MetaFilter posts tagged with craft

Decorated Taters

fontophilic — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:16:47 -0800

Garth Johnson of Extreme Craft may finally help us understand what hardcore taters look like. (SFW) We all love us some taters. The folks of Humboldt County, California expressed their love with a long running decorated potato contest at their county fair last month. Via Craftzine blog.

Putting Your Imagination On Your Hand

netbros — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:38:05 -0800

There are few things a man needs in life: a sense of purpose and ambition, a clean bill of health, and a fully detailed hand-sewn puppet of himself. Puppet Artists, Marnie & Bill Winn, create soft sculpted puppets that range from real people (from their photographs), to celebrities, to storybook and fantasy characters. PA also makes similarly detailed sets of 4-inch-tall finger puppets. (via)

Etsy critiques.

lunit — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:53:25 -0800

By now, you've probably heard of Etsy (previously), a website that has been called a "crafty cross between Amazon and Ebay." The site is enormously popular, among women in particular, but some are asking is the buy handmade movement a good thing? Does the site peddle a false feminist fantasy?

Thread and pixels

mippy — Fri, 22 May 2009 04:11:08 -0800

Lots of video game cross stitch designs.

Making Something New Everyday

Effigy2000 — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:49:42 -0800

Making Something New Everyday ; a blog where old-time MeFite Alison tries to make something new everyday. With over 100 projects posted so far, there's plenty for you to gawk at, such as a Robot Tea Cup and Saucer, a Color Perfect Pitch Tester, a Hidden Chamber Hamburger, Capacitor Bugs, Accidentally Gay Cardinals, a Fibonacci Petticoat, Marzipan Birds and Laptop and, erm... poop (possibly NSFW). Something for everyone, then! [via mefi projects]

Polyvorous

divabat — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:42:56 -0800

Polyvore is a website that lets you mix and match online images to make fashion sets and collages. While it has received favour from Web 2.0 pundits, fashion bloggers, and major craft blogs, it has also drawn massive ire from artists that claim copyright infringement and use of personal photos. The anti-Polyvore pressure mainly comes from Etsy sellers, with some support from artists on DeviantArt, Red Buddle, and independent artists - all coming together on Flickr. We Heart It and Ffffound! are also seen as suspect. While Polyvore tries to assuage copyright fears, amidst growing pressure to shut down, many of Polyvore's current users are counter-petitioning for the site to stay.

Don't hit the books; craft with them

orange swan — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:57:51 -0800

So, you have some old books lying around you don’t read and that you're pretty sure no one else will ever read because they have pages missing or they’re hopelessly outdated technical manuals or they never should have been published in the first place. What to do? As always, crafting is an option. You can make a wrist cuff, or a purse. Book covers can be made into clocks, or photo frames, or photo and card stands. They can become CD and DVD cases, or a hiding place for valuables or necessary contraband, Shawshank Redemption-style. You can make yourself a diary, notecards, envelopes, or gift tags. If you’re feeling more artistic than practical, some people use the pages from a book as a canvas. Artist Su Blackwell brings scenes from her books to life: check out Alice’s Tea Party, or this scene from The Snow Queen. Personally I feel strangely drawn to this piece. Noriko Ambe sculpts with his books; Stefano Arienti created this installation, and Brian Dettmer took a scalpel to his and did some “Book Autopsies”. There are more ideas for things to be done with books to be found here and here. And will you die-hard book lovers kindly stop screaming. It’s not like I wrote a post on how to craft with your mother. Yet.

I made you a beard.

serazin — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 10:02:45 -0800

I made you a beard.

avert your eyes, cratediggers

piratebowling — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:10:28 -0800

Feeling the crunch? Need to get a bunch of gifts for people on the cheap? Why not go down to a thrift store, pick up some old vinyl and make a bowl*, a candle holder (suitable for advent), or a cuff bracelet? If you have more to spend and are more adept in the craft department, try a record purse or a deconstructed album book. *If you have a square thing to mold the record on, the records can become nifty boxe, suitable for pens and pencils.

You made this? ... Oh!

not_on_display — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:38:13 -0800

The bacon-and-fried-egg scarf. The Bad Clam. First Prize. Some tasty dreams, but mostly nightmares, are made of the abominations and inspired works found by the bloggers of Craftastrophe. [via MoFi]

Yes we can can craft.

orange swan — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:21:58 -0800

As much as you may enjoy using your discarded tin cans to have top secret conversations make yourself taller, you'd like to know if there's anything creative to do with tin cans. Here are some ideas to get you started. Tin cans are useful when you want to get organized, and can be decorated to match the wallpaper, or look like a robot. They make good pincushions. Or bed frames. Cans can be used as electrical outlet or light switch plates, or as the light fixtures themselves. You can use them as an alternative to wallpaper, or, depending on your climate and how much soup you eat, build with them. They can be used to grow a wall garden, or herbs. If you're a musical type, you could use them to make an amp, a banjo, a thumb piano, or bongos. If art is more your bag, perhaps you'd like to make a Pac-Man or bird sculpture, or check out David Wasserman's work, or the Orlando Forge Metal Studio's tin can art gallery or this gallery for some inspiration. Just don't get too carried away, like Marge.

Corpse Craft

boo_radley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:18:17 -0800

Corpse Craft is a flash game -- a puzzle/ strategy hybrid that's one part Same Game and one part Tower defense and one part Edward Gorey. Decent art, sound, story and gameplay.

