2009 January Archive at make something

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Archive for January, 2009

INTRODUCING : JEN ANISEF

Published

Karyn

on January 30, 2009

in introducing, local and the workroom

. 3 Comments

Jen Anisef helped change my life.

When the workroom was just a hare-brained scheme in my head, I nervously attended a Craft Chat held by Toronto Craft Alert. I had never interacted with Toronto’s craft scene in person, only lurked on local blogs and cruised a few craft fairs. I didn’t realize at the time, but this was a pivotal moment for me.

Attendance to the Craft Chat was much smaller than expected, but the quality of people was stellar. This is where I first met Becky (Sweetie Pie Press), Leah (Cold Snap Bindery), Angelune (Toronto Craft Alert), Marnie (girl number twenty), Johanna (the workroom’s esteemed quilting teacher!) and Jen. The chat ranged on topics from the American vs. Canadian craft scene, rallying local resources, creating more dialog (online & in person), and etsy. Although I wasn’t ready at the time to share my business idea, I left feeling that this small group represented everything I hoped to bring together in the workroom. I think this is just one of thousands of examples of the positive impact TCA & Jen have made for so many people in our community.

Toronto Craft Alert is just one of the major, local, craft-supporting projects that Jen is involved with. She is one third of the City of Craft team and one half of the Good Egg Industries team. This crafty lady is truly remarkable and she makes a mean patchwork, to boot! Thank you, Jen for everything you do.

Jen will be at the Love & Rummage Trunk Show selling her irresistable log cabin heart medallions, plus City of Craft tees and totes.

When did your life become all about craft? or has it always been that way?

JEN : I have always made stuff & bossed people around with regards to making stuff. I organized a group of my ten year old friends in a crafty collective of sorts – hawking our fimo hairclips and brooches to shops! I didn’t begin to identify as artistic or crafty until about 1999 when I spent a year living in rural Japan where everyone and their grandmother is engaged in the act of making at most times, or at least in appreciating the natural creative beauty that surrounds them. I was fortunate enough to hook up with an English-speaking farmer buddy who drove me around the prefecture, translating interviews with craft artists of all different sorts including master weavers, washi makers and traditional indigo dyers. It was heaven and I realized then that I was in love with craft.

All of your many projects are focused on the local craft scene – TCA, Good Egg, City of Craft… Why is this issue so important to you?

JEN : I think in the early years of craft engagement I spent A LOT of time on craft message boards, communicating with people halfway across the world about crafty crushes, trading tips & techniques, and generally being excited that there were other people out there (often far out there) that shared my interests. Eventually, as the craft movement/subculture grew I was able to connect with people closer to home, and I felt that this more traditional form of community was something I needed to engage with to be fully satisfied – I loved being able to physically share & touch & smell & see & hear what people are doing. Don’t get me wrong, I think the online, cross-border connection is extremely valuable and inspiring, but I think there is an increasing desire among crafters & humans to move back towards the local and my projects are a reflection of that.

You are a busy lady, what is next on the horizon for you?

JEN : The most immediate thing is getting the re-designed Toronto Craft Alert site launched (so soon!) and a very juicy giveaway contest I am hatching to celebrate. Also, Toronto area peeps may be excited to know that we are bringing Handmade Nation to town on February 26th as part of the DIwhy? show at the Ontario Crafts Council. Stay glued to the City of Craft site for details. Finally (well, is there ever a finally?!) the other day while doing dishes a really exciting & possibly huge idea occurred to me but I need to sit on it for awhile longer before busting it out. I’ll just say it has to do with offering targeted support to entrepreneurs in Toronto’s booming craft world.

I know how much you love colour and colour matching. Do you have a current favourite colour combo?

JEN : Oh, that’s a tough one! If I were fifteen years old, I would say purple & orange without hesitating. Things have gotten a little more complicated since then…I love the combination of superbright, saturated & neutral colours. I’m starting to explore neons & pastels.

If you had a day where you were not allowed to do any ‘work’ for all your ventures, how would you spend the day?

