Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with crafts

What can I do with half-drilled gems?

orrnyereg — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:02:03 -0800

What do I do with these amethysts? I bought four teardrop-shaped amethysts on Ebay. I'd planned on using headpins to make them into earrings. However, I didn't realize that they're only drilled a couple of milimeters into the top. These pictures aren't great, but they give you an idea of what I'm talking about: here they are; they're drilled about as far down as where my fingernails mark here.

Anyone out there have experience with this? Do I just need to use superglue or something? Halp!

Where can I get Quilt Magic Foam Boards in Toronto?

pick_the_flowers — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 07:41:01 -0800

Toronto Craft Filter: Where can I buy Quilt Magic kits, preferably the foam boards only, in Toronto (on the subway line)? I'd like to try making some quilt magic or quilt magic like stuff with my own fabric and need to take a bunch of foamboards back to the place where I live.

Non-quilt-magic foam boards offering the same idea would be great, too.

Photos + mats = holiday cheer

asuprenant — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:57:01 -0800

Where can I buy mats for 13 x 19" photos in Chicago? Lastminuteholidaycraftfilter: where can I buy these mats in Chicago?

http://www.dickblick.com/products/savage-value-priced-pre-cut-single-mats/

I'm looking for white 18 x 24" mats with 13 x 19" openings. The Blick stores in Chicago don't carry them in stock, though. Where can I find them?

New Things for the New Year

stennieville — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:39:54 -0800

My goal for the year 2010 is to try one new thing every week. I'm compiling a list of new things to try, and would love input! Looking for ideas in all different areas -- new skills to learn, new hobbies to try out, fix-it projects, tech/computer projects, new recipes to try, magic tricks, you name it. As examples, here's a few things that are on my list already:

- Fix my broken lamp
- Build a lightbulb terrarium
- Learn to knit
- Make an origami crane
- Install Mac-on-a-stick
- Bake bread from scratch
- Eat fried gator (a local Cajun restaurant I go to serves this; I've always wanted to try it)
- Ride in a hot air balloon

There are no wrong answers (except "learn a new language" or something that takes longer than a week to do). I have found some good ideas from these previous AskMe threads, but would love to hear more! Help me fill up my weeks with fun new stuff for the year. Thanks in advance!

PS: Today I did a new thing -- posted my first question to AskMe.

Seeking clicking mechanism or design...

pallen123 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:21:02 -0800

What kind of small toys or devices click when you rotate them forwards and backwards? Seeking mechanism or design... I’m trying to help a friend design a small toy and she needs a mechanism that will click in very small increments as she rotates a small (1 inch diameter) dial that turns 360 degrees on its axis. She needs the dial to click precisely as it turns clockwise and counterclockwise in smallish increments. I was thinking a fishing reel mechanism might work, but that just allows turning in one direction. Then I thought a ratchet wrench mechanism might work, but that also turns in just one direction (and I’m not sure how the inside of a ratchet wrench works either). Can anyone think of existing toys or devices that have a clicking mechanism that freely rotate? Novel solutions? Suggestions? Thank you!

What malleable substance can be shaped like clay for craft projects but turns out lighter like styrofoam once hardened and dried?

kookoobirdz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:39:10 -0800

Does this substance exist? Arts & crafts people or hardware store people: for a craft project, I want a material that is malleable like clay but winds up lighter-weight like styrofoam/polystyrene once it has set and hardened. Maybe it it's dispensed from a tube or can? I want to make some creative and whimsical frames for some irregularly sized/shaped art, which is too fun for regular frames. I'm looking for a material that is malleable like clay that I can form into fun shapes, which then dries and hardens and is lightweight like something approaching styrofoam, or at least a lot lighter than clay.

Have you ever seen somebody make a frame out of clay spirals? They roll the clay into long thin tubes or strips and then roll those up in to sweetroll spirals. Then they glue those spirals to a backing and/or to each other so that a border of those spirals squished tightly side by side goes all the way around whatever they're framing. Often they paint them and glue on other stuff.

I want to do that, but I don't want something as heavy as clay. I want something that is maybe sprayed out of a can or probably something thicker that is squeezed out of a tube like toothpaste or like caulk from a caulk gun. I want to aim and twist and prod and shape that stuff into various shapes and designs, the spirals are one example, maybe with some wavy tentacles to go along with them, and then leave it to set or dry. At the end of it I want something that is rigid and lightweight and holds its shape. Ideally the finished product would be lightweight like styrofoam and have a smooth surface that accepts paint nicely. A bit heavier than styrofoam is fine, particularly if it's stronger than styrofoam.

I understand that thanks to silly old physics, I may have to give up one or more of those qualities to get the others, but just shoot for the closest thing you can think of. It doesn't have to squirt out of a can or tube, that's just how I was thinking I might get a material that's lightweight.

I've found Versi-Foam, but it's more like spray insulation and requires a framework and special equipment and then sculpting and sanding. I'm looking more for something that can be dispensed in a more limited and controlled way that will stay in its toothpaste-like tube shape if I do nothing else to it. It's hard to imagine, but if it could be not so sticky like caulk, that would allow me to do other things with it than leave it in the tube shape. Basically I want something with the malleable properties of clay that winds up very lightweight.

Arts and crafts people in the house, or even hardware store materials people, what substance am I looking for?

Knit one, purl one, turn the plastic handle?

sabotagerabbit — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:48:10 -0800

My grandmother just gave me some of her old knitting and sewing supplies, including what appears to be some sort of plastic knitting machine. Tell me more about it and how to use it! I'm pretty sure it's a knitting machine/toy of some sort, but my Nana's not verbal enough these days for me to ask her how to use it. I've googled a bit, but I don't really know what to call it. I want to know if it's worth me keeping for my crafty pursuits!

I wove you, metafilter

amethysts — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:44:47 -0800

Does anyone remember a website a few years back that would post scans of crafts and recipe books from the 50's-70's for the sole purpose of making fun of them for being horrible? I think it had "Lavender" in the name somewhere? It might be still going. It was a huge site with a lot of different sections of content and all of it was really funny. There's just too much out there for "70s crafts snark" to be a useful thing to google.
One of the images was a bizarre monster thing that said "I wove you!"

Help me make a Christmas tablecloth

widdershins — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:29:46 -0800

I have been taken over by an urge to embroider a Xmas tablecloth. Trouble is, I know nothing about embroidery or cross-stitching and I need a little (a lot of) help getting started, if you would be so kind. I'm not very crafty, though I like to knit (I'm not very fast or that good at it, but I do enjoy it). Lately I keep thinking I'd really like to embroider or cross-stitch a tablecloth for Xmas (aiming to complete for next year's Xmas).

I've done some googling and it looks like maybe embroidery kits like this or this are what I'm looking for. Would you agree that these are the best way for a novice? Or would cross-stitching be easier to start with? I'm not averse to cross-stitching, I just haven't found a pattern that I liked.

If so, what supplies do I need to get? The kits say that the tablecloths are stamped with the pattern, so I'm assuming I only need the right needles and thread? Err... what are the right needles and thread? I'll probably be ordering the supplies online because I can't find any craft stores near me (I'm in southern CT) that carry embroidery kits (but maybe I'm not using the right terms in my search?).

Also, how long do you think such a project would take? Assuming I'm a complete novice and can only devote an average of 1-2 hours once or twice a week, could I reasonably complete it by next Xmas?

Lastly, I prefer the first design (the baubles) but I can't find the kit anywhere - all the hits lead to sold-out links or to the placemats. If there's something I'm missing and you can find it easily, please share your secret. I'm looking for a 60 x 90 or 60 x 104.

Thank you so much for taking pity on me and helping me unleash my inner craftiness!

