September 10th, 2009

Volunteers Needed for the Halloween Swap-O-Rama-Rama next month!


General Volunteers will:
Be available for 2 1/2 hours during the swap
Sort Clothing
Assist Designers
Swap for Free!

If you would like to be a volunteer or would like more informaiton please email Lori at info@hiplinemedia.com

September 10th, 2009

Altered Arts is a personal craft. It’s tons of fun, but in order to allow yourself to express yourself you need a teacher with patience and exuberance to give you the comfort and encouragement to try new things within a 4 hour class. Guest teacher Sasha Harris is seriously amazing. Not only is she a talented improv actress, she also has an uncanny ability to take her skills as an actress into the crafting world. You’ll be inspired, productive and proud of what you’ve done. Her class, Altered Art Techniques is one of our most popular and fun classes – the best part is that you’ll also walk away with a book you’ve made filled with new skills to apply to any crafting endeavor!

I sat down with Sasha last week to learn a little bit more about her and about what she is looking forward to most in her upcoming class, Altered Art Techniques, this Saturday September 12th, 11-3pm. $65 non-member/$60 member

Q: What is your experience as a crafter?

If I tell you I was a Girl Scout does that say enough? That was the early years. In 2000 I made a New Year’s resolution to make a quilt. When I enrolled in the class I had grandiose visions of a puffy duvet type item. But of course, I was quickly met with geometry, rotary cutting, and so many triangles! I fell in love with quilting and I made three (non-puffy) quilts before I started graduate school. Most importantly I became a devoted lover of fabric.

Q: What drew you to altered arts?

Altered arts came into my life In the midst of graduate school when I was dealing with a significant personal loss. I took several classes in mixed media book arts and reveled in these tangible creations – so opposite of my graduate training. It was fantastic to be able to manipulate paper, paint, rip, tear, paint over, ink, write on, and best of all SHARE while creating with an ever expanding group of artists. Every day there is something new to learn, a new book or magazine to be inspired by, and new tools or supplies to play with. Every supply seems limited only by the imagination of the user and I am constantly surprised by the creativity of other artists.

Q: What would you say to someone who is doubtful of their creative ability?

It is 100% okay to be nervous about messing up. If you weren’t nervous it might mean that you didn’t care about the end result. But wherever you are just begin. Even if the first step is saying, “I have no freaking idea how to do this! Help!”

Keep in mind that once you learn how to use the tools you are 99.9% there.

It’s like learning any new skill, like, driving or riding a bike. Once you learn how to drive the car you are good to go, all that’s left is deciding where you want to travel. Same deal here, you want to make pillows, pants, or books it’s okay to spend some time learning about the tools first. You don’t have to be mean to yourself for not knowing all about the stuff right away. Be nice to you! Eventually you will make your masterpiece.

Q: Describe your upcoming class. What do you hope students will come away from the class having accomplished?

The Altered Book class is a playground class. The focus here is practice and learning – not the final product. That said, students will leave with a book full of techniques for their future projects. Students use a provided hardcover book to explore tools and techniques to alter the structure of the book. They’ll cut the cover, create sections, insert tags, create a block niche, cover-the-cover, and work with folds. Once the basic architecture of the book has been altered, students play with decorative elements to embellish their sections: gesso, fibers, stamps, and other findings.

My hope is that students will have either experienced something new or played in a way they didn’t expect of themselves when they walked in the door. Everyday that we create is a good one.

September 8th, 2009

The Art of Resin Jewelry
Saturday October 17th, 3-7pm (PLEASE NOTE: This class has been changed from a 2 day class to a single day class)
$65 non-member / $60 member

Learn to make the beautiful resin jewelry necklaces you see for sale in our store! Special guest teacher Lynn Latta will guide you through the process to create your own one-of-a kind jewelry elements with a non-toxic, crystal clear jewelers resin. In this workshop you will focus on multi-layered techniques to create one complete charm or pendant. Materials Included. Students may bring small trinkets to experiment in their jewelry.

September 4th, 2009

Producer of L.A’s Swap O Rama Rama,
creator of Hip Line Media and local ASG group leader.



I was a little nervous attending the first American Sewing Guild meeting here in our studio. The word guild sounded very noble, and I had only sewn a couple of basic projects. I imagined the guild looking at my slightly crooked pillows and raw fabric edges, only to pat me on the head and banish me for good. I perked up when Lori began the meeting by reassuring us that the ASG is a place of supportive people of all ages and skill levels, which was clear when I looked around the room. Guys and girls, sassy older women and ambitious younger sewers, all sincerely inspired by each others’ interests.

I got the chance this week to interview Lori and found that she is a very dedicated crafter and above all, a constant promoter of empowering people through the support of community. Enjoy!


What have you enjoyed most about hosting ASG meetings here at The U.C.C?

Being at the Urban Craft Center has been inspiring for our local ASG group. We all love wandering around the store and checking out the fabrics, kits, notions and class projects. In the past, most of the ASG activities happened in the more traditional fabric stores but our group is an urban group, diverse in age, experience and with a good population of males. To be in a creative venue like this makes us feel like we’re truly a part of the new crafter community.

Why is the American Sewing Guild (ASG) important to the crafting community?

The ASG mission statement is “Advancing sewing as an art form and life skill.” The do-it-yourself movement has become increasingly popular and the ASG provides an outlet for people to come together, learn and inspire others. It’s about reaching out to potential new sewers, former sewers and general crafters so we can all share ideas and learn new things. The ASG encourages its’ members to support the local retailers, get involved in charity work and volunteer for non-profit events. All these things build a stronger crafting community.



What is your crafting background?

I learned to sew as a young girl from my mother. She was uber talented and could look at a Vogue magazine and rip off any outfit. She was always fabulously dressed and made clothes for my Barbie dolls from her scraps. She let me in her sewing room during the summers to make bikinis and halter tops but when school started again, it was her territory.

Like many people, I went to college, got a career and didn’t have time to sew. I was re-inspired about 8 years ago with the introduction of the new computerized machines and have been hooked ever since. I became so interested in learning new things that I took all the classes I could and even used my career skills as a television producer to create a line of instructional DVD’s on sewing and quilting. My DVD’s are in most libraries and high schools across the country and that is very rewarding to me (Hip Line Media).

For the last four years I have been producing Swap O Rama Rama (SORR) in LA. This is a giant clothing swap with sewing stations, silk screening and other DIY stations that encourage people to re-create and re-use unwanted clothing. We attract up to 400 people at the event and it’s very inspiring for anyone who wants to express their creativity.

Your next Swap O Rama Rama is Halloween themed, what can people expect from this one?

We are all looking forward to the Halloween SORR. There must be a zillion old halloween costumes out there just begging to be swapped and re-vamped! What a great way to recycle them. For $5 and a bag of clothes you can swap and create all you want at the event! We will have some innovative silk-screening designs, a trick or treat bag station, finger puppets, super heroes, hats and more. Can you imagine how much more fun Halloween would be if we all made our own costumes!?! We are hosting the SORR in a small funky space in Venice and I think this will only add to the fun!


(photo from http://www.hiplinemedia.com/swaporamarama.html)

The next ASG meeting is this Thursday, September 10th from 6:30-8:30, here in our studio. Meetings are always free and open to everyone!

The next Swap O Rama Rama is on Saturday October 10th.
More more information about Lori and the Swap please visit: http://www.hiplinemedia.com/swaporamarama.html

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