whoranging at felt club, holiday 2008

let's talk about...

last sunday, i slipped on my sensible shoes and boogied on down to the shrine auditorium expo center for my favorite crafting fair extravaganza -- felt club!

felt club is hands down one of the grooviest and most glorious DIY events on the west coast.  founder jenny ryan, formally of sew darn cute, began felt club a few years ago as a monthly mini-fair in the parking lot of a comic book store. it quickly grew into a bi-annual, 150-vendor, multi-thousand customer fiesta of handmade goods, one-of-a-kind plushies, original artwork, live performances, book signings, jewelry making classes, vintage cravings, etsy superstars, and DIY workshops.

i scored some fabulous goods, met lots of fabulous folks, and left happy knowing that the indie craft movement is not only spreading like wildfire, but it's also cooking up some of the best products available in the country, in the world, in the galaxy, and in the universe!

here are some of the highlights:

{above: former "whorange of the week" artist tanya aguiñiga and her felt birds, purses, pillows, and jewelry.}

{above:  groovy, vintage fabric creations by stationery rockstars susie & heidi bauer of rock paper scissors.}

{above: queen crafter and vintage maven cathy of california}

{above:  the always beautiful figs & ginger eco-friendly jewelry.}

{above top:  illustrator johnny ryan signs a fan's cast;  above bottom: artist steven weissman and his screen-printed collection of craveable characters.}

{above:  a plushie pancreas by i heart guts.}

view MORE felt club after THE JUMP.

{above:   b green design's gorgeous screen-printed trees on wood and clothing.  50 trees are planted with every purchase!}

{above:  planet tokki's squeaky poos.}

{above: felt club's host with the mostess -- author, performer, retro-king, and martha stewart go-to guest charles phoenix.}

{above:  los angeles-based artist miriam dema and her amazing prints.}

{a young felt club fan purchases a stincker from steven weismann's stincker vending machine.}

{above: the fab susie ghahremani of boy girl party.}

{above:  international superstars and friends of WHORANGE ted & angie from poketo.}

{above:  handmade nation co-author cortney heimerl.}

{above: the charming gents behind social studies design.  graphic vinyl wallets, fois bois tree ornaments, and sexy grandpa undies.}

{above: the dandy wares by dandy brand.}

{above:  hands-on crafting with the urban craft center.}

{above:  the fabulous fellows at i heart guts.  great guts and glands-themed products with a big heart behind it all.}

{above:  felt club fans.}

there are so many other amazing vendors i met, all of whom i will feature in future WHORANGE posts!  stay tuned, kittens!

Comments

[Jennifer P.]

My goodness. This wrap up kicks butt! I love the pancreas :)

[Gemma]

I was there, too. Great write up. I love the guys with the sexy grandpa undies!

[Thombeau]

How awesome! I wish we could go to these things together. Wouldn't that be a hoot?

[tula]

oh thombeau, i'd love to go with you. next time we have to get you down to los angeles!!!

[Sonya]

The little organs are breaking my heart (no pun intended)! So cute!

[S. Weissman]

Hey, you really did what you said! Thanks for stopping by our table, See ya -- Steven Weissman -- (I LOVE the pics with that girl using our machine. I'm reposting it at stinckers.blogspot, let me know if you object)

[Sherri/The Claw]

oh that looked like so much fun. I would have had trouble deciding what to buy.