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Archive: Tech Accessories
November 16, 2009
Crocheted Laptop Sleeve
Yoonie-at-home shows you how to make a crocheted laptop sleeve complete with felt flower and button embellishment.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Nov 16, 2009 03:00 PM
Crochet, Tech Accessories |
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November 5, 2009
How-To: Sewable iPod Remote
Here's a quick and easy soft circuit project from Instructables user craft-tech:
There are a lot of really cool iPod remote control projects: some have simple buttons, some react to heartbeat or body motion, and others are designed to interface directly with software running on a computer. However, not one of them is truly wearable, or speaks to the unique needs of e-textiles designers. They have been mostly prototypes, and are seldom intended for serious, daily use. With this in mind, we took our time to design a system that is tiny, robust, and very easy to incorporate into your project. The end result has three components:
1. a tiny, complete circuit that sits *inside* the dock connector
2. four pieces of conductive fabric that form the two buttons of the remote
3. two-channel conductive yarn to connect the sections (we spin it ourselves)
More:
New Soft Circuit Kits in the Maker Shed and Massive Soft Electronics Roundup
Posted by Becky Stern |
Nov 5, 2009 04:00 PM
Soft Circuits, Tech Accessories |
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October 23, 2009
Captain Electric and Battery Boy
Captain Electric and Battery Boy is a heady fashion project with electronic elements in the clothing that respond to the actions of the wearer. The three dresses in the collection, Itchy, Sticky, and Stiff, each create a different thought provoking paradox. Stiff translates pressure into soothing music, Sticky harnesses the power of the wearers struggle against restraint into blue light. But my favorite, Itchy, makes good use of the agitated fidgets caused by it's purposefully uncomfortable and oversized wool necklaces. With enough fiddling, the kinetic energy powers jewel-like LEDs.
Posted by Brookelynn |
Oct 23, 2009 11:00 AM
Fashion, Fashion Tech, Tech Accessories |
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September 29, 2009
How-To: Solar Handbag
You can convert any bag into a solar charger for your gadgets, via ReadyMade.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Sep 29, 2009 04:00 PM
Tech Accessories, Technology |
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September 14, 2009
Print and Fold iPhone Dock
Designer Julien Madérou shares a downloadable paper dock for the iPhone and iTouch. There is a nice instructional video on how to cut, fold and assemble the dock as well.
[ Via NOTCOT ]
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Sep 14, 2009 03:00 PM
Paper Crafts, Tech Accessories |
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August 15, 2009
Laptop Bag Tutorial
Sew your own laptop bag with this great tutorial by Made by Petchy. I love the strip of car fabric on the front and the yellow zig zag stitching.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Aug 15, 2009 08:00 AM
Sewing, Tech Accessories |
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August 1, 2009
DIY Fabric Mousepad
Clamoring of Craft a Week shows you how to make a pretty DIY fabric mousepad with just some simple sewing!
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Aug 1, 2009 08:00 AM
Sewing, Tech Accessories |
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July 16, 2009
Travel Laptop Desk
I find using my laptop on my actual lap to be very uncomfortable. For one, it gets really hot. For two, if I have anything plugged in to the ports on the side, I can't sit cross-legged for fear of bending the port or unplugging my external hard drive in the middle of an upload or video export. I find putting a pillow between my lap and the computer to alleviate some of the problems, but it's really not stiff enough to prevent wobbles. I've also been thinking it'd be nice to have a mousing surface while laptopping; the trackpad aggravates my carpal tunnel. I came up with this design for a laptop desk using a piece of stiff material (MDF, plywood, or even a few stiff layers of cardboard would work), some upholstery foam, and a fabric cover. Now I can use my laptop more easily while traveling away from my desk to motels, friends' houses, or even just my couch. Read on to see the plans for making your own.
Read full story
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jul 16, 2009 02:00 PM
CRAFT Projects, Crafty Travels, Sewing, Tech Accessories |
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Traveling Vine iCozy
Traveling Vine iCozy
By Vickie Howell
During these tough economic times the only traveling some of us get to do is across the world wide web. Thanks to cool gadgets like the iPhone, though, that internet trip can be taken anytime and anywhere! Every travel buddy clearly deserves proper attire — so if you've ever thought about journeying into the land of knitted lace, then this Traveling Vine iCozy's the project for you!
Read full story
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jul 16, 2009 01:00 PM
CRAFT Patterns, CRAFT Projects, Crafty Travels, Knitting, Tech Accessories |
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July 11, 2009
How-To: Sew a Kindle 2 Bag
Junie Moon was lucky enough to receive a Kindle 2 from her hubby. Now she shares her tutorial on how to sew up a Kindle 2 bag using leftover fabrics from a previous project. [ via Whip Up ]
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jul 11, 2009 06:00 PM
Sewing, Tech Accessories |
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July 2, 2009
Felt Playstation iPhone Case
So classy and so classic is this Playstation iPhone case, via BBG.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jul 2, 2009 09:00 AM
Tech Accessories |
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June 15, 2009
Felt iPhone Wallpaper
iPhone-owning Little Big Planet fans rejoice, this felt Earth wallpaper is for you. Via BBG.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 15, 2009 09:00 AM
Tech Accessories, Technology |
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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.
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 8, 2009 09:00 AM
Tech Accessories |
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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.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Mar 25, 2009 05:00 PM
Refashion, Tech Accessories |
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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:
- Behind the Scenes of Fashion Geek: Designing Fashion with Electronics
- Behind the Scenes of Fashion Geek: DIY Fashion Show
- Behind the Scenes of Fashion Geek: Quick Update
Posted by Diana Eng |
Mar 24, 2009 09:00 AM
Events, Fashion, Fashion Tech, Gadgets, Parties, Soft Circuits, Tech Accessories, Technology, Video |
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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.
Posted by Diana Eng |
Mar 16, 2009 12:00 PM
Fashion, Fashion Tech, Soft Circuits, Tech Accessories, Technology |
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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!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 13, 2009 02:00 PM
Felting, Fiber Art, Tech Accessories |
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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:
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 11, 2009 09:00 AM
Fashion Tech, Hand Embroidery, Tech Accessories, Technology |
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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.
Posted by Shawn Connally |
Mar 3, 2009 04:30 PM
Fashion Tech, Felting, Gadgets, Japanese Crafts, Soft Circuits, Tech Accessories |
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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.
Posted by Goli Mohammadi |
Feb 25, 2009 05:00 PM
Fashion Tech, Gadgets, Tech Accessories, Technology |
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