| Tall Mouse Arts & Crafts O.C. store to close An Orange County-based, family-owned arts and crafts retailer is holding a liquidation sale for one of its two stores. The business is closing a 37,000-square-foot store that opened in 1998 because its too large a format and a challenging... retail.ocregister.com |
Summer CRAFT Camp Roundup This summer, CRAFT has reinstated our popular Summer Camp series, and we've continued to share some very fun projects. We thought we'd take a look back at some of our favorite Summer Camp CRAFT projects from last year in case you're itchin' for even more things to do this summer with your kids. These chocolate banana pops from Katie Goodman are making my mouth water. Not only would the kids love to eat them, making them would be a great summer activity as well. Becky shows you how to make a pinhole camera in this CRAFT video. It would be a great weekend project for the family and a unique way to capture some summer photographic memories. This scooter bag from Kathie Sever and Bernadette Noll is a fun project to work on together, and is highly functional. Tweens and teens will have fun putting together these candy box purses. These are just a few of the fun projects that were featured in last summer's Summer CRAFT Camp. Be sure to check out the entire archive for loads more summer craft fun!Read the Full Story » | More on CRAFT » | Comments » | Read more articles in CRAFT Summer Camp | Digg this! blog.craftzine.com |
Zero Waste Design Photo by: Fred R. Conrad/The New York TimesSimon Collins, far left, of Parsons, Scott Mackinlay Hahn and Fiona Dieffenbacher with a five-pocket jean pattern.I really enjoyed this article from the Sunday New York Times, "Fashion Tries on Zero Waste Design," and I've been thinking about it all week. It was something I'd never given much thought to, but it certainly seems like another straw on the camel's back of consumerism, reminding us to make, not buy. While the home sewer is often trying to make the most of a treasured piece of fabric -- laying out the pattern pieces this way and that, trying to use every scrap, and often saving a bit for embellishment somewhere else -- industrial sewing is stacked towards sewing efficiency, not fabric conservation. (Apparently 15-20% of the fabric used in making our clothes heads to the landfill since it's cheaper to trash than recycle or reuse.)The good news is that some impassioned designers are trying to change this trend. (Parson's School of Design debuts one of the first classes in zero waste design this fall.) The bad news is that it's really hard. (Large-scale production would have to change it's entire infrastructure to accommodate different fabric widths.) In the article, Timo Rissanen, a Finnish designer teaching the Parson's course, talks about rethinking his craft: " 'I basically had to learn to design again,' Mr. Rissanen said of his initial forays into zero waste. 'The first year and a half was a lot of trial and error.' "According to the article, jeans are particularly hard on the environment: " 'Jeans are one of the most wasteful and polluting garments that are made,' said Mr. Collins of Parsons, citing not only the unused fabric, but also the dyes added only to be washed out again, the energy used to transport the denim all over the world, the packaging, and the gallons of water used by consumers to clean the jeans. 'And of course it's one of the staples of everyone's wardrobe.' " So that raises a lot of questions for us all: Are we willing, as consumers, pay a little bit more to cover the costs of the sewing industry's infrastructure changes? Should designers be mindful of pollution and energy while creating (ie no more stone washed or distressed jeans)? Or maybe we should all just make our own pants, using every scrap of fabric. Economist Robert Reich argues that economic growth and consumerism are not inextricably linked in this post on Salon; what better way to grow and shrink at the same time is there than tightening our literal belts?(I highly recommend reading the whole article; it's a fascinating look into the complicated decisions made in the garment industry today. Timo Rissanen also has a blog, Zero Fabric Waste Fashion, which has a lot more info on zero waste design if you're interested.)Read the Full Story » | More on CRAFT » | Comments » | Read more articles in Design | Digg this! blog.craftzine.com |
Anthology - New Design Magazine Anh-Minh Le and Meg Mateo Ilasco have joined their creative forces to launch a new quarterly print magazine focused on design called Anthology. The magazine focuses on decor, travel, design, entertaining, and culture. The premiere issue is titled "The Slow Life" - the idea of taking it easy and taking pleasure in the simple things with articles by Joy D. Cho, Grace Bonney, and more. Find out how to subscribe and follow @anthologymag on Twitter.Read the Full Story » | More on CRAFT » | Comments » | Read more articles in Design | Digg this! blog.craftzine.com |
Pumpkin Carving With Kids By Jessica WilsonIf I remember one thing from pumpkin carving as a child it is the tears and the agony of an imperfect pumpkin. Oh, the agony! I've been pumpkin carving with kids for seven years now and so far, so good. No tears involved! Here's a nifty way to carve away and I am sure I do not have to remind you that I do not recommend handing over a sharp knife to your child. The nephew a-go-go is indeed using a very sharp blade all on his lonesome in the following pictures. This is the first year we let him under our close supervision. You know your child better than anyone else, so keep the blades far away unless you are very, very certain your young one can handle it.Read the Full Story » | More on CRAFT » | Comments » | Read more articles in CRAFT Projects | Digg this! blog.craftzine.com |