TOP 100 CRAFTS SITES
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| CRAFT Pattern Podcast: Mah Jong Embroidery Pattern Jenny Hart's newly-released book, Embroidered Effects, takes the easy-to-follow stitching instructions Jenny's know for and pulls in new and more advanced stitches and design elements to help move stitchers to a new level. Where Jenny's book Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To introduces basic stitches and provides dozens of very simple patterns, Embroidered Effects ups the ante by sharing more complicated stitches and ideas and inspiration for combining those stitches for a new, more stylized effect. Jenny's fun and friendly voice is strong throughout Embroidered Effects, and the projects are reflective of her unique sense of style and ability to translate centuries-old stitching techniques into new, engaging designs. Today's CRAFT Pattern Podcast holds special meaning for me on a few levels. I was lucky enough to be one of four women who helped stitch the sample projects that were photographed for Embroidered Effects. Last summer, Amy of Early Bird Special, Floresita of Things I've Made, Ginger of Ginger's Needlearts in Austin and I were each assigned three to four projects to stitch for Jenny's book. I was over the moon excited to learn that one of my projects would be a Mah Jong table cloth. My mom has played Mah Jong forever, and nine years ago, she finally convinced me to sit down and learn to play. (this is the traditional game of Mah Jong, not the computer matching game *) My first game lasted five hours, and I had to be pulled away from the table - I was hooked in a big way. Since then, my mom has gifted me with my own Mah Jong set, and I keep trying to find friends my age who know how to play or are willing to take a little time to learn. It turns out that Jenny is also an avid Mah Jong player, and she designed this gorgeous table cloth that I was able to stitch up for the book. The Mah Jong embroidery pattern offers a selection of tiles and gorgeous Asian-inspired ornaments, including Jenny's own stitch, the Lazy Lotus. I had such a blast stitching the table cloth, and I'm so excited that we get to share the Mah Jong pattern with you. If you aren't up for tackling an entire table cloth, you could whip of a snazzy set of napkins, tea towels or even a Mah Jong case cover. Aside from stitching, I hope this also inspires you to check out the game of Mah Jong if you haven't played it before. Grab some friends and settle in for a fun, thoughtful and beautiful game! And be sure to check out Embroidered Effects for more gorgeous, fun and inspiring designs! * Sadly, the photo stylist must have not been familiar with traditional Mah Jong, and set the table like a computer tile matching game. Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunesRead this article | Comment on this article blog.craftzine.com |
Crafts in store for museum âKidsâ Clubâ (Madison Eagle) MADISON - The Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, 9 Main St., will host two sessions of its after-school “Kids’ Club†in November, as participants explore the museum and Early American history. us.rd.yahoo.com |
Juice Box to Jukebox Juice Box to JukeboxBy Jessica WilsonMy friend Alexander (age 8) has an iPod shuffle. While he loves to listen to all his happy tunes, he is not a fan of the clippiness and wishes he had something to better house his mini jukebox. We didn't have MP3s back when I was a kid. We didn't even have CDs, but believe it or not we did have music and tunes and cassette tapes and walkmans (which are a lot like iPods but bulkier). My walkman was some no-name drugstore gadget but it still had headphones and played my favorite Oingo Boingo tapes to perfection. Size-wise it was a bit on the bulky side, and the plastic built-in clip didn't last too long so I made myself a cozy of sorts, but back then I called it a purse.Even as a junior high kid I thought outside the box. My first foray into fashionable crafting consisted of turning McDonaldland cookie boxes into purses. It was easy enough to do as long as I had a roll of packing tape and a yard or so of ribbon. This project plays on my old school sensibilities, but since all you lucky ducks use the much smaller iPod you can get away with something a bit smaller than a cookie box. Hopefully, Alexander will approve.Read this article | Comment on this article blog.craftzine.com |
Fun Snow From Color Me Katie Katie of Color Me Katie shows how she brought a little fun and color to her neighborhood snow that went dingy after the weekend blizzard. Read this article | Comment on this article blog.craftzine.com |
Craft Spaces: Cathy Callahan From vintage-style flower loom pins to mushroom pin cushions, I have always loved the beautiful crafts from Cathy Callahan, aka Cathy of California. Her craft room studio is no different as I eye over and find myself oogling over her beautiful vintage orange owl on her desk and her neat stack of drawers filled with supplies.Read on after the jump for more photos and a Q&A with Cathy!Read this article | Comment on this article blog.craftzine.com |