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Archive: CRAFT Podcast
June 26, 2009
CRAFT Pattern Podcast: Weeeds
Today is a big milestone with our CRAFT Pattern Podcast's 100th pattern! Do-do-do-dooooo! (That's a horn toot, by the way.) To celebrate, Anna of Mochimochi Land has created for us a new pattern called "Weeeds". This little knit duo popped up in the backyard garden and look how adorable they are!
If you like these patterns, you can check out the adorable ones she has in her shop. Also, bookmark the Mochimochi Land blog where Anna shares news on patterns, tips, and lots more!
Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 26, 2009 12:00 PM
Amigurumi and Toys, CRAFT Podcast, Knitting, Patterns |
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June 19, 2009
CRAFT Video: Embroidery 101 at Maker Faire
Craftzine Contributing Writer Rachel Hobson led this informative demo on hand embroidery basics at Maker Faire Bay Area 2009. She goes over tools, supplies, and a few stitch techniques to get you started!
Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes or download the m4v video.
More:
CRAFT Video: Embroidery Pattern from a Photo
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 19, 2009 12:00 PM
101, CRAFT Podcast, Needlearts, Video |
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June 12, 2009
CRAFT Pattern Podcast: Party Pennant from Wallpaper Projects
Celebrate with this party pennant project from the new book Wallpaper Projects: More than 50 craft and design ideas for your home, from accents to art by Derek Fagerstrom and Lauren Smith. You'll love this super easy project where you can use up your wallpaper scraps to decorate a wedding, party, or backyard BBQ!
Most of you also know how Derek and Lauren are such a super crafty duo! Each Wednesday they have a new DIY project on design*sponge and they are also co-owners of the fabulous Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco's Mission district. Wallpaper Projects is filled with the stylish projects you've come to expect and enjoy from Derek and Lauren. Some of my favorite projects in the book are the glass-covered side table, wallpaper patchwork, and adorable wallet and checkbook cover. I found myself drooling over all beautifully patterned wallpaper featured in each project. A definite source of inspiration as well as crafting entertainment!
Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 12, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Paper Crafts |
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June 5, 2009
Best of the CRAFT Video: Build Your Own Roller Skates
As we recover from Maker Faire and prepare some awesome new videos for you, we're bringing you this great project from the archives. Luanne Teoh and Richard Humphrey from Skates.com show us how to convert a pair of sneakers to roller skates, straight out of CRAFT, Vol. 07.
Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes or download the m4v video.
From the pages of CRAFT, Vol. 07
"Roll Baby Roll!" by Luanne Teoh & Richard Humphrey, pgs 62-65. Check out the article in our Digital Edition.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 5, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast |
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June 4, 2009
CRAFT at Maker Faire: Talking Star Wars Crafts
I caught up with Bonnie Burton of StarWars.com and her crafty assistant Terri Hodges after their last Star Wars kids craft workshop at Maker Faire on Sunday afternoon. Watch the video and find out some of the cool stuff coming up in the world of Star Wars crafting!
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.
Check out Bonnie's Maker Faire recap on the Star Wars blog and Ewok Sock Puppet photos and Yoda Stick Puppet photos, as well as all of her photos around Maker Faire.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 4, 2009 05:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Kids, Maker Faire |
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June 3, 2009
CRAFT at Maker Faire: Talking with Crafty Chica
I walked around the craft area at Maker Faire and got some great short interviews with some crafters which I'll be posting up here for you each day. First up is Crafty Chica herself, Kathy Cano-Murillo where she and the team at Duncan's Ilovetocreate.com made glitter art and sparkly sequined treasure tins.
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 3, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Maker Faire |
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May 29, 2009
Best of CRAFT Pattern Podcast: Amigurumi Pup
From our CRAFT pattern podcast archives, crochet this cute pup from Tiny Yarn Animals: Amigurumi Friends to Make and Enjoy by Tamie Snow. Tamie has one of my favorite craft sites, Roxycraft where she has the most fantastic amigurumi patterns as well as a cool blog.
Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
Tami will be selling her cute wares at Bazaar Bizarre at Maker Faire and will also be teaching a demo, "Making a Successful Amigurumi" at the CRAFT booth on Saturday at 2pm. Here's a list of all of the CRAFT demos at Maker Faire.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 29, 2009 12:00 PM
Amigurumi and Toys, CRAFT Podcast, Crochet, Patterns |
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May 22, 2009
CRAFT Video: Get Crafty at Maker Faire!
Here's a video roundup of the great crafty activities that we'll have going on at at Maker Faire next weekend. We hope to see you there next weekend at the San Mateo County Expo Center on May 30th and 31st.
Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes or download the m4v video.
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 22, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Maker Faire |
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May 20, 2009
Ask CRAFT: Kids' Warm Snuggler
This week's question comes from Liz Allen:
My 3½ year old son, Phoenix, has autism. One of the things he craves is skin-to-skin contact. However, it's not just any skin, it's my skin, particularly my stomach and back.
He calls it "tummy" and he prefers that he's touching me with his feet. Because he's so young, he's never been able to explain this to us but you can see on his face that his anxiety goes away when he is touching me. We are trying to break him of this habit because it's become something like a drug that he craves. I know it makes him feel better but I can't lay in bed with him all day and night and allow this.
The other day he was talking about "tummy" and we started asking him why he likes it. He says it makes him feel warm.I asked him if there is anything that feels as good as tummy does, to which he replied, "Having warm water all over him," AKA a shower.
So I began thinking about what I could do to recreate this feeling for him. Something warm, portable, and that has a similar feeling to skin. Which brings me to my crafting question: With all the great minds and readers of Craft, maybe someone would have an idea to help my son, something I could make or have made that he could sleep with and take in the car.
In the video above, I describe how you can make a "warm pack," or fabric pouch filled with rice. You can pop it in the microwave and it will stay warm for about half an hour, or you can insert one of those hiker's heating packs into the inner velcro pouch to keep it warm for up to eight hours while in the car, etc. I used Ultrasuede, a very soft microfiber (not actually leather), which feels very much like soft skin. You can find it at most fabric stores in the upholstery section; look for remnants specifically (here's a site that sells swatches). I used sew-on velcro for the closure to prevent any adhesive fumes from being released when it's microwaved. I hope this helps, please let us know how it works for Phoenix!
If you have a question for Ask CRAFT, shoot me an email at becky@craftzine.com, or drop us a note on Twitter! We'd love to answer your crafty questions on any topic: technique, projects, crafty culture, or anything else! Each week the answers are here; include your name, where you're from, and your website or blog if you have one!
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 20, 2009 02:00 PM
Ask CRAFT, CRAFT Podcast, Sewing |
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May 15, 2009
CRAFT Pattern Podcast: Snuggler by Lotta Jansdotter
Sew up this cute Snuggler swaddle pattern from Lotta Jansdotter. This pattern is featured in her new book Simple Sewing for Baby: 24 Easy Projects for Newborns to Toddlers (published by Chronicle Books). You can check out my review of the book here. Swaddling is known to make babies feel safe like they are in the womb and helps them sleep better at night. You can sew this cute Snuggler pattern up this weekend!
Note: The PDF includes a tiled version as well as a full page pattern.
Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
Book Launch Party Event
If you are in the SF/Bay Area, join Lotta Jansdotter at her book party at the Museum of Craft & Folk Art (51 Yerba Buena Lane in San Francisco) this Saturday, May 16th from 1pm-4pm.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 15, 2009 12:00 PM
Babies, CRAFT Podcast, Patterns, Sewing |
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May 8, 2009
CRAFT Video: Color Changing LED Brooch
Sew up this little colorful brooch using a LilyPad tri-color LED and three small potentiometers for a customizable color wardrobe embellishment. No programming required!
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.
Potentiometers are variable resistors. They change the amount of electricity that can pass through them based on the turning of the knob, thereby dimming and brightening the three channels of the tri-color LED. The colors mix and diffuse through the roving, producing any color in the rainbow. Here's the front,
and the back,
and here's the diagram for sewing the components together.
