Archive for the 'DIY' Category

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DIY : LOTTA LIGHT

Published on August 27, 2008 in DIY. 5 Comments Tags: blueprint magazine, cabbage, fractal, julia rothman, light, lotta jansdotter, twin socket adapter.

Lotta Jansdotter is an inspiration in so many ways. I’ve been a fan of her prints and books for a long time. The September 2007 issue of Blueprint featured her Brooklyn studio. The thing that caught my eye was the light fixture above her desk. It was so organic looking, almost like some complex molecule from chemistry class. (I wouldn’t know which one, since it was hardly my best class) I learned after closer examination, that the fixture is extremely simple to make. The light is made of twin socket adapters that you can pick up at any hardware store. There are infinite possibilities with the configuration, you just keep screwing the adapters into each other and the fixture grows. It’s probably the best lighting project for someone with absolutely no electrical knowledge. There’s no wiring involved.

I’ve made two of them for the shop. One of them is in the bathroom hanging above the Julia Rothman print. There was just an ugly socket sticking out of the wall there. This was a great solution to sprucing that wall up without major expense. If you want to get fancy, check out these fractal chandeliers. They are made with the same adapters but follow a more mathematical approach to construction and use up to forty four adapters.

Speaking of fractals, I found this amazing paper fractal sculpture and a fractal cabbage!

{Blueprint magazine photo courtesy of Reva}

INTRODUCING : OPERATION SOCK MONKEY

Published on August 16, 2008 in DIY, local, stitchery and the workroom. 3 Comments Tags: clowns without borders, kids trunk show, operation sock monkey.

photographs courtesy of Lindsey Hodgson

The sock monkey has a long history as a popular children’s toy in North America. The design ingeniously transforms a pair of socks, a pair of buttons, stuffing and thread into a lovable creature. Traditionally, the red-heeled work sock has been the most popular choice for sock monkeys. The red heel forms the distinctive mouth on the stuffed monkeys. But nowadays the monkeys come in all sock varieties, each one cute and ready for some monkey fun.

Lindsey Hodgson believes in the power of these monkeys to make a difference. She started up Operation Sock Monkey to create awareness for Clowns without Borders and to send sock monkey ambassadors to children affected by AIDS/HIV in South Africa.

How was Operation Sock Monkey born?

Lindsey: Operation Sock Monkey (OSM) was born from a love of sock monkeys and a belief in their healing powers on the human soul. No matter who you are or what you do, a sock monkey will cheer you up when you’re feeling blue!

Why is this cause so important to you?

Lindsey: Can you imagine losing your most or all of your family to an epidemic? Who would be left to ask you what you want to be when you grow up? Who would sing songs with you and make you smile? Who would let you know that you are loved?

I believe that the work that Clowns Without Borders does is vital in the the healing process of those bereaved by or infected with HIV/AIDS. Daily life is often a struggle when faced with challenges meeting very basic human needs, such as food shortages and drought, on top of having or living with someone who has this debilitating virus. The clowns provide much needed comic relief and emotional support in the form of shows and workshops. Sometimes they also provide food and other resources to the communities they work in. They are bringing extreme positivity to a very negative situation and the response they are met with is astounding! I am delighted to fundraise for them through sock monkey sales and sponsorships. And I’m absolutely floored at how many others have lent their energy, creativity and resources to OSM.

How many monkeys have you been able to donate so far?

Approximately 150 monkeys have been sent via clown-courier to HIV/AIDs orphans living in South Africa. More than half of those were sewn by volunteers who have donated their time and talents to the cause. It’s really inspiring to be moved by a project happening around the world, and then do something about it here at home, and to have others join in and say – ‘Hey! we want to help too!’ It brings a sense of of global community and citizenship that seems so difficult to attain in this big crazy world. Small acts of love can make a huge difference.

Why do you think everyone loves sock monkeys?

The sock monkey is a magical creature who lives for many human lifetimes. Their very nature is Reincarnative. Some will have 5, 6, 7 owners. Imagine the stories they could tell, the things they have seen, the feet they have warmed! Humans can sense the innate wisdom and omnipotence of these marvelous beings and are easily enchanted by them.

Lindsey & Operation Sock Monkey will be at the Kids Trunk Show at the workroom, 1340 Queen Street West, on Sunday August 17 from 12-5pm. Show your support for this worthy cause and purchase a sock monkey or three.

If you’d like to learn to make your own sock monkey you can join a workshop taking place next door to the Kids Trunk Show at Shop Girls, 1342 Queen Street West, on Sunday August 17 starting at 1pm. The cost of the workshop is only $15 or free if you donate your monkey to Operation Sock Monkey. All materials and supplies will be provided. All ages are welcome and youngsters are encouraged to bring along an adult to partner with.

Sock monkeys can be purchased anytime from the Operation Sock Monkey website. Monetary donations or even material donations of new socks or stuffing are accepted, as well.

photographs courtesy of Lindsey Hodgson

TUTORIAL : GRADING & UNDERSTITCHING

Published on July 30, 2008 in DIY and stitchery. 14 Comments Tags: grading, my little pony, strawberry shortcake, tutorial, understitching.

This is a very short tutorial to teach you a couple of easy techniques that can have huge impact on your garment making. A lot of modern patterns skip these steps, often suggesting top-stitching instead. Top stitching is useful, even pretty in some cases, but it certainly isn’t refined. Once you understand grading and understitching you will see how useful they are. You can use these easy techniques in your facings, waistbands, linings and anywhere else that your seam allowance is pressed together and not open. Grading reduces the bulk of your seam allowance and encourages the seam to lie flat. The understitching keeps the inner layer from rolling to the outside and gives a clean, professional look.

For me, it’s the little tricks like these that really give me such pleasure and pride in my dressmaking.

Did you know that My Little Pony; is 25 years old? Check out the My Little Pony Project, 25 artists are designing 25 ponies! {via NOT COT} I never actually had a My Little Pony, I was too obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake.

TUTORIAL : IRONING BOARD MAKEOVER

Published on July 23, 2008 in DIY, stitchery and the workroom. 46 Comments Tags: ironing board cover, ironing station, pin board, tutorial.

Here it is! My very first online photo tutorial. This is a super easy project, that can spruce up your sad ironing board into something rather charming. If you’re following along, I’m working on making my ‘ironing stations’ more bright and cheery with pin boards and now cute ironing board covers. I thought I’d share the process with you in case you wanted to do the same thing.

It was harder than I thought, making sure every single step was documented. If something isn’t clear, please leave some comments. I’d love love love to hear what you think! (Especially if you like it & I’ll do more!)

PIN BOARD PERSEVERANCE

Published on July 22, 2008 in DIY, etsy, patchwork, scraps, stitchery and the workroom. 11 Comments Tags: cork board, fabric-covered tacks, flush mount hanger, Homasote, Home Hardware, Honda Element, pin board, shim and sons, Zipcar.

Fabric covered tacks & Patchwork Pin Board, originally uploaded by the workroom.

Reading piles of crafty/designy blogs everyday leads to lots of saved bookmarks of things to try out. Making a fabric-covered pin board and fabric-covered thumbtacks has been floating near the top of my mental ‘crafty projects list’ for over a year.

The main problem has been sourcing out the paper board that most people in the States use as the base, homasote. Homasote is a recycled paper board that is used in construction and apparently makes ideal pin board material, as it can be covered or even painted. They had never heard of it at my local Home Depot, Rona or Home Hardware. I contacted Homasote directly trying to find out who they sold it to in Toronto. I was given the name of a place in Rexdale, who carries it in 4′x8′ sheets, but can’t cut it down. The distance and the logistics of it were too discouraging.

Recently, I decided to give up on the idea. I thought I would just go get a ‘regular’ cork board from Staples and just stain it dark grey to keep it from looking too much like a ‘regular’ cork board. I swear, I read somewhere that you can stain cork. Well, when I stained the cork board it started bubbling all over. What! I hauled it down into the basement and put it under some piles of drywall and tiles hoping that the weight over a couple weeks would flatten the whole thing out again. No such luck. I had ruined a perfectly ‘regular’ cork board.

Why was I settling for ‘regular’ anyways?

