Plaiderpillar

That’s surely what the headlines will read now that Captain Think Tank is on the job!  He’s a little something I whipped up at the request of Kris Nelson for James Leach’s birthday recently.  You know Kris and James, from 300 Square?  They are masters of intelligent use of space and masters of compact living.  And James likes superheros.  This little fabric incarnation of a superhero was one of my favorite human/doll patterns yet.  I like his triangle body and lankiness.

Rob and I got to head to Kansas City to check out the grand opening of MASH Handmade.  It was so freakin’ cool.  Karen and Amanda have well-thought-out displays, a great color scheme (it’s mostly green, so it’s right up my alley), and have been very on top of their game in getting the shop open.  Did I mention how much I love working with people who are on top of their game and totally nice to boot?

Well I do.

I have posted some pictures on Flickr in addition to these, so view them all right here.   The monsters, birds, and yoga balls looked right at home.  The shop’s address and info can be found on their site.  Make this a must-see on your next trip to Kansas City.

And, we got house-shaped cookies in little envelopes to take with us.  Have I told you how much I like cookies in little envelopes?

Well I do.

They have a little chair upholstered with Japanese fabric that has wild jungle cats on it.  Did you know I like bad-ass jungle cats?

Well I do.

Here’s a couple more of the monsters that are on their way to MASH Handmade right now.  One the left is a new guy.  He’s a little barrel-shaped man with loopy handles on his back.  Rob named him The Handbag.  Ya know . . . cuz of the handles.  On the right is The ‘Hawk in yellow corduroy, slate velveteen, and one plaid leg.  Here’s some more:

Ok, on the left are more of the Balloon Birds.  They inflate with a little balloon and tie at the top to seal them up.  On the right are The Handbag, The ‘Hawk, and The Skirt.  She’s fancy, huh?

Well, if you want to see the batch in its entirety, stop by the store opening in Kansas City this Saturday.  It’s 10.17.09 from 10am to 7pm.  You can check out the latest on their Facebook page, or visit the site for more info.

There is a new batch of small PlaiderPillar monsters, Long-Arm Leglings, Balloon Birds, and a yoga ball monster, and they are on their way to a brand new shop opening in Kansas City.  Karen and Amanda found me at Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago last year, and their new shop, MASH Handmade, is about to open!  MASH is a brick and mortar shoppe specializing in handmade goods for the home.  Their list of contributing artists is looking pretty good so far!

Saturday. October 17 from 10am to 7pm is the grand opening of MASH.  The shop’s address is 3900-A Pennsylvania, Kansas City, MO, 64111.  If you can’t make it to the opening, make sure you stop next time you’re in their neck of the woods.

Check out their site for info, artist bios, and pics of the goods.  I’m really excited about this partnership, and hopefully it will be home to many a PlaiderPillar in the future!

During BEASTBOX, I had the chance to teach a workshop called “Making Sock Monsters.”  The Omaha Creative Institute hosts these Come Create It workshops, and the goal is to learn a new skill or talent and after two hours take home the proof.  Sock monsters went really well, so I’ve taught once again, plus I started teaching s second workshop.  It’s about making your own recycled tote bags.  It involves fusing plastic grocery bags to create a sort of homemade vinyl, and then using the material to sew a bag.

I was really amazed at how well the fused bags worked.  I learned some tricks with experimentation, like using the same type of plastic for all eight layers works best, and always fuse them with any printing toward the inside.  You can read more about this process at MAKE or CRAFT magazine’s blogs, but here’s the video.  Once you get the technique down for fusing the materials, you can pretty much treat it like a sheet of vinyl.  During the workshop, Anna made a tote bag with flipped seams, graphics fused into the layers, and extra loops for clipping peripherals to the bag.  Rebecca’s bag was horizontal with white and black webbing, loops at the bases of the handles, and a ribbon closure.  I’ve posted more pics of the results here.

You can get the info on all the current OCI workshops at the Omaha Creative Institute’s website.

Just cranked out a new batch of undies for Dundee Day and I’ll be camped out near Scout from 8am to 6pm Saturday, August 29.  Vintage knits, stripey rayons, and high-waisted sailor styles, plus my Leglings, mushrooms, and other PlaiderPillar stuff.  Dundee Day will be on Underwood, around 50th street.  Here’s the list of events for the day:

Remember Kenny Hornsmith?  Meet his new brother, Benny.  This time, he’s made out of longer sage green fur, mustard microsuede, and a few different types of vinyl.  And here he is with his new owners, Todd and Betiana Simon.  They saw Kenny at BEASTBOX and asked if there could be a brother in the future.  Of course!

Benny will fit right in with them.  He will be amongst some pretty formidable art, but I think he can hold his own!  I put up some pics of him on my Flickr.

Feast your eyes.  Before he eats them.

I’m prouder than heck of my lil’ toadstool guys, all standing tall and snazzy for this postcard designed by Micah Schmiedeskamp.  It’s about Allens Furniture’s latest sale, the Red Hot Dot Sale.  Susie and Stewart are champs for promoting local artists.  Of the PlaiderPillar merch, they are featuring Toadstool Footstools, Mustache Men, Long Arm Leglings, and recently acquired Gabe the Pants.  They have two of Rob’s paintings, “Moon Man” and “Blue Dots.”  And check out works by Matt Carlson and Nancy Beal Meyer.  Allens’ site has further details.

You know Bellwether Boutique, run by the devastatingly stylish Jessica Latham?  Great vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories, as well as locally designed garments.  Well, the Omaha Craft Mafia (of which I am a member) is having a trunkshow at Bellwether next weekend.  Here’s the skinny:

Who:  Current Mafia members plus Aorta and Stash

What:  Indie crafts, snack, music

When:  Saturday, August 15, 12-5pm

Where:  Bellwether Boutique.  430 S. 12 St. (lower level, below where Delice used to be)

More info here. I will have some Long-Arm Leglings, Mustache Men, and maybe more!

I posted a buncha pics from RECKLESS/ABANDON on my Flickr page, in case you didn’t get to stop by the show at the Bemis Underground.  Speaking of group shows, remember UNWASHED?  Well, Joel has asked me to get the word out that we’re trying to get nominated for an OEA award.  If you have a sec, could you check out the site and do a little voting?  It’s write-in-the-name style, so if you enjoyed the show and think you’d like to nominate it, “UNWASHED at the Gallery at Bancroft Street Market” needs to go in the “Best Group Show” category.  Here’s the link: www.oea-awards.com.

…and…

Woohoo!  Etsy shop update!  Mustache Men.  Get ‘em while they’re . . . facially hairy.