May 27

Crafts of WonderCon 2011

WonderCon Intro 2If the San Diego Comic-Con is the arena rock star of the convention world, then San Francisco’s WonderCon is the concert-hall favorite. It’s not nearly as big, but much more manageable, and (in my humble opinion) just as much fun.

I attended two days of this year’s Con, where I met numerous writers, artists, and geek icons. My favorite folks to talk to, though, were the hard-working crafters tabling throughout the Con.

Some had made items to promote books and webcomics, others were devoted to selling thier handmade crafts. No matter the reason, though, they were always happy to stop and share a little about their creations.

  Continue reading

Category: Books, Comics, Craft, Geek, Girly, Movies, Sci-Fi, Toys, TV, Video Games | 4 Comments on Crafts of WonderCon 2011
May 26

“A New Hope” Cross-Stitch

Luke Skywalker Cross-Stitch“That boy is our last hope.”

If Luke Skywalker had run for New Republic president, he undoubtedly would have asked Shepard Fairey to design his poster, too.

“Manbroiderer” whateverjames made this detailed cross-stitch of Luke in all his starry-eyed earnestness, riffing on Fairey’s iconic “Obama Hope” poster. It’s roughly the size of a hardcover novel, just to give you an idea of how much work went into this.

Whateverjames is such a fan of Star Wars stitching that he created his own Flickr group for us needlepoint Jedi: Han Stitched First. Looks like he also has plans to expand it into a blog, so keep your eyes peeled for more Star Wars stitchery from this guy!

[Via Mr. X Stitch]

Category: Craft, Geek, Movies, Sci-Fi | 1 Comment on “A New Hope” Cross-Stitch
May 25

Fascinating Quilt

I love quilting, but I tend to stick to more traditional patterns. But maybe it’s time to change that! Funthreads made this Spock quilt for the Spring 2011 online Blogger’s Quilt Festival?. It was intentionally made so the image is difficult to see up close. But step back and there’s Mr. Spock! Funthreads said she usually gives away or donates her quilts, but this one she made with her husband in mind. Nothing says “I love you” quite like Star Trek. She started with a pumpkin carving template, and designed the whole thing from there. It’s 58 x 82 inches, so I can only imagine how long this took. But it was obviously worth all the effort. She details the whole process on her blog and it’s…fascinating (Sorry! I couldn’t help myself!) Good luck with the festival!

Category: Craft, Geek, Sci-Fi, TV | 1 Comment on Fascinating Quilt
May 25

Video Game Controller Prints from 3 Fish Studios

While I was at Maker Faire last weekend, I got to make a quick dash through Bazaar Bizarre and check out some of the amazing handmade things for sale! I loved these Video Game Controller prints from Annie and Eric, the husband and wife team behind 3 Fish Studios in San Francisco. They’re $20 each or $200 for a huge set of all 12 prints.

They also have some very cool robot stuff, and I really fell for their California-themed Scenic Drive prints and paintings…

 

Category: Craft, Geek, Video Games | 3 Comments on Video Game Controller Prints from 3 Fish Studios
May 24

Post-It Pac-Man

Post-It Pac-ManGeek crafts can be found in the strangest of places, if you know how to keep your eyes open.

Last week, I was taking a nice, meandering walk through San Francisco. I was enjoying the rare spring sunshine as I made my way through downtown, when this colorful window caught my eye.

You don’t expect to find unabashed displays of geekiness in the heart of a posh shopping/business district! Yet, there were Inky and Pinky, chasing Pac-Man across the building windows.

I’d only ever seen Post-It pixel art online before, so it was neat to see it in person. It makes me wonder about the folks who work there, though, especially since Pac is on the run from the ghosties. Is this a secret geeky cry for help? Or employees covertly letting off a little steam, aimed towards this boss?

Category: Craft, Geek, Video Games | 3 Comments on Post-It Pac-Man
May 24

Tutorial Tuesday! Star Wars Travel Embroidery Case.

Here’s one from me!!  (Geeky Sweetheart)

I had the utter JOY of participating in the Star Wars OTT (One Tiny Thing) swap on Craftster. This is what I sent out… It’s a circular embroidery case, which is large enough to accommodate a 6″ embroidery hoop, as well as supplies in its integrated needle-book and inner pocket, have a look!

Of course, I ended up making one for myself as well, I LOVE it! I took it to a hospital appointment where I had to hang around in the waiting room for 2 hours, I was sat there stitching away happily, could have stayed there ALL day (but glad I didn’t have to!)

The image on the front of the case there is by DeviantArt user Jasonpal, you should completely check out his gallery, there are all sorts of geeky goodies in there. Inkjet Iron on transfer paper is a brilliant thing! … The speech bubbles were my idea though!

Probably worth mentioning quickly about what I recieved on the swap from my fantastic partner SilentBlair. It was only the cutest little Wampa amigurumi for my little geek-to-be (2 months and counting til (s)he makes his/her grand entrance into the world!) Here he is next to my 1929 Singer hand-crank sewing machine and my baby Yoda hat I got from The Green Hedgehog on Etsy.

ANYHOW – I promised you a tutorial, and here it is. Go forth and make circular travel embroidery cases, emblazon them with your best geeky quotes and images, and dont forget to let us know about anything you make using the ‘submit a geekcraft’ link.

OOh and while I’m on the topic of tutorials, I’ve finally got my act together and organised a tutorials section on my blog. Now you have direct links to all the tutorials I’ve ever published, including my “Wretched Hive of Scum and Villiany” embroidery pattern and my Supergirl Costume.

Category: Craft, Geek | 2 Comments on Tutorial Tuesday! Star Wars Travel Embroidery Case.