JEN : When left to my own devices I am a pretty lazy gal…I would say sipping loose tea in sweatpants & reading my fantasy novel on the couch (got hooked on a recent trip to Cuba). Maybe followed by a potluck/clothing swap with friends which my husband would cook for!

Are you planning on selling some rummage at the show? if yes, what might that be?

JEN : I am planning to tackle my unruly fabric stash and emerge some scrap bags & larger pieces. I will also have some vintage clothing on offer and old craft hobby magazines.

What Valentines gift would melt your heart?

JEN : I am a sucker for a carefully orchestrated (re: colour palette) bouquet. Handmade (by him) jewellery would also weaken the knees.

INTRODUCING : SHANNON GERARD

Published

Karyn

on January 28, 2009

in etsy, introducing, local and the workroom

. 6 Comments

If you invite Shannon Gerard to your trunk show, you are pretty much guaranteed that she will be the first to arrive to help set up and when she opens her trunk you will be simply amazed at the things she has made out of yarn. People say that crochet is ’so easy’, but I can’t quite wrap my head around how you go about making plants you can’t kill, sprouting avocado seeds, strawberry-topped tarts, mustaches (or plushtache in Gerard-speak) and other anatomy from a couple sticks and ball of yarn.

Of course, this is just a small fraction of Shannon’s talent. I would encourage you to snoop around Shannon’s blog, her website and her etsy shop to learn more about the lovely, humourous, but deliberate work she creates.

You are involved in a lot of diverse craft – crochet, comics, screen printing, etc.. Where did it all start for you?

SHANNON : My crafting started with storytelling– I used to think of myself as a writer before anything else– which led to bookmaking and drawing. I started to make books that weren’t traditionally structured and got into the sculptural qualities of book binding materials. Then I learned crochet because I wanted to create the Boobs and Dinks as a side project to a book I was writing. But since then, crochet has taken over my whole life! Once I started, there was no stopping.

What is the story behind your Boobs and Dinks project?

SHANNON : Boobs and Dinks was first just a side project to Hung no.3; Lonely Tylenol, a comic book I wrote that tells the story of my boyfriend finding a lump in his testicle. We were pretty scared about it and tried researching online, but found very little information for men. Of course there are millions of resources available to women about breast health, but not so much for guys. So I asked a friend to teach me to crochet because I had this vision of wanting to get at the fear with some useful information that was delivered in a soft and humourous way. I really wanted to make plush warm-up toys that educated people about body awareness and crochet was the perfect medium. Although it is definitely still connected to the book, Boobs and Dinks has become a huge multi-dimensional project of its own– people really respond to it! Since it started, I’ve found out about so many other amazing craft related projects that deal with cancer and human frailty and fear. I’ve also connected with so many other crafters and video artists and writers and organizations that deal with very similar issues.

Oh and, my BF was fine– the lump turned out to be just a dilated vein– but that fear when we discovered it was so intense, and I hope the project humanizes that kind of panic in a way that people can understand.

Is there anything you can’t make with crochet? Seriously!

SHANNON : Well, I want to make cowls, but I can’t read or write patterns. I’ve made a few attempts at learning, but just gave up. The beautiful and addictive thing about crochet is that you can just think of any shape you want to build and then make it up as you go along. There are only a few different variables but no end of ways to combine stitches to get the design you want. But sometimes the math is a bit tricky to work out the first time. You should see some of the prototypes for my projects- they are so hilarious and lumpy.

What was your biggest craft triumph?

SHANNON : Crafts mostly always feel triumphant! There is such a strong community spirit in crafts. Ideas are constantly evolving and growing because of the inspiration of others. Because there isn’t a lot of “mine mine mine”, you can work on projects with friends (at a workroom Stitch and Bitch for example) and always know that your work is respected. And many times ideas become strengthened by the input of others. Last year at the Valentine’s Trunk Show, I was talking to Ayalah at the workroom and since she is a medical illustrator, she gave me lots of tips for making my plush hearts more anatomically correct– so this year I have a whole new and improved pattern! Stuff like that is my favourite thing about crafts. Everybody triumphs!

Are you planning on selling some rummage at the show? if yes, what might that be?

