Archive for November, 2008

INTRODUCING : KARISSA COVE

Published
by
Karyn
on November 29, 2008
in etsy, introducing, local, stitchery and the workroom
. 6 Comments

When I was told that Karissa Cove had retired from doing craft shows, I didn’t realize just how long she’s been behind a craft fair table. Karissa grew up touring around with her crafty mom. Wow, now I really feel like a newbie to the craft world! I’m extra honoured that she’s coming out of retirement for the Holiday Trunk Show on December 7th, especially since I’m in love with her knitted berets.

What is your first ‘crafty’ memory?

Karissa : I have a few memorable young crafty memories…I was 3 or 4 sitting on the floor making outfits for my cat, Dudley, out of my mum’s scrap material while she sewed on our kitchen table…making a quilt out of wool scraps while I was about 4….painting my feet green, then crawling around my house on my knees to avoiding leaving green foot prints….

How do you come up with your designs? I noticed one of your bags is called the Country Mouse Tote – does your childhood play a big role in your work?

Karissa : Yes, it really does, but I think that my whole life plays a role. When I was growing up my mum was a crafter, so I spent just about every holiday season with my mum at craft sales all over Ontario. Once I got a little bit older, I would make little book marks, and other little crafty items to sell along my mum’s crafts. Since I was a child I have understood how to figure out the cost of an item by the materials used, the length of production time, how to make the most of material.

Is there a craft or medium that you’ve always wanted to try that you haven’t yet?

Karissa : I can’t wrap my brain around crochet! I tried to teach myself from a Japanese amigurumi book and despite all the diagrams I just kept going around and around and ended up with a grey patty instead of a cute Japanese elephant.

Do you have any favourite local artists that you really admire?

Karissa : My local favourites…inspirations…admiration…goes out to:

Jen Anisef from Toronto Craft Alert, Dana DeKuyper from Damned Dollies, yarnovermovement, Allison Moyer from Cordially Yours.

What’s at the top of your holiday wish list this year?

Karissa : I really don’t need for anything, however, I would like the Martha Stewart circle cutter so I can finally cut a perfect circle out of print making softoleum!

Visit Karissa’s etsy shop and her flickr page for more!

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NEW JAPANESE CRAFT BOOKS

Published
by
Karyn
on November 29, 2008
in etsy and stitchery
. 1 Comment

I “accidentally” ordered a few more Japanese craft books from Pomadour24’s Craft Cafe, a couple weeks ago and they’ve just arrived. Oh dear. The last thing I need right now is a distraction from all the holiday gifts that I haven’t started to make yet.

My favourite of the bunch is the ‘Sweet Dress Recipe’. But I also got “Basic of Lockstitch Sewing Machine” and “Favorite Tunic, Dress, Vest Book”.

Surely I could justify making myself a new outfit (or two) for the holidays.

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INTRODUCING : HELANA EBENHARDT

Published
by
Karyn
on November 28, 2008
in etsy, introducing, local and the workroom
. 8 Comments

At the Kid’s Trunk Show, 10 year old Ella Kohlmann made her craft show debut with her totally enchanting polymer clay kitties. Pretty much her entire inventory was snapped up and I’m happy to say that I’ve got one of those little kitties on my bedside table. Apparently Ella inspired another young girl attending the Trunk Show to open up her own etsy store and thus, cupcakequeen11 (aka. Helana Ebenhardt) was born.

Remember pet rocks? Helana makes darling hand-felted pet pebbles and each one comes with a traveling case. It is so exciting to see younger gals being so crafty and enterprising. Both Helana and Ella will be at the Holiday Trunk Show on December 7th selling their handmade goodies.

Where did the idea for making pet pebbles come from?

Helana : My mom started felting and she showed me the different things you could make including rocks. I remembered people talking about having pet rocks when they were younger and the idea just grew from there.

When did you open your etsy shop?

Helana : I opened the shop in September of this year.

Have you learned anything interesting from running your own store?

Helana : I have learned in order to have a successful business you really need to market yourself to let everyone know about your shop. It is always a good idea to test out your product before you start your shop and take your time to figure out how much it costs to produce and ship. You have to be very organized so that your product is ready to be shipped right when someone orders.

When you’re not making your pet pebbles, what else do you like to do?

Helana : I enjoy dancing, theatre, knitting and I love to read, write and cartoon. In general I love crafting.

What would be your dream job when you grow up?

Helana : I really love to bake and right now my dream job would be to be a baker. I LOVE CUPCAKES!!!!!

What is at the top of your holiday wish list this year?

Helana : This year I would love The Gourmet Girl Cupcake Maker and craft supplies.

(NOTE: Please check out The Gourmet Girl Cupcake Maker link and watch the commercial. OMG, how cool! I want one too!!)

