Craftzine.com blog: Becky Stern Archives

Archives: Becky Stern

Four Years of Making

Dear beloved CRAFT readers,

Today is my last day as Senior Video Producer for MAKE & CRAFT. The past four years have been, undoubtedly, the best times of my life so far. I'm immensely thankful to have been a part of such a dedicated and talented team -- they're like family to me. While you won't be seeing me on the blog, Make: Live, or CRAFT videos any longer, this isn't so much "goodbye" as "see you around." I'll always be a proud member of the maker community.

After a little time off, I'll be taking a position at Adafruit Industries, heading up the wearable electronics group, and of course, you know I can't resist making videos. I'm delighted to dig into more ambitious projects than ever before, so I hope you'll check them out.

I thought I'd share some of my "greatest hits" videos from over the years, so I've compiled a list over on MAKE.

You can check out my entire body of video work for MAKE/CRAFT in the Becky's Workshop YouTube playlist, and if you want to keep up with my projects, follow me on Twitter. See you around the tubes!

Make: Live Wednesday 1/11 (preview video)

Join us Wednesday evening for the next episode of Make: Live, our streaming show and tell! It's our season two premiere, and we'll take a peek at projects from the new MAKE Volume 29, learn about an innovative dog toy, and hang out together live in the chat.

We also give away a fabulous prize to one chat member who can solve our photo challenge. This week it's a prize package from Maker Shed! This week one of you will win:

Make: Live 24
Wednesday January 11th, 9pm ET/6pm PT
Watch at makezine.com/live or on UStream
Please join us in the UStream chat or mark tweets with #makelive to interact live with the show.

Want to show us your project? Email live@makezine.com and you could be featured on an upcoming episode!

Guest info after the jump.

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Beating Heart Headband

In this episode of Becky's Workshop, learn to make a headband that glows with your heart beat. First construct a stretchy headband from brocade and grosgrain ribbon, then embed the circuit boards and clip the sensor to your ear. You can find the Beating Heart Headband in MAKE v29, and see the complete how-to on Make: Projects.

Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, download the m4v video directly, or watch it on YouTube or Vimeo. Thanks to Britex Fabrics for the ribbon.

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Tonight! Best of Make: Live Season One

It's tonight! Make: Live's Best of 2011 show looks back at our favorite episodes from the very first season. Go behind the scenes with us for some of our most memorable moments-- from goofs and gaffes to last minute surprises and change ups. And don't miss the best of robots, blinky LEDs, fires & explosions, electronics and giant mobile contraptions. It's a whole year of making condensed to 30 minutes of nonstop unbridled joy-- don't miss it!

We also give away a fabulous prize from Digi-Key to one chat member who can solve our photo challenge. This week you could win:

Make: Live 23: Best of Make: Live 2011
Wednesday December 28th, 9pm ET/6pm PT
Watch at makezine.com/live or on UStream
Please join us in the UStream chat or mark tweets with #makelive to interact live with the show.

Want to show us your project? Upload a video or photos and send a link to live@makezine.com.

How-To: Geometric Paper Wreath

Our own Meg Allan Cole is up to some glittery holiday crafting, this time in the form of a geometric paper wreath.

Here is a last-minute DIY geometric wreath how-to that takes no time at all and leaves a huge impact! These wreaths make great gifts and pack easily.

Quick LED Robot Ornament

When Rachel and Lish proposed an ornament swap so close to Christmas, I couldn't resist crafting on a deadline, so I whipped up a whole bunch of these cardboard LED robot ornaments on Sunday morning. I used what I had at hand- some cardboard, spray paint, and a whole bunch of LEDs. Since I can't resist the urge to document my crafts, enjoy this video and see the complete how-to on Make: Projects.

Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, download the m4v video directly, or watch it on YouTube or Vimeo.

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Holiday Projects on Make: Live (video)

Make: Live's holiday episode features some fun project ideas for this festive time of year! See a skirt light up when you dance, a brass rocking horse ornament, and connect your Christmas decorations to the internet. Above, Ben Light demonstrates his technique for these mini paper stars, which fit onto your Christmas lights to create a strand of festive glowing stars.

Subscribe to the Make: Live Podcast in iTunes, watch Make: Live episode 22 in its entirety (or download in m4v format). Also check out the chat room transcript!

Bona Kim - Dance Party Twinkle Skirt

This LED-enhanced skirt uses an accelerometer to light up brighter the more vigorously you dance-- perfect for holiday parties.

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Make: Live is Tonight! Holiday Giveaway

It's tonight! Our holiday episode features some fun project ideas for this festive time of year, and we'll give away some seriously cheerful electronics prizes to live viewers in the chat from Digi-Key:

Make: Live 22: Holiday Giveaway
Wednesday December 14, 9pm ET/6pm PT
Watch at makezine.com/live or on UStream
Please join us in the UStream chat or mark tweets with #makelive to interact live with the show.

More guest info after the jump.

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Best of Crafts in Maker Faire Video 2011

Today I thought I'd highlight some of my favorite crafty makers and the projects they've brought to Maker Faire through a special YouTube playlist. If you don't know about Maker Faire, it's the world's largest DIY festival celebrating technology, making, and especially crafts, held annually in several locations around the United States. This year we've expanded our video offerings so I picked these videos from our growing Maker Faire channel to give you an idea of the crafty souls you can meet at Maker Faire. Enjoy the playlist, and don't forget to subscribe to the Maker Faire Channel on YouTube.

The playlist includes:

Shawna Peterson's Neon Art Shop
Paul Nosa's Free Motion Embroidery
Jordan Jin Stone's illuminated sound-controlled Rainbow Shutter-Shades
Bethany Shorb's Cyberoptix TieLab
Mark Krawczuk's Secret Noodle Truck
Andrew Salomone's Machine Knit Cosby Sweater
Science Class Hydroponics: STEM Garden
Katherine Jolda's Cyclocarder
Xylocopa Design
Josh Billions' MapBag
Pam Deluco's Typefacebook
Laura Bruland's Yes and Yes Design

Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, download the m4v video directly, or watch it on YouTube.

Check out more videos from Maker Faire in the Bay Area, Detroit, and New York.

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Gift Guide: Power Tools

Here are our picks for some electrified craft gadgets that will get your studio's motor running. What are your favorite craft power tools? Leave a note in the comments below.

Brother 1034D 3/4 Lay-In Thread Serger
A serger really takes the home sewer's capabilities to the next level. Make professional-looking knitwear, rolled-hem napkins in a flash, and wield the frantic power of this machine that slices as it stitches.

Singer Futura X-L400 sewing and embroidery machine
sewing and embroidery

If needlework's more your thing, head for a dual sewing/embroidery machine. This one has software for illustrating your imagination in stitches, and does all the basic sewing stuff, too.

Foredom flex shaft
I have one of these bad boys and I love it. The motor hangs from a hook and the spinning handpiece spins at variable speeds, controlled by a foot pedal. I use it for fine metalworking, but it's useful anywhere you'd use a handheld rotary tool.

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