back to school!

yes, after this holiday weekend it'll be that time of year, the one that feels just as much like a 'new year' as january does... maybe even more? it's most definitely a time of new beginnings: a new school year (no matter if we don't actually GO to school, we just FEEL it!) a new season, the desire for new clothes, new shoes, a new coat, a new haircut, the instinct to start nesting and baking and hoarding acorns, and quite likely the itch to learn something NEW!

well, why not combine some of those urges and learn to sew? then you can make your own new wardrobe, piece by piece! my beginner class at Brooklyn General will get you sewing and you'll complete a wrap skirt that's all your own! their selection of prints is mind-boggling, so the hardest part is choosing what to use for your first skirt. classes begin september 4th so check your calendar and sign up NOW, before all the spaces are filled...

Sewing 101 $150
Four 2-hour classes
This class will teach you all the basics: how a sewing machine works, cutting from a pattern, and how to sew a simple wrap skirt. With these techniques, you’ll be on your way to stitching up all kinds of projects!

Materials: 2 yds light- to medium-weight woven fabric, 1 pkg extra-wide, double fold bias tape to match, thread to match, scissors, pins and pincushion, seam ripper, tailor’s chalk.

Session A: Tues, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm, 9/4, 11, 18, 25
Session B: Wed, 11 am-1 pm, 9/12, 19, 26, 10/3
Session C: Sat 11 am to 1 pm, 10/6, 13, 27, 11/3

to register, please call the shop at 718–237–7753 (leave a message!) or email us at classes@brooklyngeneral.com. you must register in advance in order to insure a spot in the class.

to see the complete schedule of offerings at Brooklyn General, (i'm also teaching crochet, embroidery, and 'altered states', plus they have classes in knitting and quilting too) look here.

BUST craftacular: call for vendors!

CALLING ALL CRAFTERS!

*******************************
Vendor applications due October 15th for BUST's Holiday Craftacular! *******************************

BUST Magazine is proud to announce the 2007 Holiday Craftacular! Now in our 3rd year, we are so excited to bring you the biggest and best Holiday Craftacular yet! This year's event will be over three times as large as previous years, featuring over 200 vendors, DJs, dancing, and drinks. We can't wait to see you at the best shop n' party around!

This year's massive holiday shopping bonanza will be running from 10am until 8pm at the Metropolitan Pavilion in the heart of New York City. We'll be handpicking 200 of the most unique and talented crafters from across the country to sell their wares. Not only will we have the best in DIY shopping in town, but there will also be plenty of rosy cheeks as the BUST DJs jingle your bells on the Craftacular dance floor!

If you would like to participate as a vendor, applications are now available! There are no exceptions as to who can apply, and we'll consider everything: hip handmades, accessories, housewares, vintage clothing, knitwear, silk-screened items, cosmetics, paper goods, handbags, ornaments, cards, and whatever else your crafty canny brings to a table. Here's how to participate:

1. Fill out our online vendor application, which can be found at http://www.bust.com/craftacular/apply.html. Applications will only be accepted online and must be submitted by October 15, 2007.

2. Pay the $25 application fee that is payable at the time you submit your application. Checks and money orders should be made payable to BUST Magazine (78 Fifth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10011, Attention: BUST Holiday Craftacular 2007) and must be postmarked by October 15, 2007 for your application to be considered. We will notify all applicants on October 24, 2007. If you are accepted as a vendor, your deposit will go towards the full booth fee of $225 due by November 5, 2007. If you are not accepted for any reason, your $25 will be refunded in full.

The BUST Craftacular vendor application and a list of FAQs can be found at: http://www.bust.com/craftacular

Got questions? E-mail us at craftacular@bust.com.

Be a sugarplum and jingle-tell all your crafty pals about BUST's Holiday Craftacular by forwarding this email widely!