Every once in a while, i amass a huge list of errands on my day off that necessitate the use of a Zipcar. I went for the biggest car you can get, the Honda Element, so that I could drive around town and just load it up with goodies. After a bit of googling, I located another building supply place in Markham that not only carried the board, but would cut it into manageable pieces for me. The ironic thing? It’s the same building supply place that used to be around the corner from me, literally. I used to be able to walk over, borrow their dolly and haul huge sheets of wood home on my own. I was devastated when they closed that location down. I made the long drive up the DVP and I finally got my Homasote and got to have a little reunion with my old building supply pals.

The rest was a piece of cake. The boards were cut down to 2′x4′. I used two of them for the back of the shop. I have to give credit to Debbie who did all the patchwork and thumb tack covering. They look so sweet!

As for the hanging – always get advice if you don’t know what you’re doing and use the right tools! My guy at Home Hardware set me up with these amazing ‘flush mount hangers’ that can be screwed into the back of the board and then a matching one into the wall and they slide into each other. These are perfect for hanging anything large. He also set me up with the perfect drill bit, anchors and screws.

Here’s the tutorial on doing the pin board and also the fabric-covered tacks. Otherwise, buy one on etsy from Shim and Sons and save yourself the drama.

For me, it was worth it. I feel total satisfaction over conquering this craft challenge. Plus, I have enough Homasote to make a couple more boards.

Now – Any ideas on what to do with a bubbly cork board?

ADDED NOTE: I’ve had so many people ask about where I got my Homasote, so I’m posting it here. If you happen to find another location in the Toronto area, post it in the comments, tons of people are looking to find it!

Rosebank Wholesale Lumber
905-477-4011
186 Old Kennedy Road, Markham, ON L3R0L5

THE FIRST TIME

Published on July 17, 2008 in DIY and stitchery. 2 Comments Tags: ipod case.

Lucy’s ipod case, originally uploaded by the workroom.

I have to admit, I’ve been feeling extra busy this week. I have a list of things to do that is pages long and it keeps growing. There are lots of great things in the works, but sometimes I get so caught up in all the details.

Luckily, Lucy and her sister Sophie came in to do some sewing today. Lucy is 10 years old and her sister is a few years younger. It was their first time using a sewing machine and they wanted to make cases for their new ipods. This is what Lucy made, ON HER OWN. She cut out windows for the screen and wheel and put in clear vinyl, the opening at the bottom folds to the back and is secured with velcro. The design even accounts for having the earphone cord plugged in while it is in the case.

I stepped away from my silly list to watch Lucy discover sewing and just dive in to do it herself with hardly any help. It was her very first time and look at the amazing thing she made.

Do you remember the first time you used a sewing machine? I wish I could. I have vague memories of making a black tote bag on my own, perhaps during my ‘black clothing’ phase in high school, but I doubt that was my first time on the machine.

ART IN THE UNDERPASS

Published on July 14, 2008 in art and DIY. 5 Comments Tags: Banksy, Bloor Street, graffiti, underpass.

Bloor Street Underpass, originally uploaded by the workroom.

Things like this make me smile on a daily basis. A huge and detailed mural was recently painted on the south side of the underpass just west of Lansdowne on Bloor Street West. It’s really quite pretty, mixing wallpaper imagery with trees, leaves and pine cones. I’m assuming that this is a sanctioned art piece, as it was put up gradually over a couple weeks, during the day. I walk along the underpass everyday and I think this is a brilliant way to improve a some-what unpleasant piece of the urban landscape.

I’m obsessed with the graffiti artist, Banksy. I wonder how much of this article is true. {via NOTCOT}

Also – Ellie told me about this a while ago, I really want to try it. I think this would be a good project for the workroom’s garden.

p.s. It’s my day off and it’s sunny, so I’m spending the day outside!

{AN ADDED NOTE – I did my research on the underpass artist, it’s Richard Mongiat. There is a great posting here about the project. Read through to the comments, I was really disappointed to hear people’s negative reactions to the lack of colour in the mural. I personally think that’s why it’s so refreshing.}

FABRIC COVERED BUTTON BADGES

Published on July 11, 2008 in accoutrement, DIY, scraps, textiles and the workroom. 8 Comments Tags: badge, button, button press, fabric-covered, scrap, tutorial, whip up.

Fabric covered buttons, originally uploaded by the workroom.

I bought my first button press about eight years ago. I had visions of making buttons from everything around me – postage stamps, newspaper classifieds, doodles and FABRIC. It was a disappointing moment when I realized that the button press always tore or stretched the fabric. It didn’t stop me from making thousands of buttons from everything else, but it was always a sore spot that fabric was not an option.

How excited was I to read this post on WhipUp today about this tutorial that shows an ingenuous way to make covering buttons with fabric work. It’s absolutely brilliant! This could pose a serious problem for scrap-hoarders, it makes a mere 1.5″ round piece of scrap worth holding onto.

SUMMER SCARF

Published on July 6, 2008 in DIY, stitchery and textiles. 2 Comments Tags: napkins, rolled hem, serger, summer scarf.

Summer Scarf, originally uploaded by the workroom.

I wasn’t sure about the summer scarf for the longest time. Mostly, I think I was intimidated by just figuring out to tie them so that they look good. Some girls make it looks so easy.

The best thing about the scarf is that it is the easiest thing to make. I’ve been enjoying checking out all the colourful cotton plaid yarn-dyed fabrics at Designer Fabric Outlet lately. I look for a soft and light-weight fabric that has a fringe along the selvedge. I adore fabrics with pretty selvedge detailing. This orange plaid is made in France and super soft. I’ll often buy a yard, which is enough to make two scarves. One for me and one to give to a friend. It’s best to use a fabric that is at least 54″ wide, so that you get a nice long scarf. Square off the edge of your fabric, along the cross-wise grain (from selvedge to selvedge) and then cut the width of your scarf from your squared edge out. I’ve used both 12″ and 18″ widths, depending on the weight of the fabric and how much volume I want. To finish off the raw edges, I do a rolled hem on my serger with a contrasting or matching embroidery thread. Serge the two long sides and you’re done. It’s pretty much instant gratification with maximum results.

I’ve been using the serger rolled hem on everything. My other favourite quick project is to make cotton cloth napkins. I’ve stopped using paper napkins altogether, which feels good. Dinner-sized napkins are usually about 18″ square and luncheon-sized napkins are about 15″ square. Cut out your squares of fabric and serge all sides. Add some embroidered detailing or a lino-block print and these make an awesome gift.

TIP: I use fray check on the ends to keep the serged thread from unravelling.

Doing a rolled hem is different on all sergers, but there are some excellent tips here.

BIRDIE SLING

Published on July 3, 2008 in accoutrement, DIY, stitchery, textiles and the workroom. 5 Comments Tags: Amy Butler, Birdie Sling, handbag, sewing pattern.

Birdie Sling, originally uploaded by the workroom.

Amy Butler Birdie Sling Pattern
Exterior fabric – Amy Butler Tree Peony in Lime
Band & Handle fabric – Lecien Centenary Collection
Lining fabric – Amy Butler Happy Dots in Grey

I tend to tote too many things back and forth from home to the shop. Piles of fabric that need to be washed and dried for projects, books, my camera, Maisy supplies, various groceries, wallet, and all the other extra bits of things that I may or may not need on a daily basis. The new Amy Butler pattern for the Birdie Sling arrived at just the right time. I was starting to feel like a sloppy bag lady.

This was my first attempt at one of her handbag patterns. So far, I really like her patterns a lot. There was a glossary of terms included with the pattern that explained all of the technical terms quite clearly. The pattern calls for both fusible interfacing and fusible fleece. I didn’t have any fusible fleece and just did the interfacing only. I’m happy with how it turned out, but if you want a much ‘stiffer’ band around the top, you might include the fleece. There are two pockets on the inside, which could easily be further customized with a zipper or additional compartments. My goal was to finish the bag as quickly as possible, so I passed on doing additional any work. The one thing I did do, was make the small pocket using the handle fabric for a bit of contrast inside the bag.

This bag is amazing! You wouldn’t believe how much stuff it can hold and the shoulder strap is very comfortable. The design is very smart and easy for a beginner sewer. I learned a lot of great tricks from making this pattern. I especially like the curved gussets at the bottom and the pleating along the top.

I absolutely recommend this bag for both looks and function. I’ll be slinging this birdie with me everywhere from now on.