Rococo Exhibition

hortense — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:03:30 -0800

Continuing Curve , brings together an unprecedented collection of designers and objects of different eras to celebrate the joyful and liberating spirit of rococo. found here

Robert A. Talbot's Wooden Guns

Fiasco da Gama — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:06:10 -0800

Robert A. Talbot makes guns out of wood.

Papercraft Designs, Models and Instructions

Effigy2000 — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:16:11 -0800

Got some time to kill? Well then, maybe you should start exploring the exciting world of papercraft! To get you started, here's a link to 100 free paper models and toys. Once you're done there, you might want to start checking out card modeling, build some skyscraper models, animals and motorcycles and when you get really good, faces of real people such as these. There's even some creative paper modeling websites out there for the kids and people who like Pokemon and Nintendo. And if all those links still aren't enough to satiate your new found lust for papercraft, check out this papercraft search engine for even more designs.

Sewn artifacts based on children's drawings

nthdegx — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:53:41 -0800

"We create sewn art and artifacts based on the drawings of our two children using only thrifted and recycled materials. We also make custom pieces with a child's drawing provided or requested by you." Via plsj tumblelog.

Martha's Daughters

rumposinc — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:59:33 -0800

A supportive blogging community of mainly women cross-linked on each other's blogrolls and leading an increasingly compelling marketplace of small-scale goods and handmade lives , green-living ideas , product promotion , and lifestyle-making suggest that the internet may be able to foster a localized economy model of living on an international scale--or at least gain the attention of that other idyllic-life icon. These artists, crafters, makers, photographers, and writers are promoting each other , and what they promote gets attention (check out the number of comments). There have been recent discussions about "mommy blogging" and craft/design blogs before, but these blogs also reveal the discussions these women are having with each other. These are great "curl up with the laptop and a cup of tea" blogs, and I've not linked to the half of them, so please investigate these bloggers' blogrolls. (first fpp! phew!)

Don't drink the Kool-Aid! Dye instead.

taz — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:27:19 -0800

Dyeing with Kool-Aid basic how-to. The best thing is the color chart. A good idea for a party, maybe? As usual, the folks at Flickr have got the goods: Kool-Aid dyed yarns in the Hand-dyed pool [1], [2], and the Yarn Porn pool, [1], [2]. And if you're one of those people who just hates to do things the easy way? Multi-colored custom yarn with Kool-Aid tutorial part 1 and part 2.

Pooh Sticks 2.0

nthdegx — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:14:52 -0800

"When I get the time when I'm not raking, whenever I'm near water, I'll beach comb for bits of wood, feather or anything else that appeals and make some boats."

Paper Pussy

armoured-ant — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:10:25 -0800

DIY Ceiling Cat. That is all.

(NSC) - RIP Ron Murphy, master vinyl cutter.

loquacious — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:55:52 -0800

Ron Murphy cut records, but not just any records. Responsible for cutting the actual vinyl master plates of much of the now revered Detroit Techno including Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Underground Resistance's seminal Knights of the Jaguar, and much more - he demonstrated impeccable craftsmanship and skill in both mastering records for sound and aesthetics at company known as Sound Enterprises source link AKA National Sound Corporation. Schooled in Motown, dubplates and jukeboxes, he is the bespoke-crafted, analog link between the digital future and analog past that is the roots of Techno music and modern techno DJ culture. One hour interview here, in mp3 format. (Coral Cache link. Original link here. Which includes gems such as "Richie Hawtin? Well, here's the Elvis of Techno!". He's a lovely curmudgeon, I promise. It's worth the download just for the tracks they play in the background and breaks in the interview, all NSC-cut tracks.) Are you a DJ? Own any older techno, club or pop-remix club vinyl? Look for the handwritten (NSC) tag on the run-out spiral on the inside of the record, nearest the label. Ron Murphy cut the plates for that record. Ron Murphy also pushed the the boundaries of plate cutting with his NSC-X2 technique, spiraling two separate tracks together in a paired helix on the platter. He also experimented with reverse spirals, locked ending grooves, and hybrid platters where the outside track spiraled in normally, and the inside track spiraled out and they met between mid-record in a locked groove. Thanks, Ron, for making it sound so good, and caring.

Buy Handmade

divabat — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 15:53:46 -0800

I pledge to buy handmade this holiday season, and request that others do the same for me. Why? Better gifting experience, better ethics, better for the environment.

Heaps and Heaps of Origami Designs.

Effigy2000 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:27:35 -0800

Got some spare time? Then let's learn origami! Check out this large collection of origami designs (suitable for beginners too), and here's some instructional origami videos to help you along.

Craft Time!

honeyx — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 15:26:20 -0800

With winter's cold touch around the corner, some of us may need a little something to keep us busy by the fireside on those chill winter evenings. With the abundance and variety of craft blogs to be found, everyone from the novice to the expert should be able to find inspiration (and even great tutorials!) for a fun and cute project. Enjoy!

Fiber in your diet

GrammarMoses — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 06:33:52 -0800

Up here in the Northern Hemisphere, it's time to break out the sweaters. Wool too itchy for you? (It is for poor Simon Cowell.) Cashmere and alpaca are easier to wear; a surface comparison shows why. But you can also steer clear of animal fibers altogether and opt for fabric made from wheat. For that matter, while you're at the greengrocer, also pick up some bamboo (1, 2), soy (1, 2), bananas, corn (1, 2), pineapple, milk (1, 2, 3) and rice. (Vegan yarns previously in AskMe.)