Craftzine.com blog: March 2009 Archives

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Archives: March 2009

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March 31, 2009

Free 35mm Cuff Knit Pattern

Lee from Do Stuff! has had some great knit hat and cuff patterns in the past, but her latest design, based on 35mm film, has even me (knitaphobe) considering trying to pick up the needles.

March 30, 2009

Mending Tool: Clear Nail Polish

March Mending Month Clearnailpolish
We all learned in high school (or at least I did) about how clear nail polish could help prevent runs in your tights or stockings. Sure your tights ended up sticking to your leg but at least you weren't walking around with a long run for the whole day. Turns out that clear little bottle is like magic and it can do a lot more than just keep your nails looking shiny.

Here's some mending and crafty uses:

Seal out scuffs on shoes
Tarnish-proof costume jewelry
Prevent loss of buttons
Prevent frayed fabric from unraveling
Temporarily repair eyeglasses
Fill small nicks on floors and glass

The list goes on. See all of the uses for clear nail polish at Reader's Digest.

How-To: Coil Basket with Plastic Bags

Lucky Ladybird from the UK writes in:

Over the past few weeks me and my friend Carolyn have been trying our best to find a way to recycle all the carrier bags we've collected by weaving them into baskets. With no prior weaving experience I got some inspiration from fellow blogger Michelle of Conserve Plastic Bags. In one of her posts she suggested coiling the plastic bags and provided a link to nativetech.org, a fantastic website with detailed instructions on Native American weaving techniques. This is how I transferred those techniques for use with plastic bags.

This looks so cute and just in time for Easter! Baskets made with plastic bags like this are also waterproof and make great beach caddies or salad colanders.

Handmade Nation Screening in Portland This Weekend

Handmade Nation, the documentary film by Faythe Levine celebrating the handmade movement in America, will make its premiere in Portland, Oregon, this weekend. Hosted by the Museum of Contemporary Craft, there will be three screenings of the film and fantastic craft events throughout the weekend. I'll be reporting from Portland throughout the weekend, and would love to meet up with any CRAFT readers while I'm there. See below for the full schedule of events, and let me know in the comments if you'll be attending any of them.

Ongoing throughout the weekend, the Museum of Contemporary Craft will have a photo kiosk on hand where visitors can bring their handmade items and photograph themselves with their craft project. Photos will be digitally archived and presented through the museum's Flickr account. The same self-portrait kind of project was utilized during a previous exhibit and yielded fun and interesting photographs.

Friday, April 3
Film Screening with several guests from the film on hand, and Q&A with Faythe Levine
7:30 pm - Doors open at 7 pm
General admission: $25 (includes swag bag)

Saturday, April 4
Film Screening and Q&A with Faythe Levine - SOLD OUT
12 pm - Doors open at 11:30 am
General admission: $10

CraftPerspectives Conversation: Handmade Nation
2 pm - Free and open to the public
Panel conversation with special guests Susan Beal (West Coast Crafty), Jill Bliss (Blissen), Kate Bingaman-Burt (Obsessive Consumption), Betsy Greer (Craftivism) Garth Johnson (Extreme Craft) and Faythe Levine (Handmade Nation). Moderated by Namita Gupta Wiggers, curator, Museum of Contemporary Craft.

Crochet-a-thon with Mandy Greer
Saturday, April 4, 4-6 pm Free and open to the public
Artist Mandy Greer, featured in Handmade Nation, will show participants how to crochet, and will then make a sculpture out of the raw materials created that day. Participants are asked to bring yarn and fabric, new or reused, in all shades of blue, from very light to dark (excluding navy!).

Sunday, April 5
Crafty Wonderland: Handmade Nation Edition
11-4 pm, Free and open to the public
Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E. Burnside, Portland
Portland's monthly craft fair will feature Faythe Levine signing her Handmade Nation books, and a DIY table where visitors can make free craft projects with Susan Beal.

Film Screening and Q&A with Faythe Levine (third screening just added)
5:30 pm - Doors open at 5 pm
General admission: $10

How-To: Prepare Onions

Instructables user lemonie has a guide up for preparing onions in a fast, efficient, and therefore tear-free way!

How-To: Decorative Seams

Hoppo Bumpo has a great post on decorative seams: channel seams, piped seams, bound seams and top seams. And that's just for starters! This week's post ends a nine-week Seam Along. Hoppo-ver and check them out! (Sorry, just could not resist the pun.) Via Whip Up.

Book Review and Giveaway: Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts

Ms Encyclopediaofcrafts

My new favorite book of the moment is Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts: An A to Z Guide with Detailed Instructions and Endless Inspiration which debuts in bookstores tomorrow, March 31st. Not only is this book a concise craft compendium, it's eye candy and inspiration. Just flipping through the colorful pages makes me giddy with excitement to make something! The book is organized by craft techniques such as Beading, Etching Glass, or Silkscreening and within each section are a number of projects with illustrated how-to references or glossaries. For instance the Jewelry Making section has an illustrated guide on how to string beads and the Glittering section has a great visual glitter glossary so you can visually see the different types of glitter from shard glass to powder. I also love all the great tips filled throughout the book.