See you under the mistletoe,

xoxo Dawn Mauberret (your Craftacular coordinator)

summer salon series at the America Craft Council

i am extremely honored to have been asked to speak this thursday at the American Craft Council Library in soho. apparently they have an amazing library of craft books and magazines and are open (by appointment) to the public! i am very excited to see the place. i will be joined by my friend callie of the church of craft and we will be talking about DIY and how our paths have led us to making a living by 'doing it ourselves'....

Join us for the second Summer in the City Salon Event at the American Craft Council Library

Thursday, July 26 6-7pm, reception to follow

Marketplace Intervention: The Do-It-Yourself Renaissance

Join Reverend Callie Janoff of NYC Church of Craft and Hodge Podge clothing designer
Cal Patch for a discussion on how they’re converting, inspiring, educating and creating
the next wave of craft lovers.

www.churchofcraft.org
www.hodgepodgefarm.net

RSVP required: education@craftcouncil.org or 212-274-0630 x.234.

The American Craft Council Library
72 Spring Street, 6^th Floor (between Crosby & Lafayette)

The Summer in the City Salon Series is made possible by the support of Leatrice S. Eagle.

The American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit educational organization founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb. The mission of the Council is to promote understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft.

The library of the American Craft Council holds an extensive collection of print and visual materials on craft. The collection includes over 6,400 books, 7,000 exhibition catalogs dating back to the 1930’s, 700 bound volumes of leading periodicals including many foreign and rare titles, artist files and the archives of the American Craft Museum (1956-1990). The library is open by appointment: library@craftcouncil.org

treehouse is ONE!

Just one year ago, a humble little treehouse opened its doors to the world!

365 days later, treehouse's branches have grown high into the sky..we've branched out to over 40 designers, started craft classes in the neighborhood, welcomed community events and seminars, and hosted some spectacular soirees (along with one cherry blossom circus...)

even though we are now one ring wide, the trees continue to expand. come help us celebrate one year, TONIGHT, from 6-9 pm.

see you in the branches!!

RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR this weekend!!!

i cannot believe it is already time again for Renegade Craft Fair! it's this weekend, june 16-17 from 11am to 6pm both days, and if you are anywhere remotely in the vicinity of NYC you have GOT to come! i will be sharing my booth this year with barbara of BOBBI clothes, and we will be right next door to the Treehouse ladies, sirius and becky lee. and fellow saplings raeburn ink and a.s.i.s. will be there too! here are some photo memories from last year to get you in the mood...

nan's sipping some of the strawberry-mint-rosewater lemonade, while some cute girls check out our rack ;o)

knit goddess elyse allen and posse rockin' her bling shirts...

becky lee's baubles and siri working her magic!
i don't have time to elaborate on all the amazing vendors that will be here, so check out the list and everybody's sites to whet your appetite! see you in the pool!

if you're in LA this weekend...

check out this totally DIY-style sale my bi-coastal costume-designing friend julie puts on in her yard! she's been doing it for years and i've always wished i could go, (sigh)... kelly mulloy will be selling her hot felted items, and jane d'arensbourg will be there with her surreal glass jewelry. i don't know any of the other makers' work but i bet there'll be tons of cool stuff; go see for yourself and support your local designers!

fabric printers

it seems the most-requested type of resource people ask me about (i even get e-mails from complete strangers asking!) is printers, for fabric yardage in small quantities. i have been given a few references by various friends, so i am going to post them here. it would be great, and hugely appreciated, if anyone who sees this information and contacts or uses one of these printers could leave comments or post their experience. this is exactly the kind of information this blog (and community of designers and makers) is meant to share.

the first comes from jason at rag & bone bindery, via amy. she read about it on the r & b blog, and then i contacted him to find out the contact info. here is what he said:

Hello!

This is Jason from Rag & Bone, you asked about the fabric
printers I wrote about on the Rag & Bone Bindery blog...

The fabric printers are really sweet. They were kind to
offer the 50¢ tour. I think you have to be a designer
or manufacturer to appreciate a behind the scene tour of
a fabric printer, but I loved it. If you would like to
talk to them, here is their contact information:

Decorative Screen Printers
http://www.decorativescreenprinters.com/
Contact: Christine Alessio 860 889 5461 X5984

Christine can tell you more about the printing minimums,
but hand printing starts at something like 300 yards,
and machine printing at around 1,000 or so. Of course
the more you print, the less per yard. Overall it's
not as expensive as you might think.

Good luck. Please mention my name if you call Christine.
And let me know if you print your fabrics!

Cheers,

Jason

this next one comes from my friend chris at Pintura Studio:

the printer is called E.F.S. Designs 610 Smith St. 718-852-9511 Bob burns is the guy to talk to.

he's gruff but a baby doll. also if you want to do t shirts or anything similar like printing on something that has been constructed or cut pieces. call our friend Victor he is in the same factory but has a seperate business Conceptos 917-214-4472. Either one you call you can just tell them Chris from Pintura Studio gave you their #'s.

and this one comes from caitlin:

someone emailed me this link to a place that prints fabrics in San Fran. the prices seem pretty good. I thought maybe you could post it on the blog. anyway the website is: www.zoo-ink.com

lastly, my friends wolfy and kayrock have a screenprinting business right here in williamsburg called kayrock screenprinting. they do spot-printing, not repeating yardage. their specialties are t-shirts and concert posters.

sidewalk sale and lemonade stand!!!

this coming sunday the SAPLING society will present our first ever
SAPLING SIDEWALK SALE and LEMONADE STAND!

when: sunday, may 20 1-6pm
where: treehouse, 430 graham avenue (between withers and frost) in the lovely Williamsburg
just a hop and skip from the Graham stop on the L
what: REAL lemonade and baked goods, samples, overstock and past seasons' merch from hodge podge, becky lee, sirius and 31 corn lane, bric-a-brac, surprise sale items from the depths of the treehouse, and a secret treasure chest of goodies! don't miss out!
why: support your local independent designers and makers!

cherry blossom SUCCESS!

as you can see, the cherry blossom circus last friday was beautifully chaotically fun and entertaining! we're not entirely sure everyone fully understood that this WAS the fashion show, but i feel certain that everyone who came had a great time! the saplings were in full force: siri, erin and rebecca did a marvelous job making it all happen, erika, amy and hanna graciously modelled, amylou assisted with makeup and kept the backstage spirits up, and bobbi, feral childe, sirius and hodge podge showed clothes. special thanks to camilla for the makeup which really transformed the models into gorgeous otherworldly beings! and of course, thanks to all of the non-sapling models, designers, participants and supporters as well. you can see lots more photos here and here...

cherry blossom circus

come one, come all to the first night of Williamsburg Fashion Week! treehouse and sodafine are joining forces to bring you "Cherry Blossom Circus", the fashion show to dazzle all fashion shows. this japanese-inspired circus will tempt with fire-dancers, performing poodles, lion-tamers, stilt-walkers and more that we aren't at liberty to divulge... and they'll all be wearing wares from designers found at Sodafine and Treehouse. watch them reveal the handmade and one-of-a-kind creations that make both of these Williamsburg boutiques such unique destinations...in the most delightful way! participating designers include Feral Childe, Laurel Wells, Bobbi, Hubris and Homefries, Popomomo, Margarita Saplala, Sirius, Hodge Podge and more!

marvel at the explosive color, sights and sounds!
celebrate all the mad creativity blossoming in Williamsburg this spring!!!

when: FRIDAY, MAY 4th at 7:30 pm, fashion show starts at 8:30

where: Secret Project Robot at Monster Island
210 Kent Ave at Metropolitan Ave

p.s.: it's free! and there'll be drinks! and bellydancing fashion and after-party dance-party afterwards.... so super-duper enticing... bring a hot date! or find one!

