Tag Archives: crafts

Wait up, September, wait!

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Dear friends,

I’m still trying to catch up from the last couple months, not to mention catch my breath!

Around mid August, before things really got crazy, I decided to take on a little crafty fabric recycling project. I had two tank tops in the same style that were getting really worn out in the arm pit area, and a sports bra that was also getting a little worn out and just needed some extra reinforcement. The final product, a sports tank top, is great and I’ve already worn it to a couple dance classes. Haven’t popped a seam yet!

At the end of August, beginning of September, My Colorado BFF, Megan Q, came out for our 3rd San Francisco Zine Fest. We had a great time shopping in the Mission, frolicking on the beach, eating many tasty treats, and of course, rocking our table as The Calico Umbrella Collective at the SFZF 2011! We both had new zines (more about that coming soon), and also hosted our 1st SFZF forum. We got a good-sized group of artists to discuss productivity and time-management skills. We were very excited to share our table with KokoroKara and Pinup Brooches this year. They are both lovely artists and friends!

The next weekend, my brother Geoff came out for a quick visit. In one day, we went from Ocean Beach to the Bay and several places in between, making the mandatory stops at Kid Robot and Upper Playground. And Geoff managed to get us ground-level seats for the Giants vs. Dodgers game! We also delighted in delicious dim sum downtown, Mission burritos, and sore feet!

Photos:

In between guests and work and what not, I celebrated my 1 year anniversary with my boyfriend Matt and my 2 year anniversary with this amazing city!

My internship as the ODC Dance Jam intern, or, “Jam Sister,” got into full swing mode with the audition, first meetings, and rehearsals starting.

I’m working on the look and feel of this site, and tying together my other online outlets in a cohesive manner. Any feedback is appreciated!

Thank you,

LB

New FabCuffs

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Teaser photos of new fabric accessories coming soon to my Etsy shop:

Subtle monochrome play, recycled materials, fun buttons, delicate hand-stitched details…

Welder’s Cap Completed

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Recently, my boyfriend started learning how to weld, and asked if I could make him a welder’s cap. I did research for images and patterns and more time passed between his request and the actual making, but I did manage to bust it out before the end of his semester. For a first attempt, I am very please with final product.

Here’s a great illustration of a welder’s cap and why it’s important. It helps protect the parts of a welder’s head that aren’t covered by a standard face mask – hair, ears, back of the neck. The other requirement for the cap is that it has to be made out of 100% cotton, the least flammable fabric.

Speaking of flammable, I usually work with recycled or leftover fabric, so a lot of times I’m not altogether certain of the fiber content of what I’m working with. So bring on the burn test! I learned about burn testing fabric in university, and honestly, it’s really fun. I found a wonderful visual chart from Ditzyprints.com to update my notes and was ready to burn, baby, burn. The fabric I used was muslin (yes, usually cotton, but I just wanted to be sure since I didn’t actually buy it myself; someone gave it to me) and pants that I had bought in Japan and were worn out in certain areas (yay bike crotch!) past repair. I translated the tag in Japanese and was pretty sure it was cotton, but again, just wanted to be absolutely sure. I mean, this was my boyfriend’s head at stake here! Happily, a burn test proved both fabrics to be 100% cotton.

I found a free pattern for the cap, by SeaminglySimple on Flickr, which was very easy to print and work from. I didn’t discover the instructions until later, and this may explain why the brim ended up on on top of the band, instead of under. It made sense to me while I was working on it, I guess. Oh, my brain…

I know it’s a mistake, but I do like how it turned out. It’s unique! (Right?)

And my boyfriend was really happy with it too, which was the most important part. Pictures!

 

Projects Pocketed!

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I had a couple problems with my work space.

Problem 1 is that I believe strongly in “out of sight, out of mind.” Meaning that, if I have a project going, it needs to be out and visible, so that I remember to work on it. Problem 2 is that I always have multiple projects. Add 1 + 2 and I had Problem 3: PILES of PROJECTS ALL OVER MY WORK SPACE! Which ultimately led to Problem 4, no room to actually work on anything, and Problem 5, projects getting buried under each other which ultimately leads us back to Problem 1.

And there you have it – the death spiral of my piles of projects. Please see photographic evidence:

(Please note, this is actually a TON more organized than normal…)

How to solve this? Why POCKETS, of course! Project pockets!

I decided on my dimensions based on the length of my work table (5 ft/60″) and approximately the size of a folder, or slightly larger (12.4″ Wide x 14″ High). Luckily, I had an old bed sheet that was 62″ at one end, so I simply measured down from the already finished edge to figure out my pockets, then cut the sheet. I folded the sheet up and stitched down the edges. I created a seam for my raw edge, but left that end open, creating one huge pocket. Then, I simply stitched 4 lines and created 5 pockets, all in a row.

The fun part of this project was doing the eyelets. I bought an eyelet kit for under $2 at my favorite local fabric store. Eyelets are like small grommets. I wanted them in the fabric so when I hung the pockets and put heavy project materials in them, the fabric wouldn’t tear. It was ridiculously easy! You basically mark where your eyelet will be, cut a very tiny circle, shove the eyelet through, place right side down on the anvil, place the stem against the eyelet sticking out, and then hammer away! The force of the hammer and the stem split the eyelet open and down, making a complete seal. Check it out!

Now I could hang my pockets on the wall. Here they are:

I created some simple but cute labels for each project pocket using recycled manila filing folders and some bright sharpie colors. Each project has a name and a deadline (VERY important!).

Whew! SO much better! Basically, the project pockets are great because they address all the problems:

1) My projects are still visible, so I can see what I need to work on AND now, with the labels, I have set deadlines for them.

2) I only made 5 pockets. This happened to work out with my dimensions of pockets/sheet/how many projects I currently have, but I think it’s good to maybe limit myself to 5 major projects at one time. Hopefully, this will keep me more focused. (True, I have a couple projects that don’t fit into these pockets (gardening is tricky like that), but still…)

3) No more piles taking up space! I can actually work on projects on my craft table! Look at all that lovely space:

Projects pocketed!

A Custom Order: Lavender HellaScarf

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A friend custom ordered a HellaScarf in shades of lavender. This was really fun to pick out the fabric for and create with a specific person’s character in mind. I like making art FOR someone. I’m really pleased with how it turned out and I think my friend was too!

I wish I could figure out a not-confusing way of doing custom orders like this over Etsy. Hmmm… that’s an idea that’s simmering on the stove, I guess!

Featured: In what direction?

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My HellaScarf “Arrows & Animal Tracks” was featured in this sweet Etsy Treasury, In what direction?, by sodandy. I really like this Treasury because I LOVE arrows. I love using them in doodles and drawings, sketching out choreography, notes and more – they’re just one of those simple, perfect things that need no improvement. They do their job, those arrows!

In this Treasury, my favorites are all about the fingers: The Steampunk Navigator Enchanted Compass Ring by enchantedlockets and the Bent Arrow Ring by PoisonAppleNYC.

Check it out! —————————————-> In what direction?

It’s nice to win things!

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I can’t believe 3 weeks have flown by since the SF ZineFest! It seems like it was yesterday. Part of that feeling is probably because SF really is a “little city, big town” and people I met at ZineFest I’ve seen around (like Ms. Stephanie of nerdJERK at the J-Pop Summit at Japantown a couple weeks ago) or who are lovely and keep in touch – like this fun story I have about the wonderful folks of Beasts of Eden.

Tia and Julia had a sweet little table at ZineFest and I definitely visited them a couple of times. Their whimsical flowers and playful animals are so colorful and touchable. I am in love with their giant squid! We did a trade and they also had the great idea to do a drawing to promote the opening of their Etsy shop and their website. I put my business card in their knitted venus fly trap friend’s mouth, and low and behold – a couple weeks later I got an email saying I had won! You can even see the drawing video on the Beasts of Eden website. I got to pick out an item from their Etsy shop for my very own.

When it arrived, I did a little photo shoot to celebrate. I think I’m going to name him Herb. He is bright pink, pose-able, came with a beautiful postcard from the makers, and has joined my tiny pink elephant parade!

Thanks Julia & Tia // Beasts of Eden! <3

Featured: Angles Galore!

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My HellaScarf “Arrows & Animal Tracks” was featured in this fun Etsy Treasury, Angles Galore, by TopazTurtle. Super geometric fun time!

I think my HellaScarf would go great with these “warrior call” earrings by sparrowsalvage. But my favorite item in this treasury is the Vintage Chevron Fabric Sketchbook by somavenus! Gorgeous!