I am always amazed by something that Heidi Kenney is making, but when I checked in at her blog yesterday, I found something that kinda blew me away. Take a look.

It is Luke in the dead Tauntaun from Star Wars. She writes that this piece is for a show later this summer called Stitch Wars .

Is it just me, or doesn’t this piece need blood? I guess that is kinda what I like about it. I think it is interesting that she leaves the blood out.

Check out Heidi’s blog for more photos of this amazing piece.

Crafty Bastards 2009 planning is underway and vendor applications will be availble soon!  Please forgive the outdated info on the site.  We are working to get everything updated.  A couple notes about Crafty Bastards 2009.

There will not be a Crafty Bastards show in Silver Spring, MD in June. However, the folks at Pyramid Atlantic have paired up with Party Hat Rodeo (aka Kimberly Dorn) and 60Bugs (aka Debbie Lee) to produce the first ever Handmade Mart in Silver Spring.  Vendor applications are being accepted through April 30th.  Read more here.

The fall showing of Crafty Bastards is scheduled for Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 from 10am-5pm in Washington, DC.  For 2009, the City Paper has joined forces with Hello Craft and promises another awesome showing of handmade goods you won’t find anywhere else in the area.

Applications for Crafty Bastards 2009 will be online soon!  We will announce when applications are ready on the blog and to the Crafty Bastards email list.  Stay tuned so you don’t miss out!

From now until the fair, we’ll be spotlighting awesome items that you will find at this year’s Crafty Bastards. Check out the complete vendor gallery to plan your shopping!

One of the cutest new items that I saw at Crafty Bastards Silver Spring was the tiny Tofu for Obama plush by Chris Creatures. Not only is this tiny tofu cute, he includes a removable t-shirt and an Obama sign for rallies. He’s ready for campaigning!

Chris was nice enough to chat with me about this little guy.

Question: Where did this silliness come from?

Answer: I’m a huge Obama supporter, so for a long time I kept trying to think of how I could show my love. I’m also a big fan of tofu (fried, steamed, grilled, you name it, I eat it!). In my world, tofu would be an Obama supporter. I’ve made the tofu plush before, but he always seemed like he was missing something. I thought it would be funny to give him a sign and a removeable Obama t-shirt.

Question: You sold these at Crafty Silver Spring, what was the reaction?

Answer: I sold the Tofu for Obamas at Crafty Bastards in Silver Spring. It was fun to see people’s reaction to it. They stopped to laugh and take pictures. I made 30 of them for the fair. They sold out and then I took advance orders. I spent a couple of days after the fair sewing those little guys.

Question: Have you sent one to Obama?

Answer: I have not sent one to Obama yet. What is the best way to send it to him? That is the question. I fear that the tofu would sit in a pile of unopened mail for months. He needs to breathe!

I promise to make more for Crafty Bastards in September. A portion of the purchase will go to the Obama 08 Campaign.

The question that Chris didn’t answer was: What food would be for McCain? Pork chops? Sardines?

Be sure to check out Chris Creatures on September 28th at the Marie Reed Learning Center, 2200 Champlain St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, DC.

Tina Seamonster blogs her life and craft at I Like Seamonsters.com. She is currently being vetted for the V.P. slot.

Plush You posted a nice interview with Teresa Levy of Sewing Stars.

You can find Sewing Stars at Crafty Bastards this Saturday. Stuff this cute sells fast, so get there early to witness her booth in all it’s plushy glory.

Crafty Bastards Silver Spring is only 5 weeks away! The vendor gallery is up and all vendors should be preparing for the show. Or at the very least thinking about getting ready for the show! Doing a show like this is always the perfect excuse to think up new products and try new things. The Crafty Bastards blog will be spotlighting vendors and their new creations.

First up is Spooky Daddy and his pantyhose zombies, the Shrunken Punks!

Spooky Daddy writes:

When my mom was around my age she used to sit and sew pantyhose into little granny heads and hot glue magnets on the back. I bet she would have never imagined one day her son would be making the same thing, only much much creepier. It doesn’t take much. Just a small ball of stuffing, some thread, and of course a small section of pantyhose. Some people paint eyes or use regular beads to make the eyes, but I opted to hand paint little white beads to look like bloodshot eyes. Where many others that have come before me and seen chubby cheeks and a place to add little country wire glasses I see a shrunken head! I spent many hours painting eye after eye after eye. All it is really is shaping the pantyhose with stitches, pulling in, pinching out but before you know it you have a little dude smilin back at you! The variations are truely endless cause I don’t even know if I could make the same one twice if I tried!

Here is a photo of Spooky’s little guy next to one made by his mom:

Look for more little zombie guys like these as well as pirates and maybe even fancy skulls from Spooky Daddy at the fair this June. He also writes that he would love to hear from you if you know where to get colored pantyhose. Sounds like he might need some green! Just email him.

This is seriously what I love about Crafty Bastards. Knowing that there are all these vendors out there coming up with so much awesome stuff to show off. You can share your preparations with us by sending photos, text, video, whatever to craftyupdates@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Now get to work!

Tina Seamonster blogs her life and craft at I Like Seamonsters.com. She thinks you work too hard and should eat more Pez.

It is totally too bad the Crafty Bastards application doesn’t require video submissions. Check out Cousin Loomis’ plea for Spooky Daddy to get into Crafty Bastards:

I would totally watch Sesame Street again if Cousin Loomis replaced Elmo. Ok, maybe not Elmo, maybe just Telly or Grover.

Are you making creative videos with your handmade goods? Be sure to share them with us by emailing us at craftyupdates@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Absolutelysmall has a new Chickenpants video. What more do you need on a Friday?

Are you using video in fun or interesting ways to showcase your handmade goods? Let us know! Email us at craftyupdates@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Dude, the world of Chickenpants just got cuter.

Chickenpants Adventure #3 - Super Pants

Check out the world of Absolutely Small. These videos are not only cute, but are some of the best examples of viral marketing in the world of indie craft.

This interview continues a series of Q&A’s featuring vendors who participated in the 2007 Crafty Bastards fair. Last year, we didn’t get to post all of the Q&As before the festival was upon us, so here they are now!

This week’s Q&A features Fort Cloudy, a crafty venture that began as a part-time project in 2005 and quickly developed into a mainstay in the handmade revolution. Spearheaded by Sarah Cloudhopper and her siblings, Fort Cloudy creates colorful appliqued scarves, tote bags, T-shirts and plushies! Fort Cloudy is especially recognizable for its endearing characters (Ninja Fetus, the Sad Muffin, and … my personal favorite Sal Monella the Fried Egg!). What’s not to love?

Look for Fort Cloudy goods in shops and craft shows across the country. Fort Cloudy operates out of both coasts — Sarah in Seattle, and her twin brother Paul and sister Kerry, in Maryland.

1. How long have you been making things?
I’ve been making things pretty much my whole life. In November of 2005 I decided to get serious about it and started Fort Cloudy. Best decision I ever made!

2. What is your earliest/favorite crafting memory?
I can remember being about 8 and wanting to sit next to my Mother while she was quilting. So she gave me a piece of muslin and a long piece of red thread and a needle. I made a bunch of straight stitches in no particular pattern. After a while I got up to go grab a bite to eat and realized I had sewn my project to my jeans!

3. Why do you make things?
Because I couldn’t imagine life not making things. I was always encouraged to create as a child.

4. What sort of things do you make?
I create a line of appliquéd t-shirts, scarves, bags (of all sizes from guitar pick bags to tote bags), plushies, and a variety of baby items. Recently, I’ve been trying my hand at painting and shrinky dinks for fun.

5. Any success stories you’d care to share?
I’d say my whole crafty journey has been a great success on a personal level. I started out making things that I liked for me, and was completely flattered when people wanted to start buying my goods. Now Fort Cloudy is sold in stores on both the East and West coasts as well as a few online spots! I’ve made a bunch of really great friends in the crafting world, and it’s just such a joy to be a part of it!

6. Inspirations?
I’m really inspired by traveling. It may just be the rare quiet time, but its when I get some of my best ideas.

7. Craft supplies you can’t live without?
Rotary cutter and iron.

8. Describe your work area (photos please!)
I have a nice little set up in my bedroom which consists of a card table for sewing, stacks of totes filled with fabric, shelves piled with tshirts. It becomes a bit of a squeeze when the ironing board is set up, but we make it work.

9. Family? Pets? Plants?
I recently relocated to the West Coast, and have built up a small family of friends out here. The rest of my family are still in Maryland, including my brother, Paul, and sister, Kerry, who help head up Fort Cloudy East.

10. Favorite color or pattern?
By far my favorite color is green. All shades of green! Out of my characters, my favorite is the Ninja Fetus. He’s a lot of fun to take around and introduce to people! And his blog has been a lot of fun to keep up.

11. Have you been a Crafty Bastard before?
We participated in CB ‘07. It was one of my favorite shows to be a apart of to date. I can’t wait for ‘08 registration to open.

12. Tell us about other crafters you love and your favorite handmade purchases.
There are SO many other crafters I love; a few of them are Lollibomb Beauty, Kate Black, and Gosh Darn Knit, but I could make a really long list. My most used handmade purchase is the custom coffee sleeve I got from Pillowhead on Etsy.

13. Would you like to include a HOW-TO for the blog?
Not at this time, but maybe at a later date.

14. What is one thing everyone should know how to do themselves?
Thread a needle.

I am always excited to see crafty businesses get smart with marketing. Below is a short video featuring Chickenpants by Absolutely Small:

Not only is the video super cute, but it shows off the product in a fresh and interesting way. Makes me want to pick up a few plushies and make my own video to post to YouTube.

In the Absolutely Small shop, you will also find limited edition prints of Chickenpants dolls in funny situations. Here is one called To The Moon:

So if you don’t know what to do with a Chickenpants of your own, you can just pick up the print for $10. Absolutely Small is run by Claire Chambers. In her shop profile she writes:

“Every one should have the option to have original art in their homes- it shouldn’t be the exclusive domain of the wealthy. If I can get people to smile or laugh at what I’ve created, then I’ve succeeded.”

Congrats, Claire! You have totally succeeded.

Tina Seamonster blogs her life and craft at http://www.ilikeseamonsters.com. She thinks you are rad.