Hemp, You Don't Smoke It

Hemp is becoming quite popular for sewing.  Some people may think it may be toxic but it isn't.  It actually is a very eco-friendly fiber.  It can grow in many climates, quite rapidly and requires little water.  It also is a weed suppressor.  It replenishes the soil around it and cleans the toxins from the ground.  Fabric wise, it is quite similar to linen with the exception that it does not wrinkle as easily.  It is a plain weave and can shrink significantly. It looks like canvas with a slubby appearance.  It also is quite versatile coming in different weights.

hemp knit from fabric.com 
55% hemp/35% organic cotton

PROS- easy to sew with, softens with each wash

CONS- can fray


Everybody is getting on the hemp train, even Martha Stewart.  Lion Brand knitting company is now carrying a cotton/hemp yarn in a worsted weight in 20 colors and it is being licensed under Martha's brand. Being a worsted weight and eco-friendly it is perfect for baby gifts, washcloths and towels.

Looking to buy something made already with hemp? Check out Patagonia.  They have a wide selection for men and women.

Your weekly color fix: COLOR BLOCK

Sophie Theallet, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger

Color blocking in my mind is definitely a trend and by trend I mean the true meaning, it comes and goes, kinda like the Bill Cosby sweater you know the era. What's nice about a trend coming back is that it takes a little bit from each period it was popular. Today's color blocking has that late 50's mod feel and that 80's pop feel. Being a professional menswear designer I do sometimes immediately picture a polo shirt when I hear color block but color block for Spring and Summer 2012 is transformed into chic A line dresses,  mix and match your top and bottom, fun cool pieced pillows, blue plate special hellloooO! 

From etsy shop onefortynine

From Pipit at Anthropologie

You don't have to just wear your color blocking. Bring it on into your living space. 

From CB2

Martha Stewart Living April 2012

Martha Stewart Living April 2012

Pillows are a super easy way to brighten up your space. And if you are a sewer you can easily make pillow covers or new curtains. I am loving the color blocked shower curtain in Martha this month. Since we are moving in 2 weeks this does inspire me to make a color blocked curtain. Even if you are a beginner sewer you can make this and Martha's team gives easy directions right here.


I found this DIY piece on Apartment Therapy. A color blocked clothing rack. When you live in NYC you don't always have closets. 

So pull out the sewing machine, the RIT dye or the spray paint and get to work!

Martha Stewart may be for sale!

Interesting article on NPR. Martha Stewart Omnimedia may be for sale. I have been looking for a career sign. I am not a money person, those who know me will laugh at that. However, it is amazing she made some $43 mil last year on her products but still lost $10 mil. Tough business.

http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/jun/08/martha-stewart/

Valentines

I visited the Martha Stewart show a few days ago, don't get me wrong, I was in the audience.  It was the first day of Valentine celebrations.  I went with my meetup group http://www.meetup.com/TheCraftaholic/ . We made some new friends, learned about owl cookies and received some great gifts! Filiz, pictured below, is a new friend. She is a very talented artist and has an upcoming show in NYC her website is http://www.filizsoyak.com/home.html

Diana Stanley, myself, and Filiz Soyak

 

The show was so much fun and Martha's guest baker was an employee of Martha's at one point.  Daniele-Boglivi Fiori, a stylist for The Martha Stewart Show, started her own company Sweet Dani B, http://www.sweetdanib.com  The cookies made on the show were so adorable I was so excited to make them. The cookie is an owl sugar cookie, a Martha recipe and the icing is the most important. 

 
The info and tools necessary can be found here here at Dani B's website.
Dani B is offering a tool kit to make the icing of the cookie a tad easier and honestly it looks so cool to use.   The cookie recipe can be found here http://www.marthastewart.com/show/the-martha-stewart-show/valentines-day-ideas-02-01-11?video_id=daae08f9b9ecd210VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD

 I ordered my kit a few days ago, hopefully I will get it in time for Valentine's Day! 

Etsy Craft Labs

I am happy to say that Etsy has their main office here in NYC and hold craft labs every Monday. I went to this past Monday's to their new lab with my crafty friend Diana.  Monday night was a Valentine Card night.
From 4 to 8 paper and supplies were provided. We made cards, made new friends and chatted with old. A portion of these cards is going to City Meals on Wheels. Here are a few shots of the night.
If interested in making cards for this cause to be delivered on Valentine's Day go here http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/special-delivery-share-your-love-2011-11616/

Cute right? Want to create some of your own? Check this link out, Martha provides lots of great clip art. http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/valentines-day-clip-art

Maker Faire 2010 in NYC

The Maker Faire had it's first successful event in NYC at the NY Hall of Science in Corona Queens.
I was fortunate enough to work at the Burda Style booth and receive an all weekend pass into the faire. Burda Style is an online pattern resource center.
http://www.burdastyle.com/

The Maker Faire is for anything that is made. It is not just crafts, it's a community of Makers who share their projects and skills. MAKE is what-you-MAKE-it. It's a growing DIY movement of people who look at things a little differently and who just might spark the next generation of scientists, engineers and makers.

http://makerfaire.com/newyork/2010/

At the Burda Booth we were teaching people how to sew up a simple drawstring bag. People who never used a sewing machine made a bag! I think we have turned 100s of people into craftsters!

After my shift ended I was able to walk around and visit many of the creative and inspirational booths.

Not only that but I also learned how to crochet at the National NeedleArts Stitchzone!
Want to learn how to knit or crochet? Visit http://tnna.org/

Are all of your friends having babies? Too many trips to Babys r us? Get something fun, cute and unique for the little humans. Michelle Jones at Hoosier Magnolia in Boston has thee most adorable items, all made in the USA by her. www.hoosiermagnolia.com

If you missed this years Maker Faire definitely try to get there next year and learn how to make something!

Glass Bottles Jars Vessels

I think colored glass bottles and jars that line a shelf are always so pretty. Even when I see them at a flea market there is something so beautiful about it. All the different shapes, the curves, the history of them, what were they used for. Martha Stewart Living magazine has a great article on colored glass bottles in the August Issue. Greens, yellows, blues, amethysts, goldenrod, amber, aquas, deep teal.  There is even a category called Cathedral Pickle, a plain bottle sometimes with Gothic designs.  Each shape is made specifically for a certain purpose, its contents, to protect medicine, keep spirits fresh or warn the user that the bottle may contain poison. Cobalt or green glass bottles were used for arsenic to kill vermin in the Victorian Era.  Next time you see a colored bottle you may wonder what was it's purpose.

   

The color here is called bottle glass green, this glass is the most unadulterated.

     

Natural glass has an aqua tint as seen above in the bottle glass green jars.  Until 1900 there was a chemical used to change the color. The chemical that was used would turn the glass lavender when it was exposed to the sun.

  The largest one in this picture, the demijohn, was used for wine or ale dates back to the 1700's.

 My own piece of amber glass. This bottle I picked up in Sydney. It is used for ginger beer by Bundaberg Brewed Drinks