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INTRODUCING : TARA GILCHRIST

Published
by
Karyn
on November 27, 2008
in accoutrement, introducing, local and the workroom
. 2 Comments

For the next tens days leading up to the Holiday Trunk Show at the workroom, I’ll be introducing you to the lovely talent you can expect to meet. I hope you’ll take a peek here each day and then I definitely hope to see you at the show. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the workroom filled to the rafters with people who love, make and buy handmade.

I’ve just recently discovered the Shop Local feature on Etsy. It’s a super way to support local indie talent. This is how I found Tara Gilchrist, who makes beautiful wearable glass art. I have always wanted to try glass blowing and I really admire all glass artists because I know how hard it is from my limited experience doing neon “sign making”. (I never made any signs, just abstract scribbly things)

I’m especially smitten by all her pieces with insects.

Have you always been crafty? Did you go to school for jewelry/glass?

Tara : I think I have always been crafty, some of my favorite memories include needlepoint with my grandma at a very young age. (I wouldn’t know where to start if I tried it now though!) After high school I studied photography and years later I returned to school for glass art at Sheridan college. I currently blow glass at the Living Arts Center in Mississauga.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your work?

Tara : I love bold colors and patterns and often look at fabrics even though I can’t sew.

What is it about glass that you love?

Tara : I love bold opaque colors and that makes much of my stuff not look very glassy, but I love the process. I love blowing glass in the winter- when it’s really cold outside, it’s always warm in the hotshop (it’s like standing in front of the sun) however it’s not as much fun in August.

Who would you love to design a piece of jewelry for?

Tara : That’s a tough one. I usually design my jewelry based on what I would wear and then just hope that others like it as well. But I would love to design cuff links for Don Cherry.

What is at the top of your holiday wish list this year?

Tara : I have a giant weakness for handmade bags, but more practically I would like a macro lens for my camera.

Visit Tara’s etsy shop to see more of her lovely pieces.

All photos are courtesy of Tara Gilchrist.

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UPHOLSTERED CUBE

Published
by
Karyn
on November 27, 2008
in stitchery, textiles and the workroom
. 6 Comments

Hi, how are you???! I know things have been really quiet here, but generally that means that things are bustling with everything else in my life. The biggest thing keeping me busy has been preparing for the upcoming Holiday Trunk Show at the workroom. It’s Sunday December 7th, noon – 5pm, which happens to only be 10 days away!!! From now until the show, I’ll be posting about all the wonderful vendors you can expect to see at the show. It’s a really great mix of people and I’m so excited to have them all together.

In other crafty news, I finally finished my upholstered cube. What a super fun class that was. I had the hardest time deciding on fabric. I put it off until the very last second and finally decided to go with the Porch Ribbon fabric from Denyse Schmidt’s County Fair line. I love it. I just need to head over to Lee Valley to pick up some legs. I really love the idea of making and upholstering your own furniture. How I would love to re-upholster my couch. This may be way too ambitious for my own good though.

Nora and Kathryn made little presents for everyone in the class congratulating them on their finished cubes. I tried to hold off eating the sweet treat inside until I had actually finished my cube, but alas, my willpower is not that strong.

I always feel a bit sad when classes like that end. In a way you wish they could just go on forever. But then there’s always something new to learn…like UNDERWEAR, in January.

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CHOCOLATE SORBET

Published
by
Karyn
on November 21, 2008
in delicious
. 8 Comments

It’s clearly winter out there and yet here I am cranking out some yummy sorbet. I can’t help myself. I read this post on Smitten Kitchen and it just sounded too easy and too divine. I love making sorbet, usually yummy fruity ones, like Pineapple & Mango or Raspberry. There is usually very little preparation work and just a short list of ingredients. The ice cream maker does all the work. My ice cream maker was actually one of the first appliances I bought for my house. It’s a Cuisinart and it has been critical in opening up the world of frozen dessert to me. The only complaint, which most people seem to have, is that it is quite noisy. So noisy, that I’ve put the ice cream maker in the bathroom, the basement and the spare room with the door shut to keep the noise down while it churns up frozen goodness. The noise is a very small price to pay for the results. Homemade sorbets and ice creams taste completely different.

As I was pouring the liquid sorbet into the ice cream maker, I just knew this was going to be an easy favourite. The chocolate upon chocolate flavour, with a hint of vanilla, is a delightful way to feed a craving. This recipe is going into my permanent collection. It’s beyond delicious.

Another chocolatey favourite of mine are these Bloomin’ Brilliant Brownies by Jamie Oliver.

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PREPARING TO HAND QUILT

Published
by
Karyn
on November 20, 2008
in patchwork, stitchery, the workroom and tools
. 5 Comments

I have finally assembled all my ingredients for hand quilting. My thread arrived the other day – it’s a Valdani Hand Dyed Variegated cotton thread. The colour is called Silver Foam. I really love variegated threads. Why just have one thread colour, when you could have thread colour that changes as you sew? It’s way more fun.

