Cool Craft News

Instructables user quasiben writes:

Persistence of Vision (POV) is the illusion that an image continues to persist even though the image has changed. In essence, we are taking advantage of the limitations of the brain-eye processing time. With a camera we can tune our eye for a longer exposure. The Lilypad POV (row of LEDs) is a fun toy to build with minimal programming and electronic needs.

• CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino 101
• CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino Bike Patch

I've seen a few variations on ways to mount completed embroidery, and I'm liking this latest tutorial from Maximum Rabbit Designs. I particularly appreciate her use of double-sided tape, and find her technique for padding the embroidery really interesting. [via Mr. X-Stitch]

Our two favorite crafty places in NY are merging into one location in Soho! Purl and Purl Patchwork will be moving together under one roof and under the new name of Purl Soho sometime in April. Congrats to our friends there! We can't wait to take a visit. In the meantime, this post on the process of designing the new Purl Soho logo is inspiring me to flip through my vintage craft books.

Sean @ Make: Online writes:

This week's clever maker-entrepreneur award goes to Etsy sellers Cleaner Science, who make and sell these awesome soaps that look like petri dishes full of growing germs. They're easy to make (I presume), inexpensive to buy, light enough to ship cheaply, and totally original. Home run! Bonus: some include glow-in-the-dark spots!

Dana of MADE shares how to whip up these fun split pea shamrocks for St. Patricks Day. She shows a whole handful of ways to use them as decor, accessories and even games for the kids!

The Hand Embroidery Network has a simple and beautiful tutorial for the fern stitch. The steps are clear, the photography is great, and the result is lovely.

Catarina Mota put up a nice tute on creating a handshake-sensitive mitten which senses high-fives and hand-holding, too. It's a simple circuit suitable for wearable tech beginners! [via Fashioning Technology]

• LED Firefly Baby Booties Tutorial
• Electronic Embroidery - CRAFT Video

Stitch Village by Joan Gorman

Stitch Village from Joan Gorman of Nini Makes is a great example of a beautifully designed, well-executed e-book for crafters. It's a great collection of charming and easy-to-tackle projects that will have you firing up your sewing machine and threading up your embroidery needles faster than you can scroll through all the pages in the book. It's the first in her series of Stitch Village books wherein she hopes to provide instruction and resources for crafters looking for a new challenge.

A lot of contemporary crafters are skilled at multiple crafts yet want to learn more. Though we live in a modern, disposable world, I think many of us still need to craft but for 21st century reasons, mainly just to switch off. I hope these simple projects will allow people to do just that, and lose themselves in little stitches.

Projects in Volume 1 include delightful mushroom canisters made from repurposed containers, embroidered tote bags, iPod cases and more. Each is clearly explained (and in some cases, include step-by-step pictures, a treasure in craft books!) and includes full-size patterns. Perhaps my favorite thing about the book is that all the patterns can be printed at 100% and used with no changes. No worries of reducing or enlarging, just print and craft. I love that!

Joan brings her friendly voice and delightful aesthetic from her blog right into the book, making it fun, easy to read and very engaging. Her mix of projects combine ones that are simple and fast with ones that will give you just enough of a challenge to feel like you are learning something new. It's a perfect blend, and a beautiful book.

Stitch Village, Volume 1 can be purchased in Joan's shop and comes with a free Cheeky Cherub embroidery pattern. A percentage of sales from every volume of Stitch Village will go to charity. Volume 1 donations will be made to the British Red Cross for the Haiti appeal.

Book giveaway time!
Two lucky Craft readers will win a downloadable copy of Stitch Village. Just leave a comment telling us why you'd like this book. All comments will be closed by Noon PST on Thursday, March 11 and winners will be announced Friday on the site. Good luck, and be sure to check out Joan's blog over at Nini Makes!

Matthew Borgatti figured out a way to screenprint scratch-off cards. Fun for invitations, postcards, business cards, or starting your own lottery scam.

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101: Silkscreen