Organic Cotton Sources

Organic Cotton Plus
Hi pals here is a great source for Organic denim, cotton, muslin, flannel, sheeting, trim, batting & thread (I am sure I am forgetting something?) They have no minimums & they will send you a swatch of every fabric in their inventory for $7.50

Fox Rich Organic
Here is another place that was recommended to me. They carry some of the same fabrics and they are much cheaper with the 500 yard minimums...that's if you want 500 yards!

Check it out...I love the organic THREAD YAY!

minutes of 3/25 meeting

our march meeting was held at unofficial SAPLING headquarters treehouse. in attendance were myself, siri, barbara (resplendent in her own clothing, top left, and more of hers on the mannequin, top right), amy, caitlin and erika (who couldn't resist trying on this new pink sirius confection with hand-crocheted straps).

our first matter of business was renegade. it was decided that treehouse/sirius/becky lee will be one booth, hodge podge and bobbi clothes will share, and 31 corn lane will have its own booth. raeburn ink and a.s.i.s. will also share a booth. applications were submitted by the april 1st deadline.



next i did a show-and-tell with some examples of work i have done for textile design at various freelance jobs. this is an area that seems like it could work for many of us as flexible additional income, so i brought in some samples to show those who weren't familiar. we discussed attending the print show in april, printsource, to check out some different studios.

we also set a date for our First Annual SAPLING Sidewalk Sale at treehouse. it will be sunday may 20 from 1 to 6: mark your calendars! we'll be selling samples and past seasons' stock, and maybe some lemonade and treats...

caitlin shared her idea for an open-source online picture collection, providing visual reference for artists and designers. she is still trying to come up with a name for it, and requests that anyone who wants to send her photos at caitlin@mociun.com

finally, we set the date for our next meeting as sunday april 29th at the 31 corn lane headquarters.

oh yeah, and while we were meeting, gertie made a new friend!

VBS.TV "Toxic Brooklyn the story of Williamsburg & Greenpoint"

Hi fellow saplings! my name is Amy Lou and at times I can be a maker of things...those times are when I have time. So I am sorry that this is more of an informative "oh my gosh" post than a crafty knowledge post but we (me 'n cal) felt that y'all would probably want to see this 6 part documentary on Williamsburg and Greenpoint.


Here is the link for the other 4 that have been made

So maybe my next post will be about some happy stuff, like chihuahua's, kitty's & bunny's or a 90% off sale on Noro yarn, yeah right?

3rd Annual Brooklyn RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR!

yes! just the other day i was thinking, 'hmmm, isn't it about time to be submitting applications for RENEGADE?' and lo and behold, i looked in my inbox and there it was:

Hi Everyone!

First of all, a huge thanks to our vendors and everyone who came out and supported the first ever Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale in Chicago a few months ago! It was a huge success and we plan on making it an annual event!

The applications for the RCF Brooklyn '07 fair are now available! The fair is scheduled for the weekend of June 16 + 17 at the McCarren Park Pool, just a few blocks away from last year's location. Read more about the pool here --> mccarrenparkpool.org



You have until April 1 to get your application in so get to it! And we'll be announcing some advertising and promotional opportunities soon so stay tuned...

Thanks + talk to you soon!

Sue + Kathleen

so, fellow saplings, who's in? last year, siri, rebecca, elyse, nan, hanna and i shared 2 booths, and jen and angie were also there. the fee has gone up slightly this year, to $200 per 10x10 space (was $150) but that's still pretty good for the size and for 2 days (compared to same price for just a table at Craftacular for ONE day). i am a little bummed that it will be in the POOL this year as i love the grassy park with its nice shady trees especially since it has been hotter than hades the last 2 years, but i think the parks dept. didn't want them to do it there anymore.

our next meeting probably won't be until the end of this month so we need start figuring this out sooner so we can get the app in that week. let me know if you are interested...

you can find lots more info here...

shoes

hi lena, so i have seen those shoes in almost every kmart/walmart in florida. know anyone in the sunshine state?

