Science for the Masses: Looking Glass Leggings

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Plaidypus

Large pyramidal neuron from rat hippocampus (the memory center of the brain!)

I want everyone to see how cool science can be. I want them to see how beautiful a cell can be if you let it.

When I tell people that I work with brains, half the time they get excited and ask me more. The other half of the time, however, they get a look of discomfort on their face and think that what I do is “icky.” So I went on a search for ways to show people that what I do and what I look at is actually quite beautiful.

I took a course in college on scanning electron microscopy (SEM), something I highly suggest looking up, because if there is anything that can make tiny things look beautiful, it’s SEM. I decided to take photos of the brain cells and spinal cord of a rat (that’s right, a rat).

These photos are what came from that class:

: Spinal cord neurites

: Lily pollen

: Cerebellar granule neurons

: Hippocampal pyramidal neuron

Through colorizing them and patterning them in different ways, I turned them into this fabric:

And then turned them into these leggings:

: Hippocampal pyramidal neuron

: Lily pollen

: Cerebellar granule neurons

: Spinal cord neurites

My goal with these leggings is to both inspire people to add a little science into their life and wardrobe as well as ignite curiosity surrounding the items in the photos. I want people to look up what the heck a neurite is, what the hippocampus is for, and what is so special about cerebellar granule neurons.

If you need a little bit of science in your life, you can find Plaidypus Looking Glass Leggings in the “Leggings” section of our Etsy store, or at Wadoo Gifts in Fort Collins, CO. And remember, science is cool. Even rat brains.

New Leggings Line!

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Plaidypus

I’m really excited to introduce our new line of leggings! They’re still being tweaked for sizing, but will be up on my Etsy shop and in Wadoo by May.

‘So what’s so exciting about these leggings?’ you may ask. I’m glad you asked. You see, there is a panel of interesting fabric scanning electron microscope lily pollen leggings teal blue plaidypus fashion running down the side of the tights. And this fabric was designed by yours truly based on scanning electron microscope images*. The images I have printed on fabric so far are of lily pollen and a rat’s spinal cord, but expect to be getting in more designs soon of rat cerebellar neurons (used in movement) and rat hippocampal neurons (the hippocampus is a part of the brain’s memory system).

Here’s the first prototype that I made for a good friend of mine as a birthday present (she’s the adorable one with the matching blue hair):

The panel down the side of this prototype is a lily pollen image that has been mirrored to create the diamond pattern and then falsely colored.

Here are the other colors I’ve printed so far (the same lily pollen image in magenta, the teal lily pollen, and a rat spinal cord in browns/oranges):

And here are the designs I’m expecting to get in during the month of April (the first one is cerebellar neurons and the second one is hippocamal pyramidal neurons):

Keep your eyes peeled for more information on these guys. I’m going to try to finish prototypes this week and get a draft of packaging done so I can start making them for sale.

*Scanning electron microscopy is really cool, and if you want to see some other images using this technology, I highly suggest doing a Google Image search of “scanning electron microscopy”. There are some especially pretty photos of snowflakes and bacteria.

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Plaidypus

Now, I’m a firm believer in the classic chocolate chip cookie. But sometimes I want something a little different. But just a little different. Lo and behold, I find a recipe for my classic chocolate chip cookies, but with ORANGE in them. Orange has always been one of my favorite things they put in chocolate bars, so I tried it out. And then I had to make a second batch that same day because the first batch was almost gone already.

Be warned: you will eat these cookies like they are potato chips. So be prepared to either eat a lot of cookies in one sitting or give a bunch away (I always pack most of them up to give away, because that’s my lazy way of making friends or strengthening friendships.)

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (if you want more orange flavor, put in more zest)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I end up putting in double the chocolate chips and using mini ones)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixer, cream the butter and sugars until well combined
Mix in the egg and vanilla
Add the orange juice and zest
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to wet ingredients.
Fold in chocolate chips
Drop balls of dough onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just brown
Remove from baking sheets let cool
Enjoy!

Bonus photo of my dog sitting patiently by the stove and hoping I will somehow drop the entire batch of cookies on the floor for him to clean up.

Craft Shows: Pros, Cons, and Where to Start

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Plaidypus

Whether you’re a new artist looking to get your business noticed or a veteran artist looking to expand your audience, craft fairs can work for you. Basically, you pay money for a booth or a table and set up shop for a day or a weekend to sell directly to customers, surrounded by other artists just like you.

