about Soft-Maps:Soft-Maps are quilted maps of cities and neighborhoods that represent someone's unique place in the world. As a keepsake, a Soft-Map serves as an intimate reminder of home: where you’re from and where you belong. In a world that is increasingly digitized and remote, a quilted Soft-Map provides an expressive way to reconnect with your surroundings.
Soft-Maps are the 2x winner of the 2009 Apartment Therapy Design Showcase and have been featured in Coolhunting, PSFK, Brooklyn Based, L.A. Times and the Cooper Hewitt's 2009 Reader's Choice National Design Awards.
Haptic Lab offers three different types of Soft-Maps, all available at spring
readymade Soft-Maps (or made-to-order quilts of select cities) are produced locally using a novel combination of machine and hand-stitching methods. Each readymade quilt is produced in collaboration with master quilter Ruth Miner of Stamford, Connecticut. Ruth has 40+ years of quilting experience and her painstaking attention to detail makes every quilt truly special. Readymade Soft-Maps are made with 100% cotton and can be machine-washed for everyday use.
custom Soft-Maps can be commissioned for any place on earth, at any scale: the small town you grew up in, the city or country you're lonely for, or the college campus where you met your mate. These functional art pieces make unforgettable wedding and anniversary gifts and are heirlooms meant to last for generations. Each custom quilt is crafted entirely by hand in Brooklyn and takes 200+ hours to complete. Lead times for custom orders run between six and twelve weeks.
baby Soft-Maps are custom printed, hand-knotted baby quilts made of natural cotton- now available as maps of 20+ cities in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe! City landmarks unique to each place are stitched with brightly-colored contrasting thread. Additionally, each baby quilt can be customized with the child's name and birthdate, along with three different locations.