Wool-Lined Winery Commuter

Sometimes someone will ask me to do something I've never done before, something I'm not immediately sure I can manage while also making it look good. Typically I'll give it some thought, come up with a plan, tell the customer what I can do, and proceed directly to the Creative Freakout.

During this stage, I :
lay on the floor wondering what exactly I'm trying to pull,
suddenly have a great idea,
lay on the floor and feel immense hatred for all of my ideas,
am excited about a new challenge
lay on the floor and lose the ability to make any kind of decision
get up and make an espresso.

Hopefully and very eventually this cycle ends in an actual finished product, and this time, when it was all over, I was in love the results. Not only does this messenger bag have a very different look from many I've made before, it also has some awesome features. It's fully lined with 100% wool felt, has an additional chest strap for stability while riding, and a wine bottle sleeve for bike trips to the local winery.

Messenger Bags for a Bicycle Commuter

My first order for the year was for this pair of medium messenger bags, one of them outfitted with extra features (belt loop clips and extra chest strap) for winter bike commutes through the cities. The customer requested the design layouts for both bags, and I think they turned out great. It also makes me super happy to know that there are people way more hardcore than me out there riding their bikes to work despite the fact that it's January and this is Minnesota. Current temp: one degree.

I Like It: Chrismas Break 09 Edition

Christmas Break is officially over, and the dudes got back on the bus for school this morning. The house is trashed and quiet. It's a new year, the aughts are done, and I'm launching a new segment of my blog: I Like It. The occasional post that's less about what I've made and more about the stuff I like. Because sometimes stuff is just awesome: brilliant-awesome or beautiful-awesome or break-your-heart-awesome. And this one is a little bit of all of that.

Where the Wild Things Are.

I will just say that I cried through the whole thing, and that it was perfect. (ps: Dave Eggers is a freaking genius.)

Christmas Break Project 09

My project for last year's Christmas Break was to learn to knit, which I kind of did. Anything in a straight(ish) line. (Read: a scarf.)

Not understanding my handicap, this year the husb asked if I would knit him some lobster claw gloves. Being a cyclist and generally adventurous, mittens tend to get in his way. (As part of his petition, he even demonstrated how dangerous it is to drive a car wearing standard mittens.) This project required nerves of steel, your basic math skills, and four knitting needles, but once I figured it out, I was pretty happy with myself. As was Mr. Adventurepants.

You try it.

OOPS: When I first posted this, I forgot to give the photo credit to my one of my great friends of all time, Pavel Romaniko, who was visiting for the holidays when I finished this project. Besides being an all-around nice guy and fantastic artist, Pavel also makes a top-notch pelmeni.

The Horse and the Cow

I mostly avoid denim in my work, just out of personal preference and too many terrifying vest flashbacks. But I made an exception for the Horse and the Cow, farm toys for farm kids made from farm pants (and shirts and coats). I'm actually a little sad that my Christmas orders are done and there are no more toys to make. Though I need the next couple of days to wrap up my own projects, so it all works out. Anyway:

The Horse.

And the Cow.

Kids Rule

Joyous Holiday Time has been BUSY this year. A lot of orders rolled through here over the past two months, but these are some of my favorite pieces.

Robot Ninja Puppet is repurposed wool, a little necktie, and a lot of buttons. He's lined with cushy yellow fleece.
And he's rechargeable!

Pink Unicorn and Purple Rainbow Unicorn Puppets are also a compilation of repurposed scraps and awesomeness. And they have magic powers.

Shoppe Local

Now you can find Recycling is Rad merch at Patina's new partner store, Shoppe Local, which just opened up near 50th and Bryant in South Minneapolis. Shoppe Local features Patina-style products, all made by local artists and craftspeople. More details here, or stop by the store:

Shoppe Local
813 W. 50th St
Minneapolis, MN

612.820.3071

M-S 9:30-9, Su 11-6