Craftzine.com blog: October 2008 Archives

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Archives: October 2008

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October 31, 2008

HOW TO - Racetrack Rug

Cynthia Rae revamps a vintage crochet pattern to create this fun Racetrack Rug, perfect for a kid's room. Via Lime & Violet.

Beth Wachla

Modern Craft shares a link to Beth Wachla's site, featuring her beautifully made beaded and hand-stitched felt skulls.

Soft Circuit Workshop at SMoCA Wrapup

Last night I led a workshop at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art on adding LEDs to fabric using conductive thread. It was completely full; everyone had a great time making soft switches and using sewable snaps to light up LEDs on fabric! Photos by Matt Mets. Special thanks to Nan Vaughn and Gina Hief for helping!

HOW TO - Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Smitten Kitchen made these incredible looking pumpkin swirl brownies - we made these this week and they were great! They were better the second day, and next time I think we'll add some chocolate chips.

Video with Tobiah Mundt at Maker Faire

David @ MAKE caught up with Tobiah Mundt at Maker Faire Austin. She makes awesome and quirky needlefelted sculptures! We've posted her up here in the CRAFT blog lots:

Waffle Bunny

Needle Felted Umbrella Bat

Free Embroidery Pattern from Andrea Zuill of Badbird's

I've been following Andrea Zuill's work for a while ever since I first spotted her intricate embroidered art quilts in the Flickr embroidery pool. She creates free embroidery patterns every month and makes them available for download through her blog, Badbird's. I'll go ahead and geek out and admit that I get crazy excited when I see it's "new pattern day" on her blog. Her designs are sweet, simple, charming and beg to be stitched immediately. I love her latest offering - a folksy bird sampler - available for download here.

Bunny Pencil Case from Zakka Sewing - CRAFT Pattern Podcast & Giveaway

Zakka Sewing by Therese Laskey & Chika Mori (Stewart Tabori & Chang)
Buy the Book ($24.95)

If you've ever wished you could understand the patterns in those wonderful Japanese craft books, you're going to love Zakka Sewing, the new book from Therese Laskey and Chika Mori. "Zakka" means "household goods" in Japanese, and the term has become synonymous with simple yet beautiful hand-sewn items that are both attractive and useful. Zakka Sewing is the first English-language book to explore this culture and its traditions, presenting 25 one-of-a-kind patterns from Japan's best zakka creators. Projects range from a squirrel-shaped teapot cozy to simple felt flower coasters, and you can even learn to stitch up a pair of cozy slippers. The variety and quality of the projects will have you coming back to the book again and again!

One lucky Craftzine reader will win a copy Zakka Sewing! Just leave a comment on this post by 12pm PST on Saturday, November 1 telling us why you need this book. (Please make sure your e-mail address is included in your profile so we can contact you if you win.)

Get your feet wet in the world of Japanese crafts by downloading our CRAFT Pattern Podcast, featuring an excerpt from Zakka Sewing. Learn to make your very own bunny pencil case, a handy and cute zippered pouch complete with ears and a tail.

Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes

HOW TO - Easy Gift Pouch

Chez Plum teaches us how to make a super easy envelope-style gift pouch, perfect for those hard-to-wrap gifts. These could be made to fit all sorts of themes, depending on the fabric used.

Related:
• CRAFT Pattern Podcast: Isabeau Purse by Chez Plum
• CRAFT Interview with Sylvie of Chez Plum
• Chez Plum Etsy Shop