Whether you knit or sew, baby booties seem to have the perfect mix of a craft project: quick, satisfying, a great gift, and a guaranteed ‘cute’. The beautiful booties pictured above are by Heather Bailey. She’s generously added her pattern for these Bitty Booties to her Free Pattern downloads. Check it out, and when you’re done, be sure to add your photos to the Bitty Booties group on Flickr!
I am really excited to see a few entries for the whiplash introductions.
I have had to delete a couple of entries, one that were not to a static page, and two that linked to items on sale at etsy. I didn’t really say anthing about this before, not thinking it an issue, but linking to an item that is for sale, on site such as etsy or ebay or on a commercial retail or online store will not be allowed - sorry about that.
A couple of initial entries that have caught my eye so far are for tutorials.
the finger knitted and then felted worms that have been made into ‘butt cushions‘ are fabulous. This blog is called Hildes hekle-strikkeri-hurra! Hilde’s place for crocheting and knitting. by Hilde in Oslo, Norway.
and the nuno felting tutorial at Helenes side blog i thought was very interesting as well.
This awesome dress is made from a textile woven from recycled audio cassette tapes.
It’s possible to ‘listen’ to the fabric by running a tape head over the fabric!
You can purchase items made from the fabric here at Sonic Fabric, including yardage of the fabric.
Crochet pliably lends itself to freestyle form-making… so there are many artists who use crochet for making three-dimensional forms. This artist, louise weaver crochets soft coverings to fit over taxidermist models. She also combines found objects into the work. Here is a raccoon with a plastic-duster tail
There are also some images of her work on Flickr from the Armory Art show in NY this spring.
I found this via We make money not art.
Chris Keenan makes amongst the most beautiful ceramics I know. It’s a combination of shapes and glazes that attracts me. All the work is thrown porcelain from Limoges, glazed using combinations of tenmoku (the dark, almost black glaze) and a deep celadon (the pale green-gray glaze), and then reduction-fired in a gas kiln to 1280° C.
Keenan started his professional life as an actor before traingin to be a potter as apprentice to Edmund de Waal.
Keenan says about his work: “A particular love of the bowl continues to offer formal and technical challenges - I feel I could make them until the cows come home and still experience near equal degrees of satisfaction and frustration.” I really like this idea of exploring and researching a certain shape or function over and over again.
Chris Keenan will be exhibiting at the new London craft fair Origin in October.
Get snapping peeps.
We’re looking for the best, most enticing, amusing and well-shot photographs of items knit from Knitty patterns. We’ll select the 12 best and publish them in our second calendar, this fall, for 2007. And the best of those 12 will go on the cover and get some seriously fabulous knitworthy stuff!
More information here.
hop skip jump has just started a new craft meme that is already taking off all over blogland: work in progress Fridays. Lots of fun contributions to this one already, including nice pics of workspaces with piles of projects about.
Also, this week is the return of the color photo week thought up by port2port and little birds. This time round it’s neutrals. See the links for what to do for each day.
I think I might make memewatch a regular part of my whipup posting. I’m totally fascinated by the social trends of the crafting blogs, and occasionally participate in some of them. If you know of any good ones, shoot me an email (maitreya[at]craftlog[dot]org)
still have a few things to iron out, but in the meantime I am opening the whiplash challenge list to everyone.
For the next couple of weeks, until the end of June, I would love you, the readers, to upload a link to your favourite handcrafted item, that you have made recently, by way of an introduction to your blog and your crafting specialty/personality. The challenge upload lines are open until the end of June, and hopefully we will all find some inspiration and discover new blogs and new friends and some crafting buddies. I will be checking all the links and will post some on whipup each week until June 30, when I will be announcing the next round of whiplash with some excellent prizes.
1 - make sure you are signed in to whipup before you upload your link. (whipup sidebar - down a bit and login)
2 - upload your link - your name and url in the correct spots please or it won’t work. (whiplash page top of sidebar)
3 - spread the word - grab some badge code and let everyone know. (code is available on whiplash page)
three blogs (and probably more) offer a steady flow of rib tickling reviews of patterns from the present and the past. i should add that the opinions on these websites are not mine but you are just putting the info out there and opening it up for discussion!
- What not to crochet
- You knit WHAT??
- Thread Bared
of course, in matters of taste it is easy to offend; humour is a risk. and there are inevitably some hurt egos.
there seems to be alot of cross-over success in these blogs, with readers who aren’t just crafters. you don’t need to be a craft-interested person to find the humour in many of these images. threadbared simply enjoys making ribbing captions under the sometimes very strange photography and illustrations on the patterns.
many giggle-filled images are found in past patterns (threadbared lists by decade), but there are some completely cringe-worthy things coming from some of the biggest names in crafting even today, all in the name of capturing the wallets of your ‘hip’ crafty selves. vogue, rowan… how do they get it so wrong… and yet for the purposes of humor… so right? it seems that the staff at pattern design places are maybe several seasons and possibly several lightyears removed from what is actually going on… like some rarified culture… it breeds these lovely odd creations that are really just loads of fun to look at, now and long into the future, i hope.in betsy’s post right here on whip-up, the ‘adorn’
magazine editor said “I think there’s a bit of a lag between traditional craft companies and modern crafters.” in a recent post at ‘you knit what?’ said: “the art directors of the yarn companies show their cluelessness.” I suppose eventually, with all this prodding the companies are going to get smart… maybe?
quote from you knit what?
Fred Flare’s next big thing … winners announced - meet the winners
some of my favourites include the crafty heart necklace by sistas 4ever. Dachshund stitch-it kit by Egg press. Mini piles of paper by one good bumblebee. Rainbow friends letter set by the small object.
Remember these recycled fabric bags from tiny happy?
Did you want one as much as I did? Well now you can make your own! This great new tutorial from tiny happy will show you how. I followed the directions as closely as can be expected from a girl who usually just looks at the pictures, and this is how my bag turned out:
The instructions were quite easy to follow, and there was only one tricky part (where you sew the two straps together at the top) but you are warned of this before you start that particular step, which I appreciated. If I am not told outright that something is going to be tricky, I just sit there going “what in the hey-hey am I doing wrong?”, So that was very helpful. Also nice about this tutorial is that it’s pretty darn quick. I made this bag in a short afternoon’s crafting time, if that translates at all.
In other tutorial testing news, the old-pants-to-new-skirt tutorial posted here on whip up in April was used recently over at gleek.net to make these three great skirts:
I’m loving the one with the emboridery.
And in other tutorial links (although I’ve not seen this one tested or tried it myself) an oversized t-shirt to halter top transformation from instructables:
Link via Make Blog
Finally! A new crafty magazine with the current crafter in mind!
Adorn hits newsstands next Tuesday, June 13th!
In order to properly introduce this new endeavour, I put a few questions to Craft Editor Linda Permann:
1. What gap is Adorn trying to fill?
LP: I think there’s a bit of a lag between traditional craft companies and modern crafters. There’s a huge group of (mostly) women in their 20s and 30s that are crafting, logging on to websites like GetCrafty and Craftster and WhipUp- and the craft industry needs to catch up with materials and ideas. People are doing amazing things with basic supplies, and we want to show some of that. We want to provide hip inspiration that makes you want to gather your supplies and craft up a storm.
2. I know you’ve said in your interview with Marie from The Sampler that the demographic is women aged 20-40, but can you elaborate a bit more on the audience you’d like to reach?
LP: We’re trying to reach the modern woman who wants her clothing and living space to reflect her personality, but doesn’t always have a ton of time on her hands. We also aim to make the projects easy enough for beginners to try, because we know more advanced crafters can add their own spice, and we think everyone can have fun making crafts. So we’re targeting people who craft already- especially the huge amount of crafters on the internet who don’t have a true craft magazine—and people who are interested in crafts but have been too intimidated to give it a go, or just never found a project that inspired them enough to learn a new craft.
3. Do you ever get craft fatigue with all this craftiness hitting you from all angles? If so, how do you combat it?
LP: To be honest- yes! But I am always looking for new ideas so even if I am not 100 percent psyched every single day, it’s not the end of the world. And my love of craft runs deep. However, my advice for craft overload is this: diversify. For a long time I was just crafting. Crocheting, sewing, making cards, etc. I realized I needed to get out of the house, get some exercise, play with recipes, take some classes. Right now I’m taking a film class, last summer I took monoprinting. There are so many creative fields so if you feel like you’re overwhelmed by one, try another one. It’ll inspire your craft, or your craft will inspire it (For instance, I used a lot of yarn in my monoprinting work.) I think the key to life is variety, it just makes everything richer.
4. I know that you are a crochet whiz and do lots of different types of crafty things, but as working on the magazine opened you to any new crafts in particular?
I’ve always dabbled in everything, so I’m not sure there’s any one thing I’d never done before, but I will say that it has opened me up to lots of cool tools that can make my life a LOT easier. Like the right kind of pliers for jewelry, or the Fiskar’s Circle Cutter (which I just LOVE for making perfect circles). Sometimes I see new tools and they are inspiration all their own. I hate to sound like a big advertisement, but I’d never work without some of these tools again!
5. Do you see any new trends developing in craft? I know that there has been a big importance put on knitting over the past few years, are there any craft mediums that you think should be getting more attention?
Well, we obviously think embellishment is huge. I guess that opens a big umbrella, since any craft can be turned into an embellishment, but crafts that don’t take a lot of time or experience are definitely getting notice. At the last CHA trade show, there were tons of trim and accessory lines that were aimed at simple embellishing. Embroidery is having it’s day in the sun, with Jenny Hart, Kristin Nicholas and Julie Jackson’s recent books. I’d also like to see more attention given to beading/jewelry-making, since there are a lot of unique supplies in the world. I think that may be next.
Bonus Question: I know you’re been working hard on getting this issue out, what’s been on the Adorn jukebox lately? seeing that you’re keeping an eye on cultural producers…
LP: Oh gosh… I’m horribly behind on music. No time! I just ordered the Dixie Chicks and The Flaming Lips. Other stuff I’ve been listening to lately, in no particular order (and not necessarily new, even): Death Vessel, Sufjan Stevens, Metric, Regina Spektor, Jeff Buckley and Loretta Lynn.
Thanks Linda! I can’t wait to see the magazine next week! Yay!
For even more on this new magazine, check out Susan Beal’s interview with the super-talented Linda over at GetCrafty!
amazing needle felted creatures and pin cushions
she has a free pattern on her blog for a needle felted dog
Sometimes I make things for clients. Sometimes I make them for myself, my family or dear friends. Every now and then I make things for people I don’t know very well but who have been an important part of our daughter’s life, like a teacher of some kind. This last category is the hardest because I only know the recipient in a limited context and know nothing about their home or their aesthetic sensibilities.
Such was my frame of mind when I volunteered to make the class gift for our daughter’s preschool teachers this year and when I volunteered to make a farewell gift for my daughter’s gymnastics instructor of the past two years.
The designs needed to fulfill the following criteria: they had to include the children in some way, had to be designed in such a way that they could be used in the teacher’s house (a classic design that could work in either a traditional or contemporary home), had to be washable and dryable, had to be very simple in design, had to not require me to buy any new fabric and had to be nice but not be too ambitious. Perhaps more importantly, I thought, it needed to be a class quilt. Not a FunQuilts quilt, not a Weeks quilt. It was a gift from the families to the teachers. It was about the kids and the teacher not about my design ego.
In each case I asked another teacher the color of each of the teachers’ living rooms. Then we found a simple white fabric upon which the children could write their names or draw pictures of themselves with a Sakura Identipen in an analogous color. These pens are permanent and will make the quilt able to be machine washed and dried and best of all they have a thick point that kids can’t bend or break.
No big design statement. Just a simple, sweet reminder of the class and the implied statement that I took my time and talent to say thank you for being a positive presence in my child’s life for a bit. And if the recipient gets that when they open the quilt up, then what colors I chose and how I quilted it doesn’t much matter.
What with youtube exploding as the new hot thing on the internets, it’s only a matter of time before video tutorials are all over the place. Even now there are some great video tutorials out there, which is really helpful, particularly for some crafts like knitting, which can be very difficult to understand from a written description of a stitch or an illustration. Nothing beats being able to visually see something done so that you can repeat it yourself. Here are some of the craft-related videos I’ve managed to round up:
Pink of Perfection - queen of them all, this blog feature video tutorials on cooking, sewing, knitting and all kinds of other projects
Crafty girls podcast - from the oxygen network, how-tos for ‘stylish knit-wear and dazzling jewelry’ (via Kraf-O-La )
Annie’s Attic - Knitting, Crochet, Cross-Stitch and Plastic Canvas stitch guides
Next Stitch Crochet videos
Art of Stained Glass
Candlemaking
Scrapbooking Answers video podcast
Switchboards Podcast - not technically a tutorial, but about handmade goods
Hello Knitty
KnittingHelp.com
CommonThreads Online classes
I’m sure there are lots more too, feel free to suggest your favorites in the comments!
A little bit of this and that for this post folks. Consider it a community noticeboard post. Here goes.
25 Things for Charity, via Counting Mermaids.
Make a commitment to craft 25 things for charity in 12 months. It can be any item for any charity.
Quilt Block Swap, deadline for July’s swap is 25 June. Details here.
A couple of Aussie mentions. The Alice Springs Beanie Festival from 1 to 16 July.
Beanie Central is an large and wonderful display of beanies from all over Australia.
Central Australian Indigenous fibre art will also be sold, including the famous Tjampi Aboriginal Baskets and batik and wooden beads and pottery from Ernabella Arts Inc. The famous beanie cafe- home made cakes, soup, tea and coffee. The Desert Spinners: Free Demonstrations of Anangu Spinning and Basketry
Creeping up on us also is Pod: The 2006 Melbourne Scarf Festival. Wish I was in Melbourne for this one and that I’d gotten my act together to enter. Anyone entered? Leave a comment, love to see what you’ve done.
Pod: The 2006 Melbourne Scarf Festival Presented by Craft Victoria In the middle of Melbourne’s grey winter, Craft Victoria holds an annual celebration of a universal garment – the scarf. After exploring the religious, cultural and tribal meanings of scarves, the fourth festival moves to technology: Pod. Pod focuses on ways that scarves might house accessories such as iPods, mobile phones and precious objects. Think scarves with secret compartments or techno functions. A Pod can also be a group or collective. Scarves that can be worn by more than one person, or have been made by more than one person, are encouraged: not just iPods – wePods! The opening night launch will be a major event at the BMW Edge, Federation Square with a fashion parade and awards ceremony. The Scarf Festival will also feature events, workshops and forums relating to the theme.
New Zealand craft fair - CraftWerk, applications close 16 June. Another I’d love to see.
The Paramount Theatre Wellington’s oldest Cinema and now its hottest events venue is where CraftWerk calls home. The Paramount’s lounge bar is stocked with a wide range of beers and wines as well as soft drinks, snacks and Kapiti ice-cream. This relaxing atmosphere, in the middle of Wellington’s hub of entertainment and nightlife, Courtenay Place, allows vendors and shoppers alike a break from the bustle and a chance to absorb the CraftWerk experience.
Grand Central Terminal 2006 Holiday Craft Fair, applications by 12 June. For further information email Karen Weber, karen.weberATam.jll.com
The Holiday Fair in Vanderbilt Hall features selections of merchandise from outstanding specialty vendors. Vendor selection criteria are based on quality and uniqueness of product, originality of display, vendor experience, compatibility of merchandise with overall Fair mix.
Phew…anyone still here? Oh good. Finally, but definitely not leastly a new needle arts show called “Uncommon Threads” for the DIY Network is looking for needle art groups based in the USA.
CALLING ALL NEEDLE CRAFTERS!
Are you a part of a fun and creative needle crafting group? Then the DIY Network is looking for you!
We are looking for needle arts clubs to feature on a TV show for the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Network. DIY is the network that brought you “Knitty Gritty,” and now we’re producing a second season of “Uncommon Threads,” a show that focuses on all kinds of stitchery and fiber arts‹from crochet, embroidery, quilting, sewing, rug hooking, weaving and even needle felting. This program will inspire a new generation of crafters to explore all the great needle arts. If you work your needle to create it, you’ll see it on our show.
If you and at least three friends would like to share your hip and inventive projects on television, we’re looking for you! Your club can be made up of friends, business or work associates, church groups, civic clubs, or any other organized or non-organized entities. Candidates must be fun and outgoing and willing to travel to our studio to show us how they have created some of their unique projects.
For more info, send an email to akerbeinATsdetv.com
Dawbis (Dawn) is an artist who creates some lovely collages with cut paper and intriguing characters. She is also the developer of the Open Yours Too group swap; and has come up with an ingenious approach to personal swapping: The Trade Catalog. (Thank you to Dawn for letting me include images of her work :)
Dawbis used to sell her work, but now explains that she “prefers trades to sales”. She photographs her recent works she wishes to swap and puts them in a ‘trade catalog’ which she announces on her site, and gives it to the first 15 people who write her. She tells people how to propose a swap for whichever package they choose. She also lists things she is into, so people can know how to make a good package proposal.
I asked her to share a bit more about the process, and she swiftly wrote me back! Thanks, Dawbis! In her own words:
” It’s a bit like normal store catalogs, except nothing is for sale. I only send out about 10-15 catalogs via email and I limit the amount of things people ask for, depending on how much work I have available. After all catalogs have been passed out, others, like yourself, propose items that they wish to trade with me for what is in my catalog. For example, for the last catalog trade a girl offered to trade me a handmade purse for one of my original pieces that was in the catalog. I was very interested in her purse (she showed me a picture of it) and so we made an agreement to trade. I hold the right to refuse a proposal, but most of the time I like what people offer. It is good to show me pictures, that way the trade is as fair as possible. I usually write in my blog and in the email I send out what items I am interested at the time, like purses or handmade jewelry, etc. Not everyone who receives a catalog proposes to trade, which is perfectly okay. Most of the time people do not ask for the same thing, but if they do I let them know that it is taken. To avoid this, I suggest that people list up to 5 items they would be interested in starting with their favorite. I’ll go down the list until an item is available and propose a trade with that item. “
I have to say that this approach appeals to me. I know it removes some element of surprise… but it also removes the element of bad surprises. It reminds me of the Likes/Dislikes thread one must fill out to take part in the Coloriffic Swap-o-Rama.Yes, writing your dislikes feels a bit negative, but it’s telling to see how many don’t want cosmetics/soap due to allergies, or those who don’t want specific things like clowns, religious or gothic things, etc. It’s all a matter of taste, but I’m sure that no one wants to send a package with things that will be unloved.
Also, rather than selling, it’s an interesting idea for offering up your wares to bartering rather than ‘monetary remuneration’. I really think it’s a brilliant idea!
Thanks for sharing, Dawbis.
The folks at The Nipple Project ask that you send them “your own hand-made artistic interpretation of your nipple or of someone’s nipple you love.” And why not?
Nipples don’t have to be knit. There is a gorgeous one carved from a gourd in the online gallery.
If a nipple isn’t enough for you, don’t forget Tit-Bits!
Well so Katey from One Good Bumblebee says. Check out her new offering, That’s Hot.
That’s Hot is a collection of everything from film to shoes, jewelry and toys and everything else that happens to strike my fancy as interesting statements of good design. It is written for you, the reader, as a resource, an entertainment, a daily read and most importantly, an inspiration. Enjoy!
