So, here’s something every self-respecting geek-crafter needs to know.
Shrink plastic can be anything you desire.
And like a towel, a pair of pliers are essential kit you should never leave the house without.
Craft blogger Cthuliz shows us all how to make her awesome shrink plastic dinosaur necklace in this great tutorial.
Imagine my happiness when I was buying some books at my favorite Powell’s for Cooks and Gardeners (in SE Portland) on Tuesday, and saw this huge, super amazing Yoda-with-a-leashed-dinosaur terrarium in the shop window! Megan Walsh and her Powell’s co-workers made this Star Wars-meets-Land of the Lost world inside a large antiqued glass box with ferns and lots of other plants. It’s beautiful in person and they will even open the hinged doors so you can see the scene more closely!
I also got word that Megan has been working on a Star Trek: TNG terrarium (starring Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of course) and I’m sure hoping to see that one too… stay tuned.
Makoto’s Cross-Stitch Super Collection by Makoto Oozu is, as it says on the cover, very cool! and not lame! Originally two books published in Japan (Hop, Stitch, Jump! and My Stitch Book), this is an awesome compendium of tiny, geeky patterns and projects to stitch. It’s got robots, dinosaurs, monsters, aliens, insects, sea creatures, travel, and electronics to choose from.
I love the way the book is organized. Part 1 shows you all of the designs stitched in full color. Part 2 is full of an interesting variety of projects with everything from shirts to pillows to an amazing pegboard wall panel (who needs Aida?). Part 3 goes over cross-stitch materials and tools, basic stitches, and detailed instructions for all of the projects.
As much as I would love to make the pegboard wall panel, I don’t have room for that in my house (seriously, I need to make room for this!), so I went small and stitched on a Moleskine notebook cover.
To get the holes in the right place, I was going to draw lines with a pencil, but the book had great advice–photocopy the pattern from the book and use that as a guide for punching the holes. I opted to use my Japanese screw punch with the smallest tip instead of a book awl and decided to go with the purple pterodactyl. I punched the holes and started stitching.
Since the design is so small, I was able to use threads from my loose stash and stitched with two strands. I think that the next time I stitch on a notebook, I’ll use more strands, but I’m still very happy with how my dinosaur came out.
These designs are so quick to stitch up–I think the pterodactyl took me 15 minutes–these notebooks would make great last-minute gifts.
Rad news! I’ve got one copy of Makoto’s Cross-Stitch Super Collection to give away. Leave a comment telling me your favorite dinosaur and why by Friday, June 24th at midnight ET and I’ll pick a winner at random. Respond to another reader’s comment and get an extra entry (limit one, please). [Edit - midnight ET. I can only stay up so late :)]
Everything from Mochimochiland is adorable including this newly released cross-stitch pattern: When Tessellations Roamed the Earth. Buy it now as a PDF!
Here are my choices for the 12 best geek crafts of 2010:
January – Super Mario Vest by The Happy Seamstress
February – Minimalist Take on Star Wars by Justin Van Gendern
March – Tiny Harry Potter Paintings by JennaDickes
April – Periodic Table of the Elements Table by Abigailscrafts
May – Buffy the Vampire Slayer button by ButtonBettie
June – Tardis Schrapnel by Irishdaydreamer
July – Crocheted Spock Head by Amy
August (we didn’t have anything, so here’s one I like from May) – Origami Dinosaurs by essemde
September (we also didn’t have anything, so here’s another one from June) – Mario Mushroom Grill by Greg.Matta
October – Darth Vader Princess Costume by mayamagination
November – Tardis Star Quilt by Wendy
December – Steampunk Cthulhu Goggles by RobinRed
Oh my goodness, I love love love these teeny tiny origami dinosaurs! Found in the Geek Crafts Flickr pool by essemde. You can buy them as earrings in her Etsy shop.
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