tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41064590558555427082011-07-31T03:08:10.451-07:00A daily journal of crafty inspiration from the realms of wooly fiber arts, sewing, and some less traditional lands.Annanoreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-61943114512236070232010-09-23T13:32:00.001-07:002010-09-23T17:25:41.132-07:00

Well, not ghosts so much as old sketches from my college days. It's been a while since I designed the old-fashioned way, with paper and pencil, so my current sketches are a bit... dubious, but here's some of my old favorites from back when I could still draw. I really like these ones because, unlike a lot of my sketches before, these are all meant to interact with each other.Enjoy "The

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-36427359867051822542010-09-22T01:12:00.000-07:002010-10-01T14:08:13.753-07:00

It occurred to me the other night, after making plans with a friend to get all dressed up fancy, that my evening wear is more or less limited to cutesy, somewhat moth-eaten vintage, over-the-top novelties, and quirky bargains rescued from thrift stores. A sample is presented below:1940s day dressEvening gown from a 1920s patternVintage kimono1950s-1960s day dress1960s cocktail dress1950s

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-19219242633159622262010-09-21T18:17:00.000-07:002010-09-21T19:00:50.471-07:00

And after a long hiatus, I'm going to try this again.First up:Pics of the costume I was working on when last I left you. It was all finished in time for the party, complete with boots (well, sock things, anyway) gloves, and a cape! Woo-hoo!For most of it, I just used old fabric I had lying around, plus a blue prom dress, and a lot of iridescent aquamarine fabric paint:The costume in its

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-30758557003103983412009-03-16T16:37:00.000-07:002009-03-16T22:40:05.305-07:00

In an effort to get a little more mileage out of a former Halloween costume, I decided to reuse some of the parts for an upcoming costume party. I am going to be a water-themed supervillain (since those are more fun anyway) and dig out all the spare parts left over from my awesome mermaid costume (pictured at left) from a few years previous (I actually wore the thing twice, although with a new

Annanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-78633546149888689792009-02-13T14:56:00.000-08:002009-02-19T17:24:51.842-08:00

In honor of one of the greatest comic books ever written being turned into a film this spring, I thought I'd return to my costuming roots of yore.How does one become a superhero? First, you have to develop a character, and then create a fantastic look. Naturally, you can always be an established super hero, such as Wonder Woman or Superman. These are pretty easy to pull off, so long as you don't

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-88471313188046971712009-01-27T13:08:00.000-08:002009-01-27T13:28:34.721-08:00

After a ton of sewing and much rehearsal, our lion dancing troupe performed for the Lunar New Year at a local elementary school. Here's a clip from the dance below (I'm the head!) They're hard to see, but the leg pieces and foot covers were all sewn by yours truly. I'll post a little how-to, with more detailed photos in a bit.

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-32572757692916337352009-01-17T15:35:00.001-08:002009-03-16T16:37:33.149-07:00

Special thanks to Sara for the lovely photos!Well, I have finally made some truffles. Quite a while ago, actually, but I haven't found time to post anything about them yet.This was quite an ordeal. I worked from a trio of recipes off of the Sunset Magazine website, although I can no longer locate the recipes. The basic recipes I followed can be found below.The most important thing to remember

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-13149622875629336092009-01-06T20:49:00.000-08:002009-01-06T21:49:50.781-08:00

Now, before you all think I'm totally insane, I want you to know that a friend commissioned me to make this little guy. I like the results, but I in no way endorse hurting actual fuzzy bunnies. Or unfuzzy ones. Or any critters (or people) for that matter.So, I started with a cute little beanie bunny my friend gave me.He asked me to make it look like the bunny's head had been taken off, and it

Annanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-70741273480102289762008-12-20T13:54:00.000-08:002009-01-06T21:29:04.273-08:00

I found a rosette/timbale set at the thrift store the other day! I was so excited, because my grandmother used to make rosette cookies every Christmas (although we called them funnel cakes...), so now I can make them.I decided to try the savory "party cracker" recipe, with tasty results. These things are deep fried and just terrible for you, but they are soooo good. They kind of remind me of

Annanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-40349985060131970672008-12-18T23:32:00.001-08:002009-01-06T21:20:01.825-08:00

With all this i-cord stuff, I've been wanting to do some kumihimo as well.Kumihimo is Japanese cord-weaving, usually out of fine silk thread, like that featured at the Hirai Kumihimo House. They even feature a series of videos showing the ages-old process of spinning, dyeing, and weaving the silk. Very cool.First of all, you need a loom. For the basic round braid, I found a couple of nice

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-45969445441893998272008-12-17T20:42:00.000-08:002008-12-20T14:34:23.964-08:00

I've been working on knitting up some felted wool bangles, so I thought I'd post a little tutorial. To start, you need to knit an i-cord. I-cords are like knitted tubes, and you can make them with two double-pointed needles.There are a ton of tutorials online, and here is mine:Here's what you need:yarn2 double pointed needlesNote: Make sure you pick a needle size that works with your yarn.

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-79249422686264558582008-12-09T10:43:00.000-08:002008-12-17T22:25:10.473-08:00

Here are some cool fiber arts projects from around the web. Please check these people out.Cute pincushions by Felt Like KnittingAwesome awesome awesome felted cats and dogs from Kay's K-9sWow. Crochet by Mitsuko Tonouchi

Annanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-74116310424567766342008-12-05T15:19:00.000-08:002010-09-21T10:42:21.632-07:00

Hooray! In finished an ornament for that dang exchange this weekend. It's a little owl softie made from a felted sweater and some other odds and ends. The only new materials are the button eyes and the blue felt. I know owls are the trendy thing now, but I was actually inspired by the cool old owls my grandma collected.I'm going to try making a bunch of these little friends, and perhaps

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-80688006982278083532008-12-04T17:05:00.000-08:002008-12-04T17:17:23.845-08:00

Argh! I'm going to a cookie/ornament party this weekend, and I STILL haven't figured out what kind of ornament I'm making for this year. I knew this would happen, as it does every year, that I would wait until the last minute.Normally I wouldn't have this much trouble, but there's a theme for the first time ever this year: “Wings.” What the hell am I supposed to do with that? I'm not going

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-48091705577593459032008-12-03T21:36:00.000-08:002009-01-06T21:26:25.383-08:00

Yes! This is made completely out of paper! And yes, you can make one too!So, I recently found out about the Paper Museum. As far as I can tell, it's designed for children, but they have so much cool stuff to print out and assemble, like this "Japanese Style Room," complete with rush mats (tatami), floor cushions (zabuton), and other assorted pieces.All told, there are printable dollhouses,

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-12326417940537494652008-12-03T20:01:00.000-08:002010-09-21T10:42:58.845-07:00

Taking Laura's advice, I decided to cannibalize some sweaters and other wool items for their yarn. The yarn from my thrift store afghan (a pretty wool number with jewel tones) is all gathered up and made into nice little balls. As much as I would have liked to have kept it for a blanket, it was really an inefficient design – there were huge holes knitted into the pattern, so it held in

Annanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106459055855542708.post-73233165071160296852008-12-03T01:42:00.000-08:002009-01-06T21:27:41.860-08:00

Here's an old tutorial from last Christmas for a knitted cupcake ornament:I sort of made the pattern up as I went along, and I was inspired by many of the things I saw here: http://softiescentral.typepad.com/blog/cupcake_wars/index.html. I don't have an exact pattern, but I can provide a brief outline of the techniques I used:CupI used 4dp needles, size 4 or 5.I cast on 6 stRow 1&2: K2, add

Annanoreply@blogger.com0