SHANNON : Yep, I’m combing my stores for rummage– so far I have a few odds and ends of yarn, a batch of 35mm colour slides, some old blank mini-journals, and maybe some fabric squares I cut out for a quilt that never happened.

What Valentines gift would melt your heart?

SHANNON : For Valentine’s Day this year I’m dreaming of a collection of security buttons from Sweetie Pie Press– I want to get some of the rare pink ones before they’re gone.

The Love & Rummage Trunk Show will be at the workroom on Sunday February 8, 12-5pm.

All photos courtesy of Shannon Gerard. “Last Year’s Heart” photo by Alison Westlake.

IT’S ABOUT TIME

Published

Karyn

on January 28, 2009

in the workroom and vintage

. 10 Comments

People who know me, know that I like to take my time. “No need to be hasty”, was a favourite saying of mine for many years. As a Libra, I’m prone to weighing all the pros and cons of a situation, doing ridiculous amounts of research and patiently waiting until the right answer is clear to me. I don’t do well under pressure or when put on the spot.

the workroom has needed a clock since it opened, but of course, it had to be the RIGHT clock. A vintage, two-sided school house clock. I skimmed ebay every once in a while, scouting out the perfect clock and found one, only to forget to actually place a bid for it on the day of the auction. Drat!

More time passed and finally during the summer I found and won this lovely, functioning clock that fit all my specifications. When it was delivered, I discovered that it would require an electrician to create an outlet in the spot that the clock was to be mounted. Hmm, best to gather up some other electrical work to be done all at once to maximize having a professional in the house. And so that clock sat for a few more months, waiting patiently.

Last Friday afternoon, two electricians arrived and quickly installed a couple new vintage light fixtures in the back hallway, fiddled with the ceiling fan and mounted my lovely clock. Sometimes, it is absolutely amazing to hire someone else to do work for you. The clock is glorious, it keeps great time (on both sides!) and has added another strange whirring noise to the symphony of noises from the vintage oddities in the shop already.

INTRODUCING : RESURRECTION FERN

Published

Karyn

on January 27, 2009

in etsy, introducing, local and the workroom

. 6 Comments

Once again, we’re approaching another trunk show here at the workroom, in collaboration with the City of Craft ladies. The Love & Rummage Trunk Show will be a little bit different than our previous shows, as we’ve asked our vendors to also go through their crafty closets and package up some vintage supplies and goodies, as well as making their special wares. I have a strong suspicion that many of them have a treasure-load of stuff and I can’t wait to browse through it.

I’ll be profiling vendors every day up until the show, so I hope you drop by to take a peek at what’s in store. Today I’m super excited to introduce you to Margie Oomen of Resurrection Fern. I first discovered Margie on flickr when I saw a picture of one of her crochet covered sea stones. The first thing I did was check to see if she had an etsy store, so that I could buy one. Alas, at the time she didn’t – but her etsy store opened recently and seems to be doing really well. If you want one of her stones, you have to be mighty quick, as they sell out shortly after being posted. I have a feeling the same will be true at the trunk show.

Nature plays a big part in your work. How did the play between craft and nature develop for you?

MARGIE : I have always been a nature girl and also a maker of things from a very young age but it seems only in the last year or so that the two have really become covalently bonded. I have been doing a great deal of reading and thinking about how we can do our part to help increase awareness of the effects of global warming and unregulated consumption on our little planet and what I came up with was the concept of helping people see and experience what it is that is worth saving. To put this more simply, I really want to do my part to motivate people to go out there in the woods, meadows, seashores or even there own backyards where they can then slow down, and see what nature is trying so desperately to show them in the hopes that it will motivate them and inspire them to be creative.

Tell me the story behind your delightful crochet-covered rocks.

MARGIE : The story started with me crocheting the “rock babies” which were two little smooth stones I half covered with crochet one day and then my daughter said they looked like little babies wrapped in blankets. I smiled and then decided to add very simple facial features with a permanent marker and thus they were christened the “rock babies”.

I loved the look of an eyelet fabric covered stone I saw on flickr made by Stephanie ( little bird ) and decided to crochet some lace like covers for some sea stones I collected on my summer vacation in Cape Breton. The rest is history.

