Gettin' your craft on in New Orleans?

[danielepea]

I just moved down to NOLA to go to grad school. Where are the crafty people?!?! And where are some crafty resources? So far the only place I've been able to find is Quarter Stitch, which is fun (pretty, pretty yarn) but doesn't fit too well into my student's budget.

Please share any tips you have about New Orleans (doesn't have to be craft-related!). And if you live in the area, we should get together for a stitch n' bitch!
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[uproar]

I was part of a Stitch N Bitch last spring that happened weekly at Neutral Ground coffeehouse Uptown, but it kind of disbanded for awhile. Last I heard some people have started one up again at the new Z'Otz on Oak Street, but I haven't been yet.

Artities Art Cafe recently opened up on Maple Street, but again, I haven't had the chance to stop by yet. They're supposed to sell stuff in addition to having classes from what I know.

There are a couple of different Yahoo Groups and LiveJournal communities dedicated to different arts and crafts in New Orleans. Searching the city name would probably turn them up.

I'm a big fan of Turncoats on Magazine Street. I make reconstructed clothing, and hopefully I'll have some of my stuff in their store soon (hopefully within the next month or so).

Antigravity Magazine (which is a free local mag available in shops and coffeehouses around town) puts on the [N.O]D.I.Y. Alternative Media Expo. The next one is next Friday, April 1, 2005, but this is the 4th time they've done it and it seems like they're doing one in spring and one in fall. I participated in the expo last September and I really enjoyed it and made some money. I'm doing it again this time and am having my clothing featured in the fashion show.

Other than QuarterStitch, I also know of Betty Bornside in the Marigny/Bywater area (I want to say it's on Burgundy but I could be wrong. It's sort of near the railroad tracks), and Garden District Needleworks on Magazine Street.

Recycle for the Arts is a project that sounds really cool, but sadly I haven't been to look or particpate yet.


I'm sure there is more I know of, but I hope that helps for now!
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MissMalaprop.com - indie finds for your uncommon life

dismantled designs - original and reconstructed clothing & accessories

[uproar]

I just wanted to update this thread for anyone who might be interested in the future. A few weeks ago I started a LiveJournal community for crafts/arts/creativity in New Orleans:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/creativenola> should be the correct address; either way, creativenola is the community username.

There is a directory (linked to in the userinfo and included in the community memories section) that I'm trying to continually update and add to for crafty and artistic resources in and around New Orleans and on the internet. It includes all of the other New Orleans LiveJournal communities for individual arts or crafts (well, at least the other communities that I am aware of), as well as a growing list of stores in the city that offer supplies or support independent artists, and a growing list of NOLA-based artists and crafters. Hopefully the community can become a good resource and community for networking with other artistic types and finding out about arty events around the city. I'd like to start doing some type of community meet-up/craft-up at some point in the future as well.
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MissMalaprop.com - indie finds for your uncommon life

dismantled designs - original and reconstructed clothing & accessories

[uproar]

Taking a cue from the original Craft Mafia that developed in Austin,
TX, nine New Orleans artisans in various media formed together in June 2005 for mutual support. Current members' skilled areas include jewelry, clothing, accessories, bath & beauty products, and more.

Membership is now open to other local artisans by application. The
application can be found online at the group's website,
http://www.neworleanscraftmafia.com.

Members will be expected to participate in the email discussion list
and online forum, sporadic face-to-face meetings, advertising costs, occasional markets, and other group activities.

Please pass this message on to anyone you know who may be interested.


We're also planning a big launch party slated for Thursday, September 22, 7-10pm at The Big Top, so if you're in or around New Orleans or know someone who is, come out or pass on the information!
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MissMalaprop.com - indie finds for your uncommon life

dismantled designs - original and reconstructed clothing & accessories

[uproar]

I totally had a GetCrafty City Guide written up for New Orleans right before Katrina hit...I was just in the process of verifying some contact info for businesses and editing it. Maybe now that things are starting to come back and reopen, I'll be able to rewrite one in the near future....


We at the New Orleans Craft Mafia launched our new webshop in April...we've got lots of NOLA-related stuff for sale, as well as other cool products. One of the most popular items is the Blue Tarp Messenger Bag.


I've also just started a Yahoo group for the CreativeNOLA community, which was originally started on Livejournal and mentioned a little further up in this thread. My hope is that the group can reach out to more people with interests in all types of art in the New Orleans Metro area. Hopefully having it on Yahoo as well will help it gain more exposure and make it easier for more people to access and utilize.


Antigravity Magazine is sponsoring the 5th edition of the Alternative Media Expo coming up on Saturday, August 19th. There are so many cool artists and vendors scheduled to be showcasing and selling their work there...it's proof that art and creativity is still alive in NOLA and that those of us who are back want to be here and want to help bring this city back to life, even if that means a slightly different version of the city it once was.

Support the local arts scene and help rebuild the New New Orleans.
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MissMalaprop.com - indie finds for your uncommon life

dismantled designs - original and reconstructed clothing & accessories