Guest Blogger

Make it Local :: Origami Market Bag

by Jules on June 18, 2013

in Community + Creativity, Fashion, Guest Blogger, Guest Editors 2013, Whip Up Tutorials, Whip-Up

During most of 2013, Whipup.net will hosting a monthly mini-series, each month edited by different crafters and designers. Enjoy!

The theme for this month is Make It Local :: with Alexandra Smith of Lola Nova.

bags

Inspired by my last post about the Farmer’s Market, I decided to whip up a simple tutorial for a handmade market bag called “The Origami Market Bag”. The name is taken from its unique folding technique. It makes up in a flash and is nice and roomy for all of your market treasure.

You will need fabric, thread, scissors and a sewing machine.

For the fabric, I suggest something a little heavier such as: canvas, linen, denim, or home décor type weight.

We start off with a piece of fabric whose length is 3 times the width. I found using a piece that is 17” X 51” (43cm X 130cm) makes a good size bag; you can play around with sizes if you like.

Once you have cut your piece of fabric to size, hem all of the raw edges.

(In the following photos I’ve used a smaller piece of unfinished fabric just to show the folding technique)

Start by laying your fabric with your hems facing away from you and follow the folding technique as shown below.

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Now pin and stitch as shown for both sides of the bag. I used about a 1cm seam allowance.

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It is ok if your bag is a little off center, this may happen if your hems are not perfectly even to one another.

Now that you have sewn your 2 seams, you can leave the bag as is for a nice triangle shape, or you can create some shape by sewing boxed corners, or simple angled corners. Now turn your bag right side out and press if needed.

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The next step is to create the handle for your bag. I used some coordinating fabric for a handle.

Cut a piece of fabric that is 3.5” X 6.5” (aprox. 9cm X 16.5cm) turn under and hem the 2 short sides of this piece. Fold the piece in half length-wise with right sides together and stitch raw edges with a ¼” (just under 1cm) seam allowance and turn right side out creating a tube.

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Take one of the long top triangles of your bag and thread it through the tube of fabric as shown. Overlap the other top piece with the bit you have threaded through the tube and pin. Now stitch in place. Slide the tube over the stitched overlapped section and center it.

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Ta Da! You now have your very own Origami Market Bag!

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Go ahead and make a few more, you know you want to!

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Please note, this tutorial is intended for personal use only. Therefore, do not reproduce, sell or commercialize in any form. Thanks for understanding!

{ 4 comments }

Make it Local :: Eat :: II

by Jules on June 15, 2013

in Food, Guest Blogger, Guest Editors 2013, Whip-Up

During most of 2013, Whipup.net will hosting a monthly mini-series, each month edited by different crafters and designers. Enjoy!

The theme for this month is Make It Local :: with Alexandra Smith of Lola Nova.

Today, Alexandra introduces Lindsay McCoy. Lindsay is a writer/blogger and a self-proclaimed homebody from Oregon City, Oregon who loves crafting, cooking, gardening, and simple living. You can find her writing about all of this and more on her blog, A Wooden Nest.

a

When I think “make it local,” I think “make it in my own backyard.” While supporting local businesses and farmers is one of the best ways we can contribute to the health and diversity of our community, taking advantage of the space around us to grow our own food, or make our own artwork, or produce our own goods, can be a huge step toward frugality and self-sufficiency. And, in some ways, it forces us to get creative with the materials that are around us rather than going out and spending money on something generic from a big box retailer.

I don’t consider myself a locavore or a backyard homesteader by any means, but I do try to buy local, and to provide for myself more often than not. One of the easiest ways I’ve found to go about doing this is by growing my own edible garden. I don’t own a lot of land, but I find that using the space I have to grow fruits and vegetables helps cut down on costs for fresh, delicious, and organic food. Plus, I find that if I put a little effort into planning the layout of my garden, I can effectively take advantage of every inch of space I own to grow as much as possible.

b

My goal with gardening is to harvest and preserve enough food to last me through the entire year and into the next growing season, and despite the fact that we have a small yard, I find that a little goes a long way. Even back when I was living in an apartment, I was able to grow several containers full of vegetables and herbs on my patio and windowsill. I eventually learned to cook meals based on what I had growing, which meant I had fresher, tastier ingredients to work with, and I knew exactly where they were coming from. Sometimes even a few plants can make a noticeable difference.

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One hidden benefit to growing your own food – and this is something I never expected when I first started gardening– is the joy that comes from sharing your harvest with others. For instance, I love making pickles. I pickle cucumbers, beans, carrots, and anything else I possibly can. This means that when birthdays or holidays come around, instead of racking my brain for gift ideas only to fall short, I like to give away my homemade pickles and preserves. So not only am I able to grow food for my family in my own backyard, but I’m also able to produce awesome homemade gifts from right outside my door. It’s a win-win situation.

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Right now, radish season is upon us, and they’re growing like crazy in my garden. To keep up with the harvest, sometimes I have to get creative with the recipes I use so I can make my produce last as long as possible. Luckily, there are plenty of resources available that home gardeners can turn to for recipe ideas and food preservation. For instance, if you do a search on the internet, you’ll find several recipes from reputable sources for pickled radishes.

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Of all the pickled radish recipes I’ve tried, I tend to gravitate toward those with a sweet and sour brine. I think it complements the peppery flavor inherent in radishes very well, and makes them taste especially delicious as a cold and crunchy component in sandwiches, or over crackers and cheese. Here is one of my all-time favorite radish pickle recipes:

Sweet & Sour Radish Pickles

1 bunch radishes

1-2 teaspoons salt

½ cup white distilled or rice vinegar

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup water

4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Remove the stems from the radishes (set aside the leaves), and rinse them free of any dirt and debris. Slice radishes into thin rounds, discarding the tough ends, and place slices in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of salt and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse and drain radish slices, and then pour into a sterilized wide-mouth jar.

To make the brine, combine the vinegar, sugar, water, and peppercorns in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved, and bring liquid to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes. Pour brine in jar over radishes.

Cover the jar, and let sit until it cools to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for 1-2 months, and serve in sandwiches, over cheese and crackers, on hamburgers, etc.

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When it comes to radishes, I try to make the most out of the entire plant. One thing a lot of people aren’t aware of is that radish leaves are edible, and they’re especially delicious when harvested young. You can eat them straight-up in salad, sandwiches – and this is one of my favorite things to do – you can make apesto with the leaves to mix in soup, pasta, or as a sauce on homemade pizza. And, of course, you can bottle up both the pesto and the radish pickles with pretty decorative paper, twine, and tags to give as gifts for holidays and birthdays. Your radish-loving friends and family members will love it!

Radish Leaf Pesto

1 ½ to 2 cups radish leaves, washed with stems removed

1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup roasted unsalted almonds

1 clove garlic

2-3 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Blend together and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or store in the freezer.

{ 6 comments }

Guest Post :: Nancy Langdon

by Jules on June 7, 2013

in Community + Creativity, Fashion, Guest Blogger, Guest Editors 2013, Whip-Up

During most of 2013, Whipup.net will hosting a monthly mini-series, each month edited by different crafters and designers. Enjoy!

The theme for this month is Make It Local :: with Alexandra Smith of Lola Nova.

Today, Alexandra introduces Nancy Langdon, the designer behind studioTANTRUM/Fledge and author of Sewing Clothes Kids Love: Sewing Patterns and Instructions for Boys’ and Girls’ Outfits.

For you, I have a little downloadable Ebook to construct a fun, summery tunic dress based on macramé.

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I’m pretty sure we’re at the tail end of hipsters being fascinated with all things 70s. All the good 70s things, as few as they were, like Milo Baughman and Curtis Jere, have been done. We’ve even gone through Corningware, muscle cars, black lights and Afros. All that is left is macramé, rotary phones, 8-track cassettes and TAB (not that new-fangled Diet Coke, thank you very much). And my vote is for macramé. I was recently wandering about Retro Row in Long Beach and saw dusty old macramé owls selling for upwards of $70. So, yes, macramé is upon us again. Right on!

The stringy Strigiformes is the official state bird for the year 1973. According to witnesses, the year 1973 was, in fact, a state (of mind...of sorts...in quite a state). The stringy Strigiformes is the official state bird for the year 1973. According to witnesses, the year 1973 was, in fact, a state (of mind…of sorts…in quite a state).

Macramé, the craft of knotting lace, is likely the earliest of the string-based arts, predating knitting, crochet and tatting by millennia. Fiddling and tying up bits of cord in fancy ways did not seem to have geographic or cultural limits, as ancient examples can be found in places as far-flung as Peru, China and Egypt. The earliest example dates to 3500 BC; since some anthropologists argue that civilization is only about 4000 years old, well, that means macramé is old.

