Fa-la-la-la-la

Handstitched felt, free embroidery, fabric, & yarn. My mother bought me the tree for $5 at Five Below! (FiveBelow.com) The owl was very simple to whip up - I used a great pattern/tutorial that a user posted to Cut Out + Keep. It's simple and easy to do a whole family of owls at once!

Link to the tutorial!

Happy and safe holidays!

Banksy

The Sewing Republic by Bernina

The Sewing Republic offers downloadable PDF tutorials made by various crafters sought out by Bernina. There is a variety of tutorials, including wine totes, coasters, pillows, pin cushions, and more. Fashion designer Bob Martin is also featured on Sewing Republic. This month I plan to select my favorite tutorials from this website document my process and results. I hope to connect with other D.I.Y.er's in sharing each others documentation. If you would like to be featured on this blog with your results, you can share a link in the comments box, or email your pictures to elaine@aqualungdesign.com

The Sewing Republic

The Fixer's Collective

"Bring us your broken things, and we’ll help you fix them. Or just bring yourself, and help us fix other people’s stuff."

Today I learned about The Fixer's Collective, a group that meets in Brooklyn, NY. Each week, members of the collective meet and fix a variety of broken things. The Fixer's Collective emphasizes DIY culture, and serves as a reaction to the recession and our country's current economic crisis. Reading about this group will lead me to a lot of significant research, which will assist me in the realization of my BFA exhibition this coming June.

"THE FIXERS COLLECTIVE MISSION STATEMENT

The Fixers Collective is a social experiment in improvisational fixing and mending. Our goal is to increase material literacy in our community by fostering an ethic of creative caring toward the objects in our lives. The Fixers Collective seeks to displace cultural patterns that alienate us from our things, by collectively learning the skills and patience necessary to care for them. Intentionally aligning itself with forces generated in reaction to the current economic crisis, the Fixers Collective promotes a counter-ethos that values functionality, simplicity, and ingenuity and that respects age, persistence and adequacy. The Collective also encourages participants to take liberties with designated forms and purposes, resulting in mended objects that may exist both as art and within a more limited, utilitarian context."

- The Fixer's Collective, http://fixerscollective.org

Hiatus

Cat Lady Press will be on hiatus for the next few weeks, as I am traveling to Italy with Ohio University's Art History program. Check back for an update upon my return - July 17th!

T-Shirt to Lounge Pants Tutorial

This is a great tutorial for beginning seamstresses. It's quite easy to follow, and the pants are extremely comfortable - made out of an old t-shirt, how could they not be?



This video is also available on YouTube.

DIY sewing kits now available from Cat Lady Press

This product allows you to make your own printed racerback tank top without having to mess with a pattern! Each kit consists of a sheet of fabric with the pattern screen printed directly onto it and an instruction packet on how to put the pieces together. Currently there is only one size, small, but stay tuned for sizes M, L, and XL. They come in grey and white designs, and are available on the Cat Lady Press Etsy page.

Print Topics Exhibiton at Ohio University's Cube 4 Gallery

Today, the Print Topics class at Ohio University installed their show in the Cube 4 Gallery in Seigfred Hall. Each student created a multiple of a unique object and marketed it at their own discretion. Here is some of the work:

Cat Lady Press D.I.Y. Sewing Kits:

Handbags by Casey:

Card decks by Pete:

Handmade paper by Kaci:

Recycled notebooks with printed covers by Kerry:

The show will be up until the morning of Wednesday, June 3rd.

ACRN Lobsterfest 2009

Cat Lady Press makes its debut at

2nd annual Craft Bazaar on June 6th

Located in Athens, Ohio, Lobsterfest an all-day free music festival hosted by ACRN. This year the festival will include its 2nd Craft Bazaar, featuring 20 D.I.Y. vendors from around the area. Cat Lady Press will have a table at the event; printed t-shirts, handmade apparel & accessories, sewing kits, and more will be sold!

Saturday June 6, 2009

South Green - Front Four

Athens, OH

Craft Bazaar: 12 pm - 7 pm

Live Music: 12 pm - 10 pm

For more information on the event, visit

http://www.acrn.com/lobsterfest or email

lobsterfestcraftbazaar@gmail.com 

Music Line-up (Main Stage)

1:45 pm: She Bears - energetic indie folk

2:45 pm: Kaslo - Athens folk rock

3:45 pm: Kyle Sowashes - fun indie pop

4:45 pm: Kid, You’ll Move Mountains - Illinois folk

5:45 pm: Earwig - Columbus indie rock

6:45 pm: Ruckus Roboticus - ACRN Alumnus DJ now

                  based in Columbus

7:45 pm: Blueprint - Columbus hip hop

9:00 pm: Jay Reatard - danceable new wave punk

                  on Matador Records

Side Stage:

1:00 pm: Who Knows - Andrew WK cover band

2:15 pm: Donner Party Dinner Party - noise duo

3:15 pm: Five Deadly Venoms - Athens experimental

4:15 pm: Joe Anderl - friendship folk

5:15 pm: The Ghost of Asa Phelps - Lawrence Arms-esque

                 punk

6:15 pm: Order of the Spur - newly formed Athens folk

7:15 pm: Russenorsk - Athens indie folk

Skeleton Tutorial Feedback!

Today I'm posting documentation of a shirt made with the Skeleton Skirt tutorial! My friend and fellow printmaker, Casey, used the tutorial to make a variation of her own. Here it is:

Casey hand-printed the design on the front at the Inkahoots! event earlier this May.

I love the back on this one! I've used this method a few times, but never made the slits so small. Casey tells me that her roommate has made a Skeleton Shirt as well, so expect to see pictures of Annie's shirt soon!

Stitch for Senate

The Stitch for Senate initiative was a project started by knitting enthusiats to make a statement about the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Each member of the project crocheted a helmet liner, articles which are used by combat soldiers. Fifty members created liners to be sent to members of the United States Senate, whose 2002 vote resulted in the invasion of these countries. When the helmet liner was received, the Senator had the option of sending the garment to a soldier in combat. This project honored the “tradition of wartime knitting, a practice dating back to the American Revolution.” (stitchforsenate.us) The participants in this project took the idea of knitting circles, and instead of focusing on its potentially oppressive nature, created a virtual arena in which they could share stories and discuss ways of fueling activism.

for more information on this project, visit http://www.stitchforsenate.us/

How to Make a Bow! New Tutorial

Here is my newest tutorial, "How to Make a Bow!" This video is part of a larger project, called "Save Your Scraps." Stay tuned for more on this piece.



This tutorial is also available on YouTube.

Underwear Tutorial by SuperNaturale

I've seen this tutorial posted in many different places, but I love it so much that I had to share! This tutorial by SuperNaturale allows readers to take their unused t-shirts and make them into something far more practical - underwear. On the right side column there is a downloadable .pdf pattern for both underwear and boxers!

Here's what you'll need:

-a t-shirt

-thin elastic cord (48" or enough to go around both legs & your waist)

-6"x4" of clean fabric, a thin cotton knit (optional)

-sewing machine, thread, scissors, etc.

-a big piece of paper (2' x 4' -ish) or enlarged pattern printout.

Make Your Own Damn Dinner

Introduction

"Gay & Lesbian Couples Adopting" by Kristen Paul

"Changing Communication in Families" by Brooke Sparks

"Single Dads in the Online Community" by Elaine Healy

"Is There Such Thing as a 'Good' Divorce?" by Lee Heintzelman

"Changing Household Roles" by Hannah Southern

"Make Your Own Damn Dinner" is a limited edition publication made for Women & Gender Studies 200, Spring 2009. The zine aims to educate readers of the incorporation of feminist parenting through the 21st century. By distributing "Make Your Own Damn Dinner," we hope to be activists for these ever-changing roles.

Copies of the zine are currently available at the Ohio University Women's Center in the Baker Center.

Skeleton Shirt Tutorial!

Here is the newest edition to the Cat Lady Press tutorial list, the Skeleton shirt!

Post your results under the comments, or email them to me at elaine@aqualungdesign.com

Happy crafting!

A Call for Participants

I am currently looking for more participants to help with a project, which I am very excited about. If you choose to participate, I will send you a yard or so of printed fabric. What you do with this fabric is up to you. If you think it needs to turn into a shirt, turn it into a shirt. If it needs to be a bookcover, make it a bookcover. If you think it would live a fulfilled life as toilet paper, I want you to turn it into toilet paper. This project is about YOUR response to imagery generated by me.

If you are interested:

-Comment on this post, or email me at elaine@aqualungdesign.com. Please include the address the fabric should be sent to.
-Wait patiently for fabric!
-Turn your fabric into something new.
-Document your new object "in its home." (If the fabric is now a pillow, take a picture of your couch. If it "lives" outside, take a picture of it outside.)
-Email your documentation to me at elaine@aqualungdesign.com

I appreciate your interest and hope you choose to participate. I will provide all fabric and costs (although donations are happily welcomed), so it shouldn't cost you more than a bit of your time.

Happy Crafting!

Sewing Basics - brought to you by Instructables

I have stressed from the beginning of this project that I wish to appeal to all levels of DIY-ers. Much of the feedback I have received tells me that this blog needs to have resources for beginners who have absolutely NO knowledge of sewing. Luckily, I found this great tutorial from Instructables to help!


How to Sew. - More DIY How To Projects

Miranda July

My Miranda July girl-crush is escalating. I have been studying her more in depth for my media class this quarter - mostly her online assignment based project with Harrell Fletcher - Learning to Love You More. The following is a critique of the project.

July’s wistful and intelligent approach to her artworks create a comfortable forum in which viewers can interact. This idea of relevant art is evident in her online project, Learning to Love You More. In conjunction with Harrell Fletcher, July posed assignments for readers to complete, document, and post to a web forum. As Jessica Santone stated in her article, Learning to Document More, July and Fletcher created “a new kind of archive as it teaches participants how to document and encourages cross-engagement between these documents.” It is imperative to note this change in “the archive.” Although the idea of the archive is traditionally regarded as a stagnant documentation of the past, July resurrects past projects by cross-referencing them, publishing them in books, and displaying them in exhibitions.
The collection of July’s work is important in the way it challenges viewers to re-approach activities in their daily lives. She states, “we have archived some of the work that has commanded us in some way…. In the same way that the ocean gives the assignment of breathing deeply, and kissing instructs us to stop thinking.” Through the critical thought process July poses, her work is sweet and thoughtful, with a humorous element of being clumsy and self-deprecating.

Success at INKAHOOTS!

Anyone who was able to attend Inkahoots! this past weekend can attest that it was a truly remarkable event. The collaboration between OU Printmaking, Clinton Reno, visiting graphic novelists, and the public made for two days of frantic, but fantastic, printmaking. Thanks to everyone who came out to support the event. If you have any feedback about Inkahoots!, comment on this post. Documentation of Inkahoots! t-shirts are also welcome!

Here are some pictures from the weekend.

The Cradle Project

The Cradle Project (www.thecradleproject.org) was an initiative designed to recognize the estimated 48 million orphaned children in sub-Saharan Africa. Project founders challenged the 555 participating artists from around the globe to create a cradle out of recycled materials. The response helped not only in gaining widespread awareness, but also raised over $90,000 to feed, house, and educate the orphans.

"We believe that if we can see enough potential in a piece of scrap to make a structure which cradles a child, why can we not see that much potential in our world’s forgotten children. Empty cradles speak for themselves. Juxtaposed to these cradles will be a wall of slowly falling sand, symbolizing how these lives, these cradles, this potential, will all be buried and never realized."

Click here to view the cradles!

V-neck/Keyhole Shirt Tutorial

My first tutorial! I will be showing you how to make this shirt out of an ugly, boxy mess of a t-shirt. I hope that this video can be useful to many DIYers in the blogosphere. Feel free to share this tutorial - I only ask that you link back to my blog, and post your results in the comments!

Stay tuned for a PDF download of this tutorial.

INKAHOOTS!

Inkahoots! is a collaborative four-day artmaking project in Athens, Ohio between Ohio University School of Art Students, visiting artist Clinton Reno, Athens High School, and other visiting students. Recently, graphic novelists Joshua Dysart, Ron Wimberly, Dan Goldman and Pornsak Pichetshote have also been added to our line-up of guests.

On the Friday and Saturday of Mom's Weekend, unique handmade apparel will be printed and sold at the Howard Hall site, at the top of Jefferson Hill. Stop by our custom tent to customize clothing with the images and color of your liking! The sales tent will also feature pre-made clothing and prints by Clinton Reno and members of the OU Print Guild. View Clinton's website at http://clintonreno.com/

Friday, May 1st from Noon - 5 pm
Saturday, May 2nd from 10 am - 3 pm


Additional Events Include:

Clinton Reno Exhibition
Wed., April 29th - Sun., May 3rd
Cube 4 Gallery, Seigfred Hall

Comic Book Bootcamp Lecture
presented by The @ Lab
Wednesday, April 29th
5pm - 7pm
Baker Center Theater
2nd Floor

Clinton Reno Lecture
Thurs., April 30th at 3 pm
401 Seigfred Hall

The School Of Art Prom: "Come as a piece of art"
Saturday May 2nd 8pm-12am
Seigfred Hall Lobby
Costume required- $3 to $5 at the door.
DJ, Cash bar, Refreshments, Photo booth and Costume contest!


I can't wait to experience the turn out for this event - everyone we have been collaborating with is very excited about the weekend we have planned. It should be a fantastically hectic weekend with great friends!

Response to "Revolution is Handmade"

Knitting circles are a fantastically kitschy way to network. I invite readers who have a similar interest in this sense community to start a project similar to the one I posted yesterday. Find a common activity between friends and use it to form connections, whether you start a reading circle, take turns cooking, or simply post your own knitting project to this forum! Whatever you decide to do, send me your results!

Revolution is Handmade

As I am putting together some instructional DIY videos, I would like to share some of my own work. The following pictures are documentation of a project I did this fall. The womb-like knitting basket provides a nurturing forum to bring women together and discuss social and political activism.

The craft of knitting and yarn-work has been an integral part of women's interaction for centuries. In times when women had no voice in social and political matters, knitting circles have served as a traditional space for storytelling, discussion, exchange, and protest. The purpose of this piece is to inspire a community of people to work together and create in a collaborative manner. Women can rise up and embrace their crafty skills, using them to be proactive about societal change.

© Elaine Healy 2008

Stop Animation with Digital Cameras

Today, I would like to share a tutorial for making a quick and easy
animation. You will need a digital camera, and access to QuickTime
Player. To download QuickTime, visit:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download.


1. Set up your "studio". It is important to take all of your photographs
on a consistent background, so think about laying down a table cloth
or setting up on a rug of some sort. I set up my camera using a tripod,
so I didn't have to worry about my animation being TOO jumpy.
2. Start taking pictures! Move your object/s slightly, take a picture,
and repeat, repeat, repeat. It is important to take a lot of pictures. In
my animation, I used about 120-140 pictures, resulting in a 20 second
video.
3. Upload your photos. Do not change the file names after uploading!
This is very important, as a change in the name can change the order
of your pictures. Make sure your pictures are in a folder of their own.
4. Open QuickTime Player. Under the File menu, click Open Image
Sequence. Find the folder of your pictures on your hard drive, and
select the first photo. Click Open.
5. The Image Sequence Setting box will pop up, where you will specify
the frame rate. For an animation, anywhere between 10 and 15 frames
per second works well.
6. When you have a frame rate you are happy with, use the File menu
to Save As.

Cat Lady Press Opening

Welcome to Cat Lady Press! The goal of this blog is to create interaction between "craftivists" from various physical locations and personal backgrounds. I will be frequently posting projects, publications, and tutorials for all skill levels of those in the DIY (Do It Yourself) community. Audience participation is a vital element to this project; I strongly encourage readers to blog along with each other, sharing their results and providing constructive critique. Please check back in a few days for information on my first projects!