Textile Tripping through New Mexico

Written on December 2, 2009 at 9:54 am, by DIY on the Fly (Beth Eslinger)

I’m hot off a long Thanksgiving trip to northern New Mexico, and couldn’t wait to share my discoveries! This part of the county is known for unbelievable mountain scenery and amazing cuisine (did you know this is the only state with an official question: Red or Green (aka What’s your chili of preference?)). But it’s also a land of amazing artists—painters (Georgia O’Keeffe lived and worked in the region), potters and jewelers (the World Heritage Site Taos Pueblo and its resident artists are located here), and weavers (there’s a whole Fiber Arts Trail you can spend days touring).

This trip, with my new knitting obsession led to a particular focus on the region’s weaving and textile shops of Taos. Here are a few of my faves.

Weaving Southwest (www.weavingsouthwest.com)

This shop features hand-dyed yarns for both weaving and knitting. The store sells a few small-scale looms, needles, and finished goods. A beautiful spot to spend an hour. I picked up chunky variegated yarns that will look simply stunning as scarves and wraps. They sell product online for those who can’t make the trip.

La Lana Wools (www.lalanawools.com)

Down the street from Weaving Southwest, this shop also features plant-dyed yarns in amazing colors, real antler buttons and toggles for finishing your projects with major personality, and the most diverse selection of felted wools I’ve seen. This business also sells online.

Common Thread (info@commonthread.biz)

If you’re in the market for fabric, tablecloths, or art paper, swing by this store. It’s a mix of Mexican brights, modern graphics, Asian silks, and everything in-between in a well-packaged mix. This is the most dynamic, interesting fabric store I’ve seen (including the Garment District in New York City).

These are just a snippet of all the amazing shops. For more information on the trail, visit www.nmfiberarts.org.

Now, I’m thinking about starting a new obsession: Weaving. In fact, I’ve been watching this loom at Urban Outfitters. Could be the perfect holiday gift for the adventurous DIYer on your list. 

www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&navAction=jump&id=17124389&search=true&isProduct=true&parentid=SEARCH+RESULTS&color=000

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Learning to knit—from YouTube

Written on November 30, 2009 at 1:02 pm, by DIY on the Fly (Beth Eslinger)

I’ve been wanting to learn how to knit. But sitting through a night class, spending a weekend with mother-in-law instruction, or figuring out knitting code from a book was just not happening any time soon. So six weeks ago I decided to learn DIY-style: on the Web (and wearing my PJs).

First things first: I picked up a few balls of medium-weight yarn, some bamboo needles (which I now love and have several sizes), and a darning needle. After an hour of surfing YouTube videos, I landed on these easy-to-follow links, and by night one had finished a pair of fingerless gloves. The addiction had started. (By the way, if you’re looking to learn how to knit, start small like I did. Knitting is labor-intensive, so if you’re looking for instant gratification, do a quick project like gloves or a neck wrap. Heavyweight yarn speeds the process, too).

The Videos

I landed on a video series from Expert Village. Easy to follow and few distractions.

1. Learn an easy casting-on stitch.

2. To create a basic knit stitch.

3. To create a purl stitch.

So over the past six weeks, I’ve dabbled in a few patterns using these basic stitches and have made several scarves, fingerless gloves (they’re hot with all the little girls in my ‘hood), a wrap, and a pillow. I’ve figured out how to switch yarn colors, and bind off so I actually can finish projects (also from YouTube). Not everything’s perfect, but that’s part of the charm, right?

Now I’m crazily knitting up projects for holiday gifts. Fingerless gloves for the little girls (check), scarves and neck wraps for the big girls (check). And for me: I get the pink wrap with the flower pin. It took me a week of nights knitting, and is oh-so my color (check).

Next month, I’m thinking about digging into hats and maybe cableknit patterns. But that’s another whole round of videos. Stay tuned for the results.

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Whip up an apron this weekend

Written on November 13, 2009 at 1:51 pm, by DIY on the Fly (Beth Eslinger)

Here’s a quick gift idea for the DIYers on your list: A utility apron embellished with fabric tool silhouettes.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Premade apron (this one’s from Restoration Hardware)
• Fabric scraps
• Fusible webbing
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Random tools to trace around

T0tal project time:

• 1 hour (sans shopping)

Get going!

