Maker Faire 2007, part 5: Swap-o-Rama-Rama, clothing and food
Makers of clothing and food were also present at the Maker Faire 2007.
A beautiful shirt embroidered with flames, or maybe tree roots, in the shape of a mandala at the center, and at the hem and sleeves.
![Shirt embroidered with a mandala of flames](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CIMG7771_MakerFaire_2007_ShirtEmbroideredInFlames.jpg)
A white dress with a hoop at the bottom
![A white dress with a hoop at the bottom at the Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CIMG7776WhiteDressWithHoop.jpg)
A Maker Faire attendee in an outfit made of wedges of many different fabrics, perhaps several bandanas. I don’t know if she was affiliated with the people who made a dress out of men’s ties — probably not — but the concept seems to be similar.
![An outfit made of wedges of many different fabrics, seen at the Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CIMG7786_MakerFaireAttendeelInTornOutfit.jpg)
This multitiered dress both resembles a cake stand, and serves as one. There are brownies sitting on the top tier of this dress.
![A cake stand dress with a hem that can be used to serve pastries](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CIMG7814_ThreeTieredCakeStandDress.jpg)
These two women displayed brownies on the edges of their multitiered cake-shaped dresses. They handed out little pieces of biscotti.
![Human three-tiered cake stands - in other words, cake stand dresses](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CIMG7817_ThreeTieredCakeStandDresses.jpg)
Swap-o-Rama-Rama was a two-day event where you were supposed to be able to drop off your used clothing and be taught, or inspired, create new, reconstructed clothes out of stuff people dropped off. I didn’t even go to check it out, because I knew it would ignite in me an ache to start making clothes again. Sewing and knitting were my major hobbies in high school and college. They were prompted by necessity: in the time and place I grew up, stylish or original clothes were not available in stores. So there was a sizeable subculture of people (well, women anyway) who made their own clothes. In college, I spent a class after an endless, boring class surreptitiously knitting under the desk, instead of taking notes. I also sewed a lot of my own clothes. Their aesthetic qualities were rather questionable, but they sure were original, because I got a lot of looks on the street. And not of a good kind. More like “huh?”
(The fact that I could not be bothered to make patterns for my clothes — I “measured” the fabric by eyeballing it — probably speaks volumes about the quality of my handmade clothes. In any case, I stopped making my own clothes about the same time I graduated from college. What looks weird-cute on a teenage chick is merely weird on a woman in her twenties.)
So it was with these nostalgic thoughts that I went to check out the Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show.
Here is an outfit made at Swap-o-Rama-Rama — a patchwork of squares, a mix of stripes and solids.
![An outfit made of recycled clothing -- a patchwork of squares, a mix of stripes and solids.](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CIMG7820CheckeredSkirt.jpg)
Another hard-to-characterize outfit made at Swap-o-Rama-Rama.
![An outfit made of recycled clothing at Swap-o-Rama-Rama at the Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CIMG7829SwaporamaYellow.jpg)
A grey dress, also made at Swap-o-Rama-Rama
![A grey dress, made out of recycled clothing at Swap-o-Rama-Rama at the Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7831SwaporamaGrey.jpg)
A dress, or a top and skirt combination from Swap-o-Rama-Rama. The skirt seems to be made of wedges of fabric, and the top, of patches arranged in a brick pattern.
![A dress made of wedges of fabric, with a brick pattern top, all made of recycled clothing at Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7836SwaporamaBlueBlack.jpg)
An interesting blue dress from Swap-o-Rama-Rama made of tiers, with a loose belt tied with a knot.
![A blue dress with tiers and a knotted fabric belt, made of recycled clothing at Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7841_MakerFaire_2007_BlueDressWithKnot.jpg)
A red-and-yellow dress, or perhaps loose overalls
![A red dress, or perhaps loose overalls, with yellow trim and yellow sash, made of recycled materials at Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7846_MakerFaire_2007_RedYellow.jpg)
A madras dress from Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show
![A madras dress from Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show from Maker Faire 2007, made of recycled materials](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7860SwaporamaMadras.jpg)
A black tube dress from Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show
![A black tube dress from Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show from Maker Faire 2007, made of recycled materials](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7861BlackTubeDress.jpg)
A black dress with a red-and-green floral print top from Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show
![A black dress with a red-and-green floral print top from Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show from Maker Faire 2007, made of recycled materials](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7864BlackRedGreenDress.jpg)
A dress made out of — or with — men’s ties from Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show
![A dress made of ties and other recycled fabrics from Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show from Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7867BlackWhiteTieDress.jpg)
The front of the tie dress
![A dress made of ties and other recycled fabrics from Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show from Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7873BlackWhiteTieDress.jpg)
Men’s ties were incorporated into the ruffle of this dress too, if I recall.
![A dress with a ruffle made of ties and other recycled fabrics from Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show from Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7875BlueWhiteTieDress.jpg)
An outfit consisting of a top and layered shorts made of recycled materials
![An outfit consisting of a top and layered shorts made of recycled fabrics, shown at the Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show at the Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7881TopAndShorts.jpg)
An outfit with quasi-military esthetics made of something that vaguely looks like backpack straps, but I know that’s not what they are. I just can’t quite identify what it is. The skirt appears to be made entirely of those straps.
![An outfit made of recycled materials that vaguely looks like backpack straps, shown at the Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7889_MakerFaire_2007_BackpackStrapOutfit.jpg)
Another outfit in the same spirit, with military allusions. But, unlike the previous one, the straps only form an overlay or a fringe over the outfit.
![An outfit made of recycled materials, with a fringe made of something resembling backpack straps, shown at the Maker Faire 2007](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7893_MakerFaire_2007_BackpackStrapOverlay..jpg)
Here are most of the Swap-o-Rama-Rama models on stage.
![Outfits made of recycled materials at the Maker Faire 2007 -- most of the Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show participants on the stage](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7894_MakerFaire_2007_OutfitsGroupOnStage.jpg)
Another picture of most of the Swap-o-Rama-Rama models and designers on stage.
![Outfits made of recycled materials at the Maker Faire 2007 -- most of the Swap-o-Rama-Rama fashion show participants and designers on the stage](https://blog.geekitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CIMG7896_MakerFaire_2007_OutfitsAsGroup.jpg)