Wednesday 16 Jul 2008
Tuesday 15 Jul 2008
Biggest Regrets Video
This fits in nicely with the recent Words of Wisdom post…
Musician Chris Blake googled the words “biggest regret” and used what he found to make this video for his song Someone Else.
It’s at times hilarious and other times poignant.
For more, see: Chris Blake Music
via boing boing
Monday 14 Jul 2008
Review: Uniquely Felt
I started making felt (a non-woven fabric made with un-spun sheep’s wool) in 1997. I was at Arrowmont in a metals class when I injured my wrist and was unable to continue. I was staying in the class to observe, when a fellow student opined that I was moping around and should um, get out.
Really.
The teacher offered no contradictory advice. I decided to go somewhere else. I read a lot of books in the library, pondered my injury, and came within 20 feet of a bear. Really, a bear. Right there on campus. He stared at me. I backed away slowly.
Luckily, Arrowmont has a wonderful open studio policy, you can wander around anywhere, the studios are open til midnight. Each teacher does a slide lecture and a demo, so you’re exposed to all kinds of art and media, not just your own.
It turns out fiber people are terrifically friendly. I hung out with the felters. One of them told me about the Michigan Fiber Festival. I attended that year and took some classes. For the most part, I limit myself to metalsmithing and Precious Metal Clay. Metals have a long learning curve and I don’t want to be distracted.
Felting is one of my only ventures into another medium. Since I found felting in ‘97, I continued to take workshops, learn on my own and make hats, scarves, Christmas stockings and yardage. I read a lot and joined the North American Feltmakers Alliance.
I learned from different teachers and found my own favorite methods.
Over that last 11 years, there has been an explosion in felt making techniques — all kinds of innovative, new and exciting methods have been developed, or at least the word got out about them.
Needle felting and various methods for making very thin felt, for example.
There were some small, self-published books on these subjects, but mostly, you had to attend the fiber festivals and take workshops to learn these techniques.
This book, Uniquely Felt, is amazing, because it brings together, in one place, all the innovations of the last 11 years. It’s gorgeous, complete and a terrific resource. Tips previously only seen in online forums, are here, in full color.
The Featured Artist pages introduce you to a number of the big names in felting.
If you’ve never made felt before, you can read this book and confidently make felt, and make these projects.
Some “old school” felting methods (read: ’70s) are incredibly un-fun and tiresome — I took a workshop once with a teacher who actually had me sew muslin to my hat. Sew it!
It’s fabulous to see a book that explains all the new school methods and materials.
I love this book.
So whether you want to make hats, a bath mat, clothes, or smaller jewelry related projects — this complete book by Christine White is an education, beautifully illustrated with color pictures — will help you make what you want to make. It’s the most complete, up to date book out on felt making.
Sunday 13 Jul 2008
Words of Wisdom
I’ve been thinking about Kirsten Skile’s post, Words of Wisdom. She asked what words of wisdom have you been given?
One of my favorites is “Don’t Let the Turkeys Get You Down.”
Okay, so it’s on a Sandra Boynton coffee mug, but still, it’s good advice.
The others, and I’ve forgotten who said it, are: “Life is short,” and “Life is Long.”
Seemingly contradictory, but not.
Saturday 12 Jul 2008
Typewriter Strikers for Sale on Etsy
I’ve just updated my little Esty shop and added 3 sets of typewriter strikers, like these, above.
Here’s the link: CreativeTextureTools.etsy.com
Friday 11 Jul 2008
Blog Carnival Q: What’s Your Fav Hand Tool?
I’m an avid second hand shopper: estate sales, garage sales, rummage sales. It’s the thrill of the hunt. So it’s no surprise that I find tools on my hunts. The tool pictured above is a new version of the original one I bought at an estate sale of a dentist years and years ago.
I used it for wax work and then when I started working with PMC, I used this carving tool for my PMC work.
How do I use it? For cutting things out, of course. Also for applying slip. Possibly the most unusual way I use it is to refine edges on completely dry clay, particularly inside edges that can’t be reached with larger sanding tools.
So I took the tool to the classes I taught (I started teaching PMC in ‘97), and everyone loved this tool. They asked where to buy one and I didn’t know. I searched and searched for a source so that I could buy more for my students to use.
This little tool is also one of the products that launched my e-commerce business, CreativeTextureTools.com, since my students couldn’t find one either.
What’s your favorite hand tool? for metal clay or metalsmithing? Post a comment and let us know, email me a picture if you’d like it posted. Thanks!
For more blog posts on this subject, visit the other folks in the blog carnival:
Start here:
Thursday 10 Jul 2008
Free Tutorials and Videos: Print Gocco
Here are some super tutorials on how to Print Gocco (thermal silkscreening):
http://vanillabeanknits.blogspot.com
and more photos from VanillaBeanKnits:
on Flickr
