It was a funny thing, I was collecting up sewing articles and patterns to post a round up about and I realized that 6 out of the 8 post I picked out to share with you were from Coletterie.com.  When I was in Chicago I stopped by The Needle Shop and couldn’t help but buy a Coletterie pattern. I’m sure many of you have seen these wonderful vintage inspired patterns. Charming, well made, super clear instructions. So I’ve opted to gush purely about my love of their website and patterns.

See the 6 posts that really stuck with me after the jump! Read more →

I’ve been doing a lot of bike riding lately. Not only has it become my primary transportation for around town, I’ve been training for a triathlon and some long distance rides called brevets. Each week I ride my bike to get from here to there, and then once a week I go for a long endurance ride, and then once a week I do hill, speed work, and sprint intervals. It’s great fun! Cycling has definitely been on the mind.

I have my lovely hybrid Bianchi:

And, last fall I purchased a vintage Motobecane with a mixte frame – c’est super cool, n’est-ce pas?

It’s a french road/touring bike from the 1970′s. I cleaned it up, tuned it up, and just got it back from the bike shop today. It was in for final repairs – wheels were way wacked up and needed to be trued and the gearing cables were really loose.

Anyway, I have these visions in my mind of me cruising along on RAGBRAI on my “super cool” bicycle looking “trop mignonne et pleine de vie” as I wizz by really fast with a cute tank, big necklace, bike shorts, and a cute little skirt fluttering in the wind around my waist. Maybe even a unique little cycling cap. Oh and don’t forget the handmade handlebar bag!

(super cool in french = super cool, trop mignonne et pleine de vie = so cute and full of life – I think, it’s been too long since my last trip to france or my last french class)

Needless to say after sending the bike to the shop, getting a water bottle, a little under the seat bag, and my cycling shorts :: quick digression:: gregory peed on my old pair when he was a kitten – along with my dress shirt from banana republic and my handmade shirt dress :( He’s made up for it with loads of cuteness, purrs, and a lack of pissing anywhere but his litter box for the last 8 months. Anyway, digression over:: …Needless to say I really don’t want to buy any more cycling gear outside of necessities like a rear light and a reflective vest. Crafting time? Yes indeed! I started searching around and found a load of patterns and great ideas for what I can sew, crochet, and knit up myself! While I’m not ready to bust out the spandex and sew my own shorts, I think skirts, handlebar bags, skirt guards, and maybe even a new cap are in order. Here’s what I found:

Cycling Skirts

Over on Pattern Review, there was high praise for this pattern. The little “ballet” skirt actually looks a lot like little cycling skirts that you wear over your skin tight cycling shorts – which I’m not ready to try sewing yet just for the record.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

While there isn’t a pattern for this skirt, I thought it looked simple enough that I could make one up as I go along. I really like the idea of having a few “cover up” skirts to wear while cycling around.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Same goes for this cute little number, which I found on the same site: LookBook

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The cutest yellow skirt ever!  – no pattern – but inspiring!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I really like the selfish seamstress, because I often joke that I’m a selfish crafter, haha. She has a nice little selection of free patterns, including this cute ballet skirt, which I think would make for a perfect cycling skirt.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Miss Celies Pants tells the fun story of making her skirt here, another ballet skirt, which I also think will be great for cycling.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Super cute, super fast skirt to make. Will definitely give sewing this one a try.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cycling Cap

I made a winter cap quite a few months ago, but now I need a summer cap. I think this one looks pretty great and want to give this tutorial a try.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cycling Shirt

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bicycle Bags and toting things

Super cute. love this bag.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fun little handle bar bag on Lark Crafts.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, if I had all the money, I would skip the crafting and just buy this awesome bag, haha. My true colors come out.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This seems like a really nice messenger bag to carry stuff around town in. I love how it’s so high up on the back.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I never thought about using a basket as my, umm, basket! Hahah. Maybe I’ll use that Hobby Lobby coupon in the side bar and go grab one for my bike. This post shows several examples.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is another “duh” moment. Purses with straps for my handlebar bag, excellent idea!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Oh re-nest, I love you, and this is a great set of diy pannier bags.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cuteness on Dollar Store Crafts.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And a similar bag on the Vegan Lunch Box.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Skirt Guards

Love this crocheted skirt guard on Etsy.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A well-written article about why dress guards and chain cases are so great, not just for fashion, but for the protection of your favorite threads.

