Ink and Glue
  • Home
  • About I&G
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About I&G
  • Contact

More Patterns for Better Living

6/13/2016

 
Because you simply can't have enough Patterns for Better Living. Here are some more gems from the handicrafts section of this 1966 catalog of DIY plans. 
Picture
I did not know that decoupage was an "ancient art." Also, I am totally into the string art designs, especially the owl and the sun. Those tissue boxes, however... Let's just move on. 
Picture
Yarn art! And a replica balalaika!These women are so happy and glamorous! 
Picture
OK, these four I actually like. The "antique train & car" is especially ripe for appropriating for modern use. There are some anachronistic materials issues (pop-top can tabs), but the general idea — assembling flattish junk to make a machine or vehicle — is a fun one.
Picture
I do like the two sailboat projects. And if you haven't been reading these closely, notice the skyline promo copy at the top of each page. They're quite charming. Also charming? The four bespectacled fellows who own and operate U-Bild:
Picture
I want these guys to be my grandpas. 
​xo!

A Fetching Franklin Friday!

6/10/2016

 
It was definitely hot enough to swim on Saturday, so I took Franklin down to the off-leash park and threw a stick for him. He will wade, but not swim, unless he has an incentive. This trio of shots show him returning with his stick, then doing some shoreline stick assessing, and then some proud stick carrying. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
xo!

Prints, plush, and more from Portland

6/9/2016

 
The Far Woods creates printed materials and fabric sculptures with a particularly Pacific Northwest feel. 
Picture
This linocut print above, called Freedom, is a mere $30. Too steep? Try Heart of a Deer, for $10 (click on each image to go to the Etsy page for more info/to purchase):
Picture
What first drew me to The Far Woods, however, were their stuffed bird dolls. They are lovely and charming and unique.
Picture
Picture
Picture
There are other prints, journals, totes, a magical mobile, and more. Go travel to The Far Woods yourself to see!
​xo 

Patterns for Better Living

6/7/2016

 
Do you want to live better? Just, you know, have your whole "living" trip be improved? Time to take up a hobby, with the help of U-Bild Enterprise's 1966 catalog.
Picture
In this catalog you'll find 88 pages chock full of patterns and plans — mostly for woodworking projects, but also some for paint-by-number wall murals, string art, leather goods, and other crafts. Many of the accompanying photos are populated by models in period costume.
Picture
$1.50 for a salt dough recipe and $2.00 for advice on putting a terrarium together feels a little steep to me, but who am I to judge? 
Picture
I am a fan of the headline copy on the top of every page. Also, from below: "These are the days when leather is again riding high in the saddle." 
Picture
Here's the back of the catalog, but that's not to say you've seen the last of U-Bild... More will be shared, soon! xo
Picture

Father's Day felt caddy

6/6/2016

 
It always seemed weird to me to give my dad something golf-related (he doesn't play), or sports-related (he has no interest) or even tie-related (he wore a tie to work, but shed it happily as soon as he returned home) for Father's Day. Here's an idea for something that's actually useful and appropriate for pretty much everyone: a small, collapsable, travel-ready box he can use to hold keys, pocket change, iPhone chargers, etc. It's fairly easy to make, and there's no sewing — not even a little! 
Father's Day DIY gift felt box
Father's Day DIY gift felt box
To make one, you'll want to make a template first. Besides being a handy pattern for cutting out the shape, it'll help you see how it all comes together.
Do the "cut a square" trick on a regular-sized sheet of copy paper. You know, where you fold one corner to the side, aligning the edges? Then you cut off the skinny rectangle at the end? If I am the first person to teach you this trick, welcome to your new, much easier life. 
Picture
Picture
Now fold the square into thirds, like you would a fancy letter. Unfold it.
Picture
Picture
Turn the square 90 degrees, fold it into thirds again, and unfold.
​Voila, you have marked a grid of nine equally-sized squares on your paper! 
Picture
Picture

​Choose one of the square corners that has the diagonal line from the square-making step, and draw a line, about 3/4 inch long, from the inner corner towards the outer. The picture explains it much better than these words can. 
Use that line as the new corner for the square you're gonna cut out. If you want to get precise, use a ruler to draw lines parallel to the square folds (ignore the diagonal fold), from the dot at the end of the line you just drew out to the edge of the paper. Cut along the line you drew, too. 
Picture
You can now use the square you just cut out as a guide or template to cut out the squares from the other three corners. Don't forget to make the diagonal snip to each inner corner.
Picture
Picture
That's your template-slash-pattern! Lay it on top of a nice piece of felt; I strongly recommend a wool-blend felt, which you can get at any major fabric store, nowadays. It's possible even craft stores have nicer felt for sale, but I admit that I haven't looked recently. 
Picture
Pin the paper to the felt, and cut out the shape, including the corner slits. 
Picture
OK, this is the only part that's a bit tricky to explain: You're going to be making a guide for cutting slits along each edge of the four walls of the felt box you're making. On the paper pattern, fold one of the tabs you cut, and draw four (or so) lines along the fold. See here:
Picture
Fold the paper tab back, and fold its felt counterpart. Align the paper on top of the felt, and hold them with one hand while you snip slits in the folded felt. Don't cut all the way through the tab! Just make a half- or third-inch long slit. Use fabric scissors and this'll be a piece of cake. 
Picture
Here's what it will look like with all of the corner edges be-slitted. 
Picture
For the posts that make it all come together, I used a skinny dowel — a bamboo skewer will work ok, too, but watch out for splintering. I cut mine into four equal lengths (each a little over two and a half inches) with a wire cutter. 
Picture
Fold up and overlap the neighboring edges of one corner, aligning the slits. Weave a post through the slits in both felt layers. I wove mine so the bottom of the post is inside, because I think it looks neater. 
Picture
Here's a top view:
Picture
Do the same with a second corner and post. Here's an exterior and interior view:
Picture
Picture
And naturally, do the other two corners as well. And you're done!
Father's Day DIY felt box gift
Add extra cuteness by embellishing the sides, either with dimensional fabric paint (the kind in those squeezy tubes), or cut out felt letters and shapes and glue them to the sides. Here's my take:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
This is, of course, fully collapsable: Just slide out the posts, and the box goes flat. Sweet! 
​xo

Fine art with wire screens

6/2/2016

 
Remember my recent "i love vintage" with the Wire Art book excerpt? It was about making art with metal wire screening or mesh. Artist Lanny Bergner has taken that idea to a whole 'nother, entirely professional level. (Click on each image to go to its source site.) 
Picture
He uses mesh made of various metals (stainless steel, bronze), cut and sewn together using wire, linen thread, and more. The color effects you see above are from heating the mesh with a torch. Neat-o.
Picture
Sometimes he uses silicone or glass frit (frit is just chunks or powdered glass, usually melted in a kiln) to add color and texture.
Picture
http://www.snyderman-works.com/artists/lanny-bergnerNot all of the pieces are vessels; some are more like quilts, or jewelry. The piece below uses silicone, glass frit, and paper.
Picture
The piece below is made of bronze screen, wire, and glass frit. Like many of his works, they appear inspired by  microscopic life forms similar to those found in the How and Why book I posted about yesterday.
Picture
You can find Lanny's work in a bunch of places, but these pieces were all from Mobilia Gallery and Snyderman-Works. 
​xo!

How and Why

6/1/2016

 
I am a fan of "The How and Why Wonder Book of..."series. They have a consistent illustration style that feels very of-an-era. I dig it. I picked up The Microscope and What You See this past weekend (at a steamroom-esque old barn packed to the gills with books and ephemera). 
Picture
Just look at all of the things you can see/get freaked out about under a microscope! Seriously, though, I want to make a stuffed version of the ostracod. Or the cheese mite. (I'm going to go ahead and remain ignorant about whether or not there are actual mites living in the cheese I consume.)
Picture
I like this topic — microscopic life — generally, so finding it in a How and Why book is icing on the cake for me. I find the shapes of the creatures inspiring. Any creature-creating kid would find a wealth of material to pull from here. 
Picture
The main  illustration below looks like the cover of a mass-market science fiction paperback from the 60s or 70s. So gorgeous.
Picture
xo!
Forward>>

    Categories

    All
    Christmas
    Easter
    Franklin Friday
    Halloween
    Have You Met?
    I Love Museums
    I Love Stuff
    I Love Vintage
    Inspiration
    My Projects
    Nature Craft
    Recycling Crafts
    Round Ups
    Thanksgiving
    Valentine's Day

    Archives

    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    Author

    I'm Debbie Way, an artist and writer who enjoys making things.

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly