Design for a Living World - Before It's Gone. . .

My family's new New Year's Eve tradition is to go to the museum. If you are similarly inclined, try to stop by Cooper Hewitt to catch the Design for a Living World exhibit before it ends on January 4th. In this exhibition ten designers tell their stories of using sustainably grown and harvested materials to create items that tell stories about the life-cycle of materials, conservation, and design.


Christien Meindertsma was my favorite member of this group of ten. She focuses on the connection between the producer of the raw material, in this case farmers and their sheep, and the final consumer. For Design for a Living World, Christien worked with the Lava Lake Ranch in Idaho where she gathered and felted wool into yarn tagging each lot with the particular sheep that produced it. Using giant knitting needles, she knits individual hexagons that loosely emulate the shape of a sheep. Each hexagon uses all the wool produced by one sheep. The individual shapes can be linked together to produce a larger rug made of a flock of sheep.

Here is a video of her experience:



Other designers participating in this exhibition and the geographic areas they worked in include: Yves Behar/Costa Rica; Stephen Burks/Australia; Hella Jongerius/Mexico; Maya Lin/Maine; Isaac Mizrahi/Alaska; Abbott Miller/Bolivia; Ted Muehling/Micronesia; Kate Spade/Bolivia; and Ezri Tarazi/China.

Simone
groundsel.etsy.com

Artistic Process: What inspires you?

"Inspiration....
Everyday objects.
Typography & letterforms.
Shadows & outlines that appear when I close my eyes.
Motivation.....
I just want to make simple things but make them in my own way. Great
design at a fair price.
I can't sit still... I'm always designing something even if its not
feasible to make at the moment. (I have my heart set of large felt
rugs i just need to find a way to cut them)."

-Jen
Peppersrouts

Artistic Process: How did you learn the discipline you work in now?

"I learned the bulk of my skills between the ages of 8 and 18 from the women in my family. My mother taught me how to sew from Simplicity patterns. My Chinese grandmother taught me how to crochet (there's a way to break a language barrier). And my mother, girlfriend, and I struggled through many a knitting patterns to figure out fair isle and cables. Embroidery is something I picked up in middle school. I have a wall at home covered with my samplers; one dates back to 1978. I love the idea of traditional skills passing down from one generation to the next. Although the next generation in our household is more concerned with conquering another level of the latest Pokemon game. Is there a Sewing Mama game for the DS?"

-Simone
Groundsel

Artistic Process: What are some influences on your work?

"Fashion and interior design, I look for color of the season to create some of my masterpieces and of course style. In terms of people, places and music. I create to jazz I love a lot of things about Kates Paperie, William Arthur and most style magazines."

-Alton

Alton Weekes

Holiday Necklace Revival: How-To Rethread a Broken Necklace

I found my favorite chunky necklace in Barcelona. It was the perfect souvenir to carry on the memory of a great visit to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. While pleased with my purchase, I knew that it was only a matter of time before fashion tragedy would strike, and the necklace would buckle under its own weight. That day came sooner than expected, only three months into the purchase.

This holiday season, I decided to give myself the gift of handmade and bring my beloved Spanish necklace back to life. I was surprised to learn that rethreading a broken-down chunky necklace is simple, inexpensive and actually a lot of fun.

To do so, you'll need the following supplies:
1. thick silk thread
2. a pair of scissors
3. tweezers
4. a small piece of thin wire, of similar thickness to the thread
5. necklace closures
6. the original necklace pieces, or in this case rocks, that comprised the necklace.

Step 1: You start by measuring a piece of thread that is five times the length of the necklace. Once you have measured out this piece and cut it, take it and fold it in half and then, fold it in half once again.

Step 2: Pass the piece of silver wire through the folded end of the thread, fold it in half over the thread and then twist it so that it doesn't slide around, but rather clasps this end of the thread. Make sure that once folded the wire is longer than the length of your longest necklace piece. This will ensure that if anything gets stuck, you can use the tweezers to pull on the wire and ultimately pull the thread through.

Step 3: Take the other end of the thread and double knot it to the first half of the necklace closure. You are now ready to start rethreading the original necklace pieces.

Step 4: Insert the wire through the necklace piece and pull the thread through. Pull the thread through until the necklace piece reaches the knot on the other end of the thread. Pushing the necklace piece down against this knot, create a knot on the other side of the piece as close to it as possible. If the knot is too small such that it slides through the necklace piece, make it a double knot. The closer this knot is to the necklace piece, the better the necklace will look in the end.

Step 5: Repeat step four until you run out of necklace pieces. Once you have created the last knot or double knot to keep the last necklace piece in place, tie a double knot around the second part of the necklace closure.

Step 6: Wear your refurbished necklace and enjoy the fruits of your own handmade labor. Happy Holidays!


This how-to was brought to you by Fernando Jewelry, a NYC-based independent jewelry company specializing in handcrafted sustainable jewelry and jewelry repair.

Photos by Florian Hoenig

- Karla Quintero
Fernando Jewelry
LuisFernando.etsy.com

Are you one of our Holiday Handmade Cavalcade Raffle Winners?

What an amazing year it has been! The members of The {NewNew} would like to thank you for supporting handmade artists in Metro New York. Given the state of the economy, your contribution to local indie designers means a lot more than you can imagine.

We are especially grateful to those who stopped by our tents at various events around town. We're also extremely appreciative to all those who turned up at our Second Annual Holiday Handmade Cavalcade, and were delighted that so many stopped by, (even in the pouring rain)! If you have pictures of the event, we'd love to see it! Send it over to our email at handmadecavalcade@gmail.com.

And if you entered our holiday raffle, check out the video results here to see if you're one of the five lucky winners!

For all who are not done with their shopping list, there is still time to visit some of our shops at the following events this weekend. The Brooklyn Lyceum will be host to a holiday craft market on Saturday and Sunday, featuring Lu Crafts, Wai Sze Designs, New York Clocks, a Studio by the Sea, Wabisabi Brooklyn. Wabisabi Brooklyn will also be at the Brooklyn Indie Market on Sunday. And May Luk Ceramics will be at The Market at The Old American Can Factory, along with a host of curated artisan goods.

Finally, we'd like to thank all our sponsors for making the Second Annual Holiday Handmade Cavalcade such a success. Their support enabled us to put on such a wonderful holiday show!

So, stay tuned for our events for the upcoming 2010 season. We will have even more fun and exciting shows in store for you.

We hope you have a happy and healthy holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you at our events in the new year!

Best,

The {NewNew}

Where to Find The {NewNew} December 19-20

As holiday shopping enters its final weekend, members of the {NewNew} will be offering their wares for sale at a couple of fun venues. Procrastinating shoppers in search of the perfect locally handmade gifts are in for a treat!The Lyceum Holiday Craft Market is this Saturday and Sunday from 11am-7pm. Located in the architecturally fascinating Lyceum on 4th Avenue near President Street in Gowanus, the event will feature:

Saturday December 19
LuCrafts
New York Clocks
Wai Sze Designs
a Studio by the Sea
Wabisabi Brooklyn

Sunday December 20
LuCrafts
New York Clocks
Wabisabi Brooklyn
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, 11am-7pm
WHERE: 227 4th Avenue @ President Street, Gowanus
Wabisabi Brooklyn will be finishing out the holiday shopping season at Brooklyn Indie Market this Sunday. Stop by for all your decoupage jewelry needs!
WHEN: Sunday, 11am-6pm
WHERE: Smith Street @ Union, Carroll Gardens
May Luk will be selling her gorgeous ceramics at the Makers Market at the OA Can Factory on Sunday from 11am-6pm along with dresses by Better Than Jam and jewelry and felted and knit accessories by our own Knit Knit.
WHEN: Sunday, 11am-6pm
WHERE: 3rd Street @ 3rd Avenue, Gowanus

Happy Holiday Shopping!
-MaryAnne LoVerme
wabisabibrooklyn.etsy.com
wabisabibrooklyn.com

Meegun at Madison Park

Meegün of NYCraft interviewed at the Madison Park Market in October, 2009.

Artistic Process: How did you learn the discipline you work in now?

"I was lucky enough to be born the daughter of a potter, and so I made my first pot on my mother's lap in her basement studio at age three. I lost interest as I grew older, but when I decided to return to the craft after college, my mom was a hard task master. She used to make me make pot after pot after pot on the wheel, cutting each one open to show me the ways I could improve its construction. I think this was invaluable because it taught me to invest in the process of making an item, instead of just focusing on the product. But it was hard. Some days after she would cut my 20th pot in half, I'd wanna take a sharp tool and open a vein. I didn't know at the time that repitition is also a cornerstone of discipline."
-Lorrie
Lenny Mud

Artistic Process: What inspires you?

"I get inspired a lot by nature and architecture. I find the use of stone, glass, metal and wood to create structural elements a fascinating thing, and I try to replicate the juxtaposition in my designs on paper. Oftentimes I will be walking along on the street, especially in NYC where there are so many beautiful buildings, I will see stonework or some design element that would intrigue me and take a mental picture of it."
-Lisa
Pretty Stationery for Beautiful Souls - Fubabee

Gifts for your Crafter

What to get for the crafter in your life?? Supplies of course to make their lives easier!

We all have though about saving those pesky plastic bags to create wonderful crocheted totes from, well, get them one step close with these bags already cute and wound up into balls so you can jump right in with your crochet or knitting project (from Copabananas)Okay, so let's say your crafter loves making things but needs a great pattern to follow to be able to craft to their true potential? KnitKnit has some great knit patterns from the Berry bag to a bustier - oh la la! Challenging!
Or maybe your Crafter like a good long read about a topic before embarking on it, mixed with tns of projects and instructions to show you how it's done. Well, try Kayte Terry's Applique Your Way. {look for me around page 30 modeling a fetching appliqued trench coat}

This books gives step by step instructions on applique techniques as well as 35 great projects you would actually wear or use for your home [plus on a local side tip, all the photos were taken right here in Brooklyn].

Happy Shopping, i hope you get your crafter everything they want need to create stunning pieces that you will cherish always!

-Kimm
KimmChi.etsy.com

The {NewNew} at OOAK ny

Last night was the preview night for the One of a Kind show at Pier 94 off of 55th street. The place was packed with vendors and customers sipping wine and browisng the artisan handmade wares from shops around the country. Really the cream of the crop - it was very inspiring to see it all in one place. I can't believe this was the first show in NY, glad they decided to branch out and take the show on the road!

Browsing through the aisle, i cam across many friendly faces of people i know.I got some great photos of Caja Jewelry, and JDavis Studio and home design by Pink Baby Mouse....

repost from KimmChi at http://kimmchi-nyc.blogspot.com/
click here for full post...

Where to Find the {NewNew} December 12 + 13

The Holiday Handmade Cavalcade might be over, but the {NewNew} will still be selling all over the city this month. As you check gifts off your list, be sure to take a look at the fabulous handmade goodies the {NewNew} has to offer!

The Brooklyn Flea is hosting Gifted, a holiday market in Manhattan this month. Stop by for great music, Brooklyn Brew Shop Beer, and fabulous vendors, including LuCrafts, AdornmentsNYC, WishByFelicity, L'AtelierDesBijoux, and JTopolski.
Location: 20 East 4th Street (at Lafayette Street), Manhattan. Saturday, 12pm - 7pm.

This weekend marks the third annual shopping benefit sponsored by Brooklyn Indie Market, an up and coming designers market. Indie designers will donate 10-15% of sales to benefit Brooklyn Community Housing and Services, an organization committed to ending homelessness in Brooklyn by providing safe, clean supportive housing each year for nearly 700 women, children and men. WabisabiBrooklyn will be part of this great outreach both Saturday and Sunday.
Location: Red and white tent at Smith and Carroll Streets, Brooklyn. Saturday & Sunday, 11am - 7pm.

St. Nicholas Faire in Cobble Hill
A number of {NewNew} team members will be taking part in the 20th Annual St. Nicholas Fair at the Christ Church in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Check out LennyMud, LolitaNYC, PandaWithCookie, NordeaSoaperie, YaniaCreations, AltonWeekes, and AbbyHorowitzDesigns.
Location: 326 Clinton Street, Brooklyn. Saturday, 10am - 5pm.

The (Makers) Market, set in the garage of The (OA) Can Factory, is a new place to find art and artisanal wares designed and crafted by a broad community of locally based creative individuals and organizations, including many working at The (OA) Can Factory. MayLuk and WabisabiBrooklyn will be selling this Sunday, so stop by and check out their fantastic housewares and jewelry.
Location: 232 Third Street at Third Avenue in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Sunday, 11am - 6pm.

Have a lovely weekend!

Karina
WindowsKarina
WindowsOfAgate

The Festive Table

'Tis the time to entertain, and give the ole table setting a whirl. Here are a few items that will give your holiday dinner party that extra pizazz:

Start out with these gorgeous plates by May Luk Ceramics:

and add some napkins from Red Bridge Studio:Protect your table with a trivet from Peppersprouts:and ask cakehouse's Odysseus the Cat to watch over your glasses:
Bon Appetit

Simone
groundsel.etsy.com