What/Who is inspiring you these days?

MARGIE : Nature is and always will by my greatest source of inspiration. I have made some great friendships through flickr and my blog and this creative community feeds and nourishes me everyday and also keeps me grounded.

What was your worst crafting disaster?

MARGIE : There is no such thing as a crafting disaster, they are only lessons to learn.

Are you planning on selling some rummage at the show?

MARGIE : I have been cleaning out my storage craft area and will have some vintage buttons, ribbons and trim and some vintage fabric bundles for sale and again a few surprises. I am not sure how all of this will fit in my vintage suitcase but maybe it will be a magic suitcase like Mary Poppins carpet bag.

What Valentines gift would melt your heart?

MARGIE : The best Valentine’s gift would be to spend the day snowshoeing or cross country skiing in the forest with my husband and having a winter picnic with a small fire. Our hands, feet and noses might get cold but our hearts would be toasty warm.

All photos by Margie Oomen

NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO EXPLORE

Published

Karyn

on January 26, 2009

in hello and i heart

. 7 Comments

Did you have a good weekend? We had take-out Chinese food friday night for dinner and my fortune cookie told me that, “Now is a good time to explore”. Sooo…. I let myself overindulge in some serious blog surfing over the last couple days. I’ve also finally gotten myself on Google Reader to organize all my blog reading. What a delight! Now I can read even more blogs every day, make notes, add tags and file away the things I want to remember. I feel like an efficient secretary with a well labeled filing cabinet.

I discovered some amazing new blogs that are already quick favourites – Ill Seen, Ill Said and Lobster & Swan top that list. You must visit, they will make your Monday. (or any day)

I also updated my blogroll, so now is good time for YOU to explore too!

My Saturday night was spent peering out my bedroom window watching over a dozen police and SWAT team point their firearms at my neighbours’ houses while they tracked down a robbery suspect who was hiding in one of the backyards across the street!

TWINKLE BLACKBOARD

Published

Karyn

on January 23, 2009

in DIY and home

. 26 Comments

I’m asking you to use a bit of your imagination for this one.

I’ve been trying to photographically capture the magic of my homemade blackboard with very little luck over the last month. I will do my best to describe it and perhaps you can envision it in your mind’s eye.

This project was done a couple years ago, but since I mentioned it the other day, I’ve been wanting to share it with you. I had originally imagined having a huge blackboard hanging in the dining room. Rather than just painting blackboard paint directly on the wall, I wanted it to be an actual hanging piece. I walked around the corner to the lumber yard (which has sadly since moved away) and requested their thickest MDF, cut down to 6′ x 4′. I chose MDF because of its super smooth surface, normally I’m not a fan. Of course, it hadn’t occurred to me just how heavy this thick piece of lumber would be. Luckily, the lumber yard fellows had more common sense than I and lent me their large dolly to shuttle my heavy load home. Luckily, one of them also followed me home to help heave it up the steps of the porch. I have a long history of lugging heavy things around town.

The huge board was painted with a few coats of black chalkboard paint and then I quickly realized that it was way too heavy to just hang on a wall. Thus, the blackboard simply leans against the wall. If you attempt this project, I highly recommend doing a smaller, more manageable size and forgoing thickness for thinness. I bought a tiny set of twinkle lights from Urban Outfitters and Andrew drilled a series of holes in the blackboard in a random constellation pattern along the top right corner. The holes were then painted in with the black paint. The lights were wired along the back of the blackboard and secured in each hole. Voila! A lovely twinkling night sky in our dining room, upon which we can write our grocery list, draw our Christmas tree and remind ourselves which movies we want to rent next. I wish you could see it in person, my photos don’t capture its charm.

I must wish dear Charlotte, ‘Bon Voyage!’, as she leaves us to go home to New Zealand today. You will be terribly missed around the workroom! Please eat a package of Tim Tams for me upon your arrival.