Plaidypus participates in around four gift shows every year: Fort Collins’ Sustainable Living Fair, Wadoo’s Annual Holiday Trunk Show, The Colorado College Arts and Craft Fair, and the Lux Center Holiday Gift Show. Some years it’s more, some years it’s less, depending on how much time there is to make product and how stressful college (about to be grad school!) is.

I love the craft fair/gift show system for a number of reasons. First of all, people love knowing where their product is coming from, what it’s made of, etc. and you’re standing there able to answer all their questions. Second, you can charge retail price instead of wholesale price for your items (for more information on wholesale and retail pricing, check out “5 Easy Steps to Figure Out Wholesale and Retail Pricing“), which means more profit for your business! Finally, your name gets put in the program, on the website, and on your booth, so you’re getting some great publicity.

Here are the pros of craft fairs in a handy list:

Plaidypus table booth at colorado college arts and craft fair 2013

Here’s me telling a friend about a scarf made from sweater sleeves at the Colorado College Arts and Crafts Fair in 2013

Pros of Craft Fairs

1. Connect directly with customers

2. Charge retail pricing instead of wholesale

3. Publicity (even if you don’t make very much money!)

There are also some risks associated with craft fairs. You need to be able to sell enough of your product to pay for your booth fee and your travel expenses for it to be really worth it (unless you’re only going so that you can get your name out there. Then it’s still pretty good marketing/publicity!) Also be aware that many fairs are juried, meaning there is a group of people who decide which businesses get into the fair and which do not, meaning you won’t automatically get into a craft fair. Finally, remember that if your fair is a little further away, you have to take off time, find places to stay, and pay for gas or a flight to get there, which may add to your overhead and make it so you need to sell more (I definitely suggest beginning with local fairs!)

Here’s that list again in, well, list form:

Cons of Craft Fairs

1. Need to sell a lot to pay for the booth fee (booth fees that I’ve seen have ranged from $75 to $1000, depending on the popularity and location of the show, so have a maximum in mind for how much you will pay in case you don’t make the money back)

2. Many are juried

3. Travel expenses and time (plane tickets, gas, hotels, and time off)

So before you decide whether to do a craft fair, remember that sometimes you won’t make as much money as you would selling wholesale to a retail business (I’ll make a separate post about that, soon!). But also remember that it might still be worth it to get your business out there. And you may as well try at least one to see how it goes.

There are many local fairs that you can find that are easy to get to, don’t cost very much (many of them know that they get beginning artists in) and aren’t super big. If you are going to apply for craft fairs, look them up months ahead of time. If you want to do a Christmas craft show, start looking in July. That’s right, some get filled up that quickly. And even if they don’t, it’s good to know ahead of time when everything is due and what you’re going to need to apply. It gives you time to get your materials together and plan your season. Searching for craft fairs gift shows plaidypus blog

Finding craft fairs can be a little tricky. Most of the time I pretty much google “gift fairs” or “craft fairs” plus the area I’m looking to sell in. So, I live in Colorado, and I can look up “gift fairs Colorado” and sift through a lot of websites until I find one or two that I can apply for (even if they aren’t juried, you need to send in an application with descriptions and often photos of your product).

The other, more reliable way to find craft fairs is to know people who participate in them already. I personally know a lot of artists who make the majority of their profit from craft shows. I know most people probably don’t have those connections, but the longer you’re in the business, the more connections you will make within the craft world that can give you tips and tricks for your business and for craft shows. You may already know someone who knows someone, and that is a connection worth looking into. (Seriously, don’t worry about asking for help.)

Felted Wool Coffee Cup Cozy product description by plaidypus

You don’t have to describe it in this much detail. I would say, instead, “coffee cup cozies made from felted wool sweaters.”

There are a few things that almost every application asks for. Here’s a short list in case you want to have everything on hand ahead of time:

Craft Show Application Checklist

1. Product (know what you will sell and describe it)

2. Photos (take photos that show off the product well. Pretty photos are more likely to get you into a juried show)

Plaidypus recycled upcycled felted wool sweater coffee cup cozy

I might use this as my representative photo of a coffee cozy. It’s uncluttered and shows the item in use.

3. Fee budgets (know how much you can pay for booth fees and have that money ready)

4. Information about your business (name, address, phone number, general statement covering what it is you do, previous shows attended if any)

If you have these things, you should be good to go for most shows. Some may ask you to send in physical copies, including CDs with photos on them, while other will allow everything to be online. Try to find the fair with the highest turnout rate of customers within your budget, because the more people who attend the event, the more potential people to sell to.

