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July 2, 2009

Felt Playstation iPhone Case

So classy and so classic is this Playstation iPhone case, via BBG.

June 15, 2009

Felt iPhone Wallpaper

iPhone-owning Little Big Planet fans rejoice, this felt Earth wallpaper is for you. Via BBG.

May 8, 2009

How-To: Easy Laptop Pouch

Here's a foldy pocket mechanism for keeping your dearest lappy safe and scratch-free, a felt and Velcro laptop pouch by Instructables user knarx.

March 25, 2009

How-To: Make a Laptop Bag Out of Fused Plastic Shopping Bags

Learn how to make a laptop bag out of fused plastic shopping bags in this week's ThreadBanger video. Then, head on over and check out our plastic bag crafts roundup.

March 24, 2009

Behind the Scenes of Fashion Geek: The Fashion Show Night

(Photos by: Doug Eng and Shane O'Neill)

On March 19th, I had my book release party for Fashion Geek: Clothes, Accessories, Tech at Pop Lounge. It included a fashion presentation of all of the DIY electronic fashions in the book. Here's a look behinds the scenes of making the DIY projects into a fashion presentation.

Jen Parker and Elizabeth Owusu were the hair stylists armed with headbands to give the models' hair Gossip Girl style. About an hour before the show an EL wire driver breaks! Edith Kollath steps in and helped hand sew a replacement EL wire driver on the back of a model's skirt, just 15 minutes before the show's start time.

Finally, the models are in place on Fashion Geek platforms. Fashion Indie did a fantastic job running the event. They helped find the location Pop Lounge, managed the guest list, told the models when to smile, and the DJ's where to stand. As the guests begin pouring in, someone noted that the nerds tended to congregate towards the back of the room, while the fashion designers stood in the front near the models. Everyone munched on bacon toffee and chocolate covered Pop Rocks from Danielle Bilton. We listened to digital music from Eric Skiff. Then DJ Joey Mariano played digital music live from his hacked guitar and hacked Game Boy. In the end, I think everyone all had a good time.

You can watch a video of the fashion presentation by Bre Pettis here:

Thanks to CRAFT for letting me share my behind the scenes with you. I'll be back here later next month with a fashion project. Until then, catch up with me on my blog Fashionnerd.com.

Here's all the Behind the Scenes posts:

March 16, 2009

Behind the Scenes of Fashion Geek: Designing Fashion with Electronics

My new book Fashion Geek: Clothes, Accessories, Tech is out in bookstores now. It teaches how to make 13 DIY electronic fashion projects using things like LEDs, hacked pedometers, and conductive thread. I had a lot of fun making this book, and the best part was designing fashions for other people to make.

Fashion Geek is crafts meets fashion. I followed the fashion design process: gathering inspiration, sketching, making samples, and drafting patterns to create designs that everyone can DIY. Most electronic clothing is futuristic and sci-fi looking. But to me the future is now. I want to make fashion and technology cute, friendly, and accessible to everyone — something that everyone can make and wear. My inspiration is cute things like Tokidoki + J-pop (Japanese pop culture) with a bit of a hipster edge to make the style more wearable for today. I use a lot of trim, ribbons, bells, beads, and cut-out flowers because it's the little things that make a difference.

Even though there are many cute designs and embellishments, Fashion Geek is not only for girls. Projects like the EL Wire Shoes were inspired by the brightly colored fun clothing of Kid Robot and Japanese hip hop clothing brand Bathing Ape. I wanted to give the shoes an under light glow, but how could I add this without making it look tacky? I thought back to the super cushioned Nike Air Jordans, and added the glow in the cushion. Now we have a shoe with under lighting that is perfect for the Bathing Ape, Kid Robot, and post-Heatherette customer. In true hipster fashion, there is of course a hoodie, the Headphone Hoodie, that plays music in the hood.

My favorite design is the Felt Flower Flash Drive, a USB thumb drive necklace, which I wear all the time. It's oversized and truly inspired by the cute things of J-pop. You can see it plugged into the computer, and me wearing it while MTV films my model call. Stay tuned for my next CRAFT entry Wednesday as I cast models, grab hair and make-up tear sheets, and throw together a few more garments Project Runway-style for the big Fashion Geek presentation this Thursday, March 19th. You can also catch up with me on my blog, Fashionnerd.com.

