Update #6: Thank you!

Thank you so much, everyone! We'll be working out details of fulfillment in the next few weeks and will be keeping you posted. 

If you missed the deadline for this campaign but still want to contribute, you can donate here: http://www.seattleattic.com/payments/donations. 

Update #5: $12.5k for our textile fabrication workshop! 

The woodshop is a go! With 8 h left, let's see if we can fund a textile fabrication workshop: drum carder, serger, sewing/embroidery machine, blocking frame and blocking wires, notions and teaching materials!

Update #4: $10k unlocks a woodshop!

So yeah! We'll be getting a book scanner to use with our computer resources. 

That's enough computers for now, so let's fund a community woodshop to use on that hard floor! Vacuum, planer, hand tools, sander, and maybe a little mini tabletop lathe! 

Update #3: $8000 unlocks a book scanner!

Computer resources are a go! Next up: a scanner for digitizing books and art projects. We'll be able to turn our long-out-of-print books into shareable e-books. Pre-1900 sewing manuals, anyone?

Update #2: Why this $7250 stretch goal? Don't you have equipment already?

Wonder no longer! The short story is, most of our energy and money so far have gone into making sure we have a secure, accessible, and pleasant place to work in--not into filling it with equipment (yet). We do have excellent soldering stations, basic hand tools, and some fiber equipment on long-term loan--ball winder, swift, basic sewing machine, and spinning wheel. That's about it.

Education and collaboration are our main focus at the Attic, so we want to provide members and students with equipment that reduces the barrier to getting started on something new. We also want to provide more experienced members with the tools that they need to carry out their projects. Our founding members' interests broadly break down into computer-based (open-source programming, digital media, and art); hardware and electronics; and various types of fabrication, including woodworking, 3D printing plastics, spinning, weaving, knitting, leatherwork, and jewelry making.

We have the equipment to hack on hardware, but no electronics parts; we'd love to get some Raspberry Pis and a stock of electronics supplies so that we can start teaching hardware classes. We don't have any computer workstations; we'd like to set one up, complete with development and digital media software. We're going to be offering sewing classes starting in January; a few members can loan machines, but having a designated Attic machine will make the classes run more smoothly and allow members to practice those skills after classes end. And so forth--it's all about enabling teaching and learning. 

Update #1: We reached our goal in under 24 h! First stretch goal: $7250 for a sweet digital media/programming center.

Thank you so much for the support, everyone. We are blown away by your generosity --we've hit our first target in under 24 h, and over $3000 of it is earmarked for member scholarships. You're making a difference. 

We've funded the hard floor cover, our cheerful paint, and bountiful whiteboard space, so what's next? Getting us to $7250 in donations will fund a sweet computer workstation with enough power to run audiovisual editing software to create and remix vids, original podcasts, and other media. We'll also set up development environments to make it easier for members to sit down and contribute to projects like our open-source hackerspace management site. Plus, we'll need a computer to run the hypothetical 3-D printer (watch this space!). 

Past this current stretch goal, we'd like to fund a 3-D printer; a scanner to digitize books and other media; woodworking tools including good clamps, a planer, a mini tabletop lathe, and a vacuum to keep the dust down; more fiber tools, including a drum carder, serger, and sewing/embroidery machine; and furniture to make the most of our tiny space and store our equipment!

Welcome to Seattle Attic!  

What We're Making

We've been building something new and cool in downtown Seattle: a feminist, woman-centered, and trans- and queer-inclusive space where makers, crafters, and hackers of all genders work together, share ideas, and support each other's growth.

We founded the Seattle Attic Community Workshop to show that it's possible to build a maker community that's supportive, badass, and welcoming. We want to build a self-sustaining community that assumes from the start that everyone can learn; that everyone has something to teach; that we learn best from a diverse set of teachers; that failure is fun and is part of learning; and that all participants deserve respect from the moment they show up--not after they've divulged the secret geek passwords and told you they also use your favorite tools. Your contributions will help us make this happen.

What We Need

We've made a good start, but we need your help to make it grow. We're asking for $5000 so we can improve our physical space, increase economic accessibility for new and existing members, and expand the types of work we support.

