If you haven’t heard of Spoonflower, it’s this awesome marketplace for indie fabric designs that feature everything from this week’s contest theme, Steampunk Valentines, Doctor Who, Firefly, and just about every other fandom and theme you could think of.
So, if you’re looking for some cool fabric for your next project, give Spoonflower a try! They print all their fabrics on demand, and you can order as little as an 8″ sample for $5. They have over 30 different types of fabrics to choose from. And, you can also order many of the designs on wrapping paper and self-adhesive wallpaper too. How cool is that? What’s even better is that Spoonflower is an American company that uses eco-friendly inks and printing processes. In fact, they just introduced a new fabric made from 20% recycled materials, their eco-canvas.
Hello All! I’m sure most of you have seen Guardians of the Galaxy by now (and if you haven’t, why?? Go, go! I’ll wait.). Baby Groot is undoubtedly one of the cutest things to hit the big screen, and I joined the masses in trying to create my own version of him for a friend’s Christmas gift.
Since I couldn’t find any plushie versions, I decided to make my own, and documented the process so I could make a Baby Groot tutorial!
There’s only one baby Groot that I believe is cuter than mine:
Featured on FashionablyGeek, Reddit user S7ar-lord’s wife made this costume for their baby boy for Halloween, and Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn tweeted the picture, saying he was “out-cuted”.
If retro-media is more your style, there’s crafts for you too! First, in honor of the “Awesome Mix Vol. 1” that Peter Quill aka Starlord listens to, 30MinuteCrafts created a printable cassette tape box, perfect for any cosplay, or just a geeky place to keep things!
I don’t know about you, but it’s cold where I’m at. Cold, grey, dead . . . Can you tell I hate winter? To combat my own winter doldrums I love using fun and ridiculous winter hats. It’s hard not to laugh at a Yeti hat, no? (I bought this one at my local grocery store, but you can find one here.)
There are plenty of great patterns and DIYs for geeky winter hats on the intarwebz, so I’ve rounded up a few to help you with your own winter blues. The first is this great, free crochet pattern on Ravelry, by SnappyTots, for a Police Box earflap hat. This would be a fantastic gift for the Whovians in your life.
This hat would be perfect for my 2-year-old nephew. He loves the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as only a two-year-old can, with a deep and abiding wuv. As much as he loves Turtles, he hates wearing winter gear no matter how cold it gets outside. This hat, though, he might never take off. And you could probably find the fleece you need in the scrap/remnant bins at your local fabric store (or in your own stash). You can find the pattern and instructions, all by PiePopper, here on Instructables.
I’m a huge fan of Sharknado, and I absolutely fell in love with this Shark Attack Hat DIY on Instructables (also by PiePopper). It’s not technically Sharknado inspired, but it’s definitely shark-tastic.
Last, but not least, he is: Yoda! I don’t knit, but this hat pattern with giant Yoda ears makes me want to learn. The pattern is free on Craftsy, and it’s by Kaira Anne Designs. The pattern is sized for a child, but she’s got a link (http://aknitica.com/2010/10/01/how-to-knit-a-hat/ ) in her description to a tutorial on how to knit a basic hat, and the tutorial has some tips on sizing.
In my adventures touring the world wide web on the lookout for fun winter hat patterns, I discovered Repeat Crafter Me. Sarah has more cute crochet hat patterns (and lots more—too many to post here) for free download on her site, and you must check them out!
This year, don’t just let your geek flag fly. Hand embroider that geek flag with your favorite quote or character.
If you enjoy the Dresden Files, you’ll love this free hand embroidery pattern designed by Jennifer from Sew Hooked. Check out her blog and Craftsy store for more original pattern designs.
I’m totally Sher-locked myself, so this next free hand embroidery pattern by Jordan F (username: dozmuffinxc), as found on FandomStiches.com is something I’m definitely going to try.
The only thing is, I look at these fun patterns and can’t help but wonder, how do you make a quote or line drawing into an embroidery pattern. I did a little digging and found this awesome tutorial on making your own hand embroidery design from Angel and Amy on their blog Tada! Creations.
And then I found another tutorial on color tinting your embroidery using crayons and an iron. The technique is so easy, but the impact of the final product packs a real wallop. I found this tutorial on Urban Threads, and it’s got great step-by-step instructions with pictures.
A group of 15 of us descended upon a local dine-and-watch movie theater last weekend for the latest (and last) installment of the Hobbit movie trilogy. Definitely epic eye candy – I mean, Legolas dashing up that crumbling tower? Forget about it!
Bilbo’s trusty blade Sting made an appearance in the film, and served him well. If you would like a decidedly less pointy version with a high cute factor to brandish about, check out Choly Knight’s plushie pattern.
I agree with Choly about what makes this project unique: “the real kicker is the bit of satin stitching I did in glow-in-the-dark thread to simulate Sting’s ability to glow blue when orcs are near.” She says the glow-in-the-dark effect makes it great for pillow fights – which makes me want to make it even more, just to test out!
Have you seen the Battle of the Five Armies yet? What did you think? We did enjoy it, but my husband didn’t think the story merited three full movies.
Zombie Gingerbread Man Ornament by My Zombie Friends on Etsy, credit Adrienne Jones.
To combat holiday stress, I like to decorate with as much geek-tastic awesomeness as I can create and find. Things like zombie gingerbread men, Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtle ornaments, and 8-bit fireplaces always make me smile. Why not have a geeky holiday this year and let Geek Crafts give you a head start with some fun, easy tutorials and even a gift idea or two.
Ornaments!
For the turtle lover, you’ve got to take a look at The Whoot’s DIY Ninja Turtles. My nephews love the Turtles, and this is the sort of craft you could do with little boys (and plenty of supervision!).
These Muppet ornaments are super easy to make too, thanks to the great tutorial from Meg on Happy Looks Good on You. These little cuties were inspired by her original tutorial on making superhero ornaments.
Kat and Cam from Our Nerd Home has a some great ideas for decorating the home for the holidays, including this Wreath DIY made from foam core! I bet craft foam would work great too. Plus, you could totally customize this to all of your own favorite fandom images.
I have to share their 8-bit fireplace DIY too. This is too awesome for words, and incredibly easy to do. It’s warm and cozy, don’t you think?
This last decor DIY is not for the faint of heart, but this Embroidery tutorial from Jessica (from Miniature Rhino) on Design Sponge takes you step-by-step through making this beautiful embroidered constellation table runner. Perhaps not strictly a holiday theme, I think it lends itself well to any winter themed decor you’ve got going on in your home.
