scraptastic color pop!

Last Saturday we gathered at the Ragfinery for a Scraptastic Color Pop workshop.

photo by Angela Cook

photo by Angela Cook

We made yo-yo pins and pom-pom garlands to add color to the cold winter grey.  Everyone was excited to practice these basic hand sewing techniques with infinite possibilities.

 Angela, who makes hats as Humperdinck, took the basic yo-yo concept and went wild.

Barbara ditched the heart for a robot on her pin.

Read Cynthia St.Clair's blipfoto post about her day here.
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easter craft video

greener grass from Libby Chenault on Vimeo.
Watch the video for simple easter craft inspiration. Then read the variations for extended play ideas with any easter grass or customized shredded paper. Think about how your own child likes to play and I'm sure you will find even more ways explore this simple idea together, adding texture to your existing toy collection. And when you tire of the grass around your home, you have my permission to just throw it away in the recycle bin.

for anyone who likes giving remarkable gifts

• use it as packing material

for the very young:

• take it in and out of a box, bag or bowl
• throw it in the air
• scrunch and crinkle to make noise see what it sound like inside an empty container

for imaginative play

• cut white paper to be snow drifts
• green paper for grassy hillsides where animals burrow
• blue paper can be water
• play cook with noodles nests 
• fill a box with the shredded paper and small treasures (bones?) for some archeological digging
  

free inspiration when you join our mailing list

Stumptown with kiddos

We were in Portland for the weekend. Last week before we left I had planned to do some super fun write up about all the hip, eco friendly, design we would experience in the city. You've probably seen blog posts like I was envisioning: gorgeous photos of interesting food, cool yards about to burst into spring, bicycles, tattoos, cute dresses, stationary shops, murals and endless coffee.And although we ate some great Barbeque at Russell Street and had a fabulous time at the Kennedy School soaking pool, I didn't photograph any of it. I just enjoyed being with my family. We were on an economical  visit with two three year olds in our crew, so mostly we stayed at our friends' home.

But as you can see, I was inspired by our experience in the city.  

These kids played tough all weekend, usually in some combination of pajamas and batman t shirts.Luckily our hosts had two of these shirts each with a detachable cape.

Back at home today, Franklin had to hang out in the studio with me. We pulled out his own thrift store t shirt and my new snap setter.

 

I used snaps instead of velcro simply because I want to try my new snaps. But also, when the kids played rough, the velcro capes would come off too easily. And the texture of the velcro tab on the shirt irritated Franklin when he was cape-less. He hasn't played around in the shirt yet, so I don't know if it was a better choice or just a different choice.

I love the way the symbol looks in reverse applique. Practicing this technique I use as moth and squirrel keeps the project interesting for me. I also love that this technique allowed me to use all cotton (just tshirt scraps) for the cape. I hate the texture of most kids' costumes and was glad to make something comfy and breathable not slippery polyester.

 

I left all the edges unfinished on the cape. They will roll with time but keep it a super quick project.

A toast to cardboard toys

Welcome to a new series on toys made from junk. Not the fancy stuff I make to sell, the stuff we can all make from something in the recycle bin. There are some very impressive upcycled kids toy makeovers on design blogs and Pinterest, but in some ways those are more for the parents sense of style and accomplishment. Just tiny versions of our obsession with Personality Expressed through Home Improvement. I like projects that are scrappy, not too precious, that the child can participate in making too.

First up is toast.

Easy thing to make when you are hungry, easy thing to make when you are pretending to be hungry. Pretend food is a pretty common gender neutral play item. From plastic reproductions of McDonald's happy meals to heirloom wooden cucumbers that slice apart with Velcro action, you can find this type of toy in every price range and dietary niche. We have a fun selection of fabric vegetables from Ikea that Franklin was using to whip up pretend breakfast for me. And although cabbage is a refreshing breakfast item, his favorite food is toast. As I pretended to chew a cabbage leaf wrapped around an entire leek, I thought about some amazing faux bread I have seen around. But knowing that no respectable toy store would be open at 7am on a Sunday morning, I headed to our stockade of corrugated.

We do have the advantage of Steeb bringing home an amazing selection of cardboard from the grocery store(see photo of watermelon box above) but almost every home has some cluttering up the recycle bins. I just cut a super basic toast shape free hand and then colored the edge to look more like crust. You could trace a piece of bread if you don't feel comfortable with intuitive loaf forming. Franklin "buttered" the toast and we were ready to play.