We need money for the following:

• Flooring to protect our carpet and pave the way for woodworking, dyeing, and more.
• More whiteboard space (the mother of invention)
• Funded scholarships to allow members who can't afford dues, event fees, or transportation to contribute their talents to the Attic
• Shelving and storage space so that we can continue to expand our awesome library and accomodate more member cubbies
  
• A complete lighting overhaul: we'll replace the standard office fluorescents with energy-efficient daylight bulbs so that our artists can see colors better and to combat SAD
  
• A reserve fund to cover re-painting our space when we move to a larger location

What You Get

A fantastic, intersectionally feminist makerspace!

• Located on the top floor beautiful, wheelchair accessible, historic building
• The most economically accessible space in Seattle
• Right next to ample public transit
• Where women, cis or trans, are normative
• Which runs welcoming, informative events
• Which provides a supportive environment for members to beat procrastination and get un-stuck
• That helps members collaborate in a clean, comfortable, and inviting physical space with tools and raw materials on hand
• That can hire world-class professional teachers and speakers and pay them a fair rate for their labor
  
• That changes the world, one "it works!!" at a time 

In addition, we will be Creative Commons-publishing our policy documents and howtos from our work setting up and maintaining the space. As one of the first of a wave of feminist makerspaces, we want to organize what we've learned and release it for the benefit of those who come after.

Yes, yes, but what else do you get?

Photo by John Fischer, used under CC-BY-SA license.

STICKERS: Everyone loves stickers! You can put them on: your water bottle!  Your scooter!  Your cat!  Your laptop!  Your bike! Show that you too support Seattle Attic, make the bold statement that bakerspaces are more delicious than makerspaces, promote your feminist agenda, or wait for the mystery feminist sticker to be revealed. (Note: we do not actually advocate putting stickers on your cat. Their fur--and your face--look better as-is.)

CROSS-STITCH PATTERNS: suitable for the crankiest of feminists. Delicate colors and flourishes vie with blunt statements (ex: "Meritocracy is a joke", "The patriarchy isn't going to fuck itself") to create patterns that look sweet--until you look a little closer. Or celebrate the space you've created for yourself with "This is why we can have nice things." If you choose this perk, you will receive a PDF with three expressive counted cross-stitch patterns in addition to everything in the sticker pack. 

BRUNCH: Feminism is even better when it comes with tasty food and excellent company.  We would love to have brunch with you!  We'll work with you to find an accessible location that accommodates everyone's dietary requirements so that the meal can be about connection and conversation, not about whether you can eat or get in the door.

The Impact

We asked our members: what do you feel like you can do now that you couldn't have done before the Attic?

"Work in tech, frankly. I had some bad experiences and had pretty much given up on pursuing anything to do with it until this spring, when I finally got my resume together with the help of a couple of my fellow Attic members and went out and got myself a job at a startup in the city. Being around women who do tech stuff and craft stuff and traditionally-femme stuff and traditionally-masculine stuff has helped push me past some of my impostor syndrome-y feelings. I feel a lot more confident in my ability to learn (and teach) new things." --Kristin Leigh

"One of the things that has helped me more than I realized is the communal aspect- being able to ask questions, work on stuff with other people present for company, and ask the room for suggestions when I'm brainstorming.  Knowing that I will never get 'Girls are bad at math!' is what makes this so magical." --hashoctothorpe

"I didn't think that I could lead from a place of vulnerability and still be respected. When I work with the other Attic volunteers--especially the other women on the board--we start from a place of respect. I don't have to fight to be perfect, or to be heard." --Frances

Our membership has already put more than $10k and several hundred volunteer hours into building this space over the last six months. We need your help to broaden our impact and extend our reach as we work to make the Attic fully sustainable.

What can I do to help right now?

• Whether you can donate or not, reach out to your friends and explain why you're excited about the Attic.
  
• Choose your favorite perk and donate!
• Tell other people you know that you donated and why you did--Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, or email.
• Think about people or groups you know who would be excited by the idea of a feminist makerspace and tell them about the campaign.
  

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You can learn more about becoming a member on our website, blog, following us on Twitter at @seattle_attic, or joining our low-volume announcement list.

This is a fiscally sponsored project of the School Factory, Inc. a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. For more information: info@seattleattic.com