March 13, 2009

Horny Toad Roomba Cozy

Holy moly! Gareth @ MAKE writes:

This is creepy and weird in a totally "I SO want that on MY Roomba" sorta way! It's a cover for the Roomba, the "i-Toad," made from needle felted Romney and Jacob wool and glass eyes. And you thought the housepets were freaked out about your Roomba before!

March 11, 2009

Learning Electronics Merit Badges

Merit badges are a long-standing tradition, so I'm glad to see Adafruit Industries keeping up with the times:

"Learning electronics" merit badges from Adafruit Industries - In a week or so we will be including "learning electronics" merit badges in some of our kits & tool packs at Adafruit Industries. The first one is "learning to solder" - if you're new to electronics, we'll have a special bundle of tools, a kit and limited edition "badge" to show the world you're proficient in soldering, once you complete the tutorials and kit that is!

More:

Faux Scout Badges

Female Merit Badges

March 3, 2009

Felt Kokeshi-Doll Speakers

The fabulous Lisa Katayama points to these adorable felt speakers on her equally fabulous TokyoMango blog. Whether they're Russian stacking dolls or Kokeshi, they definitely seem like something you crafty, techno-savvy readers could easily re-create at home. Send us some photos if you do, or post them in the Craft Flickr pool.

February 25, 2009

Flashback: Rock 'N' Roll Speakers

Got an iPod or laptop that needs a portable sound system to go with it? One of CRAFT Volume 07's awesome offerings is Syuzi Pakhchyan's Rock 'n' Roll Speakers project. Using this clearly photographed and laid out step-by-step, you can make your own pair of low-fi travel speakers. Here's an image of what you'll need:

The coolest part is that since they're driven by a simple power amplifier circuit and a tilt switch, you turn them on and off by tilting them. When both little white speakers are visible, they're on, and when only one is visible, they're off! As the intro says, "Whether you're in a hostel in Bangkok or backpacking in Goa, you can rock out to your favorite tunes with the portable Rock 'n' Roll Speakers."

Here's a peek at the project in our Digital Edition. You can still pick up this back issue in the Maker Shed.

If the thought of getting into "smart crafting," or incorporating electronics and smart materials into your crafts is exciting but perhaps a little intimidating, be sure to check out Syuzi's book Fashioning Technology:

This DIY Intro to Smart Crafting is an invaluable resource that walks you through the materials and tools you can use, gives technical primers on everything from LEDs to soldering to troubleshooting, and then offers 12 innovative projects of wearables, home goods, and toys you can make. The book is filled with clear, instructive photos for anyone who wants to expand their crafting horizons. There's really no other book out there like it. You can also check out the Fashioning Technology community site for tutorials, resources, and forum discussions.

February 3, 2009

Flashback: The Electric Tank Top

I just revisited an old friend: CRAFT Volume 01! I had almost forgotten what tasty morsels of crafting our premiere issue offered back in October of 2006. I've always loved cutting-edge crafter Leah Buechley's "Electric Tank Top" project. As Leah had written in the intro, "Although challenging, everyone should play with this stuff! It's great fun for both geeks and divas -- build a sparkly fashion accessory and program it with hacker animations." True that, Leah!

In the 14 pages of this project, Leah shows in detail how to sew a cute tank top and to sew in 84 LEDs using silver-coated thread, making a "soft circuit." She even takes it a step further and shows how you can program your tank top to flash patterns. Though the project may be ambitious for folks just starting out working LEDs into their crafting projects, it shows an inspiring example of what's possible. We'll have to check in with Leah to see what awesomeness she's up to these days! Here's a spread from our Digital Edition so you can check out the level of detail.

Aside from the LED Tank Top, CRAFT Volume 01 teaches you how to make knitted boots, a catnip castle, an ant farm room divider, your own hard cider, chainmail, an atomic ball clock, and how to embroider your skateboard, just to name a few projects. It's an oldie but a goodie for sure. You can pick up this back issue at the Maker Shed!

