it's been awhile since i've crafted anything... but birthdays will spur me into action! i was a wee bit worried my un-crafty spell would never end. apparently long bouts between crafts leads to over-exertion and over-enthusiasm once you start again. i forgot how obsessive and anal i get about making things.

anyways, inspired by this http://www.instructables.com/id/Thick-and-warm-crazy-rug/, i decided to make a shag rug for my man's birthday.

soft on the toes!


i used flannel instead of t-shirt material... cutting strips is such a pain! i've got blisters on my fingers...


one day later and halfway done!


the finished product. does it look like plaid, or did i fail?



i hope he likes it. my back hurts. ouchie!

it is very rare that i can convince myself to paint something. or post something.

i guess today was just one of those days.



it's acrylic on wood. 2'x2'.



his name is wilbur. he'll be a present for my friend. i'm pretty satisfied, though i feel like it may need something else. (i was maybe thinking of painting a solid color diagonally in the corner behind him? i can't decide on a color of if that's even a good idea... help?) maybe i'll leave it the way it is, most likely, if laziness gets the upper hand.

thanks for looking.

Hello crafty kids.

Here is a shirt I embroidered for a friend for her birthday. Devendra Banhart a la Indian:



And a shirt for myself, Joanna Newsom and the boat from The Milk-Eyed Mender cover (which is embroidery-intense, have you seen it?):



I am happy with them. Thoughts?

Hello, hello!
Here is the result of a day of cutting, sewing and slight frustration... A bag for my laptop, among other things. I didn't use a pattern, and kind of just decided things as I went along. Little screw-ups here and there, but overall, I'm super happy with it... definitely one of the better things I've done.

Anyways, here it is:





I would've liked to add more pockets, but the piping and lining confused me too much for me to attempt any more. What do you think? ... Thanks for looking! Happy crafting. :0)

awesome tutorial.
i tried it today, and here's what i came up with, a gift for a friend:

Hello, all.
Yesterday I spent 6 hours lost in a pile of tulle, and this is what I came up with... My rendition of the fabulous Bjork's swan dress!

(Please excuse the silly mirror picture, I'll change it to a better one, I promise.)
Now all I need is something to wear it to this Halloween, otherwise I'll just walk around the house in it while listening to Vespertine... Hehe.
So, what do you think? Will people get it?
Anyways, thanks for looking!

***For those who wanted a tutorial, I made one, and posted links to it on Page 4! Enjoy! And please show off yours here when you're done!***
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=129486.msg1258830#msg1258830

Hello, all.
While home for the weekend, I managed to scrounge this up... my 3rd attempt at sewing clothes...

the side:

Basically, I traced a regular tank I already had for the top, pleated the front piece in the middle a bit, and added side panels with pockets in the bottom.
non-stupid-mirror pictures:

I didn't hem the bottom, and just sewed across the pockets... lazy-daisy... What do you think of it? Anyways, thanks for looking!

This is what I spent two and a half hours making instead of packing for college... (my first multi-layer stencil, too!). I'm quite excited about it. I got the idea to stencil on bulletin boards from the Andy Warhol-inspired boards someone had posted awhile ago...

Anyways, here's my Aladdin Sane corkboard, in all it's glory:


Also, the picture I cut it from, which I tweaked a little:


It bled in places, but I kind of like it that way... at least for this project. Can't wait to put it up in my new dorm. Woo hoo! Er.. Yeah.

Thanks for looking! :0)

Hello all!
Here's what I sent out to liebschien, hoxierice, evildeadgirl, and neverseenblue.
I think they've all received except for liebschien, but her's should be there probably by today. :0)

The playlist:


My pictures are pretty horrible, but you get the idea.
This was so much fun!
Hope you ladies enjoyed listening to them as much as I enjoyed making them. :0)

Hello all,

This is my second finished embroidery project, and one of my favorite crafted things ever! I found an image online of a drawing in Björk's Vespertine album insert, traced it using an iron-on transfer pen, and went from there.  Then I sewed a bag and added it to that, and I'm very happy to say it turned out exactly how I wanted it to!

Enough talk, here's the embroidered goodness!


The bag:


And the inside of the bag, which I'm very proud of... (there's a pocket, and using the transfer pen, I made a Bjork/feather pattern on the lining...):


I do have a question about embroidery: When you wash it, do the colors bleed? And if so, is there a way to avoid that?

Thanks for looking! :0)