#queermakers

[hmelt]

This Saturday I’m super excited to be part of the Queer Makers Market @in_these_times. I’ll be selling books, broadsides, and posters alongside some of my favorite queer artists, healers, makers & creatives in Chicago. Swipe for the lineup & come visit us on the second floor, which is accessible by elevator from 11AM-5PM. Thanks to @itsmonicatrinidad @pidgeo_n @grae.galindo for organizing this. #queerchicago #queerart #chicagoqueers #queerchicagoart #queermakers #queermakersmarketchi (at In These Times) https://www.instagram.com/p/B59DKDWFAES/?igshid=xslsjmk8dwwy

[sagittariusshit]

Today I’m wearing my pink opalescent triangle studs in my second lobe and conch piercings! These cuties are just $10, and I would be thrilled to take custom color requests for no extra charge this holiday season 💕 shop link in bio • NeverwareDesigns.etsy.com #shopsmallbusiness #stockingstuffer #pinktriangleearrings #queerfashion #queerbusiness #shopqueer #resinearrings #handmadejewelry #queermakers #shopsmall #shoplgbt #etsylove #etsyjewelry #etsycalifornia #madeincalifornia #bayarea #bayareaartist #neverwaredesigns https://www.instagram.com/p/B5izAzAJtx5/?igshid=11i3ybx5oajnr

[beverlywrites]

Made a little #AmongUs fanart. Orange is sus. . . . . #amongusfanart #pride #queermaker #queerartist #lgbtq #pride🌈 #crewmate #queercrewmate #sapphic #queerculture #queercreator #catmomlife #sus #orangeissus #3dprinting #fanart #fanmade #amongusart #wlw #girlswholikegirls #caturday #catstagram #createeveryday #makingthings #raleighinfluencers #asiancreativenetwork https://www.instagram.com/p/CIgZoevHa6Q/?igshid=h8imxzvn6k7k

[susannagates13]

Back after a small vacay with the fam. My last pair of #crow earrings sold this morning but more will be coming soon along with some new items as well. Sign up for my news letter - link in bio - to find out when the earrings and other items are live. Stay cool in this heat witches! #witchesofetsy #makersgonnamake #shopsmall #queermaker #jewelrymaker #resinmaker #etsyseller #etsysellerofinstagram #etsygram #witch #witchyvibes #greenwitch #hearthwitch #shadowwitch #seasonofthewitch #witchbitch #witchcommunity #witchinghour #witchtips #witchesofig #kitchenwitch #wiccan #tradwitch #witchcrafters #witchjewelry https://www.instagram.com/p/CfwolPNuart/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[foosoped]

Sold! This beautiful mossy and black jasper rosary with a dragonfly medallion and agate slice pendant is on its way to it's new home. Check zufoos.etsy.com to see the other rosaries I have in stock 📿 #rosary #jasper #blackjasper #mossyjasper #dragonfly #agate #agatejewelry #prayerbeads #mala #necklace #jewelry #queermaker #queercreatives #lgbtq🌈 #gayowned #gaymaker #gay #gift #meditation (at Rochester, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CITwkb6hqSM/?igshid=1qh0rjswdvi7a

[quinny-bee]

Me? Using the baby shower of a coworker I barely know as an excuse to feed my secret addiction to making adorable tiny baby clothes? Never~ >w> https://www.instagram.com/p/B3xvq44lp-i/?igshid=1i5uk9k648ws4

[metalmachinemusik]

Day 1

I picked up a sheet of 24″x24″ 16 gauge stainless steel sheet metal from Home Depot.

I prefer Home Depot for its lack of customer service, because it means that I’m not being mansplained to, and it’s on the way to the workshop.

I’m using 16 gauge stainless steel for a couple of reasons:

1. I wanted a thin metal so that I could get my feet wet with manual tools, and 16 gauge is the maximum thickness many of these tools will accept.

2. The tube I found is 16 gauge stainless. (More on that later.)

3. I am not confident enough with my TIG welding to not guarantee that I won’t immediately turn a thinner-gauged metal into a molten ball of sadness.