What halloween crafts / art activities do the 5-7 year olds in your life enjoy doing?

nothingsconstant — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:46:43 -0800

What Halloween crafts / art activities do the 5-8 year olds in your life enjoy doing? I'm now in teacher's college and have been asked to deliver an art lesson with a Halloween theme for my Grade 1 and 2 split class (there are 20 kids total) next Friday. I am so stuck on what is a fun and educational thing for them to do, and the google search results are overwhelming!

I'd like the lesson to be finished in about 45 minutes, if that changes your answer!

Thanks :)

Eco-friendly waste paper? Well, more neighbor-friendly ...

tilde — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:41:33 -0800

I'm working on reproducing an old childhood amusement with less messy waste or just dealing with ignoring the debris .... eggs to throw at each other. Every year, our grade school had a number of huge fundraising drives. One of my absolute favorites was confetti eggs.

Simple: Break eggs at top, leaving at least 3/4 of the shell intact. Use eggs as usual, rinse and set shell aside.

When you have enough, fill them 1/2 way with confetti, spray glue on some tissue over the hole, then spray paint.

When dry, throw at your friends. Hilarity ensues.

So far I've got two dozen shells - but I'm imagining the social karma damage if we do this in the neighborhood .... is there something more bio-degradable than shredded paper you can buy in bulk? I'd not want to use the cross cut diamonds from my personal junk mail pile ...

I'd thought about seeded paper but then everyone with their perfect lawns would have "weeds" ...

What else can I fill them with? Or just let the paper biodegrade for a few months? I'd suggest it to my kid's school as a fundraiser but they don't do outdoor carnivals, they just sell wrapping paper. But if they weren't "that bad" now adays ... maybe I should.

cross stitch stores in nyc or online?

lia — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:00:54 -0800

what are the best places to buy cross stitch supplies in nyc? manhattan or near-ish brooklyn preferable; happy to take online suggestions if that is, as usual, where the best options are. i haven't cross stitched anything in about fifteen years but would like to make a present for a friend, something to put in a small frame. i've figured out how to make patterns from images online but i have zero supplies—no needle, no thread, no nothing—so i'd really appreciate any tips on procurement!

Scrabble, home decorating edition.

cabingirl — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:40:01 -0800

What can I make with these decorative letters that I bought at a gift shop clearance sale? The gift shop in my building is closing tomorrow and they are having a clearance sale. I bought a pendant which is a framed letter on one side and a fleur de lys on the reverse. It's too heavy and large to really wear as a pendant, so I was thinking of getting more letters and making something decorative for my home. Something like hanging several of them to form a word, or whatever.

So what would you do with these? I'm not the "PEACE" or "HOME" or "LOVE" type, so what are some other words that might be interesting or slightly subversive to hang up? I only bought the one pendant, but they had tons of them, so I should be able to spell most words. If you do something totally different with them, what would that be? I don't have to suspend them, that was just the first thing that came to mind.

Tunisian crochet hook sources?

fairytale of los angeles — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:40:35 -0800

Where do I buy aluminum or bamboo Tunisian (afghan) crochet hooks in Los Angeles? Alternatively, is there a reputable online source for them? I'm looking for something in the smaller sizes-- it's for a scarf, so no size-Q monster hooks. I've seen plastic ones here and there, but I'm tough on plastic hooks and would prefer to avoid them. Thanks!

Make a permanent mark on a chalkboard.

ChrisR — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:43:38 -0800

I'd like to make a permanent 1-inch grid on a chalkboard. How would I go about doing that? Specifically I want to turn a tabletop into a gaming map using chalkboard paint. The trick is to have the grid be indelible so that we can erase the sketched maps between encounters.

How to get a wooden salad bowl made

vogel — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:24:02 -0800

Which woods are good for making a salad bowl, and what preparation would the newly-made bowl need before being used? We need a new salad bowl and a friend is learning wood-turning. I am tempted to try to commission him to make us one, but I don't know what sort of wood to start with and how to treat it once the bowl is made. Maybe his wood-turning teacher would help with all this anyway, but I'd like to be better informed myself.