Materials and tools:
- conductive thread (E-sewing Kit)
- coincell battery (E-sewing Kit)
- sewable battery holder (E-sewing Kit)
- LilyPad tri-color LED (Sparkfun)
- 3 small 1K-ohm potentiometers (Digikey)
- small on-off pushbutton switch (Digikey)
- brooch template (cardboard or illustration board)
- fabric
- needle and thread
- pin back
- wool roving
- felting needle
- felting surface (upholstery foam scrap works great)
- scissors
- pliers
- alligator clips for prototyping
More:
- CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino 101
- CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino Blinking Bike Patch
- Electronic Embroidery - CRAFT Video Podcast
In the Maker Shed:
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 8, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Fashion Tech, Soft Circuits, Video |
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May 1, 2009
CRAFT Pattern Podcast: Sublime Stitching Fruit and Snail Embroidery Patterns
As a mom now, I realize you can never have too many baby bibs so why not make them more fun with the wonderful embroidery designs by Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching? I love this new kit, Sublime Stitching Baby Bib Embroidery Kit (published by Chronicle Books) that has all the necessary supplies to stitch up a fabulous bib for your baby or a friend's. (Psst! This whole kit makes a great gift for a mom or mom-to-be!)The kit comes with two blank bibs, but if you find yourself stitching away and needing more bibs, you can get blank bibs at the Sublime Stitching store. I'm stitching the fruit pattern now and will post up my finished bib into the CRAFT flickr pool when I'm done. And as a special treat, we have both the cute fruit and snail patterns as a sample to download right away in today's CRAFT Pattern Podcast. Enjoy!
Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
(Photo by Rachel Hobson)
Don't miss the Sublime Stitching Journal (see Rachel's review) and the Stitchable Stationery. Cute!
Check out Jenny's flickr set of sketches which show how her patterns began!
Today and this weekend, Jenny will be at the Summit of Awesome in Washington DC as a keynote speaker and will be doing also workshop there as well. You can catch up with Jenny on the Sublime Stitching blog.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 1, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Needlearts, Patterns |
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April 24, 2009
Best of the CRAFT Video: Embroidery Pattern from a Photo
We'll be back next time with another LilyPad Arduino tutorial, but this week check out this classic from our archives where Dolin O'Shea of Lulu Bliss shows us how to convert a photograph into an embroidery pattern!'
MP4 Video | QT Video | HD | Subscribe in iTunes
From the pages of CRAFT: 06:
CRAFT: 06 - "101: Embroidery, Learn to paint pictures with floss and fabric", pgs 132-137. You can get the back issue in the Maker Shed.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 24, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Needlearts |
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April 17, 2009
Best of the CRAFT Pattern Podcast: Tie Top Tank by Nancy Flynn
Refresh your Spring wardrobe with crafter Nancy Flynn's Tie Top Tank. This is one of my favorite patterns because it's very easy to sew and Nancy's step by step tutorial shows you how to measure and create a pattern for yourself. Make it on Saturday and wear it out on the town on Sunday! You can catch up with Nancy on her craft blog, Belle Epoque.
Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
We originally posted the Tie Top Tank in August 2007. Nancy also demoed how to make this at the Maker Faire Bay Area earlier that year.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 17, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Fashion, Sewing |
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April 10, 2009
CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino Blinking Bike Patch
In this intermediate soft circuit tutorial, I show you how to make a light-up patch that can be used on your backpack for fun and bike safety. If you missed my LilyPad Arduino 101, you may want to watch that first. The theme of this year's Maker Faire is "Re-Make America" so I thought I'd add some red, white, and blue LEDs to my messenger bag. I added them to a removable patch (from the fatlab, an artist collective I'm part of) so I can easily remove it at the airport, in the rain, etc. I used a rechargeable lithium polymer batter to power the whole thing because it's flatter, lasts longer, and can be recharged instead of thrown away. I also made an Instructable where you can find links to all the supplies I used. You can download the source code and schematic for this project to get started on your own!
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.
In the Maker Shed:
More:
CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino 101
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 10, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Soft Circuits |
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April 3, 2009
CRAFT Pattern Podcast: Felt Appliqué Hex Sign Rug
Hannah Kopacz of Made with Love by Hannah shows you how to make this colorful Felt Appliqué Hex Sign Rug in this week's CRAFT Pattern Podcast. In this PDF are full instructions as well as the pattern pieces to make up this cool rug.
You can also catch up with Hannah on her craft blog, knick knacks & ric rac.
Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 3, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Patterns, Sewing |
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March 27, 2009
CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino 101
Get started with the LilyPad Arduino! It's a sewable microcontroller that lets you embed lights, sounds, sensors, and much more into your wearables, perfect for clothing and accessories. In this video I'll show you how to attach the LilyPad and power supply to each other, and upload a basic program that blinks an LED. You can use Arduino with Windows, OS X, and Linux. Next time I'll show some more advanced topics including hooking up a sensor and using it to change the circuit's behavior.
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v (iPhone) or mov movie.
Download the code you'll need for Arduino to execute this example. It's also here:
In the Maker Shed:
More:
Electronic Embroidery - CRAFT Video Podcast
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 27, 2009 12:00 PM
101, CRAFT Podcast, Soft Circuits, Technology, Video |
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March 20, 2009
CRAFT Pattern Podcast: "The Party's Over" Embroidery Pattern
This week's CRAFT Pattern Podcast features this adorable embroidery pattern "The Party's Over" by Tamie Snow of Pimp Stitch and Roxycraft. Stitch this on a favorite bag or clothing, or on a piece a fabric to adorn on your wall.
Find more patterns and how-to's on embroidery at the Pimp Stitch blog!
Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Mar 20, 2009 12:00 PM
CRAFT Podcast, Needlearts, Patterns |
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March 18, 2009
Ask CRAFT: Sewing Elastic
This week's question is from Violet:
Quite often when I'm crafting, I find that I have a need to sew a "loop" of elastic - similar to what you'd find inside the waistband of your favourite 'jamma pants. I slightly overlap the two ends of the elastic and, using my machine to run a quick line of stitching, I try to attach them together. Inevitably, I'm left with a gigantic mess of thread - knotted and clumped - on the underside of the elastic. Sure, it holds the pieces together, but it's not pretty and it doesn't lay flat and, in short, NOT GOOD. Can you help? My machine is in great shape (regular tune-ups and care) and I'm using sharp needles.. What's the correct process? What am I missing?
I have the same problem. In this video I show three ways to help prevent this from happening. The main problem with sewing elastic is that the unstretched rubber easily catches (with a lot of friction) on the needle and thread in the sewing machine, causing various forms of unsightly and decidedly non-flat knots of thread. One method is to stretch the elastic while sewing it, helping pull some of that looseness out of the bits of rubber so they can't catch the thread so much. Another is to zigzag between the two pieces of elastic so you're not sewing through two layers at once. The third is to anchor the elastic to its casing (your waistband, for example) at the same time as you join the ends of the loop. The extra layer of fabric between the elastic and the bobbin/feed dog area will help uncatch the elastic from the needle and thread as it passes through the layers. Be sure to email me your crafty conundrums at becky@craftzine.com!
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v (iPhone) or mov movie.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 18, 2009 02:00 PM
101, Ask CRAFT, CRAFT Podcast, Sewing, Video |
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March 13, 2009
CRAFT Video: Machine-Knitted QR Code Scarf
In this week's video, I'll show you how to turn a 2D barcode into a knitted scarf! This is a fun way to get information from a garment into an electronic device, such as a cell phone equipped with a barcode-scanning camera. Anyone who takes a picture of my scarf can decode the message. I used Photoshop to modify the QR code I got from Kaywa (whose barcode scarf inspired me to make my own!) into a usable knitting pattern, but you could easily use graph paper instead. I programmed the pattern into my computerized knitting machine, a Brother KH 930. If you know how to do stranded knitting (learn how here), you can knit this without a machine - just use really small needles! As a side note, a friend and I are working on an interface to download patterns directly from the computer to the knitting machine, instead of having to sit there and input every colored stitch. We'll keep you posted!
Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v (iPhone) or mov movie.
More:
- QR Code Cake
- Semacode Needlepoint
- Space Invader and 2D Barcode Scarf
- Skeleton Cardigan - CRAFT Pattern Podcast
- Skeleton Cardigan Part 1 - CRAFT Video Podcast
- Skeleton Cardigan Part 2 - CRAFT Video Podcast
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 13, 2009 11:00 AM
CRAFT Podcast, Knitting, Technology, Tools, Video |
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