Welcome to the Swap-O-Rama-Rama

I have a tendency to throw myself into chaos from time to time. Today was one of those days. This is what happens when you throw hundreds of pounds of clothing into a gymnasium. . . or was it an auditorium? It was a big room.

. . .then add 10 or so designers to help you refashion your new old clothes into art.

You could screenprint with Aldo:

You could redesign a t-shirt:

or make your own tote with Lori:

You could hang out with Sean in the monster madness corner:

or add some stencils to your stuff:

or how about some L.A. Craft Mafia stencils?

Here's what went on at my applique'in station:

These are some things I learned today:

#1. It's not a good idea to stick a sign like this on your beloved vintage dress form.


Like it? Take it! I meant the clothes. When they were gone, all that remained was the dress form with that sign on it, so of course it got snagged. Luckily, a volunteer noticed what was going on and after sprinting across the crowded room I got it back. It was an honest mistake. If I saw a vintage dress form with a sign like that I'd say "Well alrighty then!" too.

#2. Assistance is a good thing. By the time Jenny showed up I was a wee bit crazy. Observe:

But together we kept the chaos under control. When I found out she was going to be there, I envisioned us leisurely cutting out templates, talking crafty gossip, and stitching appliques on all the funky clothes we could find. Ha! It was more like a whirlwind of scissors and scraps and sewing machine-hopping and people-helping. It was all we could do to exchange crazed glances across the tables and laugh.

But we survived. We even got to hang out with Sonja for a bit. I met Sonja at the Craftmas Bizarre last winter - yet another crazy show. It seems there are some people I only hang out with at extremely busy events. Sonja has written two awesome craft books Just for the Frill of It and Beadalicious. Jenny's got a Sew Darn Cute book coming out in the winter. Me? I got nothing.


Now for the applique fashion show.


Whew! I need a bath. Check out Jenny's Flickr set for better, less dark pictures. I took the old camera today because I didn't want to lose the good one.

The funny thing is, as much as I love thrift stores and rummage sales, I wasn't even interested in getting anything today. It was more fun watching other people get the good stuff and cheering them on from the sidelines.