Hey all you crafty geeks and geeky crafters,

I’m postponing Star Wars Week to next month. So you all have more time to send me your awesome Star Wars crafts. Fill up my inbox with Star Wars goodies!

Shayne

Here’s the first in a series of interviews… Sammi Resendes, with the help of her boyfriend, is Geek Central Station. They make the most amazingly detailed amigurumi characters, all crocheted with felt clothes and polymer clay accessories. She also maintains a great blog of geek crafts she’s found around the Internet.

1. What is your first geeky memory?
I would have to say that watching Star Wars is probably the first really geeky thing I remember.  I remember my parents watching it on TV, and how grossed out I would always be at the scene on Hoth when Han cuts open the tauntaun belly–I was probably about 12 at that time.  I also remember being all excited to see the 1997 re-releases in the theaters.

2. Were you a geek first or a crafter first?
Seriously, I would have to say a geek first.  I mean, I learned how to sew when I was really young and I have always sort of been inclined to be crafty (through my mom, who encouraged that kind of thing), but I didn’t put my crafty powers to good use until recently.  Star Wars, on the other hand, well I can’t remember a time when it didn’t influence me.

3. Do you have a favorite geek genre? (TV, movies, comics, etc.)
Well, I like certain movies (obviously) but I probably follow TV series more closely now.  I love watching stuff like the X-files, Firefly, Bones, House, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and other stuff like that.  I think I like the depth of characters you can get on a show like that, as opposed to just a movie.  It’s interesting to see things play out over a course of years, instead of just a couple of hours.

4. What is your favorite geek craft you’ve made?
It’s so hard to pick a favorite!  I would say it would be one of my amigurumi dudes, obviously, but I don’t know which one!  I do like Gandalf, but I also like Princess Leia with her little hair-buns.  Indiana Jones is really cute too, and I love Superman’s little jerry curl.  I can’t pick!  It’s hard when you’re so invested in all of your creations to pick one, it’s like asking to pick a favorite child.

5. Tell us about what you make.
My boyfriend and I make little amigurumi (just a fancy word for crochet) people that are decked out to look like our favorite geeky characters from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Futurama, Superman, Firefly, etc… with endless possibilities.  We use felt and Sculpey to make their clothes and accessories.  We like to make the little guys as detailed as possible, and we spend enormous amounts of time studying pictures of clothes and accessories to make sure that we don’t miss anything.

6. Why do you make geek crafts? (For yourself, gifts, to sell, etc.)
Well, we started out making these for ourselves, and it sort of just evolved into making them to sell.  Whatever we sell we always make a set for us, though, and it’s a lot of fun for us to work on these together, so I guess we probably do it more for ourselves than for any other reason.

• Geek Central Station on Etsy
• Geek Central Station Blog
• Geek Central Station on Flickr

September 22 - 28 will be Star Wars Week here at Geek Crafts. Submit your own Star Wars crafts or links to others you’ve seen.  To get you in the mood, here are some cool things posted on CRAFT Magazine’s blog recently:

• Light Saber Pencil Holders
• Han Solo said it best…
• Darth Vader Stained Glass Window
• Boba Fett Amigurumi
• Stormtrooper Snow Globes

This has got to be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen that’s made of felt! Craftster user loudxmouse sewed this completely amazing Rancor from Return of the Jedi. Click through for more pictures…check out the drool! Awesome!

• Handsewn Felt Rancor

Here are 13 excellent examples of baked geekiness…tasty, too! I need a snack now.

All Your Base Cake

edalytical’s girlfriend Jess made him this funny cake. Roses are #FF0000, indeed.

• All Your Base Cake by edalytical

[Read more →]

Perler beads are perfect for recreating 8-bit video game characters and scenes. They can be used for all kinds of amazing geeky crafts and are so easy to use, anyone can do it. Below you will find 10 incredible examples of the things you can do with Perler beads.

1. Super Mario Brothers in Perler Beads

Danny_8bit makes some elaborate Perler bead art. This little scene from Super Mario Brothers is attached to a briefcase.

• Super Mario Brothers in Perler Beads by Danny_8bit

2. Float Eye Boss from Final Fantasy

The Float Eye Boss from Final Fantasy has great shading. Faith9990 really got the details in on this one. Is it just me or does this guy look like an evil version of Mike from Monsters, Inc.?

• Float Eye Boss from Finaly Fantasy in Perler Beads by Faith9990

3. Pokemon

I know my eight-year-old could tell me who all these little guys are. For now, I’ll take Fashion’s word that they are Pokemon and they are an impressive collection.

• Pokemon in Perler Beads by Fashion

4. R2D2

Here at Geek Crafts, we seem to always end up back on Star Wars. Flickr user Copy + Waste made this huge R2D2 from Perler beads.

• R2D2 in Perler Beads by Copy + Waste

5. Ape Lad’s Spock illustration

I’m not a big Star Trek fan, but this is the second Star Trek craft that I really like (the other was the Spock apron). blakewest did a great job capturing the look of the original illustration.

• Ape Lad’s Spock Illustration in Perler Beads by blakewest

6. Donkey Kong in Perler Beads

Here’s another one from Danny_8bit: a very elaborate Donkey Kong/Burgertime combo scene - not sure why the two games are mixed, but it still looks great!

• Donkey Kong in Perler Beads by Danny_8bit
  

7. Sinistar

Wow - what an incrdible likeness of the evil Sinistar himself. Awesome job done by CoderKev. “Run, coward!”

• Sinistar in Perler Beads by CoderKev

8. Space Invaders Key Chains

Faith9990 does it again with these little Space Invaders keychains. They aren’t attached yet, but if you look closely, you can see that a bead is purposely missing from each one to attach the keyring to.

• Space Invaders Key Chains in Perler Beads by Faith9990

9. Gameboy Color 3D

I love the dimensional Perler bead crafts. Doctor Octoroc used what looks to be three layers of beads to make this Gameboy Color 3D.

• Gameboy Color 3D in Perler Beads by Doctor Octoroc

10. Samus Aran vs. Omega Metroid

And one more by Doctor Octoroc: Samus Aran vs. Omega Metroid. I think this is the most detailed Perler Bead art I have seen. Details + shading + size = pure awesomeness. (I don’t think that’s a direct quote there from Samus)

• Samus Aran vs. Omega Metroid in Perler Beads by Doctor Octoroc

Craftster user Sleepy Tortuga posted her first ever plushies - Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. These may be the cutest Star Wars things I’ve ever seen. (Not really being an Ewok fan…is anyone?)

• Star Wars Dolls

Our first Weekend 10 installment is all about everyone’s favorite Star Wars droid, R2-D2.

1. R2-D2 Cake

Flickr user sugarlipscakes made this R2-D2 cake for Dave’s 30th birthday. Dave’s a lucky man.

2. R2-D2 PC Case Mod

The Contaminated posted this incredible R2-D2 case modification. Unfortunately, there’s no instructions or further information. Not that any of us mere mortals could duplicate this amazing feat of engineering anyway.

Good lord! What geek wouldn’t give their left arm for a desk like this! Designer Tom Spina has created this incredible desk with Han Solo in Carbonite in it! Tom says:

A custom designed desk that fits a Star Wars-style theme. Beyond furniture… it’s not just a desk, it’s art! Metal and fiberglass construction with a heavy glass top create an elegant and extremely unique piece of furniture!

Me behind desk: I suggest you rethink that plan, underling. Look at my desk to see what happened to the last person that defied me. BWAHAHAHA!

• Forum post with lots of pics
• Tom Spina Designs