neat little trick from simplicity via magpie and cake

I am a big fan of peg dolls and these at tree fall have me itching to make some more.

Just in time for Easter, Betz has shared a tutorial for these super adorable cashmere bunnies!

… at dolls stories

The ever inspiring Heidi’s at it again, a tutorial for a house pinboard. So sweet I have tooth ache ;)

Made in Clay, from March 29th-April 28th. This invitational sale includes work by renowned studio potters. All
sales benefit Greenwich House Pottery’s educational and outreach programs which support emerging artists. ::link

Rachel at bunkkin knits has started a knitting japanese blog called Knitting Japanese Wannabees

Eve wrote to tell me she has a new craft tutorials blog and is looking for tutorial submissions. ::link

bumbershoot music and art festival in Seattle :: bazaar bizarre at the
2007 San Mateo Maker Faire :: plush you 2007 accepting applications :: providence open market

Love Eunny’s socks at interweave see more images at string theory.

work in progress plush brain by my paper crane

Go check it out.

Don’t forget to check out the features pages, lots of interesting knitting and spinning info.

love the bottle cozy from bella dia

Make custom graffiti clothing by ~JMeighty on deviantART

Image: WATER TANK, 19″ x 27″

As a mixed media artist I am used to working with many different mediums, papers and fabric to create the image I am trying to get across but the work of collage artist Laura Breitman is nothing short of astounding. As paintings they are impressive, but on closer inspection you realise that they are fabric collages as the close-up photograph shows. Her attention to detail and ability to capture light and mood create pieces that are almost photo-real. As well as beautiful trees and landscapes she also produces urban landscapes, interiors and still life, and also holds workshops.

Image: LOOKING UP, 38″ x 41″ (detail) and below full image

Plastic canvas is a lightweight, rigid version of needlepoint canvas. And it’s likely that you just shuddered a little, reading that last sentence, as you envisioned a grannylike tissue-box cover.

But bear with me for a minute! Plastic canvas has hidden superpowers, and it deserves some creative exploration by modern crafty minds.

The first thing I want to show you is this: not all plastic canvas is created equal. It’s made in three sizes: 7-count, 10-count, and 14-count. The count refers to the number of squares in an inch. And as you can see, this makes a huge difference in the appearance of the finished product. The larger squares can be stitched with worsted weight yarn or crewel wool, and result in a fuzzier, more homespun appearance.

10-count or 14-count canvas, on the other hand, can even be stitched with perle cotton embroidery floss, and yields a much finer-looking result.

You can use plastic canvas to construct just about any 3D shape, and that makes it useful for so much more than hiding tissue boxes. (There’s a great tutorial for cutting out plastic canvas shapes here.)

To get your creative juices flowing, for example, consider business card holders . . . and iPod cases . . . and glasses cases. One of the great things about using plastic canvas to make cases for your valuables is: the canvas, covered with yarn stitching, creates a nice shield that absorbs impact. I’ve had my iPod sheathed in a plastic canvas sleeve for two years, and it still looks brand-new.

You may have seen plastic canvas employed to make gift or jewelry boxes as well. And while the stuff does make great boxes, I’m more excited about its potential for making organizers of all kinds. You can construct boxes to hold your spools of yarn, or a multi-chambered pencil holder to organize your pens and paintbrushes. You can build your own set of stackable in-boxes. You can even construct a cube-shaped unit with a pull-out drawer, a la IKEA, to hold your ribbons and trims.

The greatest part of all these fabrications is, of course, that they’ll be covered with stitching. Now, many of us envision needlepoint as those tiny, slanted stitches. This is known as the Continental Stitch, and it’s only the tip of the needlepoint iceberg. There are dozens of interesting needlepoint stitches to try — and many of them work up much faster then Continental. In fact, you can explore more of these here and here.

…Not to mention, you can cover any plastic canvas surface with Continental stitch, and then embroider a design on the top of that. You can also applique fabric to plastic canvas. And you can stitch with your craziest novelty yarns to create outlandish textures. There’s way more to your needlepoint life than Continental Stitch.

I think there’s also jewelry potential in plastic canvas. A nice square, covered in interesting stitching, backed with felt, would make a great pendant or pin. Join a bunch of them together into a bracelet. (Incidentally, a sheet of plastic canvas makes a dandy earring-organizer.)

Plastic canvas is also a natural for book and journal covers. You can make a snazzy cover for your drugstore spiral notebook in no time, or you can construct one for your day-planner.

And then there’s toy-making! Imagine constructing a finger-puppet theater. Or a rocket-ship. Or a train. Or a nice, fenced corral for toy horses. Plastic canvas is so kid-friendly — the stitching is done with big, blunt needles — so you can easily involve kids in the stitching and assembly.

Seriously! Go get some plastic canvas, and explore the possibilities. Nobody will laugh at you, I promise.

while bits and bobbins is trying to inspire herself she is inspiring others along with her. Love this image and her wardrobe remix is fantastic.

Image: Jaccquelyn Greenbank, Her BBQ, 2006. Collection of the James Wallace Arts Trust.

A highlight of Telecom Prospect 2007: New Art New Zealand’s public programmes, City Gallery Wellington’s ARTCRAFT is a market day extravaganza celebrating all that is crafty.

How to Crochet by ~VolensVivarium on deviantART

This first year of whipup has gone by quickly and we are still waiting for a few technical improvements - which I promise are coming but ….

Looking back over the first year, and checking out the most popular and most commented on posts I thought the results were interesting and wanted to bring them to your attention. So here are the top 10 posts of the year (not including whiptips and whiplash posts). What was your favourite? do you agree with this list?

1. Stickin’ it to the pincushion A pincushion making tutorial
2. hip to be cool - is whiplash too alternative for you? discussion on alternative crafting
3. craftblog advice discussion on starting up and maintaining a craft blog
4. stop insulting the grannies discussion relating to the phrase ‘not your grannies craft’
5. Family Drawing Time a wonderful way to relate to your children’s, and feed your own, creativity at the same time & Aichaku and placemats tutorial on making these great placemats
6. You show me your heart and I’ll show you mine… a fantastic offer of fabric for charitable projects & children’s (and adults’) project: the magic yarn ball a swap and family crafting idea
7. the giving of gifts and the receiving of stress? Discussion on why we make things and the people we give them to & yo-yo or suffolk puff? tutorial on making the yo-yo
8. Handmade in Prison: Part Two - The Prisoners A discussion on rehabilitating prisoners with craft & Fabric, Copyright, and Licenses, Oh My! A discussion on copyright for fabric designers & customised tape measure A tutorial on how to customise a tape measure
9. Lolitas, a doll like you. bilingual posting in Spanish and English & an interview with wee wonderfuls. . . An interview with a very popular craft blogger by another popular craft blogger
10. Tutorial: DIY eco friendly menstrual pads eco crafting & Tutorial…silhouette necklace… a jewellery making tutorial

Conclusions to be drawn from this list mmm …. you love tutorials, you are interested in craftivism and craft in society and have strong opinions. … anything else?