A post I found with links to other great skirt guard posts.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A pattern for crocheting your own skirt guard.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Link to and thoughts on skirt guards.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Saddle Covers

Buy a custom made seat cover on etsy.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Crocheted Seat Cover pattern on HolyCrapYarn&Stuff.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And it says it’s crochet, but I swear it looks knit, seat cover.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So I definitely have a long list of things I want to make, but the first on my list will be a little cycling skirt. I’m going to try and make it by the end of this week and get a pattern up for it next week. We will see. I’ve been having these headaches and have been sleeping more than usual – potentially over training, so I’m going to take it easy for a bit. Yeah, I got back from herb class on Saturday and pretty much passed out for the next 2 days! I swear, pillows and pattern coming soon!

Until Next Time!
Kristin

Two weeks ago I posted about how I was sick of all my zines being in a cardboard box and had started building a system of shelves to house them in the most creative way ever. Well, I got caught up getting my own zine finished and have finally returned to that pile of zines in my card board box.

With the clarity of 2 weeks, I wonder if my “most creative way ever” was really the best way for me to go about building my zine library. I want it to be mobile and functional and organized so I can find what I need. I decided to do what I really do best: research! After all I totally need to use those art history minor skills somehow. I started digging around in zine library websites, googling them, looking for reviews, and in general poking around on flickr for what worked best for what kind of zines. I’m not convinced that my library would best be done with a series of woodworking and cardboard cutting vs. just woodworking.

Zine Libraries I found

“SHOP Vintage Lounge and Arts Venue in Bristol houses its very own Zine Library. We want to create a central reference resource to help preserve and promote the diverse work of the small press world. The library operates by donations from zine makers and collectors, and we are always looking for more contributions.”

I love the reading nook style of this zine library–the big stuffed chairs and cute little table. If I could have shelves like that for all my zines I totally would. But, they don’t quite fit all the littlest of zines I have.

Over on Boing Boing, this sweet zine library, PaperCut Zine Library, was featured. While I totally love the stuff hanging there and really enjoy the visual eye candy, it’s not quite the solution for me because I want to continue to flip through them and see their covers. But wow is that fun. What a great job that would be to have!

The Toronto Zine Library takes the comic book shop style approach with zines in box sort of compartments, almost like a record store would arrange them. I like this idea a whole lot, but the question becomes, how to make it work in a shelf sort of setting? I think I’m starting to puzzle this idea out completely.

The Regional Assembly of Text has that beautiful look of clean, yet vintage, yet slightly cozy and welcoming. Maybe it’s just all the zines. Any place that has that any zines in such a pretty presentation must be a welcoming-my-kind-of-place. They also have a nice stock of little mini zines on the top shelf. They are hard to see, but they are in little boxes. Hmmm, I like this.

I love this, because it makes me think we could eventually have something like this right in our own home town library. If you are able to, encourage your local library to start carrying zines. It’s a great place to start a local zine collection, in a place where people are already coming to read and look and enjoy things in print.

Oh I do love the Roberts Street Library. Someday I’m going to have my office be floor to ceiling shelves of printed deliciousness.

The Little Berlin zine library has a nice little shelf set up to hold their zines. If I had my own shop, I think this is how I would house them.

And this is a really cool looking library at Niagara College, but the image was fully copyright protected, so go look at the neatness by clicking here.

Zine libraries are on the rise around the United States so I was able to get a nice broad perspective on housing and organizing zines. One thing I’ve decided is to start keeping a running catalog of all my zines. I now realize a few are missing and I have no idea who I loaned them out to.

After looking at all these great zine libraries, I’m finally ready to build my own. I’ll be back on Friday (for reals this time) to show you how. Wednesday I’m posting about some of the fun projects I have going on around the house like brewing my own hard apple cider and growing produce in the basement in the middle of winter.

Happy crafting!
Kristin

The very nature of being a zine maker leads me to own a crap ton of zines. I’ve participated in swaps, I’ve purchased them from around the world. I’ve been given them by friends. And I have multiple copies of my own zines of course. Now, all these zines…I love each one. But they’ve ended up languishing in a cardboard box. That really sucks. I want them to be out. I want to enjoy them. I want to easily thumb through them and be inspired by them, even my own past work. It sounds egocentric I’m sure, but practically speaking, you can learn a lot by looking on past work–things that have been lost sight o, or even reflecting on ideas and layouts that went horribly wrong.