minutes of 2/4/07 meeting

well, our first meeting of 2007 was really fun and inspiring! we were hosted by lena at her lovely home in fort greene, brooklyn. in attendance were lena, myself, jen, caitlin, sherise and angie. oh, and of course gus and gertie!

our first topic was the introduction of two new saplings. first is angie, of a.s.i.s. (angela spencer's irresistable stuff) who participated in our sample sale back in november. she told us a little about her business and her goal of selling to more stores this year. the second is alisa, who is based in L.A. and will be one of our west coast correspondants. alisa is a multi-media artist and designer.

we also bid farewell (geographically speaking) to jen of raeburn ink. jen is moving to humboldt county in northern california and we will miss her, though like alisa and alice, she can still be an active SAPLING through the blog! we look forward to seeing how raeburn ink will emerge as a california company.

next we each reviewed our accomplishments in 2006 and our plans and goals for 2007. this conversation segued into one about designing textile swatches to be repped by a print studio, which seems like a flexible and fun possible source of extra income that several of us are interested in pursuing...

sales venues were also discussed. i personally am planning to open an etsy shop as a way to sell odds and ends and pieces that come back from consignment at the end of each season. several of us expressed a desire to transition from selling our goods on consignment to wholesaling them outright. caitlin advised skipping a season in order to make a collection of samples 6 months ahead (fashion week schedule), when stores are placing orders. we also talked about showrooms vs. repping ourselves, and sharing space during trade shows (ideally nearby but not IN the show as they are prohibitively expensive for most of us) to show our collections to buyers.

we are hoping to have another sample sale this spring, on the sidewalk outside treehouse.

finally, lena showed us her studio and gave us a sneak preview of her upcoming book. it may still be top secret so i won't say any more for now, but we'll keep you informed as it progresses for sure...

i think that covers it, but as usual, if i left anything out, please post it!

seen these shoes?

hi saplings

i'm doing a project with canvas slip-on shoes, and i'm looking for this one style, that has a little bit of gathering across the top.... i found a small photo of them online, but the link didn't work. does anyone know where i can find them? i've seen them before, i think at dollar stores (and maybe in chinatown?) but now that i need them, i'm not sure where to go. any suggestions?

thanks!

lena

ethics vs. style

some of you know that for the last year-and-a-half or so, i have vowed to myself to stop buying clothing manufactured in sweatshops by huge corporations. actually, i'm not really buying any new clothes at all unless they are made by someone i know, or another small, independent designer. my goal is to have my wardrobe consist solely of self-made, indie or vintage! that will be a great feeling. there are a few categories i've considered exceptions to the rule... things that i've always considered difficult to make like bras, jeans, coats, though eventually i hope to conquer each of these areas too (check these out! i definitely need to try 'em...)
anyway, shoes are an area i haven't quite figured out how to deal with. in particular, i've been in need of some new sneakers for many years now, but never seem to find any that i like. and now that i've started walking to the Y, my old thrifted sneaks that i've been wearing for over 10 years just aren't cutting it anymore. so in december, i was on the subway and saw a girl wearing the pumas pictured above. it was love at first sight: the colors (with no jock-ish white anywhere on them!), the metallic leather, the slip-on factor, and that je ne sais quoi... i was smitten. so i went online and looked them up, and found that they were still available and reasonably priced. but this little voice kept nagging at me, telling me i'd better dig a little deeper and find out more about Puma, knowing in my heart it would lead to nowhere good. but i kept hoping, thinking 'hey, they make that yoga line with christy turlington, so they must be ethical, right?' but sadly, i found out the bad news: according to co-op america, 'Puma has been repeatedly implicated in egregious violations of workers' rights in China, El Salvador, Indonesia and Mexico. A 2003 Sustainability Report makes it sound like Puma is beginning to work on improvements. And Puma has made moves to remove vinyl from its shoes. But it appears that Puma has a long way to go before it becomes a green company.' sigh.

so where does that leave me? i decided to check out what simple has to offer. these are my favorites, but somehow they just don't make my heart race like the pumas do! their reputation, however, is stellar. this whole thing makes me feel so shallow... it's like choosing between the hot trampy girl with the criminal past and the virtuous girl next door. ack! it's a micro-example of an issue i've encountered more and more recently: why does ethical design seem always to have that 'crunchy' esthetic? i hope this will start to change as labels like 'green', 'sustainable', 'organic', etc become more in demand as well as more available. any advice or suggestions of other ethical shoe companies would be hugely appreciated. in the meantime i'll be hobbling to the gym in my treadworn old kelmes...

don't support cheapthreads.com!