Arabs were probably the first regular practitioners, tying up the weft ends of woven textiles in artistic ways. Sailors over the centuries have used macramé in innovative and creative ways, for example, around tool handles, so sharp knives and heavy hammers wouldn’t slip out of wet hands. The craft, brought from the Holy Lands to Western Europe by the wives and servants of crusaders, was fancied in later centuries by Louis XIV and William of Orange’s Queen Mary. Macramé found its most refined form near Genoa, Italy, where punto á gruppo was taught as a skill to poor children during the 19th Century and resembles fine bobbin lace. Be that as it may, macramé is now synonymous with Nixon-era housewives penchant to release small flora from terrestrial bounds with hemp houseplant hammocks. And lest we forget the hippies: Here, a cautionary tale of what happens when twine is combined with 70s era hallucinogenics (some of these items appear in fact be made from psychoactive hemp …)

And if you thought macramé owl wall hangings were bad, say hello to the macramé owl bra! “Macrame Accessories: Patterns and Ideas for Knotting,” Dona Z. Meilach (1972) And if you thought macramé owl wall hangings were bad, say hello to the macramé owl bra! “Macrame Accessories: Patterns and Ideas for Knotting,” Dona Z. Meilach (1972)

 

 

No words. Just no words “Macrame Accessories: Patterns and Ideas for Knotting,” Dona Z. Meilach (1972) No words. Just no words “Macrame Accessories: Patterns and Ideas for Knotting,” Dona Z. Meilach (1972) Wait, one word: MANcramé. Enough said. “Macrame Accessories: Patterns and Ideas for Knotting,” Dona Z. Meilach (1972) Wait, one word: MANcramé. Enough said. “Macrame Accessories: Patterns and Ideas for Knotting,” Dona Z. Meilach (1972)

On the other hand, if we embrace macramé fashionably responsibly, we can evoke that sense of hope for a better world, which is, I think, at the heart of the new hippie style.

Elizabeth and James Elizabeth and James

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Catherine Malandrino Catherine Malandrino Gucci Gucci

I hope my addition to the macramé trend this fits the bill.

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“La Jolla” (lah HOY-ya”) is a simple, super-duper quick DIY dress with a lot of California soul. This straight shift dress with macramé overlay is an easy-living, flip-flops and popsicles kind of summertime piece to wear anywhere, anytime fun is to be had: as a swimsuit cover-up, as a dancing dress to the end of the school year party, or as a flexible, easy-to-throw-in-a-suitcase piece to take on vacation.

Made up in all white, I think La Jolla is pretty enough to wear to a beach wedding. La Jolla is a beautiful coastal town near San Diego. “La Jolla” is a corruption of the Spanish word “joya”, which means “jewel.” I find this to be a gem of a dress, because with a little cutting and polishing, some cruddy old tee shirts or a clump of boring plain knit fabric can really shine. “Jollas” also happens to be a genus of South American jumping spiders. Since this dress has that SoCal spirit, but also sort of has a spider web look to it, I’ve decided to call it “La Jolla”.

This pattern is sized for girls, ages/sizes 5 to 12. The design concept is great for teens and women, however, the knotting has not been calculated over all size sets within the Ebook instructions. La Jolla is available as an Ebook here.

And speaking of making the world a better place, all proceeds from the sale of this Ebook will go to benefit a home-grown, grass-roots effort to help the people of Enwen, a small village of about 1,000 in Cameroon, Africa, to help themselves. The story of Enwen is not a complicated one, but amazing nonetheless. A young man, Tichi, from this village was educated in Germany. Upon returning to his village, even though he had grown up in Enwen, he was taken quite aback by the poverty. And so he and his partner, Katrin, decided to do “something.” That “something” is Nahow, which in the native Pidgin means something like “S’up brah”. Nahow.de has developed many “somethings” and those “somethings” include an adult learning center to teach valuable carpentry and sewing skills, outfitting the village with solar panels, refurbishing the elementary school and sponsoring doctors’ visits. And this at very, very low cost. For about EURO 20 a month, a villager will be given an apprenticeship in carpentry. Like real, super-duper, hard-core, high-quality carpentry as only Germans can. The people at Farbenmix, my partner in all things sewing, have become personally involved with this project, even having gone to the village to teach sewing.

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I’ve kept the price low as makes sense. As you know, PayPal will have their take. The Ebook has over 20 pages of instruction with lots of photos and illustrations. And the basic pattern pieces are there. I’ve translated it into German, too, just in case. It is a PDF file, so, if EURO 4 is a bit steep, maybe you can go halfsies with a friend.

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Enjoy! And thank you for supporting the craft of sewing!

{ 4 comments }

Guest post :: Assembly line method of giving new life to old clothes

by contributor on April 23, 2013

in Green Crafting, Guest Blogger

About: Sarah writes the Blog Sewing Parts Online and makes video tutorials too. She loves inspiring others to create and challenge themselves through crafting and sewing. Her guest post fits in perfectly in our Functional Creativity themed month.

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We live in a world where goods are available so cheap, that it’s standard practice to simply buy ‘new’ instead of fix or extend the life of an older object. When I became a parent, I realized I’d have to buy new clothes every 6 months. To me, this was absurd. I’d been wearing the same clothes for years. I refashion and alter to get the most wear possible. It didn’t dawn on me until my son was a year old that I could be doing the same thing with his clothing. I might not get years, but an extra 6-9 months is good enough for me!

I buy long sleeve shirts and pants at the end of every summer to last my son through the winter. I buy jeans and athletic pants as well as long sleeve jersey shirts and long sleeve button-ups. They’re slightly big, to last through fall and winter. By the time the weather starts warming up, I set aside a weekend to alter the majority of his winter clothes into summer attire by simply cutting the pants into shorts, and the long sleeves into short sleeves. If I have extra time, I’ll draft up a pattern by tracing his ‘new’ shorts and shirts.

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Over the years, I’ve found the ‘assembly line’ method to be the most efficient way to tackle this project. Instead of finishing one pair, then starting all over to do the next pair, I do all the alterations step by step. Do all the measuring at once. Do all the cutting once, etc.

I use a seam gauge and measure the inseam of some that already fit. Then, I use that measurement for shortening the pants. Same goes for the arm seam. So simple and easy. And it doesn’t have to be perfect. Thankfully, young children don’t care if the hem is a little off, they just want to get back to playing.

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Then I can get creative! Who doesn’t love some rainbow thread? My son loves the colors and it’s a small detail that say’s “Mommy made this for you!”. It’s so rewarding to see your child wear something you made for them not just because you wanted to make something, but because they needed it and you fulfilled that need.

I ended up adding the rainbow thread to all his pants and shirts. It’s so magical when they are young and love things as simple as rainbow hems. When I finally show him his “new” clothes, we’ll probably talk about what colors he sees and which ones are his favorites. It’s those simple moments that make motherhood and creating so memorable.

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All that’s left is to cut the thread tails and add a couple snaps. In one weekend I was able to dress my son for another 6 months without spending money or adding to landfill. When he outgrows these clothes, they will be donated or reused for something else.

Doesn’t it feels good to fulfill a need without buying more junk? Until next time — Thanks for reading!

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{ 4 comments }

Book :: Textured Stitches

by contributor on April 22, 2013

in Books, Guest Blogger

Reviewed by: Renae Beardmore is the owner of the whimsically named suzy hausfrau yarn store, a Canberra (Australia) based online yarn store specialising in gorgeous unique and artisan yarns, with a focus on natural fibres and textures. Renae is passionate about sourcing quality products that will inspire and enable people to undertake their own creative journey. You can read more about Renae’s own creative adventures over on her blog.

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Any book featuring Madeline Tosh yarn on the cover has me at ‘hello’. Textured Stitches: Knitted Sweaters and Accessories with Smart Details (Interweave Press January 2012) by Connie Chang Chinchio does that very thing, and then goes on to surprise and delight throughout.

Connie like many of us fellow knitters, leads a bit of a double life. Working as a consultant during the day, designing patterns and clicking the sticks at night. Her patterns in ‘Textured Stitches’ reflect her strong technical background and her mastery of the art of knitwear design.

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The pattern on the cover, Intaliata Henly is a standout not only for the yarn she has used, but in how easy it makes up. The body and sleeves both knit in the round, and you know what that means. Minimial seaming – yay!  The patterns in the book include small textured-knit projects such as hats and gloves, through to tunics, tops and cardigans. This book also includes a wide variety of textured stitches, such as lattice stitch, cables and more. I can’t stop dreaming about the Gioielli gloves pattern, with the most divine smocked cuffs. Sublime!

The recommended yarns in the book read like every yarn tragic’s wish list – Madeline Tosh, Malabrigo, Louet, The Fibre Company and it goes on. Connie has brought out the best of these yarns, particularly the semi-solids by her pattern design and garment construction techniques.

You also get a lot of helpful information such as how to read charts, step by step instructions on knitting gloves, and written and pictorial descriptions of stitches included in the book. This book is suited to the intermediate-advanced knitter, or a confident beginner who is ready to take on a challenge with Connie holding their hand.

{ 1 comment }

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