MakersCentral weekend in Birmingham, UK

Step Right up and Make Something! My friends, Roger and Penny, and I flew to Birmingham, UK to visit MakersCentral, the huge fair for anyone who wanted to make anything; wood, cloth, paint, resin, leather...

Hundreds of people were lined up outside before the opening. The hall was filled with booths, many showing off creations, many teaching you to create your own, and some selling supplies that you will Have To Have, now that you've learned how to use them. Lots of stickers were given out. There was even a "sticker board", where you could paste your own sticker.

Want to know how they get dressed in these?
Frank and Emily spoke about their Iron Man designs

The speakers filled two stages, and the audiences loved every one of them. Of course, I had to see Frankly Built and Emily the Engineer talk about their design and build process for these wonderful Iron Man outfits. Design them lightweight. Use real shoes, since you will spend hours in them. Get creative about how they open so you need less help getting dressed. After every one is finished and you have discovered what's wrong, start the design process again!

Kid-designed work-from-home station, on wheels
Including a fridge, a coffee maker and a RED phone

Lots of focus on kids. Many families were here. Strollers abounded, and also wheelchairs.

First stop - make a little purse!

Why are vendors here? Many are supporting a charity. Many are encouraging people to make their own, instead of buying. My first stop was a booth that taught people how to sew. Of course, many are advertising their brands by teaching folks to use them. For instance, I did not know you could engrave art on slate - until I did that with a Dremel tool. It surprised me how my brain smoothed out into that place where nothing is bothering you, time stops moving, and I created something lovely. With a Dremel tool!

The British Polymer Clay Guild booth showed how we could create beautiful or fanciful art with our bare hands (and maybe a pasta maker and knife).  

Robots were everywhere! They wandered the aisles beeping or talking with you. I teased one of the robot-club members about being so Star Wars oriented. He said that Star Trek just didn't have enough robots. One kid-focused robot booth had robots made from paper cups or cardboard boxes that moved around on pipe-cleaner legs. One young man walked the aisles with a robot perched on his shoulder that moved when he used his controller. He designed it all to look steam-punk.

I may have to try out resin art. So beautiful. So colorful. But I would need better ventilation.

Next year, we makers around Bergen are going to put on a maker festival, or skaperfest in Norwegian, and my trip included asking questions about how the whole thing works. Who runs security? How do vendors get their booths and electricity? What are the requirements of vendors to get into the show, like liability insurance? Everyone was super helpful. I think we can Do This - make our own festival!