Maybe you are and don’t know it.
Let me explain. When I first encountered the term Maker, it
was surrounded by 3-D printers, computerized Robots, and ‘hacked’ this-n-that.
But it turns out that being a Maker is a very wide-ranging concept, inclusive
of us who spin, knit, weave, bake bread and brew beer, and generally derive
pleasure (or satisfaction) from the work of our own hands.
It’s DIY, self-sufficiency and creativity, with or without
computers. It’s an acknowledgement that the textile artists, picklers, hackers,
carpenters and blacksmiths (and gardeners, dumpster divers and hot-rod
mechanics) have something in common.
I’ve never NOT had a project or ten in progress but now I
can use a new vocabulary to communicate to others who make stuff to relax and
create their own pleasure.
MAKE: magazine is one of the leading lights in the Maker
movement. While their content is by subscription, many articles and projects
are available online for free. That’s how I found the project that I spent last
weekend making.
Below is a picture of ‘the two-hour table it
took two people six hours to make’, but I’m pretty proud of it.
Where else (you ask) can I find inspiration and instruction
to satisfy my DIY urgings? Why, at MCPL, of course.
Many of our computer-oriented friends are well acquainted
with Safari Books Online, but did you know that in addition to the latest software,
they have lots of eBooks concerning all kinds of creative endeavors?
- The Textile Artist’s Studio Handbook
- The Maker Movement Manifesto: Rules for Innovation in the New
World of Crafters, Hackers, and Tinkerers
- Androids: Build Your Own Lifelike Robots
- Artist beware : the hazards in working with all art and craft materials and the precautions every artist and craftsperson should take - McCann, Michael
- Bewitching bead & wire jewelry - Tourtillott, Suzanne J. E.
- Organic crafts : 75 Earth-friendly art activities -
Monaghan, Kimberly. (for the kids)
- A beginner's guide to kiln-formed glass : fused, slumped, cast - Griffith, Brenda
- Small loom & freeform weaving : five ways to weave
- Matthiessen, Barbara.
- Contemporary wicker basketry : projects, techniques, inspirational designs - Hoppe, Flo
- The metalworker's workshop for home machinists - Hall,
Harold
- Drafting and design for woodworkers - Lang, Robert W.
- Little herb gardens : simple secrets for glorious gardens- Brennan, Georgeanne
- Flour water salt yeast : the fundamentals of artisan bread and pizza - Forkish, Ken.
- True brews : how to craft fermented cider, beer, wine, sake, soda, mead, kefir, and kombucha at home - Christensen, Emma.
- Annie Sloan's complete book of decorative paint finishes - Sloan, Annie
And for those like me, who derive so much joy from the bending of threads, let us not forget Ravelry,
the online community of over 4 million souls. Free (in every sense of the word) and fermenting. Check out the library feature. you can import books from Library Thing and have access to the patterns in them!
Also be sure to check out our new Studio i website, all about Making at MCPL.
Happy Making!
Jan D.
Labels: STEM
