Geek Crafts » Books

A S’Minchin of Miraculous Matilda

Noodle — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:00:56 +0000

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

Everything Alice Book Review, Craft and Giveaway!

Redd — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:30:59 +0000

When I heard that there was an Alice book to review I jumped at the chance, and begged. I have loved everything Alice (how fitting!) my whole life.Everything Alice: The Wonderland Book of Makes & Bakes by Hannah Read-Baldrey and Christine Leech is a truly beautiful book. Even if you aren’t crafty but love Alice, this would still be a good book to own as the pictures and projects are stunning.I actually made two projects from Everything Alice to show you. The first one is so simple, even a non crafter can do it. No, really. It’s called Dress Me Alice and White Rabbit. This project is so simple, that you can even cheat a little, which I totally did. They say to copy the pictures and then glue them onto thin cardboard. I simply copied them onto white cardstock and cut out the middle man. The downside to this is that you really have to bend the spine to get the book to lay flat enough to copy it without shadows and stuff on the sides.

Paper dolls but even more fabulous!

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.

Called by Cthulhu

Lady Dragonsinger — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:00:40 +0000

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.

One Does not Simply Quilt Mordor

Lady Dragonsinger — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:00:46 +0000

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!

Library Book Bag.

meghancryan — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:10:56 +0000

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.

The One True Seeker

Anna — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 07:00:11 +0000

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.

Fighting the Pern Plague

Lady Dragonsinger — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0000

That’s what I’ve been doing for the past week and, believe me, it’s no fun whatsoever. It takes a hearty dragonrider to get through this crud. So my meanderings around the internet took me to finding ways to fight the dreaded plague (known as ‘the flu’ to you non Pernians) and this caught my eye. A great way to keep warm and the chill off your neck as you recover from being out of commission, a Fiery Dragon Scarfdesigned by Brooke L. Hanna. While the pattern was created for her son, it can be done to fit anyone in the family by simply adding more length to it.

And now, I’m off to bundle up and sip a nice hot cup of Klah and perhaps a Bubbly Pie while I continue to recover from the Pern Plague. Happy New Year all!

Friday Roundup: Crafts With a Bite

coral — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:41:14 +0000

Hello, all! It’s time for the Friday Roundup!

As part of this week’s post, I have a confession to make: I really enjoy reading what I call “stupid vampire novels.” The good ones are more in the “urban fantasy” genre, but a lot of them, to be honest, are best characterized as “paranormal romance.” (Let’s step back a minute and reflect on the fact that that’s a whole genre unto itself. Right? I know.) I’ve read all but one of the Sookie Stackhouse books (and watched a season or two of True Blood), all of the Anita Blake books, all of the Kitty Norville books (yeah, she’s a werewolf, but it counts), and, yes, that other series that I’ll leave unnamed. That other series could be its own roundup, I’m sure. This isn’t that roundup, though.

As much as I’d love to share some Kitty Norville crafts, there aren’t any (or, if there are, they are well hidden from Google)! I was shocked! We’ll all have to band together, as a Geek Crafts community, and remedy that. ;)

Happily, though, there’s a wealth of Sookie and Anita Blake craftery out there, and I’m here to bring you some of my favorites from Etsy.

First up, these very fun Sookie Stackhouse book cover earrings, by maryfaithpeace. It sounds like she puts a lot of work into these—there’s even “page ridge detail”! You can mix-and-match or buy two alike! I love it!

Next, a charm bracelet, admittedly based more on True Blood than on the books, by Creative Accessories. (Who, by the way, has a coupon code up right now—and offers a plethora of geeky jewelry. Nice!)

Here’s one for any ladies wanting to do some easy cosplay: a Merlotte’s waitress t-shirt, by Scarlett Fabric (also sporting a coupon code!). A couple of red marker dots and this shirt makes an easy Halloween/convention/costume party getup!

If you’re really into the costume, you might want to add another element: scent. Mannaia Frangrances has you covered, with “Bon Temps,” which she describes as “A dark, distinctively southern scent for the vampire, fairy, or fangbanger with taste. Includes notes of magnolia, sweet iced tea, wisteria, bougainvillea, and a good dose of peach.” I’m … kind of intrigued. It sounds nice.

The next one, I admit, I hesitated before deciding to post. I’m a little tired of the “Keep Calm and Carry On” thing—it’s a fun historical reference, but, for the time being, it’s probably been played out. I think. Then again, I laughed when I saw this pendant by Red Hot Kitten, and I would totally wear something like it. So maybe there’s a bit of play left in that meme.

Now, on to Anita Blake. Perhaps because she doesn’t have a TV show or a movie, there are fewer Blake-themed crafts out there. But she has a comic (there goes that paycheck), so crafters do have some imagery to work with. Here’s a card holder (ooh, a library card!) with an image straight from the comic, by Japip:

A different print from the comic appears on these earrings, by WenSi Shop. The guns dangling from the photos of Anita make it much easier to identify her, I think. ;)

Alternately, she could look more like the Anita Blake in this print by Tara Fortin—which I love, by the way:

And, finally, to leave you with something just a bit macabre, here is a necklace by Bottled Up Creations, featuring a “hand sculpted human heart” in a bottle, with a note saying “My heart belongs to Jean Claude ♥ [signed] Anita Blake.” This one kind of creeps me out. It probably wouldn’t be everyday wear for me. But Halloween? Oh yes. I would totally rock this necklace on Halloween!

A few of our past vampire-themed craft posts:

When Worlds Collide

Lady Dragonsinger — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 07:00:32 +0000

Years ago, a fifth grader walks into her local library and finds a new series about dragonriders on a planet named Pern.

Some years later, another young girl half a world away discovers a series about a planet named Discworld.

Neither knew at the time that these two worlds were on a collision course with each other and would one day meet up in the wizarding world of Harry Potter but they did. That is where I met Muggs and for the past few years have shared back and forth on our respective favorite fandoms. Recently, she began reading Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series and, in return, I began reading Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. We’re both hooked.

Of course, being a crafter, and a geek crafter at heart, I began searching for patterns and crafts related to the new series and found some. One of my favorites is the adorable Swamp Dragon, foun which grows to a length of two feet, especially in the books Guards! Guards! and Men at Arms.

Steph Conley has created a “lifesize” knit pattern for these dragons. I introduce you to Flynn the Swamp Dragon.

Knit in worsted weight yarn, he doesn’t take much yarn do to as she made hers from recycled sweater yarn. A seven inch zipper is sewn into his stomach to turn this into a nice hiding place for special things.

You can find more Discworld crafty goodness on her blog.

Friday Roundup: Terry Pratchett

Charlotte — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:42:38 +0000

I have just finished reading Terry Pratchett’s ‘Hat Full of Sky’ and I am a great fan of his Discworld knovels so that is what has inspired me to search for Terry Pratchett themed crafts this week. It has been quite a task too, not that many recent ones kicking around to show you so some are a couple of years old but excellent none the less.

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First up is this amazing mug with the Ankh Morpork Coat of Arms on it made by aethelberga for Ruby Copperhead on Craftster.

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Second is this adorable set, made by LunasCrafts on Etsy, of cute crochet Nac Mac Feegles (though I wouldn’t advise calling a Nac Mac Feegle cute if you don’t feel like a fight).

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Show your love for the Witch of all Witches, Grany Weatherwax, with this delightful necklace made by Moonblush Designs on Etsy.

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Next up is this stunning silver brooch in the style of Tiffany’s necklace made by Plysperk another Etsy genius.

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Here is a witty little badge, made by Lou from bookity, inspired by Granny Weatherwax so you can remind every one that you “aien’t dead”.

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This next craft is both cute geeky and useful craft; It is Luggage. Made by squeakyarmadillo from Craftster.

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Here is the entire Discworld. in crochet made by June from Planet June.

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Finally I would like to present to you the cherry on the top of the cake. I litereally did a little ‘squeee’ when I saw this.

Here is a sculpted Nac Mac Feegle Bust made by maxxev on Craftster.

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Well folks, that is it for this weeks Roundup. I am off to carry on Tiffanys journey by starting to read Wintersmith.