stella design gallery

Rip-Off Alert: Urban Threads

I read about seventy-eleven blogs almost everyday, and I came across a very important tidbit of news on Early Bird Special. Unfortunately, a company called Urban Threads has blatantly ripped off designs, instructional demos, and even personality from Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching (who is awesome and someone I admire very much).

Please read the Early Bird Special blog post. She gives a good recap, and links to other blogs that have also reported on the issue. What I am most proud of, regarding the grassroots uprising against dishonest business practices, is the very high level of class with which this is handled in the craft community. Yes, we are outraged, but no one is nasty or hateful. In fact, there is a call for corporations and sole proprietors to work together for the common good of craft.

Show your support for Jenny Hart and Sublime Stitching--visit the web site and buy some patterns! Do NOT buy patterns from Urban Threads! Protest with your wallet and spread the word that stealing ideas from anyone and passing them off as your own is not cool.

UPDATE 5.4.2009

Now that this mess has cooled down some, and I've had time to reflect on it, I feel a little silly for a one reason (regarding my blog post): I definitely responded hastily, and out of an emotional and biased place. Once I read about even the possibility of someone being deceitful and trying to ride on the coattails of a crafter who has worked hard to develop her own portfolio and customer base, I flipped. I think that's understandable, but I do wish that I had waited until more details emerged before I posted something for all to see on the blogosphere. Now people are accusing me of possessing a group-think mentality because of my knee-jerk reaction. Yikes!

I don't know how this will all work out. I hope that the truth becomes visible to everyone, but it might not. I reacted so strongly because of my admiration for Jenny (even though I have not met her, that doesn't mean I can't be a huge fan of hers), but also because intellectual property is SO difficult to defend against the ravages of derivative work and all forms of stealing. A person's creative mind is so valuable, and when one takes the time to bring to fruition the beauty that they see, I want to celebrate it. I also want to defend it, even if I end up going against my better judgment and write a frantic blog post.

Best of luck to Jenny and Urban Threads; I hope that they can reach at least a polite understanding of what happened and move forward in a positive direction. It would be really great if this situation could serve an educational purpose for all of us in the art and craft world. I've learned my own lesson about how wildly stories can take off on the internet!

Also, Niamh O'Connor has left a link to her response in the comments section of this blog post. Please take the time to read it.

Smithsonian Craft Show This Weekend!

Impossible Pencil Pin, copyright Connie Verrusio. Image via SmithsonianCraftShow.org

I am beyond excited to be a booth assistant for Connie Verrusio at the Smithsonian Craft Show this weekend! I'll be working Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I can't wait to be surrounded by inspiring craft--I fully expect to network and come back with fabulous ideas and experiences.

Click here to see a wonderful grouping of Connie's work. Some other amazing artists who will be there are Todd Reed, Karen Gilbert, Biba Schutz, Jacqueline Sanchez, Chris Roberts-Antieau, Fritelli & Lockwood, Wendy Stevens, and Brian Becher. For a complete listing, click here.

Here are all the pertinent details:

National Building Museum
Washington, DC

Daily Admission $15

Thursday:    10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
    Friday:    10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday:    10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  Sunday:    11 a.m. to 5 p.m

Interview with Jen Menkhaus

I promised you all an interview with Jen Menkhaus, founding member of the Baltimore Etsy Street Team (B.E.S.T.) and mixed media crafter, and it's about time I delivered. I made the mistake of overextending myself this week so this is the only free evening I've had (sniffle) to put up a post.

Jen is a friend of mine from a previous job and I've always admired her creativity (she used to design the window displays for Anthropologie!) and original style. She's one of those people that you know is so much cooler than you are, and yet she is nice to everyone and has a sweet spirit. Go Jen!

Baltimore Etsy Street Team photo by Tya Anthony of Eyeni Photography, www.eyeniphoto.com   

1. Now that Pile of Craft and Artscape are over, what big events will B.E.S.T. be participating in next?

First up is Hampdenfest, September 13th (http://hampdenfest.blogspot.com/).  We'll have a huge space, 8 x 40'!  We have been invited to quite a few events in the fall, more info coming soon in our blog. (http://www.baltimorecraft.com)

2. I know that your goals at B.E.S.T. involve promoting Etsy, handmade craft, and each other's work. What kinds of alternative strategies do you have for promotion aside from blogging and advertising? What are you doing that is "outside of the box"?

I think there is strength in numbers - we have so many connections just through our members that we have been lucky enough to get word out quickly in the seven months we've been together.  I think that for me it is easier to promote others than myself, and that is one of the benefits of a group, since we are all doing that for each other.  I won't say we have been lazy about marketing and promoting, but we really have tried to develop a quality group of crafters rather than doing things like advertising.

3. I really enjoy your personal work--my mom now has one of your brooches and I've begun a modest collection of my own. What do you have up your sleeve for the fall?

Oh, my sketchbook is really full.  I have some new brooches, necklaces, cuffs, scarves, and kid's accessories coming in the fall.  I'll also be doing more labor-intensive, one of a kind pieces.  I had a huge demand for one of the pieces I created that had fifteen layers of embroidery, that I couldn't part with, and I'll be making more in that style.  It's just a matter of finding the time!

One of a Kind Felt Necklace. Copyright Jen Menkhaus 2008.

4. Finally, if there was one magical thing that you wish would happen to bring loads of attention and fame to B.E.S.T. and/or your own personal work, what would it be?

Wow.  We've had so much already, it would be greedy to ask for more right now!  I guess I would really like to see this handmade movement become a pervasive force in the US.  I personally feel very strongly that for the sake of our local economies, the environment, and overall quality of life, we should support local businesses and choose fewer, more special things over having many things.  Y'know, quality vs quantity.

Pointy Flower Brooch. Copyright Jen Menkhaus 2008.

Denyse Schmidt

The August/September issue of American Craft magazine features my favorite quilt artist on its cover: Denyse Schmidt. She is a former ballerina who opened her quilting studio in an old factory building six years ago in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

I came across her work in a Martha Stewart Living magazine years ago (yes, I love Martha Stewart dearly) and immediately responded to her carefully structured, asymmetrical quilts. I'm actually not sure that asymmetrical is the best word choice to describe her piecing, but it is definitely not all straight lines and right angles. Like Lulu Smith, Denyse is also a talented colorist, but with fabric instead of hand-pigmented resin.

My favorite quilt is below:

Drunk Love in a Log Cabin. Copyright Denyse Schmidt 2008. Via www.denyseschmidt.com

It looks like American Craft magazine's web site isn't updated for this latest issue, so you'll have to purchase a copy at your nearest Barnes & Noble or Borders bookstore. Hopefully you can find it at a cool indie newsstand like Harbor News here in Baltimore!