Craft 101: Wool Felting

I remember watching Jenn Docherty on Martha last year (check out her cute creations in the picture below) and I immediately wanted to start felting. I know it seems a bit off-season but it's a great time to start working on ornaments for the holidays (you know how it creeps up!) or just simply make cute little critters just to have around or to give away as gifts!


I made this video for a friend as part of her Christmas present, but I thought it would be useful for anyone else interested in learning the basics of wool felting.

>> Additional Resources

Books: The Cute Book, Little Felted Animals, Fuzzy Felted Friends, Fleece Dog and Sweet Needle Felts

Supplies: city quilter, halcyon yarn, spinblessing

Interesting Sites: Felt Crafts (history of felt) Felt artists (an extensive list of felt artists).

Craft 101: Letterpress Printing

Elise emailed me to share her love for letterpress and since she's fairly new to letterpress printing, I thought it would be interesting to get her fresh perspective on the topic. Elise was also kind enough to include some of her favorite links and books on the topic - perfect for beginners!

One of Elise's letterpress postcards

So please welcome Elise to the site...

>> OVERVIEW
Letterpress printing is one of the oldest forms of mass printing. Originally it involved arranging and rearranging raised letters into a frame, then inking them before pressing a paper on top. Letterpress printing was the method used to print mass quantities of newspapers and books long before the computer was born.

>> continue reading Craft 101: Letterpress Printing

While letterpress printing was once the printing method of choice, it is seen today more as a craft and specialized hobby. Many greeting cards and wedding invitations are letterpressed to provide texture and add to their uniqueness. The de-bossed impression is created from the pressing of the paper against the raised inked image or text.


There are many different typefaces in various sizes available for the letterpress - most of which were named after printers who worked in the 15th century. These lead and wood typefaces are still around, but many people choose to create plates based on something they have designed and typeset on a computer.

Linocut : I carved the tulip shape out of a block of lineolum and used it to create the
print in the image to its left.

Linocuts can also be used to obtain an image into paper with a press. To create a linocut, a relief carving is done on a sheet of linoleum which is generally mounted on a wooden block.

There are many different types of presses - some are completely hand powered while more recent or refurbished models have electric parts. I recommend browsing this Press Gallery Index to see many different styles.

>> MY EXPERIENCE...
About a year ago, I fell in love with the look and feel of letterpressed cards. At the time, I didn't realize that it was a printing method that I would be able to do on my own. Originally, I spent a good amount of time looking for a press to purchase online, but soon realized that 1) they were hard to find and 2) even more difficult to transport.

I was told by a fellow letterpress enthusiast about an art studio with presses in my area and decided to sign up for a three course workshop. During my three classes, I learned about the art of letterpress and became comfortable using their Vandercook Presses. I'm currently renting time on their press and create small prints and cards to sell in my Etsy shop. Eventually I would love to create custom stationary and wedding invitations.

Mixing ink : blending green, yellow and white to get the color I wanted.
I use Speedball block printing oil based inks.

You can clearly see in this photo the text on the bed of the press.
It is secured in place with wooden blocks of different sizes.

I use a large Vandercook press. The ink is scraped on to the rollers and
the type is set in the bed of the press. The ink first rolls over the text and then another
non-inked roller (with paper attached) rolls over the inked text.

If I had the extra space and time to dedicate to the hobby, I would love to purchase a press. Right now, renting space is ideal for me - especially because the press rental includes a variety of typestyles and proper materials that the studio has collected over the years.

Wood type alphabet that I bought on Etsy

I am still an avid collector of letterpressed pieces from various shops. Now that I understand the work and effort behind the craft, I am now an even bigger fan. Some of my favorite small companies include, Zeichen Press, port2port press, Satsuma Press, & Hammerpress. I also have found many lovely little letterpressed goods shops on Etsy.

>> RESOURCES
1. Briar Press is an excellent online resource for all things letterpress. Through the site, you can purchase a press, download graphics for printing, or just learn more about the craft. There is a current listing of workshops available as well.
2. Five Roses is a fantastic resource as well if you are interested in learning more about printing today. They have outstanding resources and links to check out for more information.
3. Owosso Graphics and Boxcar Press are just a few of online sites where you can order plates for printing. When ordering plates, it is important to specify you want the reverse image. Otherwise, what you print will be backwards.
4. Wikipedia also has an informative article about letterpress and some great links to check out.

Two fun books that I have seen and read though are:
1. Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton
2. Letterpress: New Applications for Traditional Skills by David Jury

Make sure to check out Elise's blog to keep track of her progress and also check out her shop to see what she's been cranking out of her Vandercook!

