Alexandra Underhill (artofxan.com) is an ultra-talented sculptor in all mediums, including fabric. She’s done costuming for many productions you’ve heard of (like Cirque du Soleil) and some that you haven’t… yet. She’s best known for her tie skirts, which she demo’d on crafty TV show Uncommon Threads, and her stiltdancing. Xan teaches art workshops in residencies all over the place, has a fabric stash to die for, and is a regular at Burning Man. This is her first book. For more info on Xan, see her website.
Shannon Okey (knitgrrl.com) is a fiber fanatic who knits, spins, crochets, dyes, felts and much more. She’s got multiple spinning wheels and knitting machines, a loom, and fiber by the pound in her studio. Shannon’s best known for her Knitgrrl books and several other related titles (see here and here for more), as well as her online shop anezka handmade. She’s also appeared on Uncommon Threads, as well as Knitty Gritty and Crafters Coast to Coast. She coordinates the Cleveland edition of indie craft fair Bazaar Bizarre in her spare time (what little there is of it).
Together, we’ve worked on a number of projects, such as a touch-sensitive fabric iPod wedding dress called iDo for the “computational couture” show Seamless, and of course the book. Our goal for AlterNation is to inspire you, to teach techniques you can apply to your own projects and encourage you to share the love.