Did you know Craft Leftovers Monthly has 37 issues? Issues 1-14 were limited edition, never to be reproduced, 15-26 are available as back issues (Volume 1) in the shop, and Volume 2: Issues 1-11 are now available as a box set and singles. Volume 3: Issue 1 (the 38th issue)? That will be available on Monday.

I’m still stunned that I’ve put out 37 zines, actually 4 mini zines + and ebook too! Wow. Holy crap. I’ve been making them for 3 years now, heading into year four.

Volume 3 is going to be different. You see, I’ve reworked the format for the new volume. I’m taking it back to a more intimate size, but keeping all my favorite things from Volume 2. Kind of like when I looked at the blog from my readers’ perspectives, I’m looked at the zine with those same eyes. Just like when I cozied up to my favorite blogs, I’ve spent the last few months cozying up to my favorite zines.

I like pocket sized zines. I like zines that are around 20 pages. I like zines that work with a theme. I like zines with good art and attention to detail. Here is what inspired the current volume, all of my favorite zines.

Quite a few zines I love

Tangle Craft zines - These zines are amazing, hand crafted, quality story telling, inspiring construction, ideas, and images.

Croq Zines – and holy crap she just finished issue #12! The first in 3 years! I’m so excited because I was planning on writing “I really wish this zine was still in production,” but I don’t have to write that now!

MixTape.

The Beany, Start to Draw Your Life, and other Micheal Nobbs Zines

Oh the Christmas Digest from Sister Diane

Locally: The Catholic Worker (the zine for the local Mustard Seed Coop Farm) and The Ames Progressive (which I helped with for just about a year) and my good friend Linda’s zine/booklet of poetry. (She edits Craft Leftovers Monthly just about every month, and when she isn’t able to, it sure does show!)

Not to mention all the zines I get from zine swaps, indie books stores, friends, and whenever I go anywhere new I hunt them out.

I especially love zines about bicycling–like Saddle Sore and this sweet little zine about bicycle adventures. Oh and zines about zines like: Make a Zine!

I decided it was time to make a change. No more cardboard box for my zines! But what then? Seriously? They are all different sizes. Some of them have things in them, like most of the issues of Tangled Kingdom.

It’s not like I can just toss these on a book shelf. I can’t really see them and enjoy them all crammed together. They get bent up and damaged and slide behind the bookcase. No good. Well, I came up with a great solution, I hinted at it on twitter the other day–zine boxes. I’ll show you how next Friday. I have my own zine to finish. I’m printing it Sunday night. I’m so excited.

What zines inspire you the most? What’s your favorite zine topic? How do you organize your personal zine library?

Happy crafting!
Kristin

There is so much holiday cheer and happy crafting going on right now I can hardly stand it. I do love it all so much. Here are a few of my favorites that I’m hoping to make in the next 10 days:

1. Dollhouse Sized Aluminum Christmas Tree on Zakka Life
2. Felted Christmas Trees on the Purl Bee
3. Swedish Dala Horse on AllSorts (via Whipup.net)
4. Flatware pouch on Craftiness is Not Optional (via Craftgossip)
5. Winter Caroler Sewing Pattern (via Craftzine)
6. More Inspiration on Creative Kismet

What’s your favorite holiday crafting project on the internet? Have you tried it yet?

Want to use up some of your leftovers from Christmas? Check out my ebook Card.Paper.Ribbon. that’s all about finding non-christmas uses for Christmas gift packaging supplies!

Happy crafting!
Kristin

My phone rang, I moaned and dug it out of my bag (little known secret, I hate phone calls). When I saw it was my dear friend my attitude instantly changed. “Hi Linda, what’s up?”

“I’m so glad you answered! I’m here, in this amazing thrift shop, and they have all these vintage craft books. Do you want them? Here, let me read you the titles.” She sounded like she found the mother-load, her voice had that excited this-is-the-best-thing-ever quiver to it. Of course I said yes to every book she mentioned. How could I ever turn down “Sewing Knits – menswear” or “Stitch by Stitch volumes 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7?” I could not.

Sometimes I’ll make projects from vintage book patterns (they are often made with unknown sizing changes and bizarre-o standards). And I do regularly use them as a source of inspiration, laughter, and general silly making in the studio.

(love that cow cover)

(oh my gosh, look at those targets! But I do love those chairs)

Sometimes though, you find one, like the “Dressmaker’s Dictionary” circa 1943 that is a true gem of techniques and practical advice.

