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Archive: Fabric
July 23, 2009
DuhBe's Fabric Rose Tutorial
DuhBe offers a great little tutorial on how to make these realistic-looking fabric roses in 5 easy steps. The method involves making strips of fabric, and then clipping and melting the edges over a flame. Love that she has this on her post: "Rather than keep all my secrets to myself, I want to share this method with others. Some crafters will think I'm crazy for sharing my secrets for an item I sell in my Etsy shop, but I believe that sharing information contributes to the creativity of others and that is more important than me selling stuff." Word!
I'd love to use this technique to make a slew of flowers to add to a rose umbrella!
Posted by Goli Mohammadi |
Jul 23, 2009 03:00 PM
Fabric |
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July 16, 2009
Natural Fabric Dyeing
Threadbanger has a collection of tips and instructions for making your own natural dyes for fabrics.
More:
Ask CRAFT: Tea-Staining Bed Linens
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jul 16, 2009 04:00 PM
Fabric |
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July 14, 2009
Independent Fabric And Quilt Store Database in Beta Testing
Project 95, a "worldwide network of independent quilt and fabric shops, e-tailers and design studios who have joined forces to promote shopping independents" has just released the beta version of their searchable database of independent retailers.
One of the things that we've heard over and over again from fabric shoppers is that you want to shop independents, but don't know where to find the shops. So, when The Fabric Shop Network, Inc began the Project 95: Fabric Shoppers Unite Campaign this spring, we made the creation of a searchable database of independent shops a big priority.
Users are encouraged to test the database and give feedback. You can also check the Project 95 web site for information on adding a store to the database.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jul 14, 2009 03:00 PM
Fabric |
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July 6, 2009
How-To: Make Real Oilcloth
ModHomeEcTeacher on Curbly has a tutorial on how to make real oilcloth, the kind grandma has.
ModHomeEcTeacher writes:
Why do they call it "oil"cloth? Probably because the recently advertised "real oilcloth" that is all the rage is made from cotton fabric covered with a petroleum based coating.However, genuine oilcloth, the real thing grandma had on her kitchen table was made from cotton duck, canvas or linen that was coated several times with linseed oil to give it a waterproof-ish surface. The fabric could be dyed or printed before the linseed treatment.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jul 6, 2009 10:00 AM
Fabric |
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July 1, 2009
Marimekko Fabric Sale
Marimekko is having a big sale starting today where you can get up to 50% off. Over 100 fabrics are on sale.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jul 1, 2009 12:00 PM
Fabric |
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June 24, 2009
Ask CRAFT: Tea-Staining Bed Linens
Ramona from Pinckard, Ala., wants to give her bed linens a tea-stained look, but doesn't know where to start. There are lots of techniques for getting an antiqued look on fabric, and tea is certainly high on the list. It's natural, cheap, and easy. Your results will depend on your particular combination of circumstances, and always experiment before subjecting your main fabric to the treatment. Here are the different factors responsible for the effect you'll get:
Tea type and strength
Regular black tea will stain your fabric shades of warm brown, but you can experiment with different types to get all sorts of colors. Herbal teas have different types of plant matter in them (seeds, leaves, flowers) that can be interesting and lead to pretty colors. Experiment! Start with a double-strength brewed batch to start, and then adjust based on your experiments. Remember to take the tea's temperature into consideration. Instead of tea, you can try soaking rusty nails for a while to produce a richly colored dye.
Fabric material and orientation while staining
Natural fibers will accept the color more easily than synthetics, which makes us lucky that most sheets are mostly cotton. Start with a light color, like white or a light pastel. You'll need something to put the sheets and tea in, like a big plastic bin or similar. You can use a soda ash fixer after staining like those used in tie-dye to help set the color so it doesn't fade over time.
Application process
If you want an even all-over color, use a big vessel that gives your sheet the room to move, and keep it moving while it's in the bath. You can try bunching the fabric in different places, twisting it, or wrapping it to get tie-dye effects. If the fabric is hanging, tea will pool at the bottom, leading to an all-over gradient. Modeled effects can be achieved by laying the sheet out on a clean plastic drop cloth and puddling tea in different places (best done outside in the yard), applying tea with a sponge, and repeating the dye process with different application types to build up different areas of color. You could even have your kids dance around in the sheet with spray bottles of tea. This is the fun part!
