''ReadyMade'' (or ''Ready Made'') was a California, United States, bimonthly magazine which focused on do-it-yourself (DIY) projects involving

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordi ...

, making furniture,

home improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...

sewing Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fab ...

metalworking Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scal ...

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...

and other disciplines. It also focused on sustainable design,

independent music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...

and DIY culture. The magazine was marketed to people who enjoy creating unique items to have at home and wear and featured projects which could often be completed with everyday materials, such as household items.

History

''ReadyMade'' was founded by chief editor Shoshana Berger and publisher Grace Hawthorne in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

. The inaugural issue was published in Winter 2002, with quarterly issues produced until the magazine moved to bimonthly issues with the March/April 2004 publication. In 2006, the Meredith Corporation purchased the magazine. In January 2009, Meredith announced it was relocating the magazine's creative staff to

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

due to company-wide budgetary concerns (though the ''ReadyMade'' title itself was reportedly successful). None of the editorial staff chose to relocate, and '' Better Homes and Gardens'' executive editor Kitty Morgan assumed editorial duties for ''ReadyMade'' on an interim basis. On June 16, 2011, ''ReadyMade'' announced on its blog that Meredith had discontinued the magazine.

Subjects

Unlike more traditional home improvement magazines and

how-to The Linux Documentation Project (LDP) is a dormant an all-volunteer project that maintains a large collection of GNU and Linux-related documentation and publishes the collection online. It began as a way for hackers to share their documentation ...

books, ''ReadyMades projects were aimed at a younger (21–39) audience. Projects in their issues included: * making a lamp out of a cd spindle * altering a car stereo to accept an iPod input jack * instructions on how to run for local office in the United States *

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

broken speakers to become light fixtures, coffee tables, or bookcases and similar projects with an emphasis on creating an urban

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

aesthetic.

Demographic

''ReadyMade'' was aimed at the emerging DIY culture in North America that enjoys not only the fashion of handmade items and

, but also the philosophy and politics inherent in

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

attire, and

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

. The ads featured in the magazine targeted a largely

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

readership interested in locally produced, handmade,

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

, and organic goods, but also featured ads from companies such as

PF Flyers PF Flyers is an American brand of lifestyle shoes owned by Kassia Designs, LLC. Founded in 1937 by B.F. Goodrich, it is one of the original American sneaker brands. History In 1933, inventor Hyman L. Witman and rubber manufacturing company ...

shoes,

Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland the United Arab Emirates, K ...

, and similar corporations looking to appeal to a young hipster audience. The music featured in the articles was generally

independent rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produce ...

, featuring such artists' own

projects, such as an article where

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (k ...

showed how to make a mock space station out of junkyard parts.

References

{{Reflist * Susan Fornoff (June 2006)
AT HOME WITH THE READYMADES / Reuse. Recycle. Reinvent. DIY magazine founders Shoshana Berger and Grace Hawthorne share a lifestyle philosophy. But their day-to-days are vastly different.
SF Chronicle. * IIT Institute (August 2015)
Article on ReadyMade and the maker movement - Interview with Grace Hawthorne

External links

At Home with the ReadyMades in the SF Chronicle

2001 establishments in California 2011 disestablishments in Iowa Bimonthly magazines published in the United States Defunct magazines published in the United States DIY culture Hobby magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 2001 Magazines disestablished in 2011 Magazines published in California Magazines published in Iowa Mass media in Des Moines, Iowa Defunct Meredith Corporation magazines Mass media in Berkeley, California