(“come knit me baby” should be the title of this book, yikes! I like the yoke though, just not the lacing, see, inspiration!)

(oh my gosh that kid does not look excited about having to even touch that clown. But check out that amazing patchwork quilt on the bed though! Lovely!)

I’m an odd duck in the way that I actually read vintage craft books cover to cover. I love the writing along with the patterns. Some are easier to digest then others. The “Dressmaker’s Dictionary” is definitely a more technical piece of crafting literature.

(sometimes you find a little book like this tucked into a larger book, which is always a treat)

(I actually really like this sweater and just might end up making it)

What’s your favorite vintage book? Do you tend to read them cover to cover or flip through for pictorial inspiration and laughs?

Happy crafting!
Kristin Roach

The couch totally needs a redress. I really want to make a slip cover, but wow that’s a huge project. I think I need a baby step first. I want to do something to jazz up this bag boy on bricks (literally, but that is a story for another day – too sum up the legs were unstable and we were worried about crushed ferrets so we took them off and replaced them with bricks — it was too short without the legs) so pillows it is. But what pillow? I do have 2 pillow forms that I can use to stuff them, so that’s will determine the size. Now for the pillow itself. 

When I was flipping through the 1000 Ideas for Reuse book I saw Diane’s scrap journals again and it hit me: Woven Fabric! That’s what I want to do.

{aren’t these great!}

But huge, pillow sized! How do I do that? Well, I’m not sure, but I have a few ideas. What do you think? Good idea? bad idea? How would you use fabric strips to make a pillow? Should I bind it to a base fabric? What about putting a zipper in it so I can change it out? All of the above? None of the above? What’s your favorite scrap pillow project?

Much to think on. Hopefully by next week I will have the first one made.

Happy crafting!
Kristin

This issue of Craft Leftovers Monthly has a lot to do with making your own books. Ideas, inspirations, tutorials, resources, and of course my own adventures with putting together my own zine each month. One thing I don’t mention (in full) is how I put together Craft Leftovers Monthly.

What is my creative process? How do I come up with enough content for a new issue each and every month… for the last two years + many more to come? And how do I get it all done in just one week? These are the big questions I get asked just about every time I hand someone an issue of clm face to face. I love these questions! They are good ones.

Going back two years,

Read more →

Su has yet again offered up a great project for me to share with you while I’m on Holiday. I appreciate her generosity so much! Thank you! Now for you to enjoy:

“I’m really into postcards at the moment, because I think the fact that they use half the card of a greeting card & don’t need an envelope makes them a brilliantly eco-friendly way of staying in touch.  I’m currently working on a postcard recycling kit, that will be full of postcard-sized projects, printed on gummed paper, so that they can be used to recycle any piece of scrap card into a postcard, and send a craft project to a friend.

“This is one of my CraftCard projects.  It’s a refillable matchbook notebook, folded from a paint sample card.  The basic idea has been around for a while, but I have modified it slightly, so that the pages are fixed in place with a brad instead of a staple.  This means that once you’ve used up the pages, you can refill it easily, so it’s more practical/less disposable than your average notebook.  N.B. If you only ever write on one side of a notebook page, use paper that is already printed on one side to make your pages!

“What I love about this project is that you can choose absolutely exactly whatever colour/s you like (one to match each outfit/bag?) and it looks instantly cool, with no extra decoration required.”

Download the Matchbook Notebook Tutorial Here

“There are 2 PDFs to choose from. The first one is all you need if you just want to make a notebook for yourself.  But if you would like to turn the project into a postcard, the 2nd PDF has the project arranged with 4 copies to a page, and a separate page of postcard reverse/address labels.  Then you can either recycle existing postcards, or cut any piece of card to the right size, glue the labels one per side (unless you have printed directly onto label paper), and it’s ready to go!  You can also use the reverse/address labels to turn almost anything into a postcard – photos, artwork, whatever inspires you!”
Download the project postcard template Here

++ Su of Tangle Crafts ++

I’ve been getting my garden underway this week. I just planted my strawberries on Sunday (I can’t wait to get fresh ones!). Anyway, with more and more outside time, I’m thinking my head would be better off covered. I have a lot of scrap yarn to use up and some raffia from basket making. I’ve been looking all over the internet for some free crocheted summer hat patterns and here are the ones I like the best.

Vintage Sun Hat (and bathing suit and beach coat) I really love the hat and beach coat, the swimming suit, well, I hardly want to put myself into a one piece at this point, haha.
Read more →