Pick through your scrap fabrics, 0r if you need to buy, try quilting quarters from the fabric store (super affordable). Press iron-on fusible bond, also from the fabric store, to the fabric back. Trace shapes of scissors, cell phones, or tools to the fusible bond side. Cut out the shapes, iron onto your apron, then zigzag stitch to finish the edges. Topstitch decorative ribbon onto the apron just for fun.

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5 Questions with Patricia Hoskins of Crafty Planet

Written on October 21, 2009 at 10:26 am, by Team DIY

Good luck trying to leave Crafty Planet.

Once you’re inside, you don’t really want to go anywhere. Let’s begin with the latest Amy Butler fabrics. And entire walls of designer yarns. The campy-cool Sublime Stitching embroidery patterns. A well-edited selection of knitting, DIY, and crafts books. Tons of fun notions, embellishments, and hip sewing stuff. An entire back area for workshops, classes, and impromptu crafting. The shop itself is situated in Minneapolis’ hip Northeast neighborhood, with a vintage clothing store next door.

The store’s owner, Patricia Hoskins, is another reason to visit. She’s a one-woman wealth of crafty and creative knowledge. When we stopped by the shop, she had a brand-new baby nestled into a sling (constructed from super-cute fabric, of course), while she sorted mail, tracked sales, and paid invoices.

Not only does the new mom manage operations at Crafty Planet, work a separate day job, and organize the No Coast Craft-o-Rama, she is also co-author of a new book, out today. One-Yard Wonders: 101 Fabulous Fabric Projects is a nice, fat book packed with home décor, fashion, accessory, and other projects you can sew up using a yard or less of fabric.

Trish took a few moments to chat with Team DIY about her shop, her book, and what’s on the horizon.

Do It Yourself: When and why did you launch the store? How has it grown and changed?
Patricia Hoskins: We opened the store in October 2003 after some solid planning and prep. Our main motivation was to provide a warm, welcoming, fun place for new crafters to learn and to find those fabrics and supplies that were cool and hard to find locally. Emphasis being on the welcoming and friendly atmosphere; when I was learning to sew and knit myself, I would often find myself intimidated and overwhelmed in the specialty yarn and fabric shops, afraid to ask a stupid question.

Originally we envisioned carrying a little bit of everything crafty — cool stamps, papers, and more, plus consignment handmade goods, in addition to fabrics and yarns and other needlecrafts. Soon we realized we would do better to focus a bit more, so we stuck primarily to needlecrafts. We do still carry kids’ craft kits in a variety of areas, along with a few handmade consignment lines, but those are minimal.

As far as how we’ve changed, we started on a shoestring, so we now carry far more fabrics and yarns, and we’re much deeper in basic notions and supplies, as well.

DIY: What types of classes do you teach? What do you love about teaching?
PH: I’ve taught knitting, crochet, embroidery, and sewing — mostly beginning classes. I enjoy seeing people learn a new skill and gain that confidence in themselves. So many people say, “I’m not crafty at all!” or “I’m sure I will suck at this,” then they concoct awesome crafty goodness! I guess there’s a certain kind of crafty/creative “spark” that I enjoy seeing getting fired up for the first time.

DIY: Congratulations on the new book! How did you come up with 101 sewing projects? That’s a lot!
PH: One-Yard Wonders is a collaboration not just between Rebecca Yaker, my co-author, and me, but about 70 contributors as well. 101 is a lot of projects! We mostly solicited contributors through blogs, craft forums like Craftster, word-of-mouth, and Crafty Planet newsletters. We had so many great submissions we actually didn’t have room for them all. Rebecca and I contributed several projects of our own, of course. Some things we were already making anyway, or had been thinking of trying to make — then we just had to figure out how to do it with just one yard of fabric.

DIY: Who and what inspires you?

PH: I am a very big fan of retro and vintage design in everything from crafts and textiles, to architecture and furniture, and more. I particularly love the midcentury modern aesthetic, but not just mid-century; I appreciate design from a variety of eras and cultures. Also, our customers inspire me every day! Seeing what they’re putting together for colors and patterns and seeing their finished projects — this all gives me great inspiration.
DIY: What’s on the horizon for you and Crafty Planet?
PH: I’m working on a book called Crafty Planet Goes Green, which will feature sewing, knitting, and other needlecraft-y projects using all recycled materials. Of course I hope Rebecca and I can continue developing a One Yard Wonders series in the vein of the One-Skein Wonders series, though that’s all TBD.

On a personal note, my husband and I just had a baby in September, so a big part of everything in my life will be just figuring out how to juggle all my varying commitments! In addition to the shop and my writing endeavors, I also work more than 30 hours a week as a business librarian, so time management is top of my agenda right now.

Visit Crafty Planet’s online store here. Or stop by the real deal! Crafty Planet is located at 2833 Johnson St. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418

Pick up a copy of One-Yard Wonders: 101 Fabulous Fabric Projects here. Or find it at your local crafts shop!

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5 Questions with RV Makeover Queen Sarah Long

Written on October 13, 2009 at 2:38 pm, by Team DIY

There’s something about hitching your own ride that inspires a sense of freedom in cowgirl-at-heart Sarah Long. Inspired by Sisters on the Fly, Long, who lives in Madrid, Iowa, bought her teardrop-shaped 1953 Aljo RV on Craigslist, then made it over from bumper to bumper. From the Wyoming license plates repurposed as wall art to the cabinets coated in chalkboard paint, every piece of her new ride reflects her personality. With some help from her fam—sister, Audrey; mom, Susan; and dad, Matthew TeRonde—and friend Alyson Gross, Long got her RV rodeo-ready in less than four weeks.

Do It Yourself: Hi, Sarah! What inspired you to buy and make over your camper?

Sarah Long: When I saw the picture on Craigslist I knew I had to have it. Sisters on the Fly, which I read about in Mary Jane’s Farm magazine, inspired the idea of the “glamor camper.”

The whole idea of glamor camping, or “glamping,” is to participate in rough and rugged activities, such as camping, fishing, or hiking, and still have the luxury of pretty things, comforting things, and tasty things.

It’s also an activity created around a community of women. Sisters on the Fly is a group of women who have taken their sense of adventure to this really great reality. There is freedom in that, and I find it inspiring to know that you can hook up, back, and unload a camper on your own with no aid from someone else.

Do It Yourself: Describe the camper’s decorating scheme.
Sarah Long: Anything cute or cowgirl. The majority of our camping trips are to rodeos, so we thought that was pretty fitting. I am a cowgirl at heart for sure! I’ve been riding since I was 14 or so.

DIY: What did you do to the inside and outside? Describe some of your DIY projects.
SL: We did a lot of painting—and a lot of priming—because every surface is covered with old wood veneer. All the colors are leftover from painting the inside of my house. I enjoy rich and dramatic colors, so we had a pretty intense palette to work from. But they all came together well with the help of my design team—my mom, sister, and friends.

Painting the outside seemed like a challenge, but once we got started, it was really simple. I washed it with a house-cleaning agent that came with a hose attachment and let it dry, then painted it like you would a garage or other exterior.

We also had to re-caulk the back window and replace the wet window frame. I’d never worked with caulking before and it shows in my work, but it does the job—it doesn’t leak!

DIY: What inspires you? What are your other hobbies?
SL: What hobbies don’t I have? I love to garden, sew, cook, decorate, build things, create things, crochet, make jewelry, bake and decorate cakes, write, photograph, learn and read, entertain, eat and drink, tinker, style hair, swim, walk, take aerobics classes and yoga, teach, ride horses, tend animals, fix things, care for people and things, cuddle with my three dogs and husband—that’s just off the top of my head.

DIY: What is the next DIY project for the camper?
SL: We need to finish the outside. We plan on painting a pair of turquoise-tipped cowgirl boots near the door, then painting its name—“The Dixie Chicken”—on the front and the saying, “git along little doggie,” on the back end.

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Create Pillows from Tea Towels

Written on October 13, 2009 at 8:10 am, by DIY on the Fly (Beth Eslinger)

Calling all frugalistas: If you can sew a straight stitch, you can create buku pillows for an instant sofa makeover.

Starting with more fun patterned tea towels (from Anthropologie.com and St. Louis’ Bowood Farms bowoodfarms.com), I let the graphic patterns lead my pillow designs. All are super-easy to sew (15 minutes or less) and easy to modify. Here’s what I did (starting clockwise from top).

1. Powered with Flowers

This sweet tea towel came tricked with embroidered flowers, so I simply folded the towel over, cut the shape into a square, and sewed the edges (leave an opening for a pillow form and then hand-sew the opening closed). Done.

2. Take it Off the Table

OK, so I cheated a bit and used dinner napkins to create this checked pillow. Simply take 2 napkins, place them right sides together, and sew around the edges (leave an opening for your pillow form, then hand-sew after you stuff the pillow form). Shop sales for great napkins such as these, $3 on clearance from WilliamSonoma.com.

3. Pretty Fly

This tea towel came with sweet butterfly embroidery and a calico edge. To make this design, I folded the edges over a rectangular pillow so the edges met on the pillow front (then pin). Turn wrong side out and sew the sides. To finish, turn right side out, then hand-sew the decorative edge.

4. Hello, Tootsie Roll

This towel came with pom-pom trim and a cool patchwork pattern that just screamed pillow. I folded the pillow over a bolster form and pinned (and then sewed) the right side of the fabric. Satin ribbons tied into bows finish the edges.

5. So Square

I had leftover towel from another project, so I just trimmed the scraps into a square and made this cute little accent pillow.

Total Time: 10-15 minutes per pillow

Total Cost: $25 (including the towel and a form)

Total Effect: A brand-new sofa look for under $150!

Next week: Tea Towels Take 3. See how I transform tea towels into a headboard cover!

If you’re new to sewing pillows, check out this how-to.

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Halloween Tricks with Matthew Mead

Written on October 12, 2009 at 9:31 am, by Team DIY

Matthew Mead is one our favorite designers, and we’re delighted that he agreed to share some of his wicked-cool ideas for Halloween decorating! Check out his fabulous book, Matthew Mead’s Halloween: Shockingly Simple Holiday Crafts and Treats for tons more crafts, recipes, and party ideas. Enjoy! - Team DIY

Entertaining ideas for Halloween are simple and interesting when you use what you have around the house.

Bird houses are the base for haunted houses made of store-bought mini cookies adhered with homemade royal icing.

Carrots outfitted with black-eyed peas come to life and fit perfectly into wooden candlesticks for a fresh take on a centerpiece.

An heirloom pumpkin sans the stem is the perfect bowl for healthy and natural Halloween treats.

Find Matthew’s book on the newsstand or in the holiday section at your local bookstore! (We’ve added his creepy-crawly takes on cupcakes to our Halloween party menu!)

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Host a DIY Baby Shower

Written on October 7, 2009 at 2:45 pm, by Team DIY

We’ll go ahead and say it: Baby showers can be pretty horrendous affairs. Ever played the game where a chunk of candy bar is melted into a diaper, and guests are forced to examine the melty mess then guess what brand of candy treat is smeared into the diaper? No? Be grateful.

Here are a few easy tips from a recent shower we threw… It was low-key and fun—and we made almost everything ourselves, saving boatloads of cash.

Decor

We didn’t know whether the impending bundle of joy was going to be a boy or a girl, so we decided on a palette of tangerine orange and bright teal. Cheap-o unfinished wood birdhouses cost only a few bucks at our local crafts store, so we coated them with acrylic paint in our selected palette. We ordered twiggy birds’ nests online, then filled the nests with candy eggs on the morning of the baby shower. Cuteness!

For a centerpiece, we found a fallen tree branch, stripped it of leaves, and painted it white. We scattered green leaf confetti around it, then placed food, treats, and freshly picked flowers at random spots around it.

Food

In keeping with the baby bird theme, we focused on light ‘n’ fluffy egg dishes, such as savory tarts and quiches. And no shower would be complete without obscene amounts of sugar. These nest cupcakes—made with Chinese noodles and speckled Jelly Beans—fit the bill. Here’s the recipe.

Read more

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Make a Designer Apron—in Minutes!

Written on October 6, 2009 at 8:11 am, by DIY on the Fly (Beth Eslinger)

I’m Beth, editor of Do It Yourself magazine and devotee of quick projects I can create in my limited spare time! This month, I’m totally obsessed with tea towels and all the great things you can make with them.
I love tea towels for their adaptable size (generally 20×26 inches), prefinished edges (making them a cinch to sew), and bargain prices (my spendiest towels cost $16, not bad for readymade design). The sizes, patterns, and motifs are perfect project fodder for pillows, artwork, café curtains, basket liners, and more!
Here, I created a designer-style apron using a fancy tea towel with decorative trim (Anthropologie.com). Purchase an apron like this, or make it yourself to slash the cost—and boost your DIY pride!

To get this look, lay an old apron over your tea towel, using the finished sides of the towel for the apron’s top, sides, and bottom edges. Trace the arm holes with a pencil, and cut out using a sharp scissors. For the ties: Easiest option—cut two pieces of 1-inch ribbon to 54 inches. Center ribbon on the arm holes and sew with right sides together using ¼-inch seam allowances. Turn under the top and bottom edges of the ribbon and sew to finish. Done, and on to some quality time in the kitchen.

Option 2: For a pro look, sew fabric ties from a coordinating fabric. Cut two 3×54-inch strips, then press all sides under ½ inch. Press the short sides in half so the strip measures 1-inch wide. Center the strips on the arm holes, pin the right side of the towel to one right side of the strip, and sew using ½ seam allowances. Turn right side out and press. To finish, topstitch through all layers of the strip.

Total time: 15 minutes for the ribbon option; 30 minutes for the hardcore sewing
Total cost: $16
Total satisfaction: 100 percent, guaranteed!

Tune in next Tuesday for more tea towel projects, including a whole pile of pillows.

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Make It Monday: Freewheelin’ Wall Art

Written on October 5, 2009 at 8:15 am, by Art Actually (Katie Leporte)

“Freewheelin’”. One of my fave albums of all time. Also a good word for what I do at home and as art director on the mag—play around with everyday, budget-friendly materials to create art. Get out your scissors and glue, this month it’s all about paper!

Okay, so I don’t scrapbook, but I absolutely adore some of the patterned papers out there right now (check out basicgrey.com.). And you can’t beat the price tag—about a $1 per sheet.

1. Check out your local crafts store for scrapbook paper varieties (I like the double-sided option). I chose three different patterns within a similar color palette. Two identical scrapbook papers makes one art “wheel”. I picked up 14 sheets for less than $20 to make seven.

2. On a cutting mat, lay out your papers, cutting off the brand end tag with a scissors or crafts knife using a ruler edge to guide you. Make your first 1″-wide fold on a sheet (step shot, left). It doesn’t matter which side you start on because the paper should be square. Fold the paper back and forth, accordion-style.

3. Fold the finished accordion strip in half (step shot, middle), and glue two sides together. Compress under a pile of old books for about 20 minutes.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 on the same patterned scrapbook paper. Once the glue has dried, pull apart the accordion to make two fans. Glue the two fans together, securing for an hour with clothespins (step shot, right).

*If you want tiny wheels to mix with the larger ones like I did, cut your accordion folded strips in half or smaller.

Create a kaleidescope of color on your wall, grouping the wheels together or arranging them at random. You can also hang them at various heights from a light fixture as a centerpiece party decoration or on a tree as holiday ornaments. To hang from nails, attach a small looped ribbon on the backs of the wheels, or cheat like I do and use adhesive, like UGlu strips.

So. Turn some music on and start foldin’.

Art Actually, Katie Leporte; photos by Cameron Sadeghpour, Jason Donnelly

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