And if you have any questions that I didn’t answer about craft fairs, comment and I’ll either edit this post or create a new one! Plaidypus and Wadoo Exhibitor Booth for Sustainable Living Fair 2011

Plaidypus Spotted in the Coloradoan!

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Plaidypus

The Coloradoan (Fort Collins’ local newspaper) has a gift guide every year to give people ideas and inspiration for their holiday gifts. It’s full of gifts for him and gifts for her and gifts for food lovers and gifts for children and gifts for pets and gifts for pretty much every other person and for every reason you can think. I’m sure there’s a page in there that is dedicated to gifts for that one relative that you never talk to but feel the need to get them something they were nice to you as a kid.

Anyway, this guide came out on Black Friday, and Plaidypus is in it! Sure, it claims I make felted wood cup cozies (which, in case you were wondering, isn’t a thing) rather than felted wool ones, but it wouldn’t be a true feature without a glaring typo (right?). And publicity is publicity, so I’m not complaining.

Here’s the bit of the page that is dedicated to our (now famous) felted wool (not wood) coffee cup cozies.

And here it is in context of the full page:

That’s like a whole 1/8 of a page! Which doesn’t seem like much, but considering I didn’t have to pay anything for this opportunity and that an ad that size can cost a fortune, I’m pretty excited. So remember us this holiday season. You can come get some coffee cup cozies, as well as many of our other products, at Wadoo or online at the Plaidypus store.

We also still have one more fair for the year (next weekend!), so keep your eyes peeled for that as well. I’ll post specifics soon on here.

Plaidypus Spotlight: Wadoo’s Annual Holiday Trunk Show in Fort Collins, CO

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Plaidypus

Wadoo is this cute family business (my family, to be more specific) in Fort Collins, CO, that houses hundreds of artists’ works, and has been Plaidypus’s biggest supporter. We send them hundreds of coffee cup cozies, hand warmers, and headbands every year. We also participate in their Holiday Trunk Show, an annual festivity filled with champagne, chocolates, and local artists, which just so happens to be coming up in a week.

Here are the quick and dirty details for this year’s show:

What: Wadoo’s Annual Holiday Trunk Show
When: November 20th, from 4pm to 8:30pm
Where: Wadoo Gift store, 200 S. College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO

If you show, you’ll be treated to champagne and chocolates, as well as the opportunity to talk to and buy from local artists including myself, Alison Cope (felted garlands), Kimberly Orrell (sewn totes), Chris Reynolds (fabric baby accessories), Maura Jacobson (pottery), Heather Matthews (bike bands, cards, and advent calendars), and Leah Simmons Decapio (pottery and small tables). This is a particularly big deal that Leah will be here this year, as she lost her home and shop in the 2013 flood. But she and her husband have opened their studio again and will be here in Fort Collins to celebrate the holidays with us.

Plaidypus will be there with our bestsellers, such as our fuzzy crocheted hand warmers, our felted coffee cup cozies, and our t-shirt headbands.

Plaidypus felted wool sweater coffee cup cozy Plaidypus T-Shirt Headbands upcycled recycled

If local artists and chocolate are not enough for you (chocolate is always enough to get me somewhere, but to each their own), this year Wadoo is also adding a charity aspect to the show. During the event, you are invited to give in a variety of important ways:

1. Bring an unwrapped, new toy to donate to Santa Cops;
2. Bring non-perishable food for the Food Bank Of Larimer County;
3. Purchase personal-care gift bags created by Windrift Hill and available at cost ($12) to be donated to residents of Crossroads Safehouse, or donate cash to Crossroads.

To learn more about these charity organizations (they’re all pretty cool), click on their corresponding logo below (or their links in the descriptions above):

The show allows you to come out and support local businesses, local artists, and local charities while getting yourself some chocolate and champagne. It was created simply for the joy of sharing festivities with customers and bonding over warm feelings and good art. Who doesn’t love that?

How to Use Fabric Scraps: The Hair Clip

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Plaidypus

I go through a lot of felted sweaters. Like, A LOT. I scrounge for wool sweaters at the ARC or Goodwill at least once every week from September until March (which according to thrifts stores is sweater season). I felt and cut up sweaters once every month or so and organize all my pattern pieces so they are easy to grab and use. My goal at this point is to throw away as little of the sweater as possible, so I’ve had to get creative over the years.