Blog to keep an eye on I reckon.
Back to the studio with you. You’re already friends with your ironing board. I hope you like your computer, too. It’s going to have to make you some stuff now so that when you approach retail buyers to sell your work wholesale, you’ve made it easy for them to say yes.
In reading back through my previous post on this topic, I must first direct you to the comments attached to that post, several of which are from other buyers relating their own experiences of being approached by artists. I sincerely thank them for commenting, and adding their invaluable perspectives to this conversation! If you came early and are looking for more information, I urge you to go back and read comments that came in since you might have been there.
But if you’ve done your research and you feel like you’re ready to target the right places, it’s time to make your move. This is no science. There are many ways to do it. I can’t tell you what’s going to be the best way for you, or how all other buyers prefer to be approached. I can only explain my own preferences, and those of other buyers I’ve heard from.
I prefer a short, personal email from someone who indicates that they’ve done some research and picked my store to approach. (We often get emails that are obviously sent en masse to many different stores that we recognize as being in our neighborhood — this is not an approach I’d recommend. . . . Stores want to feel that they, and their relationship with you, is special and worth a bit of personal attention.) Most stores have web sites with their contact information available; I think you can send things to the attention of “Buyer” if you don’t have a personal name. Briefly introduce yourself, briefly explain what you do, attach sample photos or a web site, and most importantly, attach an easy-to-decipher pricelist with minimums and policies (terms, turnaround times, contact information). You don’t have to spend a lot of time explaining to us why your product would be perfect for our store — we know what we have, what sells, and what we need. (And, by the way, as far as minimums go — that’s up to you, but most people starting out have low minimums between $100-150, because it makes it easier for a buyer to take a chance on someone new if they don’t have to invest too much to do it.)
Alternatively, you could approach stores via snail mail, enclosing a line sheet (a sheet that shows thumbnail photos of your products with prices) along with an introductory letter and policies. It’s a bit more expensive to produce paper marketing pieces, but it’s nice for us to have your things on file if we decide to have another look at a later time.
I still don’t really recommend going to a store in person unless you’ve been invited, but that’s just me. I always feel very pressured and “put-on-the-spot” and I don’t like feeling uncomfortable, or making people feel uncomfortable, if things just aren’t right. I need time to think about stuff, and when I’m at my shop I’m thinking more about selling things than buying them. Some days we have more people come in to try and sell us stuff than we have come in to buy, and believe me, you don’t want to stop in on one of those days. . . .
Sometimes people call me out of the blue and want to have lengthy conversations about what they do and what they make. I don’t like this because 1) it feels like the cold calls I get all day long from mortgage brokers/windshield repairers/other telemarketers and 2) I can’t say whether I am interested in what you do until I see it! Let me see it. A picture is worth a thousand words. If you’ve sent us a query and want to follow up in a week with a phonecall to test our interest and perhaps set up an appointment to show us your work in real life, I think that’s not a bad idea — just start that phonecall with the words, “I’m Alicia Paulson from Posie, and I sent you some information on my product line last week. Might you have a minute to talk?”
That said, however, as a buyer, when I need product and I’m interested in something, I’ll call the person or email them right away. I don’t need a lot of hand-holding, and neither do most buyers, I should think. If you don’t hear back from a store you’ve approached, don’t dwell on it — just move on. There are so many factors that may not have anything to do with you that it’s not worth getting hung up on someone who’s blowing you off. Just take the stuff elsewhere and don’t get discouraged. You may get a call from them two months from now when they have the money/have customer requests/have time to think.
However you decide to approach your potential buyers, it’s good to make friends with your computer. You don’t need to be a graphic designer — but you do need to know how to get a good picture and find a way to deliver it. You want your marketing collateral (your web site/line sheets/pricelists/business cards/letters — all that stuff) to look professional and organized. We, as potential customers, don’t know anything about you or your work — think about how to catch our interest, and then make it easy for us to say yes.
