Posted
on 4/30/2012, 3:14 pm,
by sweets4ever,
under General Projects.
In this installment of Master Craftsters, five talented Craftster members – cackle, jillybeans, LimeRiot, noooitaremybirthday, and Stifflersmom – received twelve different Elmer’s products.
Here‘s a quick look at what they received and what they crafted!
Posted
on 4/25/2012, 6:00 am,
by MrXStitch,
under Mr X Stitch.
Welcome to the Cutting (& Stitching) Edge! I’m Mr X Stitch and I’ll be your guide to the best in contemporary embroidery. Each week I’ll showcase someone who is rocking the world of embroidery and textiles.
Her anatomically inspired fibre pieces intrigued me and I sought to find out more:
In some of my work, I depict the body’s interior, challenging conventions of beauty. Inner organs are often presented as a subject of horror or, perhaps, clinical interest. But organs are as beautiful as the contours of our exteriors. I depict components of the digestive, circulatory, and muscular systems using organic materials such as felt and needlepoint to emphasize the delicacy and fragility of inner organs. They transform those parts that we least like to see into objects of exquisite and gentle intrigue.
“Handmade felt and needlepoint have been denigrated as craft media, rather than media of fine art. I reclaim these marginalized media by using them to depict things that have traditionally been displayed in medical academies rather than ladies’ dressing rooms. The soft textures and delicate patterns serve to redefine body parts as objects of art, which can be viewed without repulsion by those who have been shielded from them.
“Media and subject matter take on new meaning when taken from their usual context and brought together. Rather than clashing in an uncomfortable tension, the soft materials coalesce with the body’s interiors and give rise to forms that are approachable and even inviting.”
We’ve seen, from the fantastic work of Moxie, that when felt is used to recreate realistic objects it provokes unusual reaction. The contrast of hard and soft forces a reconsideration of the original form, and Rachel’s work deploys this same mechanism. The content is macabre but the felt negates that feeling and literally softens the impact.
To explore Rachel’s other work, including her fascinating installations, visit her website.
Mr X Stitch is a manbroiderer, cross stitch designer and runs www.mrxstitch.com, the number one contemporary embroidery and needlecraft blog on the planet.
Posted
on 4/24/2012, 9:19 am,
by rackycoo,
under General Projects.
April showers won’t bring you down if you celebrate the rain with bright colors and fun accessories. Here’s how some Craftsters are enjoying the rain this month, while waiting for those highly anticipated May flowers.
mezcraft created this wonderful painting which depicts a girl who is stuck in a grey world, but is on her way to finding the color within. What a perfect spring theme!
Brighten up your rainy day with a colorful raincoat, boots, and umbrella. graverobbergirl was inspired to make this ensemble when she found the wonderful laminated fabric for her raincoat online.
Personalize your plain umbrella with paint markers! Redforkhippie created this cute honeybee design to match her rain boots.
With some rain boot cuffs, you can customize your boots to match any outfit. They’re easier to make than full linings, and bromimeoke includes a description of how she made these cuffs in her post.
Don’t forget your doggie. When walking your dog, keep him dry with a raincoat of his own, like this one that Crafty_Kat made from a vinyl tablecloth.
To find more rain themed projects, check the Craftster tags! There, you’ll find lots of great rainy day crafts.
Posted
on 4/23/2012, 2:34 pm,
by sweets4ever,
under Featured Projects.
Every two weeks we pick our favorite 15 projects that Craftster readers have voted for with the “This Rocks!” button. Here are our latest picks which were lovingly and painstakingly chosen (so many amazing projects to choose from!), this time by sweet4ever. We hope you enjoy them!
Posted
on 4/20/2012, 3:58 pm,
by jungrrl,
under General Projects.
It might sounds cheesy but I really think a lot of Craftsters treat every day like Earth Day. So many of us are trying our best to reduce, reuse, recycle, and just be good stewards of the Earth to the best of our abilities whenever possible. There are TONS of crafts being posted every day that exemplify the small changes you can make to your routine that can help the earth and show off your crafty side!
Crafting something that’s reusable instead of using a one-use item is a great way to reduce trash. Kochopia made her morning coffee a little more personal and eco-friendly by crocheting her own coffee cozy instead of getting a new sleeve every day.
Reusing items that would otherwise be garbage not only gives you a bigger craft stash, it also keeps those items out of landfills for a little while longer. jillybeans used greeting cards she received to make new cards.
Growing your own food saves the gas it would take to bring that item to you and can reduce pesticide use if you grow organic. It can also be fun and rewarding to eat something that you’ve grown! AeonGoddess made her own “Earth Box” gardening container to grow veggies in her small space.
Using a bike instead of a car for short trips is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. -zoma- ditched her car for a bike, and then created this great bag for her bike basket to keep her groceries safe a dry, regardless of the weather.
I really could go on and on! Take a look at any of Reconstructed boards or browse the tag cloud for enough inspiration to help you make every day Earth Day!
Posted
on 4/18/2012, 6:00 am,
by MrXStitch,
under Mr X Stitch.
I’m Beefranck, Queen of Ironic Stitching and Editor-in-Chief at Mr X Stitch. I know a thing or two about cool stitchery and it’s my pleasure to share my finds with you. So let’s do it!
—–
Hi everybody! Chuck Jones was nice enough to introduce himself to me, so I thought it would be a good idea to introduce him to all of you, too.
Everybody, this is Chuck’s embroidery. Chuck’s embroidery, this is everybody.
I really like Chuck’s style. I couldn’t pick so I’m just going to share all of the pieces with you.
You should be sure to visit the embroidery section of Chuck’s website and click on each picture to view them larger or you might miss out on some of the detail and text – but also check out all of the art that Chuck has to offer. You’ll be glad you did!
Posted
on 4/17/2012, 9:40 am,
by rackycoo,
under General Projects.
Everyone loves something crafted just for them, and it’s so easy to make your crafts extra special by adding some personalization. Here are some great crafts featuring first names that anyone would love.
ZippityZone made great use of fabric scraps to create this whimsical accent pillow for her niece.
A journal becomes special with a touch of personalization. LimeRiot embellished plain moleskin books with washi tape, buttons, and stamped fabric to make some one-of-a-kind gift.
I love these adorable rick rack trimmed embroidery hoops that Banga made for her son’s nursery wall.
TroubleT made these awesome personalized t-shirts for her children using bleach in a spray bottle. What a fun, quick project!
Mario lovers will be sure to love a hand embroidered pillow case like this one, by DearBluebird. Lucky Isaiah!
Click on the Craftster tag “personalized” for all sorts of great ideas for how to make your projects special. Get personal!
Posted
on 4/10/2012, 9:35 am,
by rackycoo,
under General Projects.
Thrift stores are such a great source of supplies for crafting. Sometimes all they seem to have is junk, but if you have an open mind and a good eye, you can take that junk and make something amazing with it! Here are some great projects that began their life at the thrifty.
I absolutely love this trinket holder by lovelyMTNlife. She got her inspiration from a similar piece she found at Anthropologie, but decided to make her own. She glued together a bird figurine and a single dish, and painted them with high gloss white spray paint to create this adorable jewelry holder.
If your local thrift stores are like mine, there is probably an entire aisle filled with questionable framed art. mezcraft found a couple of great frames, and filled them with beautifully embroidered fox portraits.
Are you in need of some storage solutions for your craft supplies? Look at the wonderful containers franknhurter found and used. She spiffied up this old flute case, now a new knitting needle case, and also reconned a typewriter case to store and tote her embroidery supplies. Genius!
One would never guess that these beautiful utensil holders started out as plastic containers used to display Beanie Babies! Crafty Amanda needed more storage for her utensils, and transformed those plastic cases using paint, some cloth from an old tablecloth, and twine. What a great storage solution.
Printer’s boxes are so great for displays, but can be pricey. edenkitty got the printer’s box look with this old storage box once used for holding cassette tapes! This shadow box not only stores and organizers her spools of thread, it is also perfect for decorating a craft room.
Take some time to poke around a bit next time you’re in your local thrift store. If you’re willing to be open minded, there’s no limit to what you can make with what they have to offer. Happy crafting!
Posted
on 4/4/2012, 6:00 am,
by MrXStitch,
under Mr X Stitch.
Welcome to the Cutting (& Stitching) Edge! I’m Mr X Stitch and I’ll be your guide to the best in contemporary embroidery. Each week I’ll showcase someone who is rocking the world of embroidery and textiles.