I started by only using sweaters to cut out patterns for my Coffee Cup Cozies. But there were all these parts left over. I began using the sleeves to make scarves, which helped ease my guilt, but I still felt like I was wasting some good scraps. I started looking online for small accessories I could create, and realized that hair clips were a worthy investment.

I found inspiration for the pattern I eventually made on the internet and at home.
After searching the web I found a few tutorials and photos that I really liked and tried to figure out why I liked them. For example, Here’s one that I liked because of the layering effect they used.

I also had a few hair clips at home that friends and family had bought me over the years that added to my inspiration and designs. Inspiration really is everywhere. I knew I wanted layers and I knew I wanted buttons (because I like buttons on everything. Who doesn’t like buttons?) so I messed around until I made something I liked and then stuck with that and made a bunch more.

Because I was just using up scraps that I would have thrown away otherwise, I was keeping costs low and could therefore keep the price lower for customers. Also, I felt better about not throwing away so much good wool (because wool is getting harder and harder to come by as acrylic and acrylic blends take over the sweater market).

If you don’t use sweaters, you can still make hair clips or pins out of other scrap materials you have laying around. I also use a lot of t-shirts and end up with a lot of scraps from that and I’ve been thinking about making hair clips from those scraps as well. A lot of people have scraps from quilting or sewing projects, and those can be made into hair clips just as easily. Here’s a website with a bunch of great collection of hair bow ideas that you can make with your fabric, yarn, and ribbon scraps.

Bonus: Here’s one of the first hair clips I ever made combined with the moment I realized how difficult it was to take photos of myself with an SLR camera. At least my hair looked fabulous.

Plaidypus Spotted in FortCollins Magazine!

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Plaidypus

I found out this week that Plaidypus is mentioned in the Summer 2014 edition of FortCollins Magazine! FortCollins Magazine, as its tag line says, is there to celebrate life in Northern Colorado (I’m assuming the focus is on Fort Collins, since the name is in the title, but I guess there are articles and advertisements for other parts of Northern Colorado as well).

FortCollins Magazine Downtown Fort Collins Spread Mentioning Wadoo and Plaidypus

The magazine did a spread on what to do in Downtown Fort Collins, and our favorite store, Wadoo, has its own paragraph in which Plaidypus is mentioned.

Okay, sure it’s only (half) a sentence, but publicity is publicity! And the writer called my aprons and headbands “funky,” which I very much like (I’ve decided to look past the fact that he/she/they erroneously typed my tag line as “Freaks of Fashion” rather than “Freak of Fashion,” because you can’t always have your cake and eat it, too).

Here’s the excerpt of the paragraph talking about Wadoo and Plaidypus:

Using those old T-shirts: 7 Websites with Fabulous Tutorials and Inspiration to Help You Use That T-Shirt Stash

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Plaidypus

Pile of t-shirts

T-shirts are my favorite source of fabric. They’re colorful. They have patterns on them sometimes. They’re inexpensive. They’re plentiful and easy to find. They’re stretchy. And they don’t fray. That’s right, they’re practically magic. They’re great for clothing and quilts and accessories galore. If you’re more of a book kind of person, then check out the t-shirt books referenced in my previous blog post, 6 Books for Recycled/Upcycled Clothing and Accessory Patterns.

Sometimes I’m more of a website, girl, though. My poor bookshelf already bows down in the middle of every shelf. So the whole every-pattern-you-could-ever-want-is-on-the-web fact is one I love. All you have to do is type into Google whatever you want to look for and a million (most likely more) results will pop up for you to sift through.

I sifted through a few pages looking specifically at patterns and ideas that use old t-shirts, and found these for you. They’re all pages with bulk t-shirt ideas. Maybe I’ll come through and make another post with more specific projects.

1. Personal Creations

Toggle Bolero White T-shirt Upcycle Pattern This is a great website because it not only tells you what the item is and where to find the pattern, but also gives you a photo of the item! You can go through and find something you want to make and know what it will actually look like instead of hoping it’s nice when you get to the second linked page.

My inspiration from this website is the Bolero Pattern they show. Definitely going to have to make this one. The website they have this pattern on, by the way, also has some other fun ways to fashion a boring t-shirt.

2. Saved by Love Creations

Apron made from recycled/upcycled t-shirt by Ruffles and Stuff Another big bunch of t-shirt projects rolled into one page. There are so many to choose from! This site also puts photos next to all the titles and links.

