Author: Noodle

Resin-Coated Rowling

I stumbled across these awesome Resin bottle caps by Heidi of Digknity on the Rae Gun Ramblings blog, where she has kindly posted some free printables and a tutorial to help you make your own – which quite clearly calls for a round of drinks in her honour (hey, we need the bottle tops to craft with…).

Now, my personal favourite are the Potter ones, but that’s Not to say I don’t have a soft spot for a bit of Battle Royale USA too. Both Heidi and Marissa (the blogger behind Rae Gun Ramblings) are both massive book nerds, so it’s well worth digging through their sites to find some of the brilliance on offer.

Accessories Sold Separately

As promised, I come bearing geekiness as gleaned from Mr X Stitch at the Stitch and Craft show…

I am, frankly amazed (and a little appalled) at myself for never having come across Lord Libidan before. His work is amazing – generally centered around video games, and packed full of original, interesting ideas.

The Transformers, sewn onto plastic canvas, actually transform. Oh yes. There’s Jetfire &  Optimus Prime (as seen here) who of course become a plane and a truck respectively – and also a couple of tapes; Ratbat & Laserbeak, which will fit into the soon-to-come Soundwave/tapedesk. I love that they are based on the original toys, not the new versions – tres retro chic. And (this is the best bit) all of the patterns are all available from his Etsy Shop. Huzzah!

This Pokemon image is stitched stereoscopically – so if you put on red & blue 3D glasses (great fashion choice, btw) it pops out at you. Excuse me while I cry at the awesomeness.

This manbroiderer may not really be a lord, but I agree with him; he should be.

In amongst the cartoon sheep…

Bright and early yesterday morning I headed off to the 2012 Stitch and Craft show in Kensington. To be honest, it was much the same as these things tend to be – the big fairs never seem to have their finger on the crafting pulse, and the embroidery area was particularly unaware of the modern craft movement. But tucked away in a corner, behind the cross-stitched Winnie-the-Poohs and past the Jo Verso samplers was a lost gem – Mr X Stitch‘s stand. Pushing my way past all the middle-englanders fighting over ”bargain” pastel shades of thread had been worth it for the chance to meet one of my crafting idols.

I got snaps of of truly awesome pieces of stitched art that I will share with you in my regular slot on Tuesday (if i can hold off that long. This stuff is gold – cyclops robots, raver tigers, QRs and Mondrian graffiti is just the start), but I just wanted to stick my head through the door and let anyone in the London area know to head down and say hello to Mr X – he’s lovely; very friendly, funny and upbeat (and rather tasty-looking).  Plus he has biscuits.

Elsewhere in the show, the quilts exhibition is well worth a browse as there are a few interesting nuggets, and the knitted village is… unexpected. Though I didn’t have time for any of the workshops there are some good ones on offer. Even if you don’t want to sign up to a proper class, lots of stalls were doing demos, or had staff more than happy to explain how particular pieces were made. It’s a good excuse to get out and about this weekend.

The works In the above image are (clockwise from top): Kanye by Crapestry, X-Stitch Robot 7 by Eliot BK, QR Code by Crapestry, Rokit by Mr X Stitch

 

Stitch and Craft 2012 at Kensington Olympia 2, this weekend

Mr X Stitch’s blog

With Realistic Moving Joints

http://www.ryanmcelhinney.co.uk/ryan2/toy1.htmlI hope your parents kept a bag of all your old toys in the attic, because you’re about to want ’em back…

Ryan McElhinney claims to be an interior designer, but it’s pretty obvious that that’s a lie. The guy is a geek-crafter, through and through. He makes these awesome lamps by sticking action figures together and painting them – teamed with a simple shade they look brilliant. If you live in London you can see them live in the pubs Ryan has decorated; maybe you’ll bump into Elton John while you’re their – Ryan is rumoured to have designed the topper for his wedding cake (that’s gotta look awesome on his CV).

What are you doing still reading? It’s spring(ish) – there are car boot sales to raid – GO!

A Call To Arms

I’m not much of a quilter – and after seeing this amazing little piece I think I know why. They are all in support of The empire! Clearly us needleworkers, dressmakers, papercrafters and up-cyclers need to form an impromptu branch of the Rebel Alliance and quell the evil quilters to re-establish the reputation for good that crafters have so long held dear. Just as soon as we finish chuckling.

I spotted this piece on Strawberry Jam Designs, a craft blog ran by an anonymous ’30 something gal in San Francisco’, that is well worth checking out for some amazing embroidered and quilted craft inspiration.

Strawberry Jam Designs