I also stopped by Rite Aid to get some alcohol to clean the metal.

Can we please take a second to figure out what the hell is going on here?

Like what...what even? Am I supposed to drink it? Will it make my wound minty fresh? Will positive association with the scent sooth a pain that cannot be healed?

These questions are best left to the philosophers.

I cleaned the sheet with rubbing alcohol and a rag. Using a compass, I drew 2 circles on the sheet. Luckily, both circles only take up half the sheet, which means that I have enough material to possibly make 2 waterphones. I chose this size for the circle because it’s the maximum diameter I can get with the compass available to me. Side note: One circle is slightly smaller. More on that later.

I also drew a smaller circle within each of the larger circles to mark off where the lip will be when I mold them into bowls.

Using a straight shear, I cut the entire sheet in half, then in half again.

Straight shear:

Yes, that insanely long thing is the lever. I probably could have made my life easier if I had used the hydraulic shear, but I haven’t learned how to use it yet, and I’ve been impatient to get this project started.

Ta da!

These edges are extremely sharp. I wear work gloves for 1. protection 2. grip, and 3. mild OCD, otherwise I would be washing my hands every five minutes. I used metal files to file down the edges a bit, but a shard still managed to stab me through my glove.

This was bound to happen sooner or later.

The shop has many first aid kits on the premises. This would have been a perfect time to find out the mystery of the wintergreen rubbing alcohol, but unfortunately I had purchased the practical OG 91%, and I must say that it did a fantastic job of cleaning this wound.

It’s like it never happened!

Next up was the Beverly shear, which cuts metal on a curve. I rather like this piece of equipment because it sounds like a character from a Flannery O’Connor short story. Beverly Shear. Her cold gaze could make bold men cower, before cutting them down. She’d have none of that.

After cutting out the metal boobs, I mean circles...

...I ground down the sharp edges with a grinder. Even though grinding metal looks fantastic with sparks flying, I didn’t get any photos because I was working alone, and it’s quite dangerous to be distracted whilst sanding. Something could easily get caught (I removed my gloves), and you could be dragged into the machine, and I’m not trying lose fingers/hands, like, ever. (It would put a serious damper on my ironing game.)

All this took me close to 90 minutes, most of which was measuring and prep.

Tomorrow I will channel the anxiety and existential dread that comes with existing in an imperialist country during a time of advanced capitalism into hitting metal with hammers.

Listening: The amazing Richmond band Manzara (https://manzara.bandcamp.com). Michael Harl has one of my favorite voices ever. Think Clinic’s Ade Blackburn meets early PiL John Lydon. The tone of his 74(?) Silvertone makes me weak in the knees. This seguewayed into listening to another of Harl’s bands, Canary Oh Canary (https://canaryohcanary.bandcamp.com/), which was my favorite Richmond band when they were still together (shakes fist at cruel fate). Wonderful patience in their compositions and transcendent live performances. The payoff in ‘Catholic’ after the slow build (starting at 2:30) is brutal. Toward the end of Canary’s flight, they sounded like the fully-realized synthesis of Swans-meets-Fugazi-meets-Suicide, and while I may never fully recover from their breakup, I’m grateful to have witnessed such a truly great band.

I leave you with a photo of the Beverly shear.

Miz Beverly Shear. You best be mindin your own when she comes round.

[littlefireflyheart]

After years of work and lots of help, I finally finished my first quilt. It is so utterly typical of me to choose such an ambitious project for my first one- a full-size quilt for our bed. It feels so good to be done and it's the perfect weight for spring and summer. Nat and I did the quilting ourselvess by machine and stitched the binding by hand. #quilt #quilting #handmade #makeallthethings #queermakers #quiltsareforeverybody

[suzy-mae]

Mighty stoked for this @hidden_folk incense magic. Go buy: 10% of proceeds benefit Planned Parenthood & the Trevor Project. ❤❤ Also: it's incredible #plannedparenthood #thetrevorproject #hiddenfolk #magic #lgbtq #perfume #queermakers #equality via Instagram http://ift.tt/2kaGMYp