{NOTE : The type canvases that sit on top of the black board were done by Andrew using Letraset rub on letters. Clever Melinda figured out that they represent our intitials – Karyn, Andrew & Maisy.}

HOMEMADE UNDERWEAR

Published

Karyn

on January 20, 2009

in stitchery, textiles and the workroom

. 12 Comments

The term, ‘homemade underwear’, probably doesn’t conjure up a very flattering image. In fact, I just read an old news piece about Cate Blanchett giving up her dowdy homemade underwear. (made by her mom!) I have to admit that I’m impressed with my first attempts at making knickers. I think they’re quite cute and certainly not daggy.

My first pair was the Brazilian hipster in stretch lace. These next two are made from organic knit bamboo fabric. The fabric is amazingly soft. I’ve been wanting to start bringing in more organic and alternative fabrics to the workroom. We now have the organic knit bamboo in three colours – black, grey and this minky brown. For the trim, I just bought some inexpensive elastics at DFO. I’ll venture out to Mokuba and Sussman’s for my next pairs. A few of the other girls in the class had gotten some lovely trims there.

These are the low cut versions of the hipster (with frilly purple trim) and the bikini (with lavender scalloped elastic). I prefer the hipster, though both fit really well and are quite comfortable. The pattern also comes with a camisole which I’ve already got cut out in the bamboo and just need to sew up this week.

I’ve been scrutinizing my store bought undies, checking out they way they are constructed and how the trims are attached. Now that I’ve learned the basics from the underwear class, I’ve got tons of other ideas that I want to experiment with. The amazing thing about unlocking the mystery of making something is that you often find out that it’s not that hard and suddenly you’re proudly wearing homemade underwear!

Barack Obama was just sworn in as president. It’s a liberating day all around.

SAMPLER QUILT

Published

Karyn

on January 19, 2009

in patchwork, stitchery and the workroom

. 11 Comments

Sometimes I feel like a bit of a craft tornado, blasting through and leaving behind me a trail of unfinished projects. It’s certainly not for lack of interest, but usually I’ve overloaded myself with too many things at once. Perhaps you have sensed this about me already. Perhaps you are like this too? Too many ideas and ambitions and not enough hours of craft in the day. I have resolved this year to return to many of those abandoned items and finish them up, once and for all.

This sampler quilt was my first priority. I took Johanna’s sampler quilt class last January! It was one of the nicest class experiences I’ve had. Seven heavenly weeks of working alongside a superb group of ladies. The lessons I learned about quilting and sewing were invaluable. I fell a bit behind the class because of my shopkeeping duties and before I knew it, the class was over and MONTHS had passed.

In the last few weeks, I’ve been working on finishing this quilt. I even made an embroidered label. Apparently, I shouldn’t do freehand embroidery. The label is not my finest work and the next quilt label I do will be done with more care. (and hopefully skill!)

My patchwork potholders gave me good practice on doing continuous binding, so I found that part very satisfying. As soon as I had finished attaching the binding I threw the quilt in the washing machine and then the dryer. The satisfaction of looking at my puckery, washed quilt is incredible. In fact, I’m sitting on the couch right now underneath my sweet sampler and it’s so incredibly cozy.

I’ve got two other quilts in progess that I hope to finish this year – my queen-sized quilt and a nine patch quilt. Truthfully, I’d like to make ten other quilts this year but I’ll try to be realistic and account for the fact that I should sleep a few hours each night. Johanna is hatching up some exciting new quilting classes, so in the very least I’ll certainly have to ‘test’ those out.

For now, I’m basking in the sublime feeling of having finished my first quilt. I feel like I’ve been granted the honourable title of ‘quilter’, at long last.

COME HOME!

Published

Karyn

on January 16, 2009

in etsy and i heart

. 4 Comments

A lot of my internet surfing and blog reading has to do with coveting. Coveting and inspiration. I came across this photo by Something’s Hiding in Here. Since I already covet everything that Something’s Hiding in Here makes, I knew these magazines must be amazing. Coincidentally, I had just discovered Leslie’s blog the day before and Leslie is a source for all good things Japanese. I quickly emailed her and she promptly ordered me four issues and shipped them out to me last week before she left for a holiday to Hawaii. (lucky duck) They arrived within days. The postal system still amazes me.

