Christmas Camel Art Pint from society 6
there is a pantry full of seemingly innocent foodstuff just waiting in your kitchen to color and stain your clothing.
protect yourself. protect your favorite white threads. do it yourself.
here’s what you’ve got to do.
boil.
in separate pots and heaps of water, boil the heck out of :
-purple cabbage (chop a head into quarters)
-turmeric (2 heaping tablespoons)
-black tea (5 bags)
-beets (4 beets, quartered)
let the soups cool down.
tie.
elastic bands are particularly useful. the goal is to create sections that will later be the nice shapes the different colors make.
dye.
soak different sections in different colored broths. let the dye soak in and dry completely, then untie to see your designs. iron over all the dyed areas to ‘heat-set’ – this will keep the colors from fading.
start with something simple:
then try out a few tricks:
if you’re not sure how to get the hippie dream-swirl, the first minute of this video gives a good idea: link. it’s also helpful to try out your designs on small scraps of fabric.
have fun. play around. experiment.
just be warned.
A few weeks ago I went to visit a friend in Zurick whose roommate Annina is a professional textile artist. Needless to say, after breakfasting on slices of soft Butterzopf and Swiss cheese, I got busy asking her an inordinate amount of questions.
Annina told me about a project she was a part of last summer where a different artists each spent few days in the Alps. They stayed with cheese- and butter-makers who travel with their cows to remote spots for the whole summer since apparently the quality of the grass up there makes for better tasting milk. The artists each created work in their respective mediums based on the experience and put together a beautiful little art show. I love the whole idea, and now have another summer camping location to daydream about.
these photos are by Maija Savolainen
Annina and her friend Corinne Lutz, both textile designers, embroidered designs into the cheese cloth that were then transfered directly onto the fresh cheese. apparently the cloths were used all summer so that random cheese consumers got wheels with pretty designs.
Japan is pretty high up on my (quite long) mental list of countries I daydream of someday exploring, and this charming 2011 wall calendar of Japan inspired collages certaintly keeps the wanderlust ingnited. The images are simple and I imagine almost stereotypical in their depictions of Japanese culture. Makes sense, as two Swedish friends who are planning a trip to Japan, Hilda and Andrea, made the calendar. It would make a sweet and practical gift; you can buy it here, and proceeds go to funding their trip!
Proud Mary. I admire that you collaborate with artisan cooperatives in developing nations. I’d like a dress or three made out of your beautiful, handcrafted, patterned fabrics.
B and J Fabrics. I want every jacket and seat cover I own from now on to be made from your Navajo wools. They make my Pendleton-loving heart sing.
Milka Loom. Your hand embroidery skills merit many thumbs ups. Your tea towels made of hand woven fabrics from Sri Lanka are invited to my next picnic.
For Canada Day, I thought I’d post some things I’m liking lately that have come forth from a few great minds of this great land.
The simple and very wearable unisex pieces by this Toronto based collective are made using natural and sustainable fibers wherever possible. They are also the kind of items you put on and then don’t take off. For a week or two.
I fell in love with the idea of this book after meeting to the author & illustrator Julie Flett, but had to buy a copy from her after flipping through the stunning pages. The text is a collection of words in Michif, the language of the Metis people, a combination of Cree and French. Since it is a language that is predicted to disappear within a generation or so, Julie’s book is not only beautiful, but a way to preserve a piece of her heritage as a member of the Metis Nation. She did a lovely job of selecting words that convey a tradition and lifestyle, yet somehow managed to create fresh looking mixed media images that fit so well.
I think its neat that you can recognize French in many of the words. For example, La Pwii, or la pluie are the Michif and French words for rain.
I also like that the last line of the author’s bio, at the back of the book, reads: ” She enjoys weekly blueberry crepes (lii krep di belwe) and making pies (lii tart).”
Norwegian Wood
Angie Johnson is based out of Montreal, and designs harnesses, fringe accessories and clothing in very bold shapes and colors using a combination of new and vintage materials and, in her words, “other bits that I dig up in strange little stores throughout the mysterious city of Montreal”. Her stuff is incredibly unique, and very much her own. Her Spring 2010 collection is full of bright, West African prints that would provide a little sunshine to anyone who is wondering when summer was planning on showing up (right, Vancouverites?). I also really like the tribal yet retro feel of these three items from her Fall collection.
These epic sunglasses are from the ‘Make my Heart Melt’ collection by Stretis. My heart does melt a little for their slight cat-eye shape and their excessive floral-ness. I am also pretty amazed by the styling of these photos, and how they managed to make the hair I have to wake up to each morning look strangely wonderful. Note to self: before breakfast, sweep hair to one side and stand in front of abstract, pastel colored backdrop.
Since I am generally apt to ‘misplace’ sunglasses somewhere within a week to a month of acquiring them, and these particular ones cost somewhere in the ball park area of a month’s rent, chances are slim to none that I’ll be purchasing, but if you’re interested they’re available here.
I’ve always found jewelry to be a tricky thing to organize. Necklaces tangle easily, and if tucked away in a box, even our favorite pieces can be forgotten.
Since there are often stories woven into our beads and bling, they make for a nice, personal and somehow sentimental display. I like being able to see the chunky green glass beads made from recycled bottles that I got at Shambhala, the antique pearls my aunt gave me with jewels in the clasp, or the wrapped moonstone pendant made for me by I friend I’ve since lost touch with. Its like hanging photos from the wall, but in secret codes.
Until last week I had my necklaces tucked into and hung from a few different places. The necklaces in heavier rotation, I’d hang from a carved wooden hand I bought in Indonesia a few years ago. Although I love the hand, it was sort of toppling over, and necklaces were getting knotted into each other beyond use. The rest, I had stashed in a drawer, in Ziploc bags.
I also have a little jewelry box that was given to me years ago by my late grandfather. It’s sort of kitsch, cheaply made, and not in the best condition, which somehow makes me like it all the more, and if you wind the crank on the bottom it plays the most delicately creepy little melody. I like to imagine the bustling Tehran bazaar it might have come from, although I really have no idea where he got it. Inside, I keep the few pieces I don’t really wear, but want to hang on to – the little babooshka doll earrings I got in Poland, flashy ‘diamond’ clip-ons I’m pretty sure I wore to a high school dance or two, and the flower earrings from Hawaii that Gill gave me when we were teenagers.
I wanted to display all my necklaces so I wouldn’t forget about them, but also needed a way that wouldn’t take up too much space, or put too many marks in the wall. That this project was practically free, and took about fifteen minutes, was just icing on the cake. Rich, buttery, chocolatey icing – meaning it was basically my main incentive. I also like the natural, earthy aesthetic which is to be expected when your main material was found beach-combing.
Here’s what I did…
Supplies:
Step one: hammer some smaller nails into the branch.
Step two: hammer two larger, stronger nails into the wall and prop the branch on them.
Step three: hang jewelry from nails.
Step four: dispose of the Ziploc bags which previously ‘organized’ your necklaces.
When it comes down to it, getting dressed every day should be fun. I would love to live in a world where everyone wore exactly what they felt like wearing and felt great in their clothes (and bodies, for that matter… but that’s a whole other topic).
I doubt I’m alone when I say that I’m happiest with the way I look when I had fun putting myself together. Sometimes its easier said that done, as of course function, comfort, practicality and financial limitations are concerns best not entirely overlooked. But every once in a while, in the midst of a wardrobe crisis, one could use a little reminder that getting dressed is a sort of a privilege, a way to express ourselves and inject a little creativity into our everyday. Its so easy to become overly concerned with our appearances and the image we project, and I think it’s important to sometimes let some of that go; to stop taking ourselves so seriously.
In terms of having fun with your duds and wearing what you feel like wearing, when you feel like wearing it, Charlotte Kemp Muhl is kind of heroic. The American model and actress seems to have as great of a time with her wardrobe each morning as most of us only allow ourselves on Halloween. And I mean that in absolutely the best possible way. Although it sure doesn’t hurt that she’s tremendously good looking, I really admire her for having such a free spirited and unique sense of style.
(photos from the little black book)
I’m not necessarily endorsing blue lipstick, or the public display of one’s breasts and underwear, but I really applaud her devil-may-care attitude towards her attire.
And while we’re on the sub J., making things should be fun too! I really appreciate seeing humor injected into the handmade. Remember this furry little internet celebrity? Check out Carrie Dolashewich’s skillful embroidery inspired by the inexpicably popular, endlessly remixed and reinterpreted hamster.
(found here)
Fun is also what I had in mind when I started making bags out of shower curtains and calling them doucheBAGS.
And my final words on Fun for the moment: its what I imagine we’ll be having lots of at Make it Vancouver this weekend – a craft show with DJs and a licensed bar… If you’re in Vancouver this weekend, come say hello!
I’ve been trying to think of a gift for one of my aunties who is constantly being incredibly kind and generous. I wanted something simple and useful, just a small token of my appreciation. Handmade gifts are usually the ones that satisfy those requirements.
I decided to make this re-usable shopping bag out of grocery store plastic bags. It was easy-peasy.
Fusing a few layers of those thin plastic bags together with an iron creates a thick, durable material that can be sewn and embroidered like fabric. If you have an overflowing and never-ending stash of plastic bags from the grocery store, this is a great use for them! Not only will it put the plastic you already have to good use, it’ll give you a re-usable bag that will help you curb your dangerous collection habits.
What you’ll need:
-plastic bags (about seven layers to make a nice piece of fused plastic. I wanted three pieces for this project – one of each side of the bag and one for the bottom – so I used about 21 bags)
-an iron
-two large sheets of paper; I just used normal, large sheets
-something for the straps; I used carpet binding
-a sewing machine
What you’ll do:
Cut off the handles and bottom off each bag, and smooth them out.
Sandwich seven layers between two large pieces of paper. Iron for about 20 seconds for each area. Peel back the paper to make sure you now have one thick layer – if you have any little bumps or bubbles, iron a bit more.
Add any embellishments you like to the thick plastic fabric. You can paint on it, or fuse on brightly colored plastic bags cut into shapes.
- I sketched out the shapes I wanted in ball point pen and then embroidered them.
Construct the bag. If you’ve never made a bag and don’t know where to start, try just sewing two rectangles together on three sides.
Sew around raw edges with carpet binding. Attach straps.
And there you have it! This is the front and back view of the finished bag. I kept some of the logos from the original plastic bags visible, because I thought it looked fun and kitsch, but you can easily make all white bags by facing the logos inwards when you iron.
If you like the idea of recycling plastic bags into something new and useful, you might also appreciate these handy objects made from a familiar blue bag:
Finally, if you’re interested in a tutorial on how to make yarn from used plastic bags, which can then be knit into… anything that can be knit, swing by here.