Johanna recommended Thread Heaven which is a thread conditioner and protectant. Besides reducing hand fatigue and preventing tangling and fraying, it is acid free and perfect for machine or hand sewing. I have always used beeswax for coating thread and apparently this can have negative effects on both the thread and the piece you’re working on. Thread Heaven sounds dreamy and apparently is awesome for bookbinding, beading and embroidery too. I’ll report back with my review, but I’ve got it in the shop if you’re wanting to try it out yourself!

I’m also trying out a Q-Snap frame (17″ x 17″) for the first time. It’s a square frame that is really easy to assemble and won’t give you hoop wrinkles. I really like the square shape, especially since I’m hand quilting straight lines. I’ve also got a leather thimble, but may need to get a metal one instead. As for needles, I plan on trying the little short ‘in-betweens’ and regular needles and see what feels good to me. Considering how much time this part of the project is going to take me, surely I’m going to form some clear opinions to share with you shortly. I’ll take any hand quilting tips that you might want to share with me. I have no idea what I’m doing!

I just noticed that this my 101st post. What?! Wow, that kinda snuck up on me.

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NEW AGENDA

Published
by
Karyn
on November 18, 2008
in accoutrement, hello and vintage
. 11 Comments

There’s nothing like a brand new agenda or notebook to get a girl excited. All those fresh blank pages, full of possibility. That was probably one of my favourite parts of the school year when they handed out the new agenda books. Some years I went over the top with decorations and drawings and one year I actually made my own agenda. Shocking, I know.

These day, I’m perfectly happy to just buy a sweetly illustrated agenda and concentrate on all the lists I’m going to fill it with. This is the second year in a row that I’ve gotten one by Shinzi Katoh. I bought it at The Paper Place, one of my all time favourite shops. I couldn’t resist picking up some sweet coloured pens with super fine tips. Everybody knows that if you have the right pens, you’re sure to be way more organized.

January is still a ways away, but these agendas start in November, so I can get a head start on that ‘new year feeling’.

You’ll notice I also picked up a big fat eraser. I won a vintage schoolhouse pencil sharpener on ebay yesterday!

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STYLISH DRESS BOOK #B

Published
by
Karyn
on November 17, 2008
in stitchery and textiles
. 15 Comments

Ah, Stylish Dress book you are eternally inspiring and full of simple things to make!

I realized in a panic last weekend that the Nani IRO fabric was almost gone. It would have been very wrong for me to let it all slip away without whipping up a little something cheery to wear. I turned to the Stylish Dress book and decided on style B, a loose smock top with a nice full sleeve.

Drafting out the pattern from the book always requires a lot of care, to ensure that you trace the correct pieces, mark all the correct markings and remember to ADD SEAM ALLOWANCE! The lovely thing about these patterns is that they are simple and relatively quick to make. I drafted the pattern Sunday afternoon, cut out the paper and then cut out the fabric. On Monday, I overlocked the pieces and did all the sewing in a few hours.

The neckline is gathered and so is the sleeve. The sleeve is cut into two pieces with gathering along the upper arm and then an elasticized cuff. It’s very sweet. It’s all meant to be a showcase for this fabric, which completely sold out on Tuesday when I wore the top to work. The Nani Iro fabric is a double gauze cotton which is two layers of a looser weave cotton that are lightly stitched together. I didn’t even bother to pre-wash the fabric. This top will be hand washed in Soak for the rest of it’s life. (Scent for Celebration is my favourite)

For those looking to get themselves a copy of the Stylish Dress Book or any other Japanese Craft book, I highly recommend Pomadour’s Craft Cafe on Etsy. Just beware that it will be hard to resist the lure of these cute craft books. Somehow I just ordered two more books for my collection. Oh! Make that three books.

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SECURITY ENVELOPES

Published
by
Karyn
on November 7, 2008
in accoutrement and local
. 8 Comments

I’ve been meaning to talk about how cool the patterns are inside of security envelopes for a while now. I’ve been collecting them aimlessly for a few months now. Finally, I’ve been nudged into action with the opportunity to also talk about how cool Becky is too.

Becky has a never-ending list of cool crafty-ness on her resume. Her company, Sweetie Pie Press has been supplying the universe (literally) with sweet one inch buttons since the beginning of time. (or at least for many many years) She is also a part of and affiliated with City of Craft, Toronto Craft Alert and Church of Craft. Her craft influence is not just based here in Toronto. She’s currently wrapping up a North American tour of the craft fair circuit. It’s impressive and you can (and you should) read all about her adventures on her super entertaining blog.

Back to the envelopes. Becky has hatched a plan for a massive art project that involves the collection of security envelopes from around the world. In exchange for any envelopes you might be willing to send to her, she will send you a set of security envelope buttons. What a deal! Read all about it here.

Also – Jill told me about Kristiina Lahde who makes cool art from security envelopes. There is treasure in to be found in that pile of pesky bills!

security envelope button sets – photo by Becky

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