I found another random box that could be a toaster. I thought about cutting holes in the top or adding a knob or covering it in tinfoil to look like metal, but in the moment, this worked. And it is still a box that could find some other use this afternoon.

It doesn't take crazy craft skills or special tools to make simple toys. It's good for you, your kids' imagination and the earth. Now, what's for lunch?

this one isn't a drawing, but I just love the way this darn turned out. It looks a bit like those fancy new bar code smart phone things, but in neon lemon and grey. I really love darning sweaters and socks to prolong their usefulness, add some character and infuse the fabric with extra love. I almost never get socks at thrift stores, but when you go through the trouble of mending a once new sock, I think it counts as thrifty style.
If you are interested in a January mending class at my studio, be sure to get yourself on the mailing list.

a moment of celebration and then back to work

Thanks to my sweet models who helped me put together a winning application to the winter Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle. My family also stayed calm and cute while I waited impatiently this morning for the list to be announced. And hopefully they will bear with me as I shift into super production mode to bring you remarkable recycled goods this holiday season. And congratulations to all my Bellingham crafty peers who will be storming the city with our subdued style.

Bellingham Textile Project

I am excited to be working with ReUse Works on a new textile venture. Following the basic model of their Appliance Depot they will provide job training for low income folks while keeping items out of the landfill. This time instead of repairing refrigerators and dishwashers, it will be a variety of fabric based projects, from collaboration with local designers to bundled rags for use in machine shops.

We need to collect as much information as possible in this grant writing and business plan writing stage of the process. So if you haven't already, and you do any sort of crafts with fabric in whatcom county, please fill out this survey by clicking here.

Thanks so much. I'll keep you posted on the project and how you can participate as it develops in the coming year.

'zine librarian style

 

I bought this necklace and earrings from the lucky dumpster about a month ago and have been patiently waiting for september to wear them.  Since I haven't been in school for so long, to say back to school style is a little silly. But I definitely like the school/librarian vibe, so I dub this style the 'zine librarian.

 James made the jewelry from old wooden rulers. Style is about breaking the rules of fashion and wearing what you love.

 For the rest of the look, it's the autumn version of stripes and florals I have been loving this summer. I bought the shirt from goodwill a while ago. Knee socks from H&M the first time I went there in New York City, probably about 6 years ago or was it 10? Boots are Simple brand, I love them.
And the skirt was my big personal crafty project this summer. It's lightweight fabric from Steeb's grandma's stash of fabric. I folded it selvedge edge to edge.  Then I used elastic thread in my bobbin case and stitched about a dozen rows around the top. This makes the faux smocking and is all the shaping. Then I added a patch pocket and stitched up the side. Super simple.

sack of potatoes

 

There are plenty of projects out there using burlap right now, things made to look rustic and natural by using this humble fabric. The irony is many of the buntings and slip covers and votive candles use brand new burlap by the yard to achieve these eco-fabulous results. So I was really pleased when Mary from Hammerhead roasters was able to hook me up with some of their burlap sacks. I started a sewing project with franklin and planned some more Pinterest inspired crafty projects. However this way of growing potatoes is bringing me so much pleasure right now, it feels like enough.This is recycling at its most simple and elegant. It required no additional products or tools, filled a genuine need, and retained the character of the material's original purpose.

I have two of these set up now, one at the garden class for folks with disabilities and one on our front lawn. By layering more organic matter vertically it should be easier to harvest potatoes and allow us to grow more in a small space. Especially useful since we have clay soil at our house that is a bear to dig.  As the plant grows we unroll more of the bag and stuff it with more straw and soil, keeping a few leaves exposed to catch the sun. I often see this basic idea of growing vertical potatoes created by stacking old tires. But the reality is, a stinky old tire is really heavy to lift onto a stack of tires. And although old tires are often free, they are rather difficult to bring home in a tiny car or on the back of a bicycle. But someone who uses a wheelchair or a two year old can easily work with the burlap sack. When it comes time to harvest our sack of potatoes, we just tip it over or cut a slit in the side to let the spuds tumble into our eager hands.

Thanks to Mary for the sacks. The Stomp Swill Dark roast alone inspires all kinds of creative projects. I am grateful for another great resource from my farmers market community. But if you don't live in Bellingham, they ship their deliciousness!(click here to check out their roasts.)