He is a synaesthetic weaver who uses his gift to embed codes and messages into the fabrics that he creates. It’s a fascinating concept and I was keen to contact Jeremy to find out more.
“Synaesthesia is a neurological phenomenon that causes sense-pairing in the brain. The type of synaesthesia I experience causes me to see a particular color associated with every number and letter of the alphabet (ie ‘2’ is red, ‘E’ is green). I dye threads to match the colors I see in language and weave cloth with coded text.
“I use this process to elucidate the subtle dialogues at work just beneath the surface of the fabrics we use to clothe our bodies and the spaces we inhabit. By imbuing cloth with coded meaning and fashioning it into particular patterns and forms, I examine the words we share and the intricate political hierarchies at play within our language.
“Furthermore, by hand making cloth in a meticulous traditional method I encourage my viewers to question the source of this seemingly ubiquitous material, and the socio-economic issues behind its production.
Jeremy is gay and much of his work explores various aspects of homosexuality. His project “Fabricating Masculinity: Queer Plaids” consists of five hand dyed hand woven fabrics based on designs from significant stages in the history of Scottish Tartan. Each cloth also contains a coded slang word that has been applied to gay men, and Jeremy’s unique coding system is applied to create the pattern in the fabric.
I have an increasing interest in weaving. It is one of the most freeing of crafts; if you have a sheep and you know how to spin and weave you less reliant on “the man”. However, the traditional weaving outputs, as good as they are, lack the extra spark that excites and makes me want to try the craft for myself. Jeremy’s work has that spark.
The idea of embedding hidden messages always appeals to me and Jeremy uses his synaesthesia to terrific effect, commenting on society and sexual preconceptions in a language that is truly unique. I am genuinely fascinated to see where Jeremy takes this work.
You can find out more about Jeremy on his website. It’s quite remarkable.
Mr X Stitch is a manbroiderer, cross stitch designer and runs www.mrxstitch.com, the number one contemporary embroidery and needlecraft blog on the planet.
Posted
on 4/4/2012, 6:00 am,
by MrXStitch,
under Mr X Stitch.
I’m Beefranck, Queen of Ironic Stitching and Editor-in-Chief at Mr X Stitch. I know a thing or two about cool stitchery and it’s my pleasure to share my finds with you. So let’s do it!
—–
Hi everybody! This week I wanted to show you works from the warped mind of Robert Marbury. Thanks to Ellen Schinderman for sharing his work on her blog!
He has a whole series of “cute vandalism” – phrases he found written in restrooms that he translated into stitch.
He also has a series of Brooklyn badges for very specific acheivements.
Here’s one for farting in public.
And the advanced badge, crop dusting.
Be sure to visit his website to see more of the cool stuff he’s made.
Posted
on 4/3/2012, 9:34 am,
by rackycoo,
under General Projects.
Homemade is best! The great thing about making toys for children is that you can tailor the toys to your child’s interests. Many toys can be made with supplies you already have on hand, like these great handmade toys I found here on Craftster.
rlynn made this pirate playset with peg dolls that fit neatly into their own box. This idea would work for almost any theme your child is interested in. How about princesses, or cowboys?
Lightweight cloth tangram blocks will provide hours of creative play. jexxican made these with fabric scraps, so they’re really inexpensive to make.
Aspiring chefs will spend hours of fun playing with hand sewn felt food. blue_lalita put so much detail into every piece that it looks almost good enough to eat!
There’s no need to waste paper when you make a Tic Tac Toe game out of felt, like this one by bann88. Play it at home, or pack it up for a road trip. It’s a great travel toy.
If you know someone who’s obsessed with theAngry Birds video game, make them a set of birds to toss around, like these from K_Mommy. Don’t mess with those birds!
Making toys for your child (or any child!) is almost as fun with playing with them. To find other great ideas for handmade toys, be sure to check out the Toys, Dolls and Playthings board, or click on the word “toy” in the Craftster tag section.
Posted
on 4/2/2012, 1:54 pm,
by jungrrl,
under Craftster Crush.
This month, our Craftster Crush is smashu! Always with a kind word to say and an awesome creation to share, smahu can be found mostly on the Costumes and Craftalong boards.
This month’s Craft Challenge was Opposites Attract! The challenge this month was to create a project of opposites! The project needed have two sides/ways to be viewed, each which represented an opposite feature, illustration, design, etc.
you.
