Geek Crafts

Matilda is one of the quintessential geek kid’s books; the story of a nerd girl who uses her brain to bring a pinch of justice to the world is bound to resonate with swots of all ages. A couple of years ago I managed to get myself to Stratford ‘pon Avon to see the RSC’s christmas musical version of the book and was completely blown away by it – one of those performances that remind me why I work in theatre. Anyway, since then the production has transferred to the West End, won a load of awards and caused a considerable dent in my finances from ticket purchasing.

Laura, or LollyPolly as she is known over at the Minchin fan forums (the music for Matilda was written by our very own rock nerd Tim, who of course did a fantastic job with Dahl’s dark comedy), made this brilliant cushion commemorating the show’s opening song – which echoes the prologue to the book in that we get to hear about how miraculous all the children except Matilda are. It’s a fantastic example of how effective even simple embroidery can be if the colours, fabric and design are well chosen. With any luck Laura will now have caught the needlework bug and will go on dazzling us with her work in future.

Matilda the musical official site

Angry (Feet) – Tim Minchin’s fan forum

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I also made the Cheshire Cat handwarmer. I sewed it by hand and you can tell I am by no means a seamstress. It was fun to make though so that really is all that matters. I’m going to actually keep mine in the freezer for headaches.

The Cheshire Cat is my favourite character in the books so that project was a no-brainer. Now, for a chance to win your very own copy of this book let me know in the comments who your favourite Alice character is. One winner will be chosen at random on Feb. 13.

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Usually, the words used to describe H. P. Lovecraft’s creature Cthulhu end to be in the range of ‘hideous’, ‘terrifying’, ‘gargantuan’. Somehow one never things of cute or cuddly. But it appears that Rebekah Clarke-Noonan, known as passiontiger on LiveJournal, has found a way to turn him into a cute and cuddly crocheted figure. Yes, you can find the free pattern for Cthulhu here designed by Rebekah and not that difficult to make. This three dimensional amigurumi is crocheted in the round using a 3.00 mm hook and knitting worsted. You might just find yourself crocheting up a family of Great Old Ones with this pattern.

•  Cthulhu
•  passiontiger on LiveJournal,
• pattern for Cthulhu

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One must start at the beginning with The Hobbit.  Which is what Jennifer Ofenstein has done with Fandom in Stitches latest long-term project, There and Back Again.

Announced in August, it officially began with the first block’s pattern, Gandalf,  designed by Schenley Pilgram and posted on October 5, 2011 and subsequent patterns were and continue to be posted on the first Wednesday of each of the following 12 months. Also pictures is The Road designed by Lilja Björk Sigurdórsdóttir.

Haven’t started yet? Not a problem, each month, the links are there to previous patterns released for you to access and download to work on at your leisure. The project is a collaborative effort between four Fandom in Stitches designers, Michelle Thompson, Lilja Björk Sigurdórsdóttir, Schenley Pilgram, and Jennifer Ofenstein.

Never done paper piecing before? Still not a problem as Jennifer has some wonderful tutorials to help you learn. So come along on a Hobbit’s quilted journey to there and back again!

• The Hobbit
• Jennifer Ofenstein
• Fandom in Stitches
• There and Back Again
• Gandalf
• tutorials

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     My little Kindergartner was super excited to get her library card the other day.

       She was concerned she would loose her new library card, and she wanted to make sure she had somewhere safe to keep her borrowed books. (A real concern with 3 little siblings, and a house full of books)  So I made her a special library book bag.

I made it out of a pair of old jeans. Actually 3/4 of a pair of old jeans, I used 1/2 of a leg for a different project. It’s a simple messenger bag with a few special touches.  The front has a great decoration I embroidered on to a piece of felt, using a pattern from Urban Threads. I just zigzagged around the edge to keep it in place.

On the inside, there is a pocket for the library card. I cut a pocket off of the butt of the pants, and sewed it into place. We were nervouse the card might fall out and get lost, so we put as little hole punch in the card, and tied it on with a ribbon.

It has lots of room for all her special library books, and she loves it very much. She has already taken it to school for show and tell.

•  More book themed crafts on Geek Craft.
• More Geeky Bags on Geek Craft. 

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Having recently started re-watching the series “Legend of the Seeker” and putting the first book, of the book series the show was based on, on hold for me at the library, I thought I’d try and find some craftiness that had been inspired by this series.

RuthNoreDesigns has made these beautiful necklaces that resemble the one worn by our favorite Seeker, Richard Cypher. Along with the amazing bone like pendant, she also makes completely gorgeous replicas of the Night Wisp necklaces.

Whether you’re a fan of the “Sword of Truth” series by Terry Goodkind or just a fan of the tv show “Legend of the Seeker” these necklaces are a beautiful way to show off your love for either series.

• Visit RuthNoreDesigns
• Buy Legend of the Seeker necklace
• Buy Night Wisp necklace

• More TV Show Crafts on GeekCrafts
• More Jewelry on GeekCrafts

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