Here's the contents for the Techniques and Projects so you have an idea on the amazing breadth this book covers: Albums, Scrapbooks, and Memory Boxes, Beading, Block Printing, Botanical Pressing, Botanical Printing, Calligraphy, Candlemaking, Clay, Decoupage, Etching Glass, Fabric Flowers, Gilding, Glittering, Jewelry Making, Marbelizing, Mating and Framing, Mosaics, Nature Crafts, Origami and Paper Folding, Painting China and Glass, Paper Cutting and Punching, Paper Flowers and Birds, Photo Crafts, Pom-Pom Animals, Quilling, Rope Crafts, Rubber Stamping, Silkscreening, Soap Making, Tin Punching, Wirework, and Wreaths.

Ms Crafts1

A few projects that look great to start with, especially for Mother's Day coming up are these vintage tea cup candles (p.99) and the beaded flower corsage (p.33). Heck, if your mom is a crafter herself, she'll love this book. I also love the entire section on glittering and the project to make the glittered birds pictured below (p.147). The back of the book contains all the project templates as well as a handy section listing craft tools and materials. From glues to scissors to ribbons, this section is great to let me know some of the items I'm missing in my craft supplies. (I totally need the circle cutter. Ok, I just really want one.) With over 400 pages of crafts, Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts is a must-have for any crafter because it's a book you'll find yourself going back to again and again for reference and inspiration.

Finishedbirds

To celebrate the release of Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts we have an huge giveaway for you!

1 lucky winner will receive a Martha Stewart Crafts prize package worth $100 plus a signed copy of Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts by Martha herself! (The prize package includes: a screw punch, doily lace edge punch, circle cutter, bone folder, tissue paper pompoms, butterfly holepunch, and bottles of glitter -- all from Martha Stewart Crafts.)
10 runners up will receive a copy of Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts

To enter the giveaway, ~~email crownmarketing@randomhouse.com with the subject line: "Martha Stewart Crafts Prize Pack"~~. Only one entry per person. Deadline for all entries are April 6th. Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!

Refashioned Cashmere Sweater

CRAFT contributor Dolin O'Shea of Lulu Bliss nabbed a pink v-neck cashmere sweater at a thrift store for only $5! In her tutorial, she shows you how she refashioned it into the perfect spring cardigan.

How-To: Quickly Soften Butter

Butter-Rolling-Pin
Whenever I want to start baking, I never seem to remember to put the butter out beforehand. Ok, I admit I'm impatient for the thought of whatever cookies or cupcakes I'll soon be eating. Simply Recipes has a great tip on how to quickly soften butter by rolling it out between wax paper sheets. Thanks Pinkfairywand!

Cassette Tape Art

Wow, check out irI5's portraits in cassette tape! What a neat use for this recycled material. Via BoingBoing.

Please Take the CRAFT Survey!

Craftsurvey Spring09
Hi Crafters! As you know, Craftzine.com is advertiser-supported. Our publishing partners, Federated Media, want to make sure they try their hardest to connect us with advertisers that are as relevant to our audience as possible. Knowing more about you helps them do that. And that helps keep us giving you great content here on CRAFT . So please take a moment to fill out this short Craftzine.com Reader Survey. As a thank you, we will be giving away a CRAFT t-shirt to 10 random CRAFT readers who complete the survey! Just make sure you enter in your email address at the end of the survey. (Your email address is for giveaway purposes only.) Thanks peeps!

Update 4/1: The survey is now closed. Thanks everyone for taking the time to do this!

Call for Swap-o-Rama-Rama Volunteers For Maker Faire 2009

One of the most fun, active areas of the crafty side of Maker Faire is the Swap-o-Rama-Rama clothing refashion extravaganza. Between the mounds of clothes waiting to embark on their second lives, the whir of dozens of sewing machines filling the air, and the steady stream of screen printers leaving their mark on everything from shirts to skirts, it's a crafter's utopia. A great way to participate in Swap-o-Rama-Rama and get a behind-the-scenes look at the biggest clothing swap/refashion event around is to volunteer. Now is your chance: the call for volunteers for the 2009 Swap-o-Rama-Rama at Maker Faire Bay Area is open. See below for full details.

Join in the communal process of reuse and celebrate our collective creativity! You are invited to participate in Swap-O-Rama-Rama as staff. Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a giant clothing swap and series of do-it-yourself workshops in which a community explores reuse and creativity through the recycling of used clothing. At Swap-O-Rama-Rama consumers are taught to be creators and this transformation takes place through the local talent, crafters, designers and artists in the community.

HOW CAN I BE PART OF SWAP-O-RAMA-RAMA 2009?
There are a wide range of volunteer opportunities for all skill levels, talents and styles this year! Here's a short list of what you can get involved in!
1. Project Based Stations
2. DIY Sewing Station Star / Mechanical Genius
3. DIY Workshops (see previous workshops)
4. Re-Make Fashion Show ( see previous fashion show Images)
5. Production Staff

Make It Happen!
As designers, crafters and artists, and business people, oftentimes we're not able to connect in our communities outside of our business and working relationships. Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a chance for each and every one of us to give back and share our skills, talent, experience and enthusiasm with people who have come to learn, explore and imagine. At the same time, the swap is a vehicle for all skill and experience levels to participate and co-create a maker-experience. All are welcome! This is your chance to engage and inspire open hearts and open hands.

CONTACT
Scatha G Allison at missvelvetcream[at]gmail[dot]com for more information

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