Credit: Overview and associated images courtesy of Elise Blaha

Thanks Elise!!

Share your love for your craft! Email me at hearthandmade[at]gmail[dot]com, subject: Craft 101

>> see other Craft 101 features

Craft 101: Encaustic Painting

Marija sent me an email to share her paintings and she described her technique as "eco-conscious encaustic". So I began looking into it and discovered lots and lots of wonderful work available on Etsy using this technique...


>> continue reading about encaustic painting

I'm not sure how many of you are already familiar with encaustic painting, but since I knew absolutely nothing about it, I asked Marija if she would be willing to give us a primer. Of course she went above and beyond and created this wonderful tutorial!

Take it away Marija...

Encaustic art continues to attract increased attention, from its unique aesthetic properties to being a forgiving medium, encaustic painting can be eco-conscious and easy to learn. “Encaustic painting” – generally refers to a painting that is comprised of pigmented wax. The most commonly used wax for encaustic is purified (white) beeswax. Although many artists have their own specific encaustic formulas, which may include other types of waxes and/or polymers, I tend to use 100% beeswax.

SAFETY FIRST

There are a few safety tips to keep in mind right off the bat when working with encaustic. Firstly, ensure that you are working in a well-ventilated area throughout your process. To my knowledge, it is not the beeswax itself that may be most hazardous to your health, it is the inclusion and heating of oil paint, so be careful. Secondly, encaustic painting requires heat, from electric grills to heat guns, etc. so make sure that you are fully aware of your equipment and temperatures at all times.

There are many ways to incorporate eco-consciousness to your encaustic art. I use 100% renewable windpower produced paper for my eco-conscious encaustic collages along with a medley of reused papers (poetry, wallpaper, scrap paper, etc.), reuse is key here! Feel free to approach local shops in your neighborhood for reuse materials, from scrap fabrics to wallpaper samples, there is a lot out there. Contact a local interior designer, or architect for scrap materials, be creative, you never know what you will find for free.

Although I first learned encaustic in a classroom environment and I highly recommend taking an encaustic art class/workshop, here's an outline of one of the techniques I use to create my collages. Enjoy!

SET-UP

1. It is best to work on wood board or thick paper (50lb or above), not canvas. If working on wood board, cut a piece of thick paper the size of your wood board and use white glue to glue the paper onto the face of your wood board.

tip: I use painter’s tape (lower tack) to mark out my collage surface on paper so that I don't get paint into the margins.

COLLAGING

2. Begin collaging by either drawing out your design, or cutting and gluing your elements. I like to glue my assorted papers first (this is where I begin using all of my delicious reuse finds) and then draw my additional components. I complete my collage by painting.

tip: I recommend that you paint with acrylic paint. Not only is acrylic paint non-toxic (read the label first) but it is also water-soluble and no fumes. I also love the fact that you can use water to stretch and blend acrylic paint and that it dries so fast (instant gratification!). Once your collage is complete and has fully dried, you are ready to apply the encaustic treatment.

All steps below should be done in a well ventilated area.

PREPARING COLORS

3. You need to decide what colours (if any) to mix into your wax treatment in advance. You must use oil paint to apply colour to your wax (oil and wax mixes together, wax and water do not). You really only need very little oil paint and it's much better to apply several coats of your encaustic treatment than to have a darker coloured wax (because after a few strokes, your work will become too opaque and the collage underneath will not be visible, unless this is the look you are going for).


To prepare the oil paint, take a small piece of paper towel and fold it in half (double thickness). Draw one small vertical line of paint in every single color that you'll be using. After 10-15 minutes (longer is much better), you'll see a golden stain around your oil paint colours. This is a good sign, it's actually excess oil that you don't need nor want in your encaustic mix.

tip: I love to add white paint to my beeswax, I use it most, but you should know that Titanium white and Zinc white are quite different. Titanium white is often a truer white, while zinc white has a hint of yellow and can give your painting a cloudy and uneven finish (which you might like, so go ahead and experiment!)

PREPARING THE WAX

4. Although there are several encaustic wax concoctions out there, purified beeswax is really all you need. If possible, buy the beeswax in strips or pellets. Contact a local honey farm (another way to keep it eco-conscious). My advice for beginners is to make sure that you buy purified beeswax, as apposed to regular beeswax, which is yellow. The yellow in the regular beeswax is pollen and other organic (as in carbon based/nonsynthetic product not pesticide free) components that will be visible in your work and may affect its consistency. Purified beeswax is much better for archival purposes as well. You can prepare your beeswax by ensuring that it is broken into small pieces for melting.

MELTING THE WAX

5. Melting your wax is a fine science. The best way I discovered, is to use a counter top electric pan/skillet that has temperature settings. If you don't have a temperature setting on your electric skillet you will not know what approximate temperature your wax is being heated at and this can be very dangerous. The smaller the skillet the less energy you'll use. So there is no need to spend a lot, you can easily buy a small skillet for less than $40 or buy a used one. NEVER use your skillet for food preparation once you've used it for encaustic painting. You should melt your wax at a temperature between 200-250°F. Sometimes I keep it closer to 250°F in the beginning and reduce it to between 200-225°F once melted and while I am working with it. You can always bring the temperature up close to 250°F again for a few minutes if your wax begins to get thicker or harden.

You will need one can per color, plus one extra. The extra can is for melting uncoloured beeswax (always helpful to have).

tip: You want to use clean cans, my favourite are tuna cans. Smaller cans fair better, remember that heat needs to travel up, so wider and shorter cans are better than taller cans. Do not use cans that have a colour coating (white is very common) on the inside as this coating often flakes off with heating and can ultimately contaminate your wax (a big no no, you will be quite sad). Make sure that all of the paper and glue on the outside of the can are completely cleaned off (warm water helps speed the process along).


6. Once your temperature is set, fill your cans (at most half full to start) with small pieces of purified beeswax and transfer the cans into your skillet.

Wait for the beeswax to completely melt before adding colours.



ADDING COLOR

7. To add colour you need to use your encaustic painting brushes. Brushes for encaustic CANNOT be synthetic as synthetic brushes will melt (and release fumes). I use hog hair brushes. They are the cheapest non-synthetic brushes. Although I would never eat pig, I have to tell you that your encaustic brushes should last a long long time, the wax will also help preserve the hairs so you shouldn't have to buy many brushes at all. You do need one brush per encaustic colour. The other eco-conscious aspect to encaustic painting is that there's no need to ever clean brushes. So no water, soap or toxic cleaning products needed/wasted! To add colour, once your wax is melted, take your brush and dip it into a very small amount of oil paint from your paper towel and mix it into a can of melted beeswax.

NEVER leave your brushes sitting in cans of hot wax, you are likely to end up hitting your hand against a brush and tipping the whole can of hot wax all over your skillet (it happens). Always, designate a place (old ceramic plate is best) to set your brushes down. Don't worry about your brushes stiffening, you simply need to gently swirl the brush a few times in your melted wax.

If you do spill wax on your skillet, ONLY use non-synthetic fiber (an old cotton tea towel, cotton t-shirt, etc.) to clean (soak up) the wax. Synthetic fibers (i.e. polyester) and blends will also melt in your skillet (yikes!).

READY TO PAINT

8. Once you have coloured your wax do try to reduce and maintain your heat to 225°F or slightly under. You are now ready to paint! Gently soak your bristles in one of the melted waxes and test on a scrap piece of paper (the same type that you're using for your artwork). If your paper becomes transparent, your wax is too hot and you should slightly reduce your heat. Once the test patch doesn't turn your paper transparent, then you are ready to go.

Dip you brush into your wax again and brush over your collage.
Even melted wax stiffens quite quickly, so you will need to repeat this process many a times. Dip your brush and stroke over your collage, dip, stroke, dip, stroke, etc. until you have a few layers of wax. On paper, I usually do 3-5 layers of wax, but this is completely dependent on your colour and the effects that you wish to achieve.

9. Once you have completed applying the wax treatment, turn off your skillet.

Allow your cans to cool and remove them from the skillet. Store your cooled cans in a cool place so that you may use them again (you just remelt the wax in the cans as described above, nothing wasted here). One quick note about remelting, make sure that you poke a few holes, either with a fork (or other metal object that you will now only use for encaustic painting) into the wax that has hardened in the cans to allow gases to escape, very important

DRYING TIME

10. To complete your encaustic process you need to seal your wax, which is often done with a heat gun (I have to admit that I have been known to use my hairdryer at times, talk about reuse). Again, ensure that you are in a well ventilated area before you begin. You want to turn the heat gun to a low setting (NOT high). DO NOT work on a carpeted or other flammable surfaces, such as newspaper, etc. You want to gently run the heat over your encaustic painting. Using circular motions (working within a small area at a time) and keeping at least 5 inches away from the surface of the wax coating (DO NOT touch the wax). As soon as the wax coating in an area begins to look moist (evidence of the wax melting) then move to another area of your painting. This process usually takes me 5 minutes, but it is completely dependent on the size of your piece. Be careful where you set your heat gun after you are finished, as even on a low setting it is going to be VERY hot, so leave it in a safe place within sight to cool.

11. Voila! Your eco-conscious encaustic collage is complete.

Please be sure to send me an email mahamarija[at]gmail[com]com if you have any questions and because I would love to see your work! For more of my work, please visit my *new Etsy shop.

Recommended book:
The Art of Encaustic Painting: Contemporary Expression in the Ancient Medium of Pigmented Wax

Credit: Tutorial and associated images courtesy of Marija Hamed

Thanks again Marija!!

>> see other Craft 101 features

Craft 101: Making Soap

Savor, 4th Ave. Soap Co. and Balsam

Soap making is yet another craft that's been on my "wish I knew how" list. So I contacted my friend Jee, who is in the process of creating her own Bath & Beauty line for the lowdown...

There are apparently four different methods of making soap:

1. Melt and Pour – great for beginners since it doesn't involve lye. It involves melting a soap base, adding color and fragrance and then pouring the soap into molds. It's the easiest method and fun to experiment. You can use the soap right away.

2. Cold Process – Melted fats (oils or lard) mixed with lye. Takes a lot more practice to get it just right. Takes the longest since soap needs to cure for 2-6 weeks after it's made.

3. Hot Process – Is quicker than cold process since cure time is cut (you can use the soap after only a week) by "cooking" the soap in the pot over a stove or a crockpot.

4. Handmilled/Rebatched – shredding homemade soap (cold or hot process) then adding "additives" such as pureed fruits or vegetables, herbs, grains, scents and colors. Hand milled soaps allow one to use all kinds of creativity in the processing of these bars. Hand milled soaps are a lot harder and hold their shape and color longer.

So I've compiled a list of recommended books, great sites with tons of clear information about soap making, easy projects and the best youtube video I could find demostrating the cold process technique. Go on... get started!

>> continue reading Craft 101: Making Soap

EASY PROJECTS (Martha Stewart)
- Homemade Grass Soap
- Loofah Soap
- Savon de Marseille
- Goats Milk Soap

RECOMMENDED LINKS
- Teach Soap
- Sabrina's Soapmaker's Resources
- The Art Of Soap Making
- Miller's Homemade Soap Pages (Cold Process)

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Melt and Pour:
- Soapmaking for the first time by Linda Orton
- Melt & Pour Soapmaking by Marie Browning
Cold Process:
- Soapmaker's Companion: A Comprehensive Guide with Recipes, Techniques & Know-How by Susan Miller Cavitch
- The Everything Soapmaking Book: Recipes and Techniques for Creating Colorful and Fragrant Soaps by Alicia Grosso

VIDEO
How to make soap using the cold process technique

>> see other Craft 101 features

Craft 101: Hit me with your best shot

Product Photography
In the world of handmade the harsh reality is that presentation is often more important than the product itself when selling online. In order to capture the imagination of a potential customer or editor, we have to make sure that our products are showcased in the most compelling way possible.

I wanted to showcase a few sellers doing a really awesome job with their product shots and what we can learn from each of them...

1. consistency: Whitney, of luckymebeads consistently shoots her necklaces and pendants with a chalkboard background along with a short caption. Her photos are instantly recognizable.

2. mood: Vanessa of Vanessa without borders chose to shoot her bags on the beach - a perfect setting that compliments her products. It instantly gives me an idea of what I could use the bag for.

3. creative background: I love how Shannon of rifferaff uses what looks to be a wooden trunk as her background. The metal detail adds to the richness of the photograph and really makes the notebook and print stand out. To me, it screams quality.

... sometimes simplicity is best
4. white background: sometimes all you need is a white background. Olive Essentials uses this fuss-free technique allowing the product to do all the talking!


5. composition: like mood, I love when sellers create stories with their products. It gives it such a professional crisp look. Amy of AmyMarcella is an expert at this.

6. up close and personal: Johanna of 12gypsies always provides a close-up shot. It really allows the customer to see and appreciate the quality of the screenprint, colors and materials in her products. I also love how she plays with the focus setting - really adds extra drama.

7. contrast: Lauren of local library uses a dark backdrop for her jewelry. The green and gold really pop. She also pays close attention to the positioning of the pieces, so even though they're not being modeled, they still retain a certain movement to them. Again, adding drama and richness, which to me, conveys high quality.

Like most sellers, I'm not a professional photographer nor did I have the funds to hire one. So when I decided to start selling my pouches on Etsy, I did some research and was able to make a "photo studio" for less than $10. I've compiled a short list of useful resources below if you're interested in learning more about photographing your products.

>> click for how-to links and video

Here are a few more useful links:
How I made my $5 photostudio
Taking Professional Looking Photos Without a Professional
How to make an inexpensive light tent
Really cheap homemade diy studio - no lighting needed

VIDEO: Etsy - Photographing Your Items

>> see other Craft 101 features

Craft 101: Gocco Printing

I've been a long time admirer of Gocco printed cards/stationery but never really looked into the process of making one.

I was on Laurie's blog (creator of the lovely ouou line and gocco prints you see above) last week and noticed a great post she wrote - Everything I Know About Gocco. So I thought I would pass it on just in case you missed it, along with some other links I found helpful during my recent quest of getting to know gocco.

» How to Choose a Gocco?
» Gocco Tutorial by Sarah Neuburger of The Small Object
» How to: Register & print a repeating pattern tile by Lara Cameron
» Save Gocco

VIDEOS
1. Gocco Printing - Etsy How-To Video:


>> click to expand more videos

2. The Printing of Sia's Village by Lara Cameron:


I'm really not sure when these videos were made, but if you can get over the muzak it's actually quite informative...

3. Print Gocco Part I:


4. Print Gocco Part II:

Craft 101: Recycled Catalog Notebooks

I just finished this mini project and thought I'd create a step-by-step tutorial and file it under "Craft 101". I think it would be nice to post a few handmade how-to's every now and then.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you would like to contribute to Craft 101 or have a tutorial on your site that you'd like to share, send me an email (subject: craft 101) and we'll take it from there!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Recycled Catalog Notebooks


You'll need:
:: 31 sheets of scrap paper or catalog paper
:: Paper cutter
:: card stock
:: binder clips
:: Ruler
:: Pencil
:: Stapler
:: decorative paper
:: Bone folder
:: Double-sided tape

I used my Anthropologie and other catalogs that were stacking up instead of office scrap paper (since I don't work in an office). I chose catalogs that were printed on matte paper - I noticed that ink has a tendency to smudge on glossy paper (so no J.Crew paper!)

>> click here to expand & read full tutorial click again to hide

You might want to reference the original source of this idea (Martha of course!) prior to starting the project.

I decided to make mini notebooks, so after removing the staples I cut the pages into 8 pieces.

I also separated pieces that were too busy or too dark to write on. I used 31 pieces of paper per notebook - you can make it thicker or thinner (whatever your stapler can handle). I decided on 31 because I figured one page per day. Organize 31 sheets and make sure you arrange it so that the lighter sides are right side up. Make sure all the paper is aligned then secure with binder clips.


Cut the cover out of card stock. You can do this two ways - you can either cut 2 separate pieces, one for the front cover and one for the back cover. OR cut one piece that will wrap around your 31 sheets of paper. I opted for the latter, although I would probably recommend cutting 2 pieces if I had to do it again.


1. If you choose to do it my way, just make sure you push the pages as close to the spine as possible then clip the edges with binder clips.

2. Using a pencil and a ruler, draw a line from top to bottom, 1/8 inch in from the left edge as a guideline for the staples.

3. Staple down on the guideline. I like to staple the edges first then one right in the middle -
this assures that my staples are evenly distributed.

4. Turn it over and make sure you flatten down any staples sticking up.


Trim the edges with a scissor or an xacto knife. Use double-sided tape to secure decorative paper to card stock. Make sure it do this one side at a time. Place 5 pieces of tape to the back cover, carefully line up the tape pieces to the edges so that it sticks to the decorative paper securely.


Cut decorative paper (I used double sided quality gift wrap paper), a little bigger than the size of the card stock. Unlike the card stock, this should not be cut into 2 separate pieces. Fold it in half. Press the stapled-together stack of 25 sheets of catalog paper and card stock cover against the middle of the decorative craft paper to create a book spine - without touching the sticky back cover just yet. Stick the sticky back cover to the decorative piece of paper once you're happy with the positioning (eyeing it up with air in between type of thing!) Trim excess paper with a scissor or an xacto knife.


Score the covers with a bone folder, so it opens neatly. Just be careful, don't scrape or rip the decorative paper.

Let me know if you have any questions! Good Luck!

If you would like to contribute to Craft 101 or have a tutorial on your site that you'd like to share, please send me an email (subject: craft 101) and we'll take it from there!