We should mention these are all made from old wool or cashmere sweaters (see individual product pages to see which). They’re felted, designed, and sewn by Kelley. Then she uses the old typewriter in our studio to make custom tags and signs each and every one.

These make excellent one-of-a-kind, handmade gifts (but they’re awesome to keep for yourself too.)

Visit our store to see all of Kelley’s items for sale.

Within an hour of meeting Austin, he was already whipping out a sketchbook and capturing the scene at the local BBQ joint down there in Texas. He’s always making something it seems.

Even on his bus ride to work he started marking up newspaper articles to create something new, something that straddles the line comfortably between poetry and art. In his words, “Never believe anyone who says they have no time.”

Pretty bang on and inspirational, that guy.

Now we’ve teamed up with Austin to produce this Blackout Poem t-shirt that reads “Creativity is subtraction.” It comes out right as his book Newspaper Blackout is hitting the stores and garnering excellent reviews.

And so I began searching for a bed and linens that integrated into our play area. Something minimalist and simple, but still fun. And after much searching, I couldn’t find a single thing that I liked. Particularly something gender-neutral. I sighed a lot.

Fast-forward a few years, and I had taken a brief summer course about quilting. I quickly learned that I could never be a traditional quilter. I have the utmost respect for those who have the precision and patience to make all the pieces come together just so. It really is an amazing skill.

But after doing a little hunting around, I discovered there were many folks doing a much more free-form version of quilting, starting with the Quilters of Gee’s Bend and moving on forward. I loved this no-rules kind of quilting. Just throw together some fabrics and run with it.

So I made a few doll quilts, and found they are a joy to produce. If you’ve got a little sewing know-how, you can knock one out in no time.

Of course, this process can be applied to all kinds of things—larger quilts, table runners, bags, etc. I’ve included my process below. I’m sure it would make some more experienced sewers cringe, but, hey, this is how I go about it.

Don’t wish to embark on this crafty journey but would still like a modern doll quilt? I’ve got these two for sale: Birds & Cars

Feeling brave? Grab your fabric, and jump in! After all, it’s small. If you screw it up, you can always start over. Please note, I haven’t included all the minutia, making the assumption that you’ve done a bit of sewing before.

My quilts measure 21″ wide by 18″ tall, a perfect size for this affordable doll bed. Remember to measure your bed to see what size would work best, making sure it’s wide enough to accomodate whomever will be sleeping under it.

Shake It Records in Cincinnati has worked hard to pay tribute and honor Eddie’s work. They’ve lined up some great musicians to record Eddie’s songs. First up? Drive By Truckers and Greg Dulli.

Tom designed a visual system that can be used for future releases. Chris topped it off with an illustration of the famous Muscle Shoals studio for the insert. First out of the gate in The Dangerous Highway Series:

Vol. 1 Greg Dulli – “Hard Luck Guy” / “Cover Me” (Shake 770)
Vol. 2 Drive-By Truckers – “Where’s Eddie” / “Everybody Needs Love” (Shake 771)

Much of the common thread of Eddie Stems from the Muscle Shoals Sound. (Those words might sound familiar… Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote in the Sweet Home Alabama: “Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers/And they’ve been known to pick a song or two.”)

As a session guitarist he played on records by played on records recorded by Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, The Staple Singers, Elvis Presley, The Box Tops, R.B. Greaves, Boz Scaggs and Otis Redding (to name a few).

These super limited edition 7″ vinyl records are available at Shake It Records.

But this week we’re taking the holiday break to tell the stories about some of the things we sell, so here goes:

I’m a beard man. Took me 30 years to grow one proper and boy does my weak jaw benefit from the extra volume. Mine doesn’t do very much other than get all squashed when I sleep at night or get fluffy out of the shower – but I’ve always been one to appreciate the variations that can be made with a touch of the razor (and the proper genes).

So I set out to make a design that incorporated major types of facial hair. I did some research and edited it down to these 14 varieties that I felt were a good representation. I found the images I liked and made a collage in a photo editing program. Here is the original collage:

I used this as the basis for an ink line drawing and the rest is pretty much standard screen-printing. Being our first product for sale, we also made a behind-the-scenes movie to illustrate our process:

And last but not least, here are the types all listed out. This key is printed along the hem of the shirt.

Bending is essentially taking electronics and adding dials and switches to create new results. This works especially great on old toys!

As luck would have it, the father of bending happens to live in Cincinnati and was offering a course. I was lucky enough to spend a few days with Reed Ghazala and explore his world of electronic alchemy. The Incantor shirt is a tribute to Reed’s bend of the Speak & Math.

The Incantor shirt is available online at Wire & Twine.

Back to bending!

I got a bit sentimental reading this book, remembering the afternoons of my childhood spent wandering through the woods and digging in the dirt. And while our family loves a good video game like the best of them, I thought about tweaking our notion of a Play Station.

I like to think when I wear it it’s a good reminder to turn off the electronics, head for the door, and spend some quality time outside.

The Play Station shirt is available online at Wire & Twine and at the retail stores MiCA and Park + Vine.

Name: Kelley Deal

Location: Dayton, OH

Website: kelleydeal.net

Why did you start making handmade goods?
A friend had a birthday, and I was thinking of something handmade to give her. That’s when I started making bags. Then I saw these beautiful old sweaters, and I knew I had to do something with them. That’s when I started making scarves.

Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere. The ocean. Magazine advertisements. Two colors sitting next to one another. From the sweaters themselves. Kim (Deal) is instrumental in naming. Whatever makes us laugh is the name the scarf gets. They kind of name themselves!

What is the best part of your day?
When I’m done running around and all my obligations are met. I’m able to go up to my Pull Room, stand there, and start creating. My Pull Room is where I keep all my raw materials, laid out according to color and pattern. At that time of day, I feel like I have the leisure to work as long as I’d like.

What have you been listening to lately?
Christmas music on the AM stations! I sing my heart out along with those songs.

What don’t we know about you?
Nothing! I put it all out there, baby.

–

We should mention, Kelley’s stuff sells out pretty quick. And this time around she’s made some pretty innovative variations on her scarves with some short ones (as seen on TV) and “collars” – Check ‘em out!

The Cincinnati Enquirer did a special piece on items you can buy locally that could make fine gifts. We’re thrilled they liked the Made in Ohio shirt, and also thrilled to be included with such fine companions. A few other choice pieces:

From left to right:
Lisa Robin Jewelry,
Charley Harper prints from Fabulous Frames and Art,
Cincinnati Building Footprint serigraph by VisuaLingual

It’s a good time to be making things, and this type of attention from the press helps our local creative community. Exciting stuff and very much an honor.

See the entire lists here at the Enquirer: Gifts from the Arts and Books with Cincinnati Connections

After the sale of the FM signal a few years back, WOXY has moved to an online format, and more recently, a new home in Austin, TX. Even though they’ve moved the office, we’re still happy to be selling their schwag, including this year’s Top 100 Bands of 2009 shirt.

Like every year, we do these top 100 shirts as a pre-order to keep overhead low. They’re no longer available, but the rock lives on.