My favorite one from this is the T-shirt Apron. It looks easy. And I’ve been needing an apron for a while now. maybe it’s time to actually make myself one!

3. Infarrantly Creative

recycled/upcycled ruffled front t-shirt top First of all, I had to look up the word “infarrantly.” Fun fact: it’s not a real word. Here’s what the site says:

“What is an Infarrantly? Haha! One of the #1 hits I get from my site from Google searches is “definition of infarrantly”. Since I made the word up I suppose only I can give you the definition. My last name is Farrant and I was playing on the word “inherently” which means something intrinsic, innate, basically born in me. So I am inherently creative…infarrantly creative. Get it? Smile ”

Now you know.

There are some great ideas for kid’s clothing and accessories on here as well as for adults. My fave from this site is the Ruffle Front Top.

4. Buzzfeed (that’s right, they have more than just quizzes and funny pictures)

Recycled/Upcycled t-shirt tunic/dress with cinched waist from large t-shirt I was surprised to see Buzzfeed had this cool of a post. But it did. I haven’t tried all the links, but it looks like at least some of them are tutorials. Some might just be a pretty picture. Which, by the way, is also helpful for inspirational purposes.

If you’ve clicked through all of these that I’ve posted you’ll start to see some repeats at this point. Pay no mind to those. They’ll happen if you hang out on the internet for more than an hour (if you’re like me and you’re searching for the perfect pattern, you’ve already been on the internet for at least that long.)

The thing I’m definitely going to have to make here (and then see if it actually looks good on me) is the T-Shirt Dress with Cinched Waist.

5. Trash to Couture

Okay, not all of these are from old t-shirts. So sue me. They’re all recycled/upcycled basket woven t-shirt pattern/tutorial REALLY cool patterns, though. There are links and how-tos and everything. Some of them look pretty simple. Some look hard, but cool (maybe they aren’t hard. Maybe I’m just convinced that if there’s an intricate-looking pattern on something it’s difficult. You’ll have to try it and let me know).

I was really digging the Basket Woven Shirt idea they had going on. I put it on my long list of things to make.

6. Of Dreams and Seams

Of Dreams and Seams refashioned/recycled/upcycled t-shirt dress This woman is amazing. Again, not everything she writes about is made out of t-shirts. But dang, this woman knows how to upcycle old clothing and make fabulous new clothing.

She does use a lot of t-shirts, though! Like this dress made from 3 old t-shirts. But there are also other cool things. Just click through her blog. I promise it’s worth it.

7. Julie Ann Art

Here are some cute accessory ideas for your old t-shirts. Some of them only need scraps. Which is good because you will end up with so many scraps from all the other patterns you’ve alr recycled/upcycled t-shirt bow eady done from this post, right?

I’ve already decided I’m going to make this cute T-shirt Bow and put it on a headband. Or maybe as an appliqué for another t-shirt. I’ll figure out why I’m making it after I’ve made it.

The Headband: For Those of Us Who Don’t Want to Let Our Hair Down

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Plaidypus

Yes, you can let your hair down. Or you can put it up. It’s really up to you. But if you want a way to put it up (because it’s summer and it’s hot and if you have long hair you probably get that thing where your hair sticks to your forehead when you’re outside and it feels uncomfortable), there are a lot of options out there right now in the fashion world.

For one, headbands are coming back. I’m not sure if they ever actually left, but suddenly I’m seeing a lot more of them around here. I personally like the bigger, thicker headbands because otherwise they get lost in my hair (I always have more hair than I think I do…)

You can make your own headbands by cutting up t-shirts and braiding them in cool ways (I’ve seen this, but never figured it out myself because braids with more than three strands confuse me), by sewing some pretty fabric to some elastic, or by covering a pre-made headband of any size with fabric. Heck, you can even embellish a pre-made headband until it looks nothing like it’s original form. Here’s a website/blog post that gives you some ideas and some tutorials if you have creative energy and time to kill.

If you would prefer to buy a handmade headband, well then you’ve come to the right blog post! Plaidypus makes some lovely thick headbands from upcycled t-shirts. They come in many colors and textures and with many embellishments, and unlike many headbands, they don’t start to give you a headache after ten minutes of wearing them. Check them out in our Photo Gallery or on the Plaidypus Etsy Site.

Plaidypus

Freak of fashion

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