I suppose an alternative answer might be that it is too ambitious and I should just go and buy one! What do you think? Thanks!

Stitch 'n' Bitch party of one? I hope not!

Diagonalize — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:45:40 -0800

Can a novice in Boston turn casual crafting into a social outlet? Growing up, I was never very crafty and never really hung out with anyone who was, so even though I'm not especially shy or introverted, crafting has always been a solitary activity for me. While I'm probably most in need of a crafty Obi-Wan to mentor my clueless self, what I'd really like some company to keep me from feeling like a crafty hermit. Is there somewhere in Boston/Cambridge where I can meet other crafters who won't snicker at my newbie attempts?

I'm not really looking to become a hardcore crafter, but it seemed like a good way to meet more female friends to balance out all the geeky science guy-types I tend to hang with. (I'm a non-science girl.) I guess age is something of a factor, since I don't fall into the grandmother or even mom bracket, but I'm probably also getting a little too old to hang with the high school kids or even undergraduates. Is there even a crafting niche for clueless 20-somethings? Online communities like Craftster have been great, but I suspect I spend too much time on the computer as it is, and creating a Meetup group when I'm the clueless one seems a little weird.

Crafting cred: My non-English speaking grandmother taught me the basics of crochet when I was very young, but the language barrier made it hard to get any more complicated. Attempts to teach myself knitting have generally been pretty tragic, but I recently picked up embroidery, which has been fun, but I'm still very much a noob. I don't have a sewing machine, and scrapbooking kinda scares me.

What can I make from a broken crystal chandelier?

jeather — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:19:26 -0800

I have the crystal pieces from an old, broken chandelier. What can I make from them? The pieces are all clear, and there are three shapes: octagonal, cut like a diamond (pointed on one side, flat on the other) in various sizes, but mostly about 2 or 3 cm wide; trapezoidal, about 1.5 cm on the short side, 2.5 on the long and 7 cm tall; and teardrop shaped, also about 7 cm long. The teardrops have one hole at the top, and the others all have two holes, one at each end. The shapes do not refract light into rainbows particularly well.

I have access to any supplies I might need, as well as any other kind of beads. I have thought of suncatchers but haven't really thought of any designs I like. I have also thought of jewelry, but the same issue. I'd prefer not to make a lamp.

Anyone used "Picture This" before?

m0kingb1rd — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:21:20 -0800

Has anyone ever used the "Picture This" photo transfer product by Plaid? I have, with some mixed results and I was wondering if there was any particular paper that yields better results than others. I suppose this should be used with an inkjet printer, but ours isn't very good. Any other recommendations?

A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place

Corky — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:55:41 -0800

Are there less expensive alternatives to ScrapnCubes? I need lots of storage for my scrap-booking and card-making paraphernalia. I'm trying to find attractive storage for my ever-increasing supplies for cark-making and scrap-booking. I want something sturdy, not plastic, and damn close to furniture grade. The cubes from ScrapnCube are ideal, but so expensive! I can't find anything else that appeals to me.

I have one wall in my office/living room/sewing room/all-purpose room that could theoretically hold a wall of storage for paper, punches, stamps, inks, my Cuttlebug and all its accessories, more paper, scissors, tape, glue.... you get the picture.

Has anyone found storage for their crafty stuff that is as functional and nice to look at as the ScrapnCube stuff? Or, do I have to buy them one at a time for a decade?

This is my brain on no vacation

messica — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:38:32 -0800

Help with productive vacation ideas? Of all the things to avoid, I have been putting off taking vacation and now suddenly the summer is slipping away... I've now committed to taking off the first week or two in September, and I need a plan! I've got no traveling companions in sight, and while in the past I've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of solo travels and adventures, this time I'm not feeling it.