(On a side note, to get started in "smart crafting," check out Fashioning Technology by Syuzi Pakhchyan. This beautiful CRAFT book has an invaluable 60-page reference section that shows you all the tools and materials you need to get started putting some tech in your crafts.)

January 31, 2009

HOW TO - Quilted Camera Case

Amy a La Mode shares a tutorial showing us how to make a soft, cushy camera case complete with a little pocket on the front you can use to hold cords or memory cards.

January 29, 2009

iPhone case from juice boxes

Marc @ MAKE writes:

Ross sent in these neat little DIY cases that keep your expensive electronics safe and sound. They are made entirely from recycled juice boxes. It's a great way to reuse what is otherwise a very hard thing to recycle. Check out the link for some tips and a nice pictorial how-to on making your own juice box cases.

January 23, 2009

Hand Carved iPhone Holder

This custom hand carved iPhone holder has me intrigued. Right now, my poor iPhone just gets dumped on the counter along with keys, groceries and lunch boxes. This work of art inspires me to display it instead.... Via Strangemall.

November 5, 2008

New Soft Circuit Kits in the Maker Shed and Massive Soft Electronics Roundup

These two new kits from Sparkfun debuted at Maker Faire Austin this year, and I can say from playing with them that they're really cool. If you're interested in getting started with soft electronics or the LilyPad Arduino, the worlds first sewable microcontroller, give these a whirl:

Lilypad E-Sewing Kit

The LilyPad e-sewing kit contains the bits to sew LEDs into any piece of clothing. Add turn signals to a jacket, accentuate a t-shirt, or light-up your favorite pair of jeans with this simple to use kit. This kit contains the very basics to the LilyPad system. It's a great entry-level kit for people who want to experiment with wearable electronics. Consider adding the LilyPad Pro Kit to extend control and use of the LilyPad system.

Features:

5 LilyPad Bright White LEDs
3 LilyPad Button Boards
2 Coin Cell Batteries 20mm
1 Coin Cell Holder
1 Spool 4Ply Conductive Thread

LilyPad Pro Kit

Think of this kit as an 'add-on' to the LilyPad E-Sewing Kit. The LilyPad Pro Kit gives you the full flexibility and power of the LilyPad system. Program the LilyPad main board to respond to physical changes in light, sound, or motion. Create displays of light, sound, and get physical feedback using the various LilyPad periphery boards.

Features:

LilyPad Mainboard
LilyPad Power Supply
LilyPad USB Link
Mini USB Cable

Here are some project we've featured on the CRAFT/MAKE blogs to get you inspired:

Electronic Embroidery - CRAFT Video Podcast

HOW TO - Make a Turn Signal Bike Jacket

Dress with Electronic Flapping Butterflies

TV-B-Gone Hoodie and Zipper Switch

WAY more projects after the jump including how to make soft sensors!...

Read full story

October 13, 2008

HOW TO - Make an iPod Cord Caddy

Stitch Lounge has a great quick craft on how to make this iPod cord caddy to keep your headphones from getting all tangled up!

October 4, 2008

HOW TO - Make a Charging Basket

Oh, Fransson! shows you how to make a beautiful quilted charging basket, a perfect place hold your keys and change as well as to charge your cellphone, iPod, or other tech accessories.

September 13, 2008

HOW TO - Crocheted Nintendo DS Case

If you're looking for a fun way to stash your Nintendo DS, why not whip up this fun crocheted case by Instructables user Fruppi? Get the pattern and see more pix here.

Related:
• HOW TO - Needlepoint Nintendo DS Lite Case
• Felt Cozies for Nintendo DS and Mobile Phone

August 27, 2008

Headless Bear USB Drive

There are a lot of USB flash drive mods out there, but this one has a really good ease-of-construction to impact ratio. Headless bear USB drive, via BoingBoing.

August 16, 2008

Etch-a-Sketch Felt Laptop Cozy

I love this Etch-a-Sketch felt laptop cozy Betz White made for her brother's birthday. She even made a smaller prototype for her sketchbook! Thanks Thien-Kim!