ravenna location. Bittersweet and cozy as my travels approach a temporary end. 2) We were tucked among some shelves of classics and surrounded by friends new and old.

3) Special thanks to Kemeya, Bailey, Kai, Maya, Kat, Mike, Stan, and Lauren for coming out for some scissor snipping!

4) My pals Stan and Lauren! 5) Signing a big old stack o’ books…

6) Checking out the spread of projects.

7) Any questions? 8 ) Kat gets Mo’ Rock with her Mohawk.

9) More books! 11) Adios, west coast! Thanks everyone for coming! It’s back to Brooklyn for a bit.

Powell’s City of Books is like a whole extra city on the book tour — between Portland and Seattle, it’s as if there’s nestled this independent republic called Powell’s. Thanks to everyone who made it out tonight! 1) Me with the suitcase I’ve been living and working out of for the past three weeks. 2) At the super fancy podium at Powell’s–seriously cool.

3) Then there’s Shawn, my model for the evening — how fantastic! 4) Not only did she show up to the event wearing a full-length T-shirt dress she made herself, she trusted me entirely not to inadvertently snip either her dress or her ponytail. (Note the ponytail holder made from a scrap sleeve piece!) 5) And voila! The finish. Betcha didn’t see that one coming.

6) Lots o’ signed books; 7) Fun with the samples (that’s the no-sew faux-hawk hat as well as the Up in My Grill mitt). 8 ) I love meeting Tee-timers from all over!

9) Friends in triplicate! 10) It was a family affair: Dads, moms, sisters, brothers, grandmothers…a nice mixer! And here’s where I give a shout-out to a reader, Onyx, who couldn’t make it out tonight, but whose dad showed up to represent! 11) Look at all those books. I signed every. last. one.

With very few hours to explore in Portland, I headed out to meet up with my friend Susan Beal, who’s teaching a bead and button jewelry-making class this week at Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) as part of their 1) “Summer of Making” program series. 2) I briefly stopped in at her classroom to to meet some lovely makers and look upon some beautiful samples of projects from Susan’s books (Button It Up and Bead Simple).

3) Beads and 4) buttons…I can’t get enough. This was my fix since I didn’t end up making it to one of my favorite stops, the Button Emporium and Ribbonry, before it closed this evening.

5) Thanks, Susan, for a West Coast Crafty shout-out earlier today!

6) After lunch, I was off to the bead store to pick up some supplies (it’s not all T-shirts with me!) for some birthday presents I’m working on. Then off to do some local thrift shopping before heading to Powell’s tonight! (I stumbled across founder Michael Powell’s star on the Portland “walk of fame,” below — the “Bookseller to the World.”)

Renegade Craft Fair, left coast style! Though I’ve participated in Renegade Craft fairs in Brooklyn and Chicago in years past, this year I found myself strolling through the aisles of Renegade San Francisco for the first time. 1) A week after the inaugural Los Angeles Renegade Craft Fair, the San Fran event was also indoors (hosted at the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion). 2) I loved the DIY spirit behind this friendly chalk owl that welcomed everyone on their way in.

Many of my favorite art, craft, and design champions were out, from the very talented fellows from 3) Campfire (you’ll see some of their T-shirt seconds coming up in some of my projects!)–my sister stocked up on two new T-shirts; to the 4) ever-fabulous My Imaginary Boyfriend (love her prize ribbons!)…

…To to 5) Portland’s Bossa Nova Baby (though I missed seeing Cathy with all the rush, I was quite smitten with her scissors cozies!)–here’s an iron-on patch from her Etsy shop; 6) I bought a belated birthday gift for my niece at Chalkboard Tees (complete with a bag of chalk so she can get creative on her T-shirt–albeit temporary!)…

…To 7) Ed Roth from Stencil 1 (who you might remember has the book that inspired these brownies) at the 8 ) Rock N Roll Crafts booth.

It was great fun, crowded, and a beautiful day outside, too, so I got to brunch with my friend Catherine and later picnic in the park nearby with more friends (hey Karisa, Greg, and Aelo!)

All in all, a great day–a great spread of more than 300 designers from all over, lots of money well-spent on handmade goods, and yes, signing off, that’s 9) farmer Megan with her pitchfork and pail, her prizewinning pig, and also her prizewinning hot dog sister, Ariana.

A whole weekend in San Francisco for interviews, book celebrations, picnics, and craft fairs equals a whole lot of fun. My friend Jay gave me a tour through North Beach which brought us to the 1)  landmark City Lights bookstore where readers are invited, “in person and in books, to participate in that ‘great conversation’ between authors of all ages, ancient and modern” (a quote from co-founder, Ferlinghetti). It’s an iconic place among independent bookstores and publishers. When the store first opened, its shelves were stocked exclusively with paperbacks (which was unheard of at the time); in 1957 City Lights was part of a first amendment case argued in court over alleged obscenity Allen Ginsburg’s Howl and Other Poems; and it has always been known as a hub for progressive politics. I liked the paintings and signs over the shelves with announcements such as 2) “We Love Books” and 3) “A Kind of Library Where Books Are Sold.” I bought a copy of Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk about When I Talk about Running.

Dinner in the Pacific Heights neighborhood was a delicious blend of good company and good food. 4) Jennie, Hyun, and Steve show many different ways to use my Generation T scissors (monacles, anyone?). 5) Haley, a freelancer who worked on some of the illustrations for the Generation T product line, and me!

6) Triple A: Ariana, Ari, and Ali 7) Me and Beth (you may recognize her from the first book!).

Renegade Craft Fair tomorrow!

Last stop on this leg of the tour was 1) Denver’s Tattered Cover on Colfax, a giant among indie bookstores, and a place I’ve been wanting to visit for years. 2) Thanks to Beth Wood at the bookstore for the extraordinary welcome and enthusiasm!

3) I signed books and together we refashioned nearly 40 old T-shirts!!

4) With Beckie as my first model (I hated to cover the super cute refashioned tee she was already wearing!), we made yet another Back in Action tee (project #101). Then my lovely volunteer Helen stepped up for the Pinup Girl halter transformation (project #1). 5) In addition to my undeniable devotion to my sewing machine, did I mention I like no-sew projects?–here’s the Shake It Up Baby skirt (project #59) and the Tic Tac Boa (project #115).

Old friends–6) hey Beth! 7) hey Dave and Aleana!–thanks for showing the love!

New friends, too! 8 ) Cutting into the sides of a tee make the Knot So Fast tank top (project #104). 9) Victoria showed up in this hybrid design from the first book: Brokenhearted (project #2) plus Lace Age (project #17).

10) Victoria and Isabel dig voraciously into a pile of T-shirts!

11) Two books, 228 projects total–keep cutting, people (and don’t forget to use those scraps!)

I can’t wait to come back again for a visit!!

Event Coordinator Holly and volunteer Megan made the event at the 1) Changing Hands bookstore delightfully fun. Lots of new faces came out! 2) Maria (in the pink shirt) was my first model from the audience. 3) Then we made the Pinup Girl halter (project #1) again.

4) Folks checked out the book at the table display; 5) My friend Hannah from NH lives right around the corner from the bookstore, not to mention my email pal Sara who attended, wearing a superb DIY top; 6) And let’s not forget that great ASU swing skirt (Flare Thee Well skirt, project #61, from the first book), and its maker, who made an appearance!

Thanks again to all who came and saw me off to my flight to Denver–I can’t wait to see what you make!