Archive: Technology
July 1, 2009
Circuit Board Latch Hook Rug
I'm so in love with this circuit board latch hook rug from Red Tarts, I'm not sure what more to say other than ... wow.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jul 1, 2009 07:00 AM
Arts, Technology, Yarn |
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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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Needlework brings together programmers, crafters

Nice story about the Open Source Embroidery exhibition and movement over on Wired.com:
The movement brings together knitters, embroiderers and quilters who see parallels between the way they create their crafts and how open source software creators share their ideas. At the BildMuseet (art museum) at Umeå University in Sweden, an exhibition — also called Open Source Embroidery — showcases artworks that use embroidery and code as a tool for participatory production and distribution.
“The idea of collaboration has been made cool by open source software,” says Carpenter, the curator of the exhibition. “But artists have been working like this for a long time.”
Even the differences between needlework crafts and open source software are alike, she says. Embroidery is largely dominated by women, while software is created mostly by men, she says. In embroidery, tiny stitches come together to create a pattern visible on the front of the fabric, while its system is revealed on the back. It’s similar to how software is created.
The arguments about open source vs. free software can also be applied to embroidery, says Carpenter, where artists struggle with questions around borrowing and modifying patterns. “The Open Source Embroidery project simply attempts to provide a social and practical way of discussing these issues and trying out the practice,” says Carpenter.
There's also a nice shoutout to MAKE and CRAFT in the article, too!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 15, 2009 09:00 AM
Design, Needlearts, Technology |
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May 27, 2009
Finger Painting with the iPhone

Take a look at this June 1, 2009 cover of The New Yorker and you'd never know that the artwork was created digitally on an iPhone. Artist Jorge Colombo created this piece with nothing but his fingers and the Brushes app on his iPhone.
From The New Yorker site:
"I got a phone in the beginning of February, and I immediately got the program so I could entertain myself," says Colombo, who first published his drawings in The New Yorker in 1994. Colombo has been drawing since he was seven, but he discovered an advantage of digital drawing on a nighttime drive to Vermont. "Before, unless I had a flashlight or a miner's hat, I could not draw in the dark." (When the sun is up, it's a bit harder, "because of the glare on the phone," he says.) It also allows him to draw without being noticed; most pedestrians assume he's checking his e-mail.
Watch this video below to see how he composed the cover.
[ via iPhone J.D. ]
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 27, 2009 08:00 AM
Design, Gadgets, Technology |
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May 18, 2009
8-Bit Gaming meets Textile Art
NYU ITPer José Olivares presents his thesis project, Ancient Pixels, which crosses traditional Andean textile art with low-resolution gaming graphics. Via BB Offworld.
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 18, 2009 04:00 PM
Arts, Technology |
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May 15, 2009
Checkin' In: Multitalented Crafter Brookelynn Morris
Brookelynn Morris is one crafter who is as diverse in her crafts as she is prolific. From fiber to mosaic to floral arrangements and smart crafting, you never know what amazingness will sprout from her creative mind. Brookelynn has contributed projects to 9 out of the 10 volumes of CRAFT, and a look at her author page gives a window into the wide range of her talents. Here is just a sampling from the pages of CRAFT before we check in with Brookelynn. From the tasty felted fruit that graced the cover of CRAFT Volume 02, she diversified to Custom Seat Covers in Volume 04:
From the simplicity of marzipan cake decorations in Volume 05, she switched gears to represented for the smart crafting movement with her LED Hula Hoop project in Volume 06:
Brookelynn taught us the folk art of making your own herbal, medicinal tinctures in Volume 07, and gave us a window into the ancient art of Bonsai in Volume 08:
What has Brookelynn been up to lately? Here's what she shared with us:
"The biggest thing that I have been working on lately is the upcoming release of my first book, Feltique. It's packed with projects that use needle felting, wet felting, commercial felt, and fulled felt. The entire process has been amazing, and I am really excited."
"I met some new friends who taught me how to spin with a drop spindle. They showed me an amazing technique where you ply the yarn as you spin it. Mind blowing, but simple. Spinning is addictive!
I've also been planting my garden, and working on projects that really capture the woodland vibe. I made a forest faux cake for my springtime table."
"Because temps are warming up, but I still live near the chilly Nor Cal coast, I've been working on light scarves. My favorite one is a scarflet of lightweight ruffles from a thrifted wool pancho. It looks like an Elizabethan collar."
"I love riding mountainboards, and springtime means time to ride. A mountainboard is basically a giant skateboard, with inflatable tires and mounts to strap your feet in. It's perfect for dirt roads, and I try to hit the trails at least two or three times a week."
Hot! Thanks, Brookelynn!
Brookelynn has already contributed some great content to Craftzine (my favorite being her gorgeous Ikebana tutorial) and starting this upcoming Monday, May 18th, she is going to be our guest blogger for the week, bringing us fresh content every day. Stay tuned!
Brookelynn will be also be co-hosting the Needlefelting Playground with Miss Moxie at our Maker Faire Bay Area in San Mateo on May 30th and 31st. Stop by, meet Brookelynn, and play with wool!
Special thanks to Michelle Feileacan Photography for the top picture and to Stella the adorable boxer for modeling the scarf!
Posted by Goli Mohammadi |
May 15, 2009 05:00 PM
Felting, Gardening, Home and Garden, Sewing, Technology |
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May 14, 2009
MAKE Editor on The Martha Stewart Show this Monday
At the beginning of April I was lucky enough to get to go to New York City to help Mark Frauenfelder, editor-in-chief of MAKE prepare for his appearance on The Martha Stewart Show!
The show was taped on April 1st, and will finally air this coming Monday, May 18. You can see a quick preview by clicking here, and then clicking on Monday's show at the top.
On an insider's note, being at the studio and taping the show was amazingly fun and exciting! All the staff was friendly and helpful and very, very competent at what they do. Even when some of our projects were lost for several hours in transit, everyone was calm, cool, and collected. I, on the other hand, started to run down 20+ blocks, from Midtown to Chelsea, desperately trying to figure out where we were going to find a cigar box, an old VCR, an electric screwdriver, and some lumber at 6 p.m. on a Monday in Manhattan.


Studio from the outside; dress rehearsal with the producer and Mark Frauenfelder.
But no need for alarm; the projects looked great on camera, Mark did a fantastic job describing the projects, and then for the finale, he and Martha made little vibrating, jumping robots out of a candy tin, a paperclip, and a little motor from a Dollar Store fan. The audience seemed to like it, the staff liked it, and Martha kept one afterward, so I'm guessing she liked it!


Mark's family was on hand to watch the taping; the teleprompter.
Don't forget to watch or DVR Monday's Martha show! Yay, Mark!
Posted by Shawn Connally |
May 14, 2009 12:00 PM
General, Technology |
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May 7, 2009
Wearable Technology At ITP
Ellie Roundtree, a Rocketboom technology correspondent, takes us on a tour of the spring show at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program, highlighting wearable technology projects. I'm digging Adam Harvey's Paparazzi defense flash and Anaid Gomez's heartrate-sensing iPod controller. Via Core77.
More:
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 7, 2009 04:00 PM
Soft Circuits, Technology |
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May 1, 2009
Adobe Suite Pillows

I'm digging these pillows that mimic the icons for the Adobe software suite programs. You could hug the ones you love and practice your punches on the one that causes you the most frustration!
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 1, 2009 02:00 PM
Home and Garden, Technology |
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April 27, 2009
Knitting in Code with Beth Goza at Ignite Seattle 6 on Wednesday, April 29

CRAFT friend Beth Goza (@bethgo) is doing a "Knitting in Code" at 9:45pm at Ignite Seattle 6 on Wednesday night.
Beth writes:
Remember the joy of writing your first Hello World application? Do you still have a copy somewhere so you can gaze upon your coded baby steps into the world of binary goodness? In knitting, creating something beautiful is just like binary, with a series of knits and pearls you can dream up the most sophisticated of patterns. In the spirit of hi-tech meets hand-tech, I will show you how to convert your binary Hello World app into a pattern of stitches (think knit =1 purl = 0), so that you can create, mount, frame and hang your Hello World genius for all to see.See the full Ignite Seattle 6 schedule.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 27, 2009 05:00 PM
Events, Knitting, Technology |
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April 25, 2009
Grafica Fidalga Letterpress Video
Cool Hunting Video got up close and personal with the three men who run Grafica Fidalga, a printing press in São Paulo, Brazil. They use a machine from 1929 using hand-cut wooden letters. The way the machine works is mesmerizing.
More:
A Visit with Hello Lucky - CRAFT Video Podcast
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 25, 2009 12:07 PM
Printing, Technology, Video, Vintage |
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April 22, 2009
Limpet Shell Electronics
Hannah Perner-Wilson put a small push button, battery holder, and LED/vibrating motor inside these little limpet shell. She writes:
I've always liked collecting seashells, and have always wanted to do something more with them than accumulate them in my parent's garden. So now I want to see how far I can go to integrate small electronic circuits inside them. Limpits are nice to work with because they are totally open on one side and the bigger ones even offer some depth.
The limpit buttons are very simple, they use a push-button to trigger LED light or a vibration motor. I decided to use a push-button rather than a switch so that they are only active when touched/pushed.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 22, 2009 09:13 AM
Home and Garden, Technology |
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April 18, 2009
Cardboard Box Slide Duplicator
Gareth @ MAKE found this simple setup for transferring your old film to digital. From the Flickr user svofski:
A lens (or a macro lens, or a lens with extension rings) is inserted in the circular hole in front. A negative holder made of two sheets of vinyl with spacers is at the opposite end. After film is inserted, the box is closed and camera is aligned.
Since any remote source of light will be hopelessly out of focus in such setup, no special diffuser is really necessary. I normally use LCD display.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 18, 2009 12:00 PM
Design, Recycle, Technology, Tools, Vintage |
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April 14, 2009
Fabric Bend Sensor Kit


Hanna Perner-Wilson just released a kit version of her fabric bend sensor- everything you need to make one yourself!
This is a kit, meaning that it comes unassembled and requires you to have tools and some regular sewing thread as well as about half an hour time for completion.
This kit contains:
* Two 2 x 12 cm pieces of 1.5 mm thick HS quality neoprene with polyester jersey fused to each side (gray, purple)
* Two 1.5 x 9.5 cm pieces of Velostat
* Two 1 x 2 cm pieces of stretch conductive fabric with fusible interfacing adhered to one side
* 60 cm of conductive thread
* 1:1 Instruction stencil printout on A4 paper
To compete this kit you will need:
* Regular clothing iron
* About 60 cm of regular sewing thread
* Sewing needle
* Scissors for cutting thread
* Knife for cutting out stencil
* Pen for marking stencil
You can use her Instructable as a guide to construction.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 14, 2009 02:00 PM
Soft Circuits, Technology |
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April 10, 2009
Collage-Aesthetic Video Game "And Yet It Moves"
I'm really intrigued by this video game called And Yet It Moves, which looks like it's made from little ripped up pieces of paper, like running around inside a collage! Check out the review on Indie Games. Thanks, Sarah!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 10, 2009 05:00 PM
Arts, Technology |
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Contact Mic Earrings
In true geek fashion, these contact microphone earrings are functional and stylish. Via Collin @ MAKE.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 10, 2009 02:00 PM
Jewelry, Technology |
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April 6, 2009
LilyPad Arduino Workshop in Berkeley This Summer

Want to get your hands working with the LilyPad Arduino system? There's a workshop being held in Berkeley this summer on the topic. It will be two full days of getting started with the LilyPad and conductive materials for use in your own projects, taught by Adrian Freed. Via Fashioning Technology.
By cutting, sewing, sticking, weaving, and layering unusual e-textiles we will build interactive clothing and musical instruments in a collaborative workshop environment. We will connect our fabric pressure, stretch, bend, and displacement sensors to lilypad e-sewing computing platform, we will sew connections to arrays of leds and sound makers. We will explore CNMAT's extensive library of e-textiles and more advanced techniques such as computer controlled embroidery and laser cutting. We will look at variants and alternatives to the lilypad such as wireless xbee or uOSC.
July 25-26, 10 AM-5 PM
CNMAT, Berkeley, CA
Fee: $300 (includes materials fee with lilypad system you keep after the class)
More:
CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino 101
New Soft Circuit Kits in the Maker Shed and Massive Soft Electronics Roundup

Electronic Embroidery/Sewing Kit
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 6, 2009 04:00 PM
Events, Fashion Tech, Soft Circuits, Technology |
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Laser-cut Fruit Bowl

Instuctables user rsablosky made this fruit bowl from pieces of laser-cut bamboo, using the laser mail order service Ponoko and some copper wire.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 6, 2009 02:00 PM
Home and Garden, Technology |
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April 2, 2009
Knitted Plastic Tubing makes Fluid Sculpture
Wow, this "fluid sculpture" by Casual Profanity is really mesmirizing. It uses a nifty knitter to knit up a section of surgical tubing, through which colored liquid is pumped, creating really interesting patterns. I can't stop watching! Via Pixelsumo.
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Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 2, 2009 04:00 PM
Arts, Knitting, Technology |
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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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