How I Made It

Ever wonder how much work goes into a handcrafted object? Watch these time-lapse videos that capture our marketplace artists showing their unique processes, materials, techniques, and finishings.

Jennifer McBrien is a Native Baltimore textile artist who uses her sewing machine as a drawing tool to honor her fragile subjects. Trained as a painter, with only one sewing class from Junior High under her belt, she has relied on her experimentation and creative thinking skills to make her original designs.

"My video shows my process for making my Purslane Pillow, which is part of my edible plant decor pillow series. It includes all of the steps from tracing my ink to drawing into the canvas to the final product."

Inspired by the drama of the primal rock landscape of the Southwest and her Zen Buddhist practice, Betsy Bauer makes sculptures using stones. She wraps them in natural cane, fusing ancient Japanese basketry knots with contemporary design influenced by New Mexico, where she has lived and worked for over three decades.

"My time-lapse video shows the process of wrapping a stone I collected in the nearby arroyo in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This stone is wrapped with a juniper stick and natural cane that is soaked in water and hugs the stone as it dries."

Genevieve Geer of Le Puppet Regime

Genevieve Geer slowly zig-zagged her way down the East Coast, attending Parsons School of Design in New York City and The Museum School in Boston. She majored in illustration, film, and animation before beginning to train as a glass blower in 2007. In 2013 she started Le Puppet Regime, specializing in articulated, illustrated stained glass.

"This is a detailed look at the journey of three puppets from glass to life!"

Rachael Levine of ARAE

Rachael Levine is the designer, maker, and owner behind ARAE. She studies and uses the Shibori textile technique to create one-of-a-kind, contemporary patterns in luxurious silk chiffon and boiled wool, which she then turns into art-to-wear.

"This video shows the creation of an Angel Kimono from start to finish in our Denver, Colorado studio. Here you will see our Shibori process, calculated cutting, and careful sewing and finishing of this garment."

Sara Thompson is a silversmith with a BFA in craft and concentration in metals from the Oregon College of Art and Craft. She uses traditional silversmithing techniques to explore the vessel and the intimate connection of handheld functional objects. Her work honors historical silversmithing while creating silver objects with a fresh, minimal aesthetic.

"Watch how I create one of my sterling silver vessels from start to finish. I use historical and traditional metalworking techniques to transform a flat sheet of silver into a three-dimensional form and finish the piece in my signature silky satin finish."

Baltimore-based artist Hilary Hachey has been hand-fabricating one-of-a-kind and limited-production jewelry for 20+ years. "My minimalist designs are hand-fabricated in sterling silver and 18k gold. I begin with sheet, wire, and tubing, which I saw, solder, forge, and form to build the architecturally inspired works ruminating in my mind. My design is heavily influenced by line. I see the world through the lines that comprise it."

"In this video, I show the process of forming a textured square in sterling silver for my square hoop earrings. I did not show the final finishing stage of oxidizing/sanding/polishing and attaching an ear wire due to time constraints."

Employing both traditional and modern leather-crafting techniques, Laura Burkett makes leather accessories and home goods in her Pawtucket, Rhode Island studio. Her designs are "Inspired in Italy, Made in America" due to three years living and working in Perugia, where her passion for leather began.

"To make a 'Cuscino' lumbar pillow, I first cut and prep the fabric and leather, using a skiver to thin the edge of the leather to reduce bulk at the seams and a hand press to attach the snap closure. I then stitch front and back together, flip it right side out, and finally place the insert inside. Stuffing in the insert is physically demanding and often involves a fair amount of cursing!"

Jeneba Koroma of Limba Gal Jewelry

Jeneba Koroma is a Sierra Leonean American jewelry artist and educator based out of Chicago, Illinois. Her work explores traditional and modern African aesthetics through jewelry art and design.

"My video shows the process of creating a small jewelry collection from concept to completion. The pieces are hand-fabricated from sterling silver using fabrication and metalsmithing techniques."

Ceramist Ana Cavalcanti works primarily with the wheel but enjoys hand-building as well. Embossing is her primary decoration technique because it brings more life and visual interest to the piece.

"In this video, I walk through throwing and trimming a berry bowl and its saucer."

Jorgelina Lopez of La Loupe Design

Jorgelina Lopez is a textile designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She founded La Loupe Design after moving to Baltimore in 2016. Her current work focuses on the design and creation of handcrafted lighting and home decor objects exploring the connection between contemporary design and traditional crafts.

"In this video, you'll see an origami pendant lampshade made of 100 percent linen with an inner lining that diffuses the light. This inner lining, best known as Styrene, has been scored previously with the origami pattern and then applied to the fabric for a later hand-folding and finishing of the lampshade."