[sagittariusshit]

New mini d20 necklace available! Shop link in bio • NeverwareDesigns.etsy.com #d20 #dicejewelry #dicecollector #dicecollection #d20tattoo #tealdice #bluedice #blued20 #greendice #mintdice #neverwaredesigns #queermakers #dnd #dungeonsanddragons #dungeonmaster https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Se4ANJWZn/?igshid=1pfh18yp4y84j

[beverlywrites]

Meet Sappho the dragon, my favorite thing I've 3D printed and I've already started telling stories about her 🤣 Now I want to print her a bunch of friends with other LGBT flags 🏳️‍🌈 . . . . #queermaker #queer #wereherewerequeer #sappho #sapphic #sapphothedragon #wlw #lesbian #gaygirl #3dprinted #makersgonnamake #makethings #makerlady #lesbianmemes #flexidragon #lgbt #lgbtq #queerartist #girlswholikegirls https://www.instagram.com/p/CHwv8Uln7ss/?igshid=jqfhws5h97ch

[susannagates13]

Spending my extra day off editing photos for my new items. There’s some very cool things going up in #morriganscrows in the next week or so. You can sign up for my newsletter from the link in my bio for a 10% off coupon so you know when the newness is LIVE. . . . #witchesofetsy #makersgonnamake #shopsmall #queermaker #jewelrymaker #resinmaker #etsyseller #etsysellerofinstagram #etsygram #witch #witchyvibes #greenwitch #hearthwitch #shadowwitch #seasonofthewitch #witchbitch #witchcommunity #witchinghour #witchtips #witchesofig #kitchenwitch #wiccan #tradwitch https://www.instagram.com/p/CeMCVS0udOP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[metalmachinemusik]

Day 3-ish

I find it interesting over the course of writing the blog, how two different voices are emerging: The voice of the process and the voice of the reflection. The process is simple, straight-forward, matter-of-fact. ‘I use this tool to perform this function.’ Whereas the music portion takes on a much more philosophical discourse. And there’s room for that discussion, created in the wake of distance and leisure. The process, the task at hand, does not have space for such philosophy; it is mere cause & effect.

The past couple of days have been somewhat slow, waterphone-wise, and I didn’t get much work in on Friday and Saturday. Friday afternoon John and I drove to Philly to see Xiu Xiu. 6 hours each way, but I see Jamie so rarely that to get a hug and in-person conversation with him is worth some travel. John, Jamie, Shayna, and I were able to get a quick dinner together, and the show was spectacular: lively, soft, intense. Fantastic swagger. Interesting and unexpected song selection (so wonderful to finally hear my favorite Shwee song, ‘Don Diasco,’ live and ‘I Luv Abortion’ alone was worth the drive).  The most fun I’ve had at a show in recent memory. Toward the end of the set, Jamie said, ‘This next song is dedicated to Sadie Powers,’ and they played a cover of ZZ Top’s ‘Sharp Dressed Man.’

Well played, sir.

John and I drove back that night, with the aid of chocolate-covered espresso beans (thanks for the tip, Greta!) and the Lost Highway soundtrack. We got in at 5:30 am, I passed out for a few hours, and then went into work at 3 pm.

My brain was a bit mush, and with throwing my sleep schedule off like that, I’m grateful I didn’t get a full-blown migraine/HM episode.

Of course, I worked on the steel bowl some more. But I didn’t want to push myself physically. (My leg wasn’t working right, and I had to drag it quite a bit. HM is stupid. PSA: Please avoid developing a genetic seizure disorder if you can help it.)

You can see that the lip is still not consistent and isn’t flush with the table. This required a small bit of hammering with the rawhide mallet, though again, I didn’t physically push myself, and when I started to get tired, I moved on to the planishing hammer.

Having mobility issues forces one to come to accept slowness as a state of being. The impulse, at least for me, is to give into the excitement of a new idea or project, and want to accomplish it as quickly as possible so that I can partake of whatever it is I’ve created. The curved bit on the bottom of the planishing hammer isn’t as steep as I’d like it to be, and it’s the only one I have access to, so before I kind of manhandled the steel to try and get it to curve more. The uneven lip is a result of uneven pressure being applied downwardly (*cough* by me manually *cough*), and so to remedy it requires time and patience. As in literally just standing there and holding the piece and letting the machine do the bulk of the work.

It’s not sexy, but at least I had Suicide.

Jonathan from Shearwater said he finds Suicide unsettling, in that it sounds like ‘pure self loathing.’ I don’t agree. Sure, the beats are hard and fast, the droning synths have an eeriness to them, and Alan Vega was quite the provocateur with his yelpings and screams. But there’s nothing to indicate self hatred in the lyrics. ‘Ghostrider’ is about Vega’s favorite comic book. While the lyrical content is unflinching and sometimes violent, the music to me seems to be a direct response to living in urban poverty in America. Work all day for scraps and still can’t get by, share a sandwich for a meal. ‘America, America is killing its youth,’ Vega croons in ‘Rocket USA.’ That’s not self loathing; those are just the socioeconomic cards you’ve been dealt, and it is reasonable to externalize that frustration and hopelessnes in a caustic way, in realizing that one has been born into a society that twists people into deformed ghostly shells of themselves in order to survive.

This is ‘Sussudio.’

Great, great song.

After about an hour of slowly moving the bowl around in the planishing hammer,  I had developed a zen-like calm. And the curve is more uniform, thus giving it more uniform pitch and harmonics, with a clearly-defined lip.

I also ground the edges to make them not-ugly.

(Note Beverly Shear looming in the background, her eagle eye always watchful.)

Onto the welding jacket.

Angelfire is a line of welding apparel that is designed specifically for the female frame. Not that I’m into that, as heteronormative as you can get with welding gear, but what it means for me is that they create things that are small enough to fit my Lilliputian torso.

This color has no place in my life, except for maybe as chocolate ice cream.

Luckily, there are stores, and they sell dye. Dyeing fabric a solid color is a great way to not do a lot but feel that you’ve accomplished something. And you can pretend you’re on Project Runway. ‘I’ve never done this before.’ ‘I hope it doesn’t turn out terrible.’ ‘I’ve wasted the afternoon dyeing fabric. I haven’t even started on my dress.’ ‘[unconvinced tone] I kinda like it.’

What do you mean, I have to stir this non-stop for 30-60 minutes?

Suddenly this has become less ‘make it work!’ and more Charlie Bucket’s mom.

Keep stirring!

Ah! Much better...though still kind of brown. *Sigh*

[sagittariusshit]

Shop link in bio • NeverwareDesigns.etsy.com #eyeearrings #halloweenearrings #halloweenjewelry #fallfashion #fallfashion2019 #evileye #eyeballart #evileyejewelry #silverearrings #statementearrings #bigearrings #queermakers #queerbusiness #queerfashion #etsyfinds #etsyjewelry #bayareaartist #neverwaredesigns https://www.instagram.com/p/B2UM9Rtp3nM/?igshid=coz6fiybq5id

[sagittariusshit]

Statement earring drop! All under $30, and you can use code “TREATYOSELF” for 15% off! Shop link in bio ✨ NeverwareDesigns.etsy.com . . . . . . . . . #statementearrings #statementjewelry #availableonetsy #earrings #longearrings #lightningbolt #ziggystardust #davidbowie #harrypotter #butterflyearrings #rainbowearrings #pride #pridejewelry #queer #queerfashion #dykefashion #nonbinaryfashion #queerjewelry #queermaker #queerbusiness #shopsmall #shopqueer #madeiniowa #funjewelry #tasselearrings #woodearrings #acrylicearrings #spooky #spookyseason #halloween https://www.instagram.com/p/CECT0GGJq4w/?igshid=1dtbeh3lldoeu