the crown

i was recently commissioned to make a festive special-occasion crown for a friend of a friend. this was a first for me, and i thoroughly enjoyed the assignment. the crown had to incorporate an assortment of creatures, as the recipient is a true animal lover. given how many components were at play here, i first created a sturdy cardboard base - i cut one from the thick cardboard back of a drawing pad. i bent it into shape, stapled a short end of wide elastic to both ends (so it would be one-size-fits-all) and mounted a remnant of silk/linen on the front using spray mount. i outlined all edges with a vintage metallic ribbon, and added a row of rhinestones on top for extra bling. then the real fun began: i collected a bunch of animal figurines, some were holiday ornaments, others were plastic toys, and painted them all using my ridiculously large collection of metallic nail polishes. some of the larger animals needed to be affixed using metal wire, the smaller ones only called for a dab of hot glue. last but not least, a flock of gold painted paper butterflies were mounted on the crown's top, two silver bells were hung on either side of the bottom edge and the crown's inside was lined with a matching color felt. all of this was done while binge-watching "the crown" on netflix, i'm not kidding. my husband says the final result looks like something florence foster jenkins would have worn. what do you think?

bonjour handmade

a few weeks ago, i received a lovely email from anny frechette at bonjour handmade, offering to send me free craft supplies if i wanted to make a diy project with them and then blog about it.  how could i say no? especially when i delved into her gorgeous website and browsed around. i decided to select the stainless steel lobster clasps, thinking i would use them in a decorative manner rather than the function they were intended for. i am still very much on a tassel kick, so the clasps became mini-tassel holders. here is the result. below the photo are step-by-step instructions for the project. enjoy!

supplies:
- 18 stainless steel lobster clasps, 16 mm x 10 mm
- vintage bead necklace
- remnants of embroidery floss
- paper or cardboard scraps
- scissors
- extra tubular beads (optional)
- strong linen cord

fold your piece of paper or cardboard into a small rectangle that is about 1" x 1.75". wrap floss around folded paper lengthwise 30 times and cut through. slip bundle of floss through large opening of clasp, fold over, wrap and tie with contrasting color floss.

make 18 tassels in various colors. cut open vintage necklace to recycle beads and arrange tassels and beads into a new lay-out. i decided to incorporate some gold-colored tubular beads as well to make the necklace even longer. string both tassels and beads in the right order onto a strong linen cord and tie together with a double knot. done! to find our more about bonjour handmade, click here.

scraps workshop at the edelkoort townhouse

i had such a good time today teaching a scraps workshop at the brand new edelkoort townhouse in nyc. thank you to all participants: your enthusiasm was infectious and your ideas and input invaluable. and thank you to philip fimmano and li edelkoort for hosting. let's do it again soon! :)

li edelkoort textile seminar - and scraps workshop

i am very lucky to have started my career with the incomparable li edelkoort, the renowned trend forecaster who is based in paris - though she will be spending a lot more time in new york city as she was recently appointed dean of the hybrid design studies department at parsons school of design.
for those of you unfamiliar with li's work, here's a quick run-down: lidewij edelkoort is one of the world’s most famous trend forecasters. she is an intuitive thinker who travels the world studying the evolution of socio-cultural trends before sharing this information with her clients in industries as diverse as fashion, textiles, interiors, cars, cosmetics, retail and food. under her paris-based company trend union, li creates trend books two or more years ahead that are tools used by strategists, designers and marketeers at international brands (coca cola, nissan, time warner cable, lacoste…).

(Photo via Destiny)

since 1992, li’s magazines have helped redefine the publishing medium, acting as inspirational style bibles that have become ideograms of their time. view on colour, inview and bloom are trend tools used by creative professionals and avid amateurs around the world.
her achievements in the creative, educational and humanitarian field are too numerous to mention. li is truly one-of-a-kind and i consider my 8 years working for her (3 in paris, 5 in new york) to be a bit like my phd.

that is why i could not be more proud to be part of her upcoming trend seminar on november 17, 2015 in new york city with a short presentation on my book scraps. and this will be followed by a half-day hands-on scraps workshop at the edelkoort offices on november 18. click here for all the info and details. hope to see you there!

upcoming events at BKLYN DESIGNS and QED Astoria

i'm taking my show on the road, and happy to be part of the following two events:

on sunday, may 10 at 1:30 pm, i will be doing a scraps lecture-slash-workshop at BKLYN DESIGNS, brooklyn's premier design event, shining a spotlight on the creative economy in my home borough. fabrics for this workshop are generously donated by Robert Allen for Calico.

