Craftzine.com blog: September 2006 Archive

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Archives: 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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. Puck-Humphrey

Click here to get the PDF (and other CRAFT content) delivered automatically via iTunes - Link.

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.

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.

And.... Halloween is fast approaching, a "maker" holiday if there ever was one! Have a great spooky project, hack, tip, costume idea, favorite material or tool related to Halloween? Email Phil and also stay tuned for a fun MAKE & CRAFT Halloween contest!

September 28, 2006

MAKE and CRAFT logos

Makelogo Url
Logo Craft
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.

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?

Weepatternpic-1

Free Wee pattern

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?

Booklet1
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.

Makealong-2
Make-A-Long Story & Patterns

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!

Paperdolls

Free Patterns from Wee Wonderfuls

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Edible Origami

Make some crispy fried origami cranes out of wonton dough. Yum! Link.

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.

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.

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.

Sign Up for the CRAFT Newsletter

We just launched the CRAFT Newsletter today where you can get CRAFT delivered straight to your email inbox every other week. Sign up now for free and read our first newsletter! Link.

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.

HOW TO - Make a Halloween wreath

Trisha says, "Halloween is fast approaching and why not make one of these wreaths to greet the neighbours. " Link.

September 26, 2006

CRAFT - Volume 01 TOC is up and more...

CRAFT, our new magazine is getting closer to shipping! What's is it? CRAFT is the first project-based magazine dedicated to the renaissance happening within the world of crafts. Our premiere issue features 23 projects with a twist! Embroider your skateboard, light up your clothing, felt an iPod cocoon, knit your own boots, stitch a robot, and more!

We just posted up the table of contents and today I got a preview copy, it's freaking great. If you like MAKE you'll like CRAFT. So check it out... - Link.

CRAFT goes on sale October 17, 2006 and we anticipate a very quick sellout (as was the case with the inaugural issue of MAKE). Avoid the crushing disappointment of an empty newsstand, reserve a copy today by subscribing.

As a special offer to MAKE readers, visit craftzine.com/subscribe and claim an inaugural subscription for yourself or as a gift for the crafter in your life before October 17th, enter promotion code MAKE4CRAFT and receive the cool new CRAFT T-shirt - subscribe here.

A Closer Look - Transformation of CRAFT Mohair

By Arwen O'Reilly
Transformation of CRAFT Mohair

http://etsy.com/view_item.php?listing_id=398599&pic_id=3

I love Aimee Knerr's mohair project because it did a great job of conceptualizing the Craft logo for the Etsy contest. She painted the logo onto the mohair and then carded it, so that the logo is integrated into the wool. I like that the wool can be used for a lot of projects, and the Craft: mindset will hopefully be embedded inside whatever it ends up in. Plus the wool is just fantastic! I asked Aimee a few questions about her crafting process and inspirations:

Arwen: How did you get involved in crafting? Why?

Aimee: I can't remember when I did not craft. I mean, all kids craft and I just never stopped! I come from a very creative family. My father is a wonderful artist, writer and musician. My mother always has made beautiful things by hand: stained glass, woodworking, painting, and most recently copper weathervanes. Even all my grandparents are very artistic. So it is totally in my blood and it makes me feel alive: like love, food, water and fresh air.

Arwen: What are the things that inspire you most?

Aimee: I am inspired by nature and other artists/crafters. Both of these things really get me going. Just a walk in the woods and really looking at things is enough. Same thing with a museum--even one painting, if I really delve into it, can be the start of weeks of inspiration! Etsy totally inspires me--there are so many talented artists here. Also books and magazines--I can become obsessed with one for days or weeks.

Arwen: Which books and magazines are those?

Aimee: I have shelves full. Handspun Revolution by Lexi Boeger is awesome for spinning and Unexpected Knitting by Debbie New is an amazing book. My favorite magazines are: "Spin Off", "FiberArts", and "Interweave Knits". And "Vogue Knitting" and "Quilting Arts". "Natural Home" has a really cute DIY column--I always like the idea of sustainable-living crafts.

Arwen: So what's your next project?

Aimee: For the near future it would be just continuing to explore the vast world of fiber spinning. There are so many different fibers to spin and so many ways to spin them, that I think I will continue to be obsessed with that for a long time. There are too many other crafts to explore, though--my mom just gave me her old loom, so maybe weaving will be next. Seems natural, since I have so much yarn!

Arwen: Can you give our readers one simple tip you use in your crafting?

Aimee: I don't know if it is simple or easy, but the most valuable thing I have found is: to break the rules. If you are wondering if something may make your craft go more easily but the rule is "don't", than try it! I have found that it often works and then you are really innovating and finding a new way. It can really free you up and make things more fun too.

Arwen: Is there anything else you think our readers would like to know?

Aimee: Hmmm...Maybe just to not be afraid to teach yourself new things. I have learned so many different crafts and mainly taught myself from books and magazines. People are always asking me: where did you learn this? And when I say, a book, they are so shocked. If you believe you can do it, than you can do it.

Cute notebooks for craft notes

Shelterrific has a great post collecting some of the cutest notebooks around. These are perfect to add to your craft tote for any kind of project or pattern notes. Pictured here are Cut + Paste animal folds (left) and Jill Bliss Journals (right). Link.

Vintage craft magazines

I've uploaded a new batch of really kitschy images from vintage craft magazines from the 50's and 60's. These are from Jen Greenwood's collection given to her by her great aunt Mim. Thanks Jen! Link.

Hat pattern

Steph at Curiously Crafty updated her hat project (previous CRAFT post here) now with downloadable PDF patterns! Link.

Gocco printed notebooks and ornaments

Rania Hassan has Gocco printed a nice silver leaf designs on some Moleskin notebooks. She's also used the same pattern to make some Gocco ornaments. Perfect to embellish gifts. Link. and Link.

More:
Save Gocco - Link.

September 25, 2006

Embroidering on knitting

Embellishing your knitting with embroidery isn't as hard as you thought. This step-by-step tutorial by weasleysweaters on Live Journal takes you through the whole process with lots of great photos. Link.

HOW TO - Knit Opera Gloves

I like the look of these knit lace up opera gloves. Link.

Opera-Gloves

Or you can go for the classic straight up knit version. Link.

Berroco Free Knitting and Crochet Patterns

Berroco, the yarn company, has a bevy of free patterns available now on their site, including an extensive list of crochet patterns. Link.

CRAFT group on Instructables

Hi Crafters! We've got a CRAFT group now up on Instructables. It's the perfect place for you to share your craft project tutorials. Sign up now and add yourself to the CRAFT group. Link.

Pixel Samplers

Endflie.com has created Pixel samplers, cross-stitch at it's geeky finest, like the graphics card above. From the site, "Cross-stitch preceeded pixel art by quite a few hundred years. Both techniques are based on filling in small squares with colour to build up an image. I am interested in the opposing gender associations of both practices when their processes are so similar. Traditional samplers utilise symbols and motifs to represent events or items of relevance to the stitcher. The electronic icons I have stitched represent machine actions/events/objects." (click on right side nav: "catalogue", then "pixel samplers) [ via ] Link.

Designer-Craft Sale in Oakland, CA - October 14th

If you live near the Bay Area, CA, this craft sale looks like its not one to be missed! From the site, "At this fabulous sample and crafts bonanza, shop from the artists and designers themselves! Find treasures for your home and person; everything from high-end furniture to hand-screened tees, and hip purses and bags- something for everyone, and on anyone's budget." Link.

Adeline & 26th
Enter on 2600 Magnolia at 26th st. in West Oakland
(also the back-entrance of 2601 Adeline Street)
Saturday, October 14th 2006
9am to 5pm

September 24, 2006

Plan Your Holiday Bazaar Now!

Atomic

Whether you've got just a few crafting friends in your circle or a giant army of crafters, now is a good time to follow the lead of the Atomic Holiday Bazaar peeps and start organizing your own holiday bazaar. This ain't your gramma's craft show - well, unless your grandma is really cool. [Via] - Link

Posted by Bre Pettis | Sep 24, 2006 10:25 AM
| Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry

September 22, 2006

Subscribe to CRAFT Magazine

Hey Crafters! CRAFT will soon be on the newsstands on October 17th! But subscribe now and you could be receiving yours even earlier in the mail. And why not? This issue is jam-packed with lots of really neat stuff you can make, inspirational crafter profiles, quick craft projects, DIY projects, and more! Where else can you crochet Beth Doherty's amigurumi robot or read about embroidery queen Jenny Hart as she shows you how to embroider a skateboard. More projects include knitted boots, learning chainmail to make your own medieval armor, needlepoint bracelets, felting an iPod cozy, making a room divider, cat pad, silkscreening 101, and more!

You'll get 4 quarterly volumes delivered to your door as well as access to the online digital edition for only $34.95 a year. What a deal! International subscriptions are available for $49.95 US. Use the MAKE4CRAFT code and receive a cool new CRAFT T-shirt. Link.

Old Deerfield Fall Craft Fair this Weekend

This weekend, September 23-24 in Old Deerfield, MA is the 31st Annunal Fall Craft fair featuring this years Quilt and Fiber Fest. The Quilt Fest will feature an exhibit of renowned Vermont quilter Pam Druhen. Druhen's collection includes landscape quilts that capture New England's seasonal glory. There's also a showcase of museum quilts, the 4th bi-annual Old Deerfield quilt challenge, and lots more! Link.

CRAFT Podcast Pattern - Stitch Diva Studios Cobweb Scarf

This week's pattern is the Cobweb Scarf created by Jennifer Hansen, the amazing designer behind Stitch Diva Studios. Her work in crochet and knitting has an edgier fashion feel, and with this Cobweb Scarf, you will never have to make boring old scarves ever again. With this pattern, you'll learn the techniques of Tunisian double-ended hook crochet. Get yourself one of these large double-ended hooks and crochet away. Stitch Diva Studios also has a more in depth, Tunisian Crochet tutorial here.

Click here to get the PDF (and other CRAFT content) delivered automatically via iTunes - Link.

More:
Stitch Diva Studios Decidedly Different Scarves - Link.

A Closer Look - Craft-Tea Tea Cozy

By Arwen O'Reilly

Craft-Tea Tea Cozy
http://www.etsy.com/view_item.php?listing_id=401177

I'm a sucker for puns, so DoBeClean's clever tea cozy caught my eye. It puts the "tea" in Crafty:-) I also love the bright colors and softness of the cozy; that's one that would be a pleasure to have around. When she's not knitting or entering contests, she makes hemp soap (including some great felted covered soap, which works like a washcloth and bar of soap all in one) and plays with words. Check out her shop on Etsy, and her blog.

Arwen: How did you get involved in crafting? Why?

DoBeClean: I think it partially transpired from growing up with a mother constantly sewing overhead of us during the day while we played and knitting beside us while we watched tv at night. It was either her doing her nails or knitting. Since I could never get into the fancy finger nail scene I guess I feel connected with my mum while working with fibre.

Another turning point was while visiting with an accupuncturer on a weekly basis to help me cope with a fall-out with my father. He suggested getting crafty to clear out some throat chakra issues. There he created a monster.

Arwen: So what inspires you these days?

DBC: Primarly, the people around me. So much talent is revealed when you bring up in conversation that you love to knit or want to learn a craft. I don't know if I'm just very blessed, but there's lots of inspiring people around. Secondarily, I'm so inspired by the blogs I read everyday. There lies my guilty pleasure (the guilt bit comes from my husband. And some pleasure, come to think of it).

Arwen: And what are your favorite craft blogs (or books or magazines)?

DBC: The websites I love include etsy, crafster.org, knitty.com, and whipup.net. Books I'm currently loving are knitting books (that time of year) like Mason-Dixon Knitting, the Stitch 'N' Bitch series, Rowan magazines. Other crafty books I want to get my itchy fingers on are Denyse Schmidt Quilts(because I want to learn), Amy Butler's In Stitches and perhaps 52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity by Jeffrey Yamaguchi to assist me in exporing yet unexplored crafty nooks of my soul. And, of course, can't wait to check out Craft: magazine!

Arwen: What's your next project?

DBC: My next project is the long-awaited sweater my husband has been so patiently waiting on. I knitted up a sweater for him last year but it turned out too small. So I've been sporting it all last year resulting in a kind of sore spot between us. So I keep meaning to start him a sweater but things come up (don't have the right needle size, a Craft contest is announced). But the needles should be in the mail now, so no more excuses. Plus I'm starting to really feel for the guy. He looks chilly.

Arwen: That's such a great story! A woman I know had a knitting teacher who told her never to knit a sweater for a boyfriend because if they broke up, she'd want it back. So she proposed to her boyfriend by knitting him a sweater and having the label read "Will you marry me?"

Is there anything else you want to tell our readers? Can you give one simple tip you use in your crafting?

DBC: Because I'm a mom to a two year old people often wonder how I can run a "crafty" business, post on my blog, read blogs and still find time to be crafty. I tell them (especially new moms) that even if you can find ten minutes here and there it all adds up quickly. Before you know it, you too can have a Craft-Tea Tea Cozy in your busy life!

Crafty Organizers

Thimble also contributes to Whip Up and has posted up a collection of great organizers you can make. Pictured left is Shim + Son's patchwork wall pocket and right is an armchair pincushion and sewing caddy. Link.

Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu | Sep 22, 2006 11:09 AM
Sewing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry