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Archive: 101
September 10, 2009
101: Natural Dyeing
101: Natural Dyeing
Everyday plants offer big color.
By Judith Lange
Imagine a world with no colored fabric. Look in your closet, at your furniture, at your towels and your curtains. Imagine everyone dressed only in white. Such a drab existence does not suit human beings. Long before Rit came in packets, color was everywhere. Beautiful colors were produced from plants, wood scraps, mud, shellfish, even bugs.
My friends and I once spent an entire summer experimenting with natural dyes. It was a fun way to bring more color into our lives; it's sure to be the same for you. Many natural sources of dye are still available today and are simple to use. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to dye wool using the ubiquitous onionskin. This is a grand project for adults and children, singly or in groups (supervise children!).
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Posted by Goli Mohammadi |
Sep 10, 2009 01:30 PM
101, Cozy Up to Yarn, Fiber Art |
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August 24, 2009
Home Canning 101
A great intro to home canning is on design*sponge by Ashley English.
Ashley writes:
For many, the answer for what to do with all that fruit and veg deliciousness lies in home canning. A new wave of canners, thinking outside the jar, are holding jam sessions and finding themselves in a pickle with unmatched enthusiasm. In fact, next weekend, August 29-30, Canning Across America (their tagline is “Join the Canvolution!”) is planning a huge kick-off, with nationwide how-to classes, demonstrations, and home canning parties (my friend Nicole and I are thinking of hosting one ourselves!). Let’s take a look at the world of home canning and go over some “simmering” questions and “boiling” concerns.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Aug 24, 2009 08:00 AM
101, Food |
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August 6, 2009
101: Upholstery
101: Upholstery
Add comfort and a fresh new look to your chairs.
By Ashley Jameson Eriksmoen
Dining chairs are an integral part of good times. Where there's dinner, wine, and company, there are chairs. But old dining chairs are notoriously uncomfortable: no fun for the buns. With simple modifications, though, that can be remedied. Plywood slip seats can be altered to allow for a bit of flex, a tad of padding, and a big difference in comfort. At your next dinner party, don't be surprised if your guests won't leave!
This article teaches you the basics of upholstery, and our online supplement at craftzine.com/07/101 includes additional techniques for softening that slip seat. After this project, you'll be ready to graduate to reupholstering an armchair or a chair with a loose cushion.
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Posted by Goli Mohammadi |
Aug 6, 2009 01:00 PM
101 |
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July 23, 2009
Adobe Illustrator 101
101: Adobe Illustrator
Design dazzling invitations while learning how to use a crafter-friendly drawing program.
By Stefanianna Moore
Adobe Illustrator is an amazing drawing program because it helps you design almost anything two-dimensional: graphics for your website, wallpaper and fabric patterns, and just about any print piece imaginable.
This project is a twofer: learn to become an Illustrator-savvy designer and create your own unique wedding invitation. You'll use basic Adobe Illustrator tools that will get you started learning the program's functionality and creative power. You'll learn how to set up a document, set up a color palette, add fonts, import clip art, and manipulate it. You'll be able to change colors and sizes, plus copy, paste, rotate, and move things around on an "artboard" as you wish, to create a design that will serve your needs. In the end, you'll have a finished document that you can take to a printer, bringing to life the invite of your dreams.
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Posted by Goli Mohammadi |
Jul 23, 2009 01:00 PM
101 |
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June 19, 2009
CRAFT Video: Embroidery 101 at Maker Faire
Craftzine Contributing Writer Rachel Hobson led this informative demo on hand embroidery basics at Maker Faire Bay Area 2009. She goes over tools, supplies, and a few stitch techniques to get you started!
Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes or download the m4v video.
More:
CRAFT Video: Embroidery Pattern from a Photo
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 19, 2009 12:00 PM
101, CRAFT Podcast, CRAFT Videos, Needlearts, Video |
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June 8, 2009
Handy Paracord Handle
Instructables user keng made this nifty handle for a messenger bag from a piece of paracord and a few simple tools. The technique is called the Portuguese Sinnet (among other names) and makes for a nice chunky handle. The long length of paracord is good to have with you in case of zombiepocalypse (or, say, a hiking accident), too.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 8, 2009 04:00 PM
101, General |
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May 27, 2009
How-To: Linoleum Block Printing
Instructables user bopp has made an excellent primer on linoleum block printing, even covering lots of artists using the medium, which is great for inspiration. He goes over tools, technique, cleanup, and lots of pictures!
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Posted by Becky Stern |
May 27, 2009 02:00 PM
101, Arts, Printing |
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May 22, 2009
How-To: Stained Glass from a Photo
Instructables user KedaDibandion made this detailed tutorial for "total glass newbies" to convert a photo into a stained glass portrait.
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 22, 2009 02:00 PM
101 |
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May 11, 2009
How-To: Lattes at Home
Logan was tired of paying $3 for a latte every day since his hours got cut back at work, so in this video he shows us how to make our own lattes at home for about one dollar apiece.Posted by Becky Stern |
May 11, 2009 09:02 AM
101, Food |
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May 9, 2009
How-To: LED Robot Embroidery
In this Threadbanger episode, learn to sew a simple circuit to create an embroidered robot with glowing LED eyes. Diana Eng shows you this project from her book, Fashion Geek.