I was forwarded this email from Djerba of Reprodepot.com. I feel really bad for her and want to pass along the news to other people who purchase fabric online:

Hi All!
I apologize in advance for sending such a "downer" email, but I need to let
everybody know about an unfortunate situation that has come about recently.
At the end of September, my former trusted office manager and right hand
woman, Carolyn Gagnon (and her boyfriend, Paul Amos, who was my website
editor), abruptly quit after 9 months of employment with no notice while I
was away on a business trip. They gave no indication that they were unhappy
with their jobs and acted completely normal until the day they both left.
Sadly, I have learned that Carolyn and Paul have recently opened an online
fabric store, CheapThreads.com - http://www.cheapthreads.com , that sells a
lot of the same merchandise from the same vendors as I do and uses design
elements and text that are uncannily similar to (or the same as) Reprodepot.

I found it by chance this past weekend through an online forum that
mentioned Reprodepot and Cheap Threads in the same thread. When I went to
the website I was struck by the eerie similarities in the layout and text,
but when I looked at it further I realized that a lot of the text and layout
was copied from Reprodepot. I looked up the owner of the domain name and to
my dismay, Carolyn Gagnon is listed as the owner.

There are plenty of other websites out there that sell the same products as
I do at a lower price. I don't have a problem with that, since she obviously
has the right to sell fabrics online. What upsets me is the betrayal and the
blatant use of my business model and practices that I have worked more than
8 years to develop and fine tune. She knows everything about my company and
I paid her to learn it! I considered Carolyn and Paul part of my family and
had trusted them implicitly. They were compensated very well for the work
they did for me even though they came to me with no experience whatsoever
for the positions they held. It makes my stomach hurt.

Unfortunately for me, I did not get Carolyn or Paul to sign a non-compete
agreement while she was working for me. (In fact, one of Carolyn's jobs was
to ask every employee to sign one. Yes, I have kicked myself hundreds of
times this week for not just doing it myself.)

Fabrics are my life. I am obsessed with prints and patterns and I am living
my dream. I am sorry for sounding so dramatic, but honestly I feel that what
she is doing is mocking everything I am about and everything that my company
is about. Reprodepot to me is not about being "hip" or "retro", it is about
facilitating creativity and art in a form that provides endless
possibilities. Copying someone's original ideas to try to make a quick buck
goes against everything I believe in.

(Personal note: To make things worse Carolyn is portraying herself (as the
owner(s) of Cheap Threads) as someone who is interested and involved in the
crafting community. Until she started working for me, she knew nothing about
fabrics and sewing and showed very little interest during the term of her
employment. In fact, her complete lack of interest in the fabric industry
and crafting was one of the reasons I hired her!)

I apologize for all the drama, but since I did not have them sign a
non-compete there is nothing I can do to fight back against them. (I have
definitely learned my lesson the hard way.) The only thing I can do now to
protect my business is to let all of the people who I have done business
with know who they are and how they have betrayed my trust.

Here are the links to the Cheap Threads sites:
http://www.cheap-threads.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021470
http://www.cheapthreads.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/cheapthreads
http://myworld.ebay.com/cheap-threads

Thank you very much for reading this email and if you have any questions at
all please don't hesitate to email me or call. My contact info is below.

Sincerely and truly,

Djerba
reprodepot.com
--
reprodepot.com
413-527-4047 p
413-527-6407 f
djerba@reprodepot.com
http://www.reprodepot.com