Keep track of all the different variables to produce replicable results, and share with your friends! If you have any tea-staining tips for Ramona, leave them in the comments below!
Photo above is CC-licensed by Flickr user Cathy Cullis
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!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 24, 2009 02:00 PM
Ask CRAFT, Fabric |
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June 23, 2009
How-To Tuesdays: Fabric Scrap Necklace
At my shop, we save pretty much every bit of scrap fabric. We can always find a use for it, whether it's for practice stitching by Sewing 101 students, as furoshiki-style wrapping, or to tie up half-yard cuts of fabric. I've seen a lot of fun fabric jewelry on craft blogs lately, and with so much scrap fabric on hand, I figured it was high time I tried my hand at it. Here's what I came up with.
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Posted by Jenny Ryan |
Jun 23, 2009 01:00 PM
CRAFT Projects, Fabric, Fashion, Jewelry |
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June 19, 2009
Swanky Swell: Eco-Friendly Fabric
Swanky Swell produces eco-friendly textiles designed by Nina Jizhar. The coloful fabric prints are hand screen-printed on 100% cotton using non-toxic water based ink with production done in San Francisco. Purchase fabric by the yard or these beautiful pillow covers too. You can catch up with Swanky Swell's news and design picks at her blog.
!
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 19, 2009 04:00 PM
Fabric |
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May 28, 2009
Spoonflower CRAFT Fabric
We're setting up the CRAFT booth for Maker Faire today and guess what we've got decorating our display tables? Our own Spoonflower CRAFT fabric designed by our friend Samantha Hahn. Now you can take a piece, er, I mean a yard of CRAFT with you by purchasing it on Spoonflower's Etsy shop. Let us know if you make something with it and post up a photo in our CRAFT Flickr pool.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 28, 2009 08:00 AM
Fabric |
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May 14, 2009
Bust Spring Fling Craftacular
If you're in and around NYC this Sunday, check out the Bust Spring Fling Craftacular!
Everything is coming up roses in 2009, BUST Magazine's Spring Fling Craftacular is on its way and is happening in Brooklyn, NY!
Save a dance for us and 50 of the best indie designers and crafters from across the nation at our Spring Fling Craftacular. It gets even better, it’s Garden Party themed!
While shopping, sip on spring-y cocktails and nosh on pierogies, learn about guerilla gardening, how to grow your own food and supporting local farms. Get your groove on with rockin’ DJs, while you curtsey around in dainty white tea-time gloves and twirl around the garden of crafty delights. A $2 admission gets you into the Garden Party, and also gives you a chance to win the BUST spectacular Craftacular raffle featuring a special Singer Quilting machine! BUST is literally growing green and showing you how to host a true Garden Party in style. So be sure to don your gardening gloves, your snazziest straw hat and flirtiest floral skirt, and we’ll see you at the Spring Fling!
The Warsaw is located at 261 Driggs Avenue in Brooklyn NY, not far from the Beford Avenue L stop. BUST Magazine’s Spring Fling Craftacular will take place 12:00 PM – 7:00PM on May 17th. Your entry ticket also gives you a shot at winning a BUST-load of booty in the Craftacular Raffle.
Via PlushYou!
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 14, 2009 04:00 PM
Fabric |
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April 30, 2009
How-To: Press Oilcloth
Oilcloth Addict shares tips on how to press oilcloth when your project calls for crisp folds.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Apr 30, 2009 07:05 AM
Fabric, Sewing |
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April 29, 2009
Tie-Dyed Couch
It takes a certain living room to pull this vibrant furniture, but I never thought about tie-dying a couch's slipcover! Sara Woodhull did just that.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 29, 2009 09:00 AM
Fabric, Home Decor, Refashion |
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April 4, 2009
Tyvek Fabric by the Yard
Philly design firm Mio is producing tyvek fabric that you can now buy! Get Loop by the Yard for only $13 a yard. Plus, how's this for being green? Send back your scraps to get them recycled! There's lots more photos to check out on the Mio site.