More:
- Fashion Hacking with Diana Eng on May 10th in Brooklyn, NY
- Checkin' In: Fashion Nerd Diana Eng
- Electronic Embroidery - CRAFT Video Podcast
- Electronic Embroidery
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 9, 2009 12:00 PM
101, Fashion, Fashion Tech, Soft Circuits |
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April 20, 2009
How-To: Duct Tape No-Sew Tote
Check out this tote bag you can make without sewing! Sarah James at Instructables shows you how to use duct tape to make something that's actually atractive for once, not that I don't love duct tape crafts.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 20, 2009 04:00 PM
101, Fashion, Homemade |
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April 13, 2009
How-To: Basic Tie Dye
The Crafty Chica's 16 year-old daughter, Maya, did some tie dye this weekend, and she made this super awesome video describing the process. I'm so impressed with her video skills!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 13, 2009 02:00 AM
101, Video |
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April 9, 2009
Cream 101: Make Your Own Face Cream
Sarah Powell from Lilith's Apothecary takes a visit to Handmade in PA, showing you the basics of how to make a simple facial cream with infused herbs in her Cream 101 tutorial.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 9, 2009 05:00 PM
101, Beauty |
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April 8, 2009
How-To: Baseball Stitch
Stardust Shoes has an interesting method for closing up a stuff hole on a plushie with a "baseball stitch" which ends up looking like the seams on a baseball.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 8, 2009 09:00 AM
101, Sewing |
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March 27, 2009
CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino 101
Get started with the LilyPad Arduino! It's a sewable microcontroller that lets you embed lights, sounds, sensors, and much more into your wearables, perfect for clothing and accessories. In this video I'll show you how to attach the LilyPad and power supply to each other, and upload a basic program that blinks an LED. You can use Arduino with Windows, OS X, and Linux. Next time I'll show some more advanced topics including hooking up a sensor and using it to change the circuit's behavior.
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v (iPhone) or mov movie.
Download the code you'll need for Arduino to execute this example. It's also here:
In the Maker Shed:
More:
Electronic Embroidery - CRAFT Video Podcast
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 27, 2009 12:00 PM
101, CRAFT Podcast, Soft Circuits, Technology, Video |
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March 23, 2009
How-To: Condition and Dye Hemp Rope
Conditioned hemp rope is expensive, but Instructables user mcvarij shows you how. I never knew it was so involved, and yet simple!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 23, 2009 04:00 PM
101, Home Decor, Homemade |
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March 18, 2009
Ask CRAFT: Sewing Elastic
This week's question is from Violet:
Quite often when I'm crafting, I find that I have a need to sew a "loop" of elastic - similar to what you'd find inside the waistband of your favourite 'jamma pants. I slightly overlap the two ends of the elastic and, using my machine to run a quick line of stitching, I try to attach them together. Inevitably, I'm left with a gigantic mess of thread - knotted and clumped - on the underside of the elastic. Sure, it holds the pieces together, but it's not pretty and it doesn't lay flat and, in short, NOT GOOD. Can you help? My machine is in great shape (regular tune-ups and care) and I'm using sharp needles.. What's the correct process? What am I missing?
I have the same problem. In this video I show three ways to help prevent this from happening. The main problem with sewing elastic is that the unstretched rubber easily catches (with a lot of friction) on the needle and thread in the sewing machine, causing various forms of unsightly and decidedly non-flat knots of thread. One method is to stretch the elastic while sewing it, helping pull some of that looseness out of the bits of rubber so they can't catch the thread so much. Another is to zigzag between the two pieces of elastic so you're not sewing through two layers at once. The third is to anchor the elastic to its casing (your waistband, for example) at the same time as you join the ends of the loop. The extra layer of fabric between the elastic and the bobbin/feed dog area will help uncatch the elastic from the needle and thread as it passes through the layers. Be sure to email me your crafty conundrums at becky@craftzine.com!
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v (iPhone) or mov movie.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 18, 2009 02:00 PM
101, Ask CRAFT, CRAFT Podcast, Sewing, Video |
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March 17, 2009
How-To: Flat-Felled Seam
Instructables user Rachel has created this excellent tutorial for three different ways to achieve a flat-felled-type seam (like the one on the inseam of your jeans).
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 17, 2009 02:00 PM
101, Sewing |
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March 14, 2009
How-To: Lace-up Moccasins
Check out this Instructable by user skymring for these attractive (and comfy-looking) moccasins. The pattern is made right from your own foot, so they're bound to fit! The creator says they're "Viking shoes," but they don't look like any Viking shoes I've ever seen; they look more celtic to me. Can anybody place the time and place when these shoes originated?
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 14, 2009 12:00 PM
101, Homemade |
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March 13, 2009
How-To: Roast Garlic
Here's a great Instructable which illustrates three different ways to roast garlic. It's great just spread on bread or in any number of other recipes. All this talk of roasted garlic is making me hungry!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 13, 2009 09:00 AM
101, Food |
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