on saturday, june 6 ay 2:00 pm, i will be teaching a t-shirt jewelry class at QED Astoria. we will learn how to turn an old t-shirt into yarn, master the crochet chain stitch, and create two statement necklaces. cost for this workshop is $20.00/person, and all materials are included.

hope to see you there!

friendship bracelets

in just a few weeks, my new booklet for the taunton press will be published. "friendship bracelets - 12 jewelry designs to make and share" is a collection of easy, colorful and fast projects with yarn and embroidery floss. i included a pair of earrings and a necklace as well. all projects were modeled by the gorgeous and amazing elise and juliet, let's hear it for the redheads!

botanica tinctoria

i just received a sample packet from a wonderful company: botanica tinctoria. they manufacture naturally dyed - yet colorfast - trimmings and yarn in a gorgeous color palette. the line includes ribbons, tape, ric-rac, broderie anglaise, hand-crocheted lace, as well as various qualities yarns and embroidery threads. i've never seen anything like it. do check out the botanica tinctoria website, you will not be disappointed.

more potholders

following last year's post about potholders, i just made some more, cutting the yarn from my husband's discarded - and thoroughly washed! - thermal underwear and few colored t-shirts. here's a complete tutorial.

- with the off-white yarn, crochet a chain of 15 stitches, then single crochet 4 rows
- cut off the yarn, leaving a 4" length, then single crochet 1 row in blue
- cut off the yarn, leaving a 4" length, then single crochet 1 row in off-white
- cut off the yarn, leaving a 4" length, then single crochet 3 rows in blue
- cut off the yarn, leaving a 4" length, then single crochet 8 rows in off-white
- cut off the yarn, leaving a 4" length, then single crochet 1 row in blue, only this time, when you get to the end of the row, make 3 single crochet stitches in the last stitch, and then keep crocheting down the side and all round the square. each time you get to a corner, make 3 single crochet stitches in the corner stitch.
- finally, on the last corner, crochet a loop of about 10 chain stitches, before making 2 more single crochet stitches in your very first blue stitch.
- cast off your work by cutting off your yarn and pulling this strand al the way through the last stitch and tighten. using the crochet hook, tuck under all the loose strands.

mini macrame

i am thrilled to announce the publication - in just a few short weeks - of yet another craft booklet for the taunton press. this one is on the subject of easy and quick-to-make macrame projects. don't be horrified, these are nothing like the crunchy-granola touchy-feely fiber art stuff you may have grown up with in the seventies.... take a look:

shoe clips made with t-shirt yarn

dainty and ladylike, shoe clips are a fun but somewhat old-fashioned accessory that needs to be taken our of the bridal realm, and back to the forefront of fashion. the shoe clips below are a witty take on preppy tasseled loafers.

STEPS:

1. per clip: cut four 6” long pieces of t-shirt yarn.

2. fold this bundle of yarns over and tie together with another piece of t-shirt yarn, using a double knot. cut off the ends.

3. thread a hex nut onto each tassel end and make a knot underneath.

4. hand sew the shoe clip to the back of each tassel. done!

after making the tassels, I decided to try my hand at t-shirt yarn bows: cut twelve 3” long pieces of yarn and tie this bundle in the center together with a 10” length of T-shirt yarn, then wrap it over six times, and finally tuck under the end. hand sew the shoe clip to the back of the bow. 

t-shirt hats - the easiest diy!

t-shirts are probably among the most widespread item in our closet today: we buy them on vacation, we get them free as promotional swag, we end up with siblings' cast-offs. there are expensive designer shirts, work-out and sports shirts, shirts proclaiming anything from your political affiliations to your chosen brand of cat food (i had one of those). the pile can easily grow out of control. here's a fun project for the shirts you're ready to part with. step-by-step instructions are below the image.

tassel hat:

 1. turn t-shirt inside out, iron and place flat on work surface.

 2. cut in a straight line from armpit to armpit, so that you are left with a tubular piece of fabric. the height of your tube should be 17” high; if it is longer, cut tube down to a 17” height (so basically, any t-shirt that measure 17” or more from hem to armpit will work for this project).

 3. measure 8” across from the left side seam and draw a vertical line with pencil or tailor's chalk. pin both layers of t-shirt together and cut vertically to the right of this line, leaving about a half inch seam allowance.

 4. machine stitch on this line, so that you now have a tube that is 17” high and 16” diameter.

