Over the weekend, I got to check out the Seattle Mini Maker Faire at the EMP, and it was really, really cool. There are SO many local maker groups in the Seattle area alone! I learned of some maker spaces and tool libraries near me, saw a lot of kids and families get to make things, and found practical day-to-day uses for a lot of science. A few exhibitors stood out to me as ones that would be at home on The Geeky Hostess, and I’ve profiled them all below for you! Check them out and feel inspired, as if you’re at your own digital mini maker faire!
Tinkerine
This was my first stop and also some of the most colorful 3D printed-objects I saw during the day. Tinkerine is a 3D Printer manufacturer, and you can buy one of their three models pre-assembled or save $300 and put it together yourself. Their printers range in price from $999-$1900, and include your first filament spool (normally $45). They have more filament colors than I’ve seen anywhere else. If I was interested in picking up a 3D printer, I’d seriously consider these guys.
SeattleLumin.com
If you like things that light up, then you’d love SeattleLumin.com. They sell everything you need to make yourself or other things glow–from EL Wire, Drivers, and Kits, to premade items. If you want to make your clothes or bike glow, these are the folks to talk to. (The picture you see above were of some flashing plug and play kits they had available for purchase. The blurriness is what happens when I tried to get a pick of them all lit up at the same time. Let’s just pretend it’s supposed to be artsy.)
Ill Gotten Games
Il Gotten Games is a game development company out of Bellingham. They were showing off a variety of awesome miniatures and games they’ve created with a 3D printer, which totally makes me want to buy one. (Creating your own miniatures??? Seriously, how cool would that be?) They’ve also recently launched a Kickstarter for an RPG they’re creating! Check it out!
Hack Your Clothes
Jennifer, the creator of Hack Your Clothes wants to help people learn to sew and “hack” their clothes to get pieces that fit them perfectly and that they love. She currently has a site and offers weekly sessions where she’ll oversee your projects and assist you as you need it. Want to take in a dress, make a corset, or create a great costume from scratch? She can help! And I hear that she’ll be opening up a studio in the Seattle area sometime soon. I’ll let you all know as soon as it opens! (She also blogs often about cleaning and restoring old sewing machines which is a really cool read! Check it out!)
Scroll Wood Shop
As I walked by this booth, I had to get a closer look. There was a man making puzzles out of tiny objects (seen here with postage stamps adhered to wood) entirely by hand. All using a scroll saw. Scroll Wood Shop has an Etsy page available, where you can purchase these handmade puzzles or have a custom one created with stamps of your choice, or even from a business card. I also love their jigsaw coasters–they would make a super cute gift for gaming/puzzle enthusiasts!
You can stay up to date on future Maker Faires in the Seattle area by visiting makerfaireseattle.com. I’m definitely looking forward to checking out the next one! Have you been to a Maker Faire before? Are you an avid 3D printer, arduino, or woodworking maker?
I just added Hack Your Clothes as a bookmark! That’s such a brilliant idea!