From the site:
Each order ships with a prepaid envelope for shipping scraps or the actual project (when no longer wanted or needed) back to MIO for recycling. Designed as a FREE product take-back system, Loop is made from Tyvek®, a spun bonded high-density polyethylene non-woven. This material has been actively collected and recycled for decades and now MIO will be employing this existing recycling infrastructure to complete and test a closed recycling loop. Each yard of Loop can be cut, sewn, wrinkled, folded, pierced, hung or hemmed like a textile. It is durable, breathable and waterproof, making it ideal for a variety of do-it-yourself indoor and outdoor projects.
[ via A Dress A Day ]
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 4, 2009 08:00 AM
Fabric, Green, Recycle |
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April 3, 2009
Alicia Paulson's Guest Fat Quarter Pack at Sew, Mama, Sew
Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy and author of Stitched in Time is Sew, Mama, Sew's first Guest Fat Quarter Pack Designer. This fat quarter pack was inspired by Alicia's view from her window so this pack is aptly named "Oregon April". Pick up one of Alicia's packs in the store now as they are in a limited supply. They are also giving a pack away on the Sew, Mama, Sew site.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 3, 2009 09:00 PM
Fabric |
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April 1, 2009
How-To: Gradient Tights
Alison Dahl at BurdaStyle saw some gradient tights in a fashion show and had to have some, so she made her own using a pair of white tights and some fabric dye, sharing a how-to along the way.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 1, 2009 04:00 PM
Fabric, Fashion |
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March 11, 2009
Stain Removal Tips
A few years ago, I wrote a stain removal article for our sibling publication, MAKE magazine, and I thought I'd re-post it here with some updated tricks in the spirit of Mending Month!
Both absent-minded and a klutz, I have had my fair share of debilitating stains over the years, and have had to cultivate every stain tip I could get my hands on, even trying tricks from old, dusty, out-of-print books. Growing up, my dad always had the answers, often passed down from my grandmother, but calling home every time I spilled started to get ridiculous. The internet has made all this hugely easier, so now every time I run into something new, I go online and see which tips make the most sense to me. I still remember the awe of watching blackberry juice vanish as if it had never been under a stream of boiling water, or nervously dousing a splotch of olive oil with talcum powder on my favorite shirt and having it come clean in the wash the next day. Removing stains doesn't have to be hard; usually it's just a question of knowing the right chemistry.
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Posted by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith |
Mar 11, 2009 01:00 PM
Fabric, Food, Green, Home Decor, Mending |
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March 10, 2009
How-To: Spring Clean Your Sewing Machine
Check out this great post on how to clean your sewing machine over on Craft Nectar. (All the better to mend with, my dear!) Sewing machine maintenance is something I have never attempted, which probably explains why my bobbin thread is always getting tangled up in dust bunnies! There are some really nice step-by-step photos that demystify this slightly scary-sounding process. Via Whip Up.
Posted by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith |
Mar 10, 2009 01:00 PM
Fabric, Fashion, Sewing, Sewing Machines |
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March 9, 2009
How-To: Upholstery Tricks
In CRAFT, volume 07, we ran an Upholstery 101 by Ashley Jameson Eriksmoen. In it, Ashley showed how to replace the seat cushion on a dining room chair. There wasn't room to include some of the details, like sewing your own welting, or slotting or webbing the seat to make it more comfortable, but I realized that Mending Month was the perfect time to share the extra how-to! (You can still buy Volume 07 in the Maker Shed, too!)
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Posted by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith |
Mar 9, 2009 01:09 PM
Fabric, Mending |
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March 6, 2009
IKEA Fabric and Tea Towel Laptop Bag
I'm a sucker for IKEA fabrics. I love their bold designs and colors, but sometimes I have a hard time figuring out how to use them. That's why I love this laptop bag from yoonie-at-home. She's combine a great section of IKEA fabric and several tea towels to create a unique and colorful laptop bag.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Mar 6, 2009 03:00 PM
Fabric |
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Uncut Felt House Slippers
I like these uncut felt slippers I just saw over on Treehugger. You just cut out the shape labeled with your shoe size, and shazam! Instant house slippers. This looks really easy to DIY, too, in fun colors with a bit of velcro. Maybe add some applique or embroidery?
Posted by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith |
Mar 6, 2009 01:00 PM
Fabric, Fashion, Felting, General, Patterns |
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