Ideally I would like to be in a relaxing, outdoorsy setting while doing something productive: developing a new skill, creating something tangible, or pursuing one of my existing hobbies (which include playing fiddle, singing, yoga, crafts, baking.) I mention those to give an idea of my interests, but I am very open to exploring something new. I do public interest community work by day, and much as I love the idea of a "volunteer vacation," I'm looking for something a little more...oh, self-centered :)

Hanging out in a cabin by a lake and playing fiddle for the geese has its appeal, but really I'd love to be in at least a semi-structured environment where I can learn with and be around other friendly people. I don't require much in the way of accomodations; the simpler the better, really. Given these (admittedly somewhat vague) criteria, does anyone have recommendations for a nature-y yoga retreat/music camp/craft collective/fill-in-the-blank in early September? Or, since I probably missed the boat on some great camps and retreats this summer, ideas for next year? I am in Brooklyn and would prefer to remain within a 5-hour driving radius.

Converting clip-on earrings

orrnyereg — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:51:19 -0800

Suggestions for converting clip-on earrings into post earrings? So, I scored some great 50s-era earrings at the flea market this weekend. Trouble is, they're clip-ons, which I don't really care for. Is it possible for someone with intermediate-level craft skillz to make them into post earrings? Or should I take them to a jeweler?

Thanks in advance!

Crafting a fun wedding gift

pised — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:37:26 -0800

Help us make a special and creative gift for a newly-married friend! A good friend of mine, who’s part of a small group of girls from high school, just got married this past weekend. The other girls and I didn’t go because it was a small family wedding in another city, but we’d like to show her and her new husband how happy we are for them and celebrate their marriage. We’ll get them a gift, but we’ve also been talking about doing something fun and creative for them. They’re both graphic designers, multimedia designers, photographers, very artistic people – so they’d be into something creative and unique. But what could we make?

There are three of us, plus our respective partners who we can coerce into helping us make something; we’re all relatively crafty. We’re four hours away by car from the newlyweds’ place so can’t hand-deliver it – it has to be something that could travel well if it’s portable. Electronic creative gifts would be great, but we have minimal skills in the Photoshop department. We thought about doing a crazy video but I’m a little terrified of becoming a YouTube superstar. My partner suggested a photobook with comic speech bubbles, which is a pretty good idea. I know AskMe can give us tons more options, though. Bring it!

Thanks!

Quilting for Lazy Non-Quilters

otherwordlyglow — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:44:55 -0800

Are there services to assemble your quilt squares for you? In other words, can I pay someone to make a quilt out of a bunch of decorated squares of fabric that I provide? I'm thinking about a group crafting project for a baby shower. I know how to sew but don't think I can get my act together to learn how to quilt before the event. What I was thinking of doing is having a bunch of pre-cut squares available for guests to decorate/paint/draw on and then I'd gather up all the squares and drop them off/send them somewhere and then they'd magically be transformed into a blanket. In my ideal version, there would be a kit that I could buy (this is how lazy I am) with all the squares of fabric pre-cut and color coordinated for a specific pattern and size of quilt and all we'd have to do is rip open the kit, go to town on the squares and then there'd be a postage paid envelope in the kit that we'd throw the squares into and send off to a lovely old woman in Vermont who would assemble to quilt in her farmhouse by the fire on a brisk autumn weekend. Failing that, I can certainly get my ass to a fabric store and cut out the squares myself if I know what size they should be.

So does this type of service exist? I know it's lame to not do the assembly yourself but this baby is arriving in September and I know there's no way I'll get to it before then. I'm in San Francisco, if it matters.

Musical Fun Has Begun

cloeburner — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:47:35 -0800

Anyone know any good music games/activities for inner city elementary school kids? I am teaching a summer music class in east Baltimore and I would love to hear some suggestions of music crafts and games for kids.

Additionally, I would like to build some instruments with the kids, perhaps a thumb piano, but if anyone has any other simple music projects, I'd love to hear it. I have lots of electronic supplies [I plan on focusing on hip hop and baltimore club production] but I would also like to introduce the musicality of everything to them [bottles, grass, cans, strings, etc.].

What say you, hive?