This guy re-purposed an old radio and mike into a karaoke machine! |
A rocket at the New York Hall of Science |
I was worried it would be too tech-y and not include the type of thing I usually do, but when we got there and saw the "craftacular" section, I was relieved. I wish I'd taken some pictures for you; it was a section of pretty 'normal' crafts - tshirts, homemade jam, homemade jewelry, fiber and fiber crafts. Some (but not all) had a geeky bent, like the Periodically Inspired shirts and onesies, with phrases like "genius baby" spelled out in elements from the periodic table. WoolBuddy had a table about needle felting, including a huge 10-foot felted dinosaur! How cool is this guy? I've recently started needle felting and I can't imagine all the stabbing it took to make him!
A home-made drop spindle and lovely soft wool roving |
We also got a chance to make a 'puzzle feeder' for our cats out of cardboard! It's shaped like a little mouse with holes, and they have to bat it around to get the food out. (Those of you with sharp eyes may notice that Mr. Hippo and I put ours together inside-out because we got ahead of the instructions. oops.) That activity was sponsored by Purina One and they have plenty of inexpensive DIY ideas for puzzle feeders and some other cat projects on their website! Check out this video of Gromek using the puzzle feeder (and Peanut mostly getting in the way):
On the other end of the spectrum, there were some very high tech exhibits. It was fun watching all of the 3-D printing displays, but that kind of thing is out of my price range! The cost of tools (and a lack of space) can be a barrier to trying new crafts, but the Maker movement has a solution for this, too. The people at Make magazine encourages the creation of "Maker Spaces," which offer communal workshop spaces, sometimes memberships, the use of tools that you might not want to buy yourself, and sometimes classes. (For example, check out Artisan's Asylum in Massachusetts, which offers classes, space and tools for metalworking, woodworking, bike repair, etc. Or look at the kid-friendly maker space at the NY Hall of Science! Find a maker space near you in this directory of maker spaces.)
Metro card robot dog |
This guy made his own electronic instruments from all kinds of random objects |
Check out this short video of him playing a knife!
A few of the "Little Bits" pieces people were experimenting with at the Faire |
Does this sound like your kind of thing? It seems like there's something for almost everyone. If you like DIY or just watching other people DIT (do-it-themselves?) I highly recommend attending something like this. There is another Faire in the Bay Area. There are also independent mini maker faires and there might be one near you. And don't forget to check out this directory of maker spaces, these seem like a great way to learn new crafts without investing in all of the tools yourself first!
What do you think you'd enjoy seeing at the Maker Faire? What kinds of 'making' or crafts do you want to try next? Please share your thoughts in the comments!