My lovely brown box arrived packaged so sweetly with a few extra treats. It included a piece of Junko Onishi’s Bloom fabric & a piece of Lotta Jansdotter fabric, both of which I have been coveting for a long long time. This was way more than a ‘little’ goodness, Leslie!!

The magazines are delicious and I’m looking forward to really pouring through them over the weekend. Look at all the boxes and cupboards and just plain gorgeousness of every simple detail. Tiny little swing on a miniature plant?! Sigh. I love it all.

Have a lovely lovely weekend!

INTRODUCING : ROSALYN FAUSTINO

Published

Karyn

on January 15, 2009

in art, introducing and local

. 4 Comments

I first met Rosalyn at a Quilt Sunday. She showed up with pieces of cedar wood, thread, nails and a tiny hammer. I was completely enthralled by her work. Soon after she agreed to do a window installation for the workroom. It is the first of many artist installations in those lovely bay windows, I hope.

ceedlings is made up of found frames, tiny nails and thread. dear accidental joy is comprised of dozens of little sculptures that are crocheted out of gold wire. Rosalyn’s work is delicate, fine and intriguing. I have been lucky to experience it every day for the last few weeks. I love watching it change as the daylight passes over it, not only creating wonderful shadows, but also lovely metallic glitterings (my own word) when the sun shines, just so.

What is your first crafty memory?

ROSALYN : I think my first real crafty love was cross-stitching. I remember cross-stitching everywhere I went, I felt so hardcore. At the same time, I remember going to the Calgary’s local hobby shop with my family and I was totally into painting figurines and playing with hama beads.

You recently graduated from which Art program?

ROSALYN : I recently graduated from the Art and Art History program at the University of Toronto in Mississauga and Sheridan College, specializing in Sculpture.

What do you feel is the most important thing you learned from your school experience?

ROSALYN : In my last year of university, I was having a conversation with one of my mentors and he told me to take what I have and just experience it. I’ve learned to trust my gut and allow the processes to guide me. The book, “Letters to a Young Artist” by Peter Nesbett, Sarah Andress and Shelly Bancroft was also been pretty inspiring to read while I was in school.

Do you have a term for the ‘thread weaving’ you do? (ie with the wooden frames and nails)

ROSALYN : Total random thread weaving! It’s kind of funny because once I got more involved with the crafty world, I would find books on weaving – and online images like this. It’s pretty interesting that I never knew about it sooner! I loved the idea of layering different colours to give it dimension, it was almost like I was drawing the grains of the wood.

Can you explain the titles of the pieces you did for the window?

ROSALYN : Creating titles for pieces are probably the most hardest part for me to make! ceedling came from my interest in trees and wood grain. This project initially began in my fourth year when I was at Home Depot. I was on a search for scraps of wood – there’s something about found wood that makes it more unique than perfectly cut pieces. I ended up finding a huge stash of cedar shingles with tons of imperfections and knots in each piece of wood. I went home and played around with material in my sewing box. I became really passionate about this type of thread weaving and this title best suited my creative growth.

dear accidental joy is directly related towards this opportunity of making something larger than I have ever made before. (Thanks Karyn for the opportunity!)

What would be your dream commission/installation?

ROSALYN : After setting this up for your shop, getting an opportunity to do other window installations would be pretty amazing. I would love to do something for the Harbourfront. A few of my mentors at Sheridan told me to check out the Tree Museum and maybe display something in an outdoorsy space.

What is your favourite thing to have for breakfast?

ROSALYN : Mmm great question, in reality, I’m always rushing in the mornings…so I usually miss it and just have lunch.

But! If I do go all out on breakfast, I’ve got a few favourites…because I love love love breakfast food – I can have it any time of day! First off, it definitely has to include bacon (reminds me of my dad cooking on Sunday mornings), over-easy eggs, and pumpernickel toast. If we go out and eat breakfast, I like the smoked salmon with eggs benedict with no capers OR the french connection (french toast, bacon, eggs) at Sunset Grill. I’m all about the big breakfast!

p.s. With all this thread talk, I have to post this amazing link to a lined notebook made with thread! {via Supernaturale}