 5. from the rest of the T-shirt, cut a strip that is 8” long and a quarter inch wide.

 6. turn tube good side out, gather and double-knot firmly together with this strip at 10” height.

 7. cut the rest of the tube that sticks out above the knot into quarter inch vertical strips.

cat hat:

 1. turn t-shirt inside out, iron and place flat on work surface.

 2. cut in a straight line from armpit to arm pit, so that you are left with a tubular piece of fabric. the height of your tube should be 17” high, if it is longer, cut tube down to a 17” height (so basically, any t-shirt that measure 17” or more from hem to armpit will work for this project).

 3. measure 16” across from left side seam and draw a vertical line with pencil or tailor's chalk. pin both layers of t-shirt together and cut vertically to the right of this line, leaving about a half inch seam allowance.

 4. machine stitch on this line, so that you now have a tube that is 17” high and 32” diameter.

 5. fold over your inside-out tube vertically, and make a mark on the fabric fold at 8.5” high. from there, using pencil or tailor's chalk, draw a curved convex line to the top corner. flip over and repeat the process on the other side.

 6. unfold and cut to the right of this curved u-shaped line (though both layers), leaving about a half inch seam allowance.

 7. machine stitch on this line and cut off seam allowance diagonally at both ears, making sure not to cut into the stitching.

 8. turn hat good side out.

 9. fold over existing bottom hem by one inch to the inside of the hat. pin in place and machine stitch, leaving a 2” opening.

 10. cut an 18” long piece of flat elastic, attach a safety pin to one end, and use that to feed it through the opening. make sure to hold onto the other end of the elastic. once elastic has been fed all the way through, machine stitch both ends of elastic together and hand sew 2” opening shut.

11. last step: make a single knot in each “ear”. done!

Bungee Band Bracelets & More

i am so excited to announce the publication of "bungee band bracelets & more", a booklet i produced, photographed and wrote for the taunton press. the publication date is april 1 (no joke), and it is already available for pre-sale on amazon. i loved exploring the craft possibilities for this fun material, here are some examples of the projects you'll see in the booklet:

spotted in the window...

this stopped me dead in my tracks last summer. how cute is this collection of spool knitters in an amsterdam window? i really do think spool knitting is about to make a come-back, don't you?

book bench

i came across this genius idea last summer, during a daytrip to amsterdam: a book bench, appropriately in front of a book store. from what i could tell, the whole thing was mounted on a metal frame. i must try to make my own version...

artsy folk cat

here's a treasure i just picked up for a few dollars at housing works, one of my favorite new york city places to shop, and a great charity to booth. check out their online auctions as well, you'll find some amazing things! this little cat has already given me lots of ideas for making other stuffed animals, stay tuned...

alphabet de la brodeuse

this little book with embroidery templates for letters and monograms has been in my family's possession for as long as i can remember. i have always loved it, not only because i like the idea of personalizing items with a letter or monogram, these patterns also appeal to me on a purely graphic basis. it also recently occurred to me that these embroidery templates really have that retro 8-bit aesthetic that's so big again among kids.... what comes around, goes around...

tassel bracelet

here's another quick project, made with the recycled t-shirt yarn from haiti, generously donated by keith recker from hand-eye magazine. cut the yarn into 12 equal lengths, string the pieces through the loops of a chain bracelet and tie together. then, thread a gold-colored hex nut onto each end and secure with a knot. voila!

ghost dress

i have an issue with my knees, in that i don't like them. it's nothing personal, i'd just rather not they be exposed. a lot of dresses i buy however - new or vintage - end at or above the knee. in that case, i just make them a few inches longer by sewing on an extra-wide ribbon, a contrasting strip of fabric or - in this case - a piece of lace. i have no idea how these pictures came out so ghostly, maybe my dress is possessed?

tuxedo shirt-dress

i often turn shirts into dresses, and here's another example, using a vintage men's tuxedo shirt from the flea market. i took in the sides first a bit to give it some shape, and then sewed a long rectangle of off-white heavy satin crepe to the bottom. the back was finished with a skinny satin ribbon. i usually wear this with a beat-up brown belt to break up all that white - and because i don't want to look like an off-duty nurse.

cork trivet

here's a fun diy project, that will give you an excuse to hit the bottle. all you need are lots and lots of wine corks - make sure they're all about the same height - and a metal hose clamp. these can be had for just a few dollars in varying sizes at any decent hardware store. just gather the corks in a group and tighten the clamp around them, you will need a screwdriver to do this. cheers!