RSSArchives: September 2006
September 29, 2006
Pre-order CRAFT on Amazon
If you are excited to check out the first issue of CRAFT, in addition to subscribing, you can also pre-order your copy of Vol. 01 from Amazon.com! Volume 01 features 23 projects with a twist, including how to sew a light-up tank top, turning old shoes into great new knitted boots, felting an iPod cozy, embroidering your skateboard, making a jet-age garden, and more. Link.
Related:
Vol 01 Table of Contents - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 29, 2006 07:31 PM
Announcements |
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Tree Ring and the Portable Landscape Series
Colleen Baran has created a series of intricately designed jewelry that definitely stands out from the rest. Creating small "portable landscapes", the pieces speak to nature. For the Tree Ring (2006), Colleen used paper mache, plastic, astro turf, acrylic, and pebble. Colleen Baransays, "I was considering the idea of jewelry as small portable landscapes, of how textures and environments evoke a feeling and I wanted to make little evocative pieces of wearable land. Simple little spaces with grass and trees and ants and animals. With dirt wet from rain. With freshly cut lawns. They're also a product of the materials; my rediscovery of paper and plastic. I wanted everything to be surprisingly comfortable, light and wearable- if delicate." Colleen's Tree Ring will also be in the upcoming exhibition "Tree", opening Nov 2nd at 5pm and running until Dec 2nd, at the Influx Gallery in Calgary, Canada. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 29, 2006 06:45 PM
Jewelry |
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Next week on the CRAFT Blog: Craft Book-A-Day
Hi Crafters! We've got a special treat for you next week. Each day we will present you a craft book featuring a review of the book and also an interview with the author. It's a perfect way to browse the bookshelves and start a new project or learn a new craft!
Also, did you know next week is also National Spinning and Weaving Week? Yes that's right! So to kick the week of right, CRAFT is also part of the Spin to Knit and Time to Weave blog tour.
Here's the schedule for CRAFT Book-A-Day:
Monday - Spin to Knit by Shannon Okey
Tuesday - Time to Weave by Jane Patrick
Wednesday - In Stitches by Amy Butler
Thursday - Craftivity by Tsia Carson
Friday - Get Hooked by Kim Werker
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 29, 2006 05:13 PM
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Pirate Amigurumi
Amy's Babies has created a pirate pattern amigurumi that looks like Captain Jack. You can buy the pattern for only 5 bucks off the Interweave Crochet site. [ via ] Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 29, 2006 04:23 PM
Amigurumi, Bazaar, Crochet |
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HOW TO - Bury a knot
Kathy of Pink Chalk Studio has a great step-by-step pictorial on how to bury a knot for embroidery or quilting. Kathy says, "I'm currently teaching myself how to hand quilt using "That Perfect Stitch" by Roxanne McElroy. She demonstrates how to bury a knot on a quilt top. I took that technique and applied it to embroidery on my softies." Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 29, 2006 03:12 PM
Needlearts |
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CRAFT Podcast Pattern: Monsters of Teen Craft
This week's pattern is the Monsters of Teen Craft created especially to kick off the book tour by crafty authors Shannon Okey (Knitgrrl and Knitgrrl 2) and Kim Werkeer (Get Hooked) next week. Crochet yourself Humphrey or knit yourself Puck, either way you'll have a cute monster friend to keep you company.
Click here to get the PDF (and other CRAFT content) delivered automatically via iTunes - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 29, 2006 01:02 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Patterns |
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HOW TO - Make a vinyl pencil case
From the CRAFT Instructables group, splityarn shows you how to make a handy and stylish pencil case that fits perfecting into a 3 ring binder. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 29, 2006 10:30 AM
Sewing |
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HOW TO - Build a better bat costume (from an umbrella)
From the MAKE Blog:
Lenore writes - "Halloween is coming right up, so it is time to post one of our favorite costumes to help get everyone in the spirit. This is a darned good looking bat costume you can make from a hoodie and an umbrella. Yes, similar costumes have been made before. Even Martha's done it. However, our version is better. Forget instructions that call for elastic harnesses and throwing out the "insides" of the umbrella. You don't need elastic, and the umbrella parts are absolutely essential. Those extra ribs make extra big bat ears. The only raw materials that you will need are an umbrella and a hooded zippered sweatshirt. You will also need some tools and supplies: needle and thread, pins, pliers, scissors, and something to cut the umbrella ribs, such as tin snips, bolt cutters, or cutting pliers." - Link. Related:
- Photos the bat costume in the MAKE pool - Link.
- Halloween projects, how-tos, articles and more - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 29, 2006 09:07 AM
Holiday projects |
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September 28, 2006
MAKE and CRAFT logos
We get asked for our logos for all sorts of things all the time - so, we've posted multiple versions, and high resolution ones for whatever folks need. If you something neat with them with one of your projects let us know too.
MAKE logos - Link.
CRAFT logos - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Sep 28, 2006 08:16 PM
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Interview with Hillary Lang of Wee Wonderfuls
There's no doubt that most of us in the craft world get tons of inspiration through Hillary Lang's Wee Wonderfuls site. Whether it's her signature Wee doll, her quilted or sewn toys, or her current obsession with embroidery, Hillary no doubt keeps our hands busy with her overflow of fun projects for us to make. I got a chance to talk to Hillary and find out how she does it all -- endless creativity, a thriving craft business, and balancing motherhood.
Hillary Lang
Wee Wonderfuls - Link.
Flickr Photos- Link.
Nat: Tell me how you got your start in crafting and when did it become more of a business for you? How hard is it to run a craft business?
Hillary: Started in crafting? The usual answer, the Grandmas. They kept me in sewing machines and hook-rugging kits starting in my preteen years. Started in craft blogging? Again, the usual answer, after the birth of my son. Being home with some free time and a very bad conversationalist for company left me vulnerable to the enticing world of craft blogs. They sucked me in and it's been so much fun. It has become more of a business for me since I did the Put-together book, when I finally decided I could let go and share my patterns and that it would be a lot less painful than trying to sew up an army of stuffed toys to sell. How hard is it? It gets harder every day. It's an odd situation being a stay at home and working from home mom. Every little success makes things that much harder. So it's kind of a constant state of stressed happy around here. Lots of "woohoo! Ah crap, when am I going to do that!" I think the most difficult thing is trying to prioritize and decide what's the best use of my very limited time. I feel like once I make these decisions and get a few things up and running in an orderly fashion than it will all fall into place and become easier. At least this is what I need to tell myself, over and over.
Nat: Your blog, Wee Wonderfuls, has lots of inspiration from sewing, embroidery to thrifting. Where do you find your inspiration?
Hillary: I find inspiration in all things vintage - children's books illustration, antique toys, thrifted fabric, old decorating magazines and also in all things mid-century modern, 50s color schemes, poster design, architecture and furniture design and then I love all things folky, scandinavian, simple country design. These are the things I always come back to when working on a design.
Nat: How did the Wee Wonderfuls little plush come about?
Hillary: I was trying to make something more abstract, something simple that I could make an army of and the wee is what I came up with. I wanted a sort of blank slate to embellish and play around with and that would work decorated or pared down. Reminds me, I still need to make that army...
Nat: The Wee Wonderfuls Put Together Book #1 sold out the first day it was for sale. Why do you think your pattern booklets have become so popular? Why do people like making toys?
Put Together Book #1: Kitty Bunny, and Bear
Hillary: The put-together book fell into the gap. The gap between the craft book publishers catching up with what people really want to make. There seems to be a slew of new pattern books on the horizon which is exciting because hopefully there will be many more toy patterns for us all to play with. Toys are just cool. Or wait, aren't we all just kids or something? Maybe that's why. I just think toys are popular because they are a relatively quick and easy (as opposed to a quilt or something more elaborate) project. The end result has a personality! No matter how shoddy your sewing skills are as soon as you put a face on something it has a great little personality and that's addictive.
Nat: The Make-A-Long story is such a great idea - downloadable patterns. Tell me the idea behind it.
Hillary: Impatience is what's behind the make-a-long project. I was thinking of book ideas and this seemed like the perfect blend to me of all the things I'm interested in, photos of staged toys, mixing all different types of crafts, telling a tale, making patterns -- a kids book and a craft book combined! So I found an agent and started talking about writing up a proposal and there is so much work you need to do up front and it all has to be behind the scenes which leaves no room for blogging about what I'm working on. And I can't believe how long the period of time is from idea to final published work. So I decided to just do it online in real time with PDF patterns. It's a fun process and immediately gratifying which is wonderful but I'll always want to do print patterns and cards too. I'm way too much of an archivist to go all online.
Nat: What other craft blogs, web sites and books do you enjoy?
Hillary: Well I'd let you peek at my bloglines but you might think I'm insane. It's overwhelming how many great craft blogs are out there. As I get more and more busy the less able I am to keep up with everyone which is really upsetting to me. I need my daily fix of craft blogs to inspire and delight and of course cause jealousy and feelings of self doubt ;)
Nat: What kinds of craft projects are you working on this fall?
Hillary: Well, more make-a-long projects for sure! They have many adventures planned. For the shop, the new fall designs of the Stitchette embroidery will be available soon and I was hoping to get a robot toy put-together book ready in time for Christmas gift giving. On the personal crafting front I have to figure out how the heck to tastefully decorate for Halloween, do I need one of those black feather trees? Do I artfully arrange gourds? Big decisions. And I have to figure out how to wrangle my toddler into a Halloween costume although, as he will loudly inform anyone who asks, he wants to be NOTHING.
Thank you Hillary for the great interview! We can't wait to see what you make next, and we can't wait to make it!
Free Patterns from Wee Wonderfuls
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 28, 2006 05:30 PM
Interviews |
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Urban Street Bazaar in Dallas on Sept 29 - Oct 1
Hey crafty peeps in the Dallas, Texas area, don't miss the Urban Street Bazaar starting this Friday, Sept 29th through Sunday, October 1st. Closing down Thomas Avenue at Boll for the weekend long event, the Urban Street Bazaar will begin Friday from 5:30 to 9pm and run Saturday from 10am to 9pm and Sunday from 11am to 4pm. The event is free to the public and welcomes hipsters of all ages. The first Urban Street Bazaar this past Spring 2006 proved to be an occasion where even the most determined browser became a buyer and small time crafters became business owners. This time around the Urban Street Bazaar has added a few new elements, including teaming up with Nette Radio to provide local entertainment from over a dozen talented music groups like Eden Automatic, Super Sting and Better Off Dad; as well as ongoing crafty demonstrations where shoppers can experience the latest in urban crafts. Link.
Urban Street Bazaar
2632 Thomas Avenue @ Boll
Dallas, TX 75204
Sept 29 - Oct 1
Friday 5:30 - 9pm
Saturday 10am - 9pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 28, 2006 03:55 PM
Events |
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HOW TO - Sew a tissue holder
Craftapalooza has put up a tutorial on how to sew a tissue pack holder. I love the addition of the ribbon trim. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 28, 2006 01:25 PM
Sewing |
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The World of Magpies and Craftsters
Our Craftzine exclusive article "The World of Magpies and Craftsters" by Chrissa Banner is up. Read all about Leah Kramer, co-owner of Magpie (the coolest craft botique in Somerville, MA), founder of Craftster.org and cofounder of the Bazaar Bizarre craft fairs. Link.
More:
Flickr Photos - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 28, 2006 12:23 PM
Interviews |
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HOW TO - Make SIM card earrings
For when you are in the dilemma of what to do with those extra SIM cards, Cat of Cut out + Keep shows you how to turn them into some earrings. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 28, 2006 10:45 AM
Jewelry |
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More on the Quilts of Gee's Bend
By Arwen O'Reilly On Saturday, I went to see some of the quilters from Gee's Bend (see previous post on the exhibit of the quilts) talk at the De Young Museum. There was a huge, eclectic and passionate crowd there, eagerly awaiting the arrival of "the ladies," as everyone seems to call them. They entered singing a spiritual (in the wonderful film about them that shows in the museum's exhibit, it mentions that the women think that one of the most important aspects of their work is the singing they do while they make the quilts) and were introduced by the museum's curator. It was an emotional moment; most of the women are very elderly (there were two representatives from the younger generation, but one woman is 92!) and it was clearly a wonderful experience for them to be so appreciated. It was certainly the first time I've ever seen quilters get a standing ovation! William Arnett, the man who has been championing the work of these quilters for years and has worked tirelessly to get the quilts into museums, introduced the women with a stinging and quite funny denouncement of the racial situation in the United States today and the contemporary art world that was so suspicious of showing the quilts as art. After that, the floor was opened for questions and comments by the quilters. A lot of people shared stories of learning to quilt or being inspired by the show, which was wonderful to hear, but frustrating for those of us who wanted to hear more about the quiltmaking. Mary Lee Bendolph talked about the importance of their independent vision: "No one was going to see them, so I only did what was good for me and my family." (There's a wonderful book that was published this year called Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt that goes into more detail about the visual influences and aesthetic decisions the women made in making the quilts.) They also talked a lot about the friendly spirit of competition that kept the visual style constantly evolving in the close-knit community, and the importance of passing down the tradition to the younger generation. After a while, the Oakland Heritage Choir came in and sang a bunch of hymns and spirituals, even calling upon the audience and the ladies to dance and sing along. It was the most exuberant lecture I've been to in a long time! It was really incredible to hear the stories of poverty and oppression (the Gee's Bend ferry, the only way out of the community to nearby jobs, was shut down in the 1960s to stop black voters from registering) and to see the beauty and joy that was able to survive using only the simplest materials and incredible skill. I came away from the talk completely humbled and inspired. For those of you in the Bay Area, the Quilts of Gee's Bend exhibit will be up until the end of December, and there's a related exhibit comparing a few of the quilts to African textiles at the Museum of the African Diaspora in SOMA that is up until October 16th. Link. More photos from the event - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 28, 2006 09:20 AM
Arts & Design, Events |
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Edible Origami
Make some crispy fried origami cranes out of wonton dough. Yum! Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 28, 2006 08:06 AM
Food |
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September 27, 2006
Bicycling T-Shirt
Mike sewed pockets onto the back of a regular t-shirt to hold things like keys, digital cameras or water bottles to create something similar to a real cycling jersey. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 27, 2006 10:03 PM
Sewing |
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Crafty Bastards - Arts & Crafts Fair in Washington D.C. Oct 1
If you are in the DC area on Sunday, October 1st, don't miss the Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair. There are over 100 vendors selling everything from tshirts to plushies. Featured here are 60 bugs handstitched tees for tots and Mr. Agent Spy plush by alice of kansas. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 27, 2006 04:45 PM
Events |
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Can or jar photo frame
Here's a cool way to relabel and reuse those cans or jars for just about anything. Make some photo labels and store scissors, thread, buttons, pens, pencils and more! [ via ] Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 27, 2006 02:15 PM
Design, Printing, Recycle |
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Hyperbolic Ring
Lindsay, who likes "sciences and making art", added these pictures of her new creation, the hyperbolic ring to the CRAFT flickr pool. I asked Lindsay just what was her inspiration in creating this. Here's what she said:
"A couple of weeks ago I saw the crocheted coral reef featured on Design Sponge, so I spent some time looking at that, and then looked up some instructions on making hyperbolic shapes on Google. I don't crochet, but the basic idea (add an extra stitch on a regular basis) translated pretty easily to peyote stitch. It's basic tubular peyote stitch, except I added two beads instead of one every three stitches. This is the first time I've come up with my own design for making something in peyote stitch, and I'm really pleased with how it came out." Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 27, 2006 10:23 AM
Jewelry |
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