Industrial Felt Bowl

Well, it's really designed to be a "valet", that useful object designed for men with pockets full of stuff that needs a place to go at the end of the day.  Placed on a dresser or bureau, it's the best landing spot for change, keys and a wallet.  This was a commission for a client who gave me completely free reign and just asked that I design something for her art-minded grandfather. 

I should have included my raggedy thumbnail for scale, but you'll probably get the idea. 

This use of the two materials here is loosely inspired by the sculpture of Anish Kapoor.  I love the play on matte against reflective in his work and I was after the feeling of the lushness he finds in his concave surfaces.  The wool striped material is re-purposed of course, but the industrial felt is new.

Who on earth knows where I could get pre-used industrial felt without finding myself lost for hours on the internet, tangled in a devious web of chinese wholesalers and resources for industriual materials exchange?  I do not, as it turns out, have 4 pallets of a semi-conductor lubricating grease to trade for a bolt of toxic assembly line felt.  Okay, so I think it's obvious that I've already tried looking.

I digress.

I think that these two materials work really well together and I am headed upstairs now to the labratory to see what else happens with it. 

Seamless Hats for Tiny Noggins

So I was making hats for baby Simon when an odd thing occurred to me.  All the seams inside a hat seems gnarly and cumbersome up against such a fragile, sensitive noggin.  That's why we all ended up putting that boring little hospital-issue hat on baby for the first month at home.  Lame, people.  Lame.  Babies need style too.  That's when everyone is coming to check them out, and the last thing they want is to be seen in that ratty little thing with a giant "Northwestern Memorial" stamp on it.  So now I am making seamless hats for newborns (and older babies too), that have all flat, internal seams.  They are double layered jersey, so they are quite cozy.

Here's pictures of them seen from the back, where they are shamelessly emblazoned with the Baby Hobo tag. It's not nearly as intrusive in real life as it seems in these pictures. 

Made from old t-shirts, as is the Baby Hobo custom:

Trapped Inside? Super Toddler Cape is the Answer.

I know this isn't the newest idea on the planet or anything, but I  find that a little person, like ages 2 through 5, really enjoys having a super cape with which they can transform their foot-walking earthbound selves into super heroes with unlimited powers. 

I'm trying to make them in colors and textures that are fun for the kids and not an eyesore to the parents of the kids.  Shiny red polyester and satin just really makes me squick.
Here's an example of a set I made for a set of twins: