Craft

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  • Fill Your Ceramics With Color With This Simple Marbling Technique
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    Fill Your Ceramics With Color With This Simple Marbling Technique

    Paula Casella Biase, potter and founder of Bambucito, shows us how to marble our pieces quickly and easily The creation and personalization of ceramic pieces goes beyond modeling, although this is an essential part. The shape of the piece is completed with the decoration that we want to apply, and the use of glazing techniques usually contributes to a much more attractive and unique finish. One of the simplest glazing techniques is marbling, with which we can use a few colours and some heat to create more interesting work. To help you learn to apply marbling, ceramicist Paula Casella Biase (@paulacasellabiase) explains her technique in the video below:

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  • Textile Dyeing Tutorial: Plant-based Pigments
    Teacher Craft

    Textile Dyeing Tutorial: Plant-based Pigments

    Learn this basic dyeing technique that uses leaves, flowers, barks, stems, roots, peels and seeds step by step with Anabel Torres As the name suggests, plant-based pigments are those extracted from plants. Within this category, we can find flowers, peels, leaves, stems, fruits, seeds, barks, and roots. Dyeing with plant-based pigments means extracting the color from these materials, putting them to boil, and getting it to stick to the fabric we want to dye. In the following video tutorial, fashion designer and textile artist Anabel Torres (@anabeltorres) shows a very simple and effective method to dye your fabrics with different natural pigments. Find out below:

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  • Domestika Diary: Ale Rambar
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    Domestika Diary: Ale Rambar

    Costa Rican architect and visual artist Ale Rambar opens the doors of his studio and reflects on what motivate his work Ale Rambar's work has traveled the world: he has passed through prestigious national art galleries, accompanied the Costa Rican Olympic team in 2016 during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and was even selected to represent Costa Rica in the Beijing International Art Biennale. His technique, based on the topographical analysis of the human form, uses three-dimensional compositions, made with layers of paper and assembled by hand, to talk about themes such as tolerance and equality. In this Domestika Diaries, Rambar shows us his personal studio and talks about the messages behind some of his most relevant works. Discover what he had to say in the video below:

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  • Screen Printing Tutorial: How to Make Handmade Packaging
    Teacher Craft

    Screen Printing Tutorial: How to Make Handmade Packaging

    Discover basic tips to create packaging at home with Tatabi Studio’s screen printing technique Using DIY techniques for your brand identity allows you to create an original and unique style. Among the techniques that help us achieve this aesthetic is silk-screen printing, a popular methods for brands to boost their designs. That's why designer Elena Sancho, founder of Tatabi Studio (@tatabi), teaches us how to use this printing technique to create unique packaging with a lot of personality. You can watch the tutorial here:

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  • The Best Unconventional Embroidery
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    The Best Unconventional Embroidery

    Get inspired by the work of textile artists who take embroidery out of the fabric Many people mistakenly think that embroidery is a boring and old-fashioned activity. Contemporary embroidery artists challenge this idea with each of their pieces. They elevate embroidery as a valuable artistic expression and expand the limits of what can be accomplished with the technique. We have curated a selection of embroidery artists who explore novel themes but also do it outside the canvas. Be amazed and inspired by this work! Danielle Clough Better known on Instagram as Fiance Knowles, this South African needle artist likes to embroider on unexpected objects, like snowshoes and even railings on the streets.

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  • What Is Furniture Restoration?
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    What Is Furniture Restoration?

    Discover the principles and history of this surprisingly modern vocation Furniture has, of course, existed throughout history: humans have always needed a place to rest their bodies and store their things. It wasn’t until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, however, that the historical and cultural value of furniture, and, in turn, the importance of restoring and conserving it, was recognized. The craft itself also became a means of practically understanding the processes that created the antiques we admire. A community of restorers and museums blossomed and continues to share their findings openly to ensure the authentic preservation of historical artifacts and the skills and techniques used to make them. The Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute lays out three main principles of furniture restoration: The minimization of deterioration (preservation) The consolidation (stabilization) of artifacts as they currently exist Repair/replacement (compensation or restoration) of existing damage One of the most ambitious feats of recent restoration was the work on the chair of Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France until her death during the French Revolution in 1973, by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

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  • Macramé Tutorial: How to Dye a Textile Tapestry
    Teacher Craft

    Macramé Tutorial: How to Dye a Textile Tapestry

    Discover the basic steps for dyeing natural fibers and the process for handling dyes with Pluumbago Water, heat, dye, and the fibers to be dyed. Although it doesn't require much, the dyeing process has its secrets, especially if you want to obtain different tones and textures, or coppery and opaque colors and use other effects that will make your work stand out. In this tutorial, Mexican textile artist Ixchel Yué (@pluumbago), founder of the Pluumbago brand, shares her basic tips on the hydration of the strips, temperature, and heating time, as well as the materials needed for the ideal dyeing of cotton fibers. Necessary materials Before you start, keep in mind that you'll need to gather: A sketch of the work you will do with the dyed strips, in which you establish the amount of fiber each color will receiveWater and a bowl to pre-hydrate the stripsA potDyes of the desired shadesTongs to manipulate the fiber and remove it when it is hotA rag to clean the work areaAn apronSalt or dye fixative

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  • What Is Upcycling?
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    What Is Upcycling?

    Upcycling champions Emma Friedlander-Collins and Ximena Corcuera guide us to environmental awareness in a creative way

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  • What Is Mold-making?
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    What Is Mold-making?

    Discover this crucial step in manufacturing sculptures, ceramics, and much more Whether we’re using artisanal or industrial processes, two essential items that we need to reproduce an object are 1) a liquid material that will go hard when heat is applied and 2) a mold. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about large-scale industries such as automobile manufacturing or small workshops producing artisan products: molds are essential for reproducing objects. But… how are molds made? What is mold-making? Mold-making is creating a mold that will later be used to duplicate a particular object or artwork. It can be made from different materials, including metal, plastic, clay, and plaster.

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  • How to Make a Lucky Knot
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    How to Make a Lucky Knot

    Learn how to create a simple decorative knot for use in macramé with Belén Senra An easy way to get started in the fun and therapeutic world of macramé is by learning one of its most basic decorative knots: the lucky knot. All you need is a rope and the desire to express your creativity. In the following video, the textile artist who founded the brand RanRan Design, Belén Senra (@belensenra), shows you step by step how to create this simple and beautiful Chinese knot.

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  • How to Create a Decorative Tassel
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    How to Create a Decorative Tassel

    Learn a quick way to create tassels to decorate clothes, jewelry, and accessories with Binge Knitting Binge Knitting (@bingeknitting) is a duo of designers and weavers made up of Bárbara Bremer and Carolina Herrera. They knit all kinds of fashion and home accessories with traditional crochet or crochet and needle techniques. Both infuse in their pieces with a contemporary vision of design and sustainable fashion.

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  • What is Crewel Embroidery?
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    What is Crewel Embroidery?

    Discover the characteristics, materials, and origins of this embroidery technique Crewel or crewelwork embroidery is characterized by the use of thick wool instead of delicate threads, as in other types of embroidery. This technique is at least a millennium old, and can be found on decorative objects such as tapestries and curtains, as well as luxury clothing. Recently it has been incorporated into contemporary embroidery in pieces such as cushions, clothing or decorative embroidery for walls. Origins The origin of the word is uncertain, but it comes from the name of a special type of wool that is used, which tends to twist. The Bayeaux Tapestry, or Queen Mathilde's Tapestry, is one of the oldest known pieces, and was embroidered in the 11th century. It recounts the events of the Battle of Hastings. This impressive piece has about 70 scenes from the battle, and is approximately 68 meters long.

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  • What is Blackwork Embroidery?
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    What is Blackwork Embroidery?

    We explore the history and characteristics of this traditional English embroidery technique With embroidery being one of the most ancient arts in history, it’s not really surprising that every culture, country, and even region, has developed their own types and techniques. Blackwork is a traditional English embroidery technique which has been very popular. Originating around about the 15th century, here we explore its history and learn more about how it is used.

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  • What is Tapestry? The Definitive Crochet Technique
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    What is Tapestry? The Definitive Crochet Technique

    Learn about this thousand-year-old crochet technique that allows you to create state-of-the-art fabric patterns Tapestry is one of the oldest forms of textile weaving. It has been used to create almost everything from tunics to purses, table clothes to upholstery, and even some of the world’s greatest pieces of textile art. In general, tapestry refers to a weaving structure that uses discontinuous weft to create an image on the fabric and is always done by hand. It’s a crochet technique that allows you to weave drawings, geometric or not, based on a pattern that follows a grid of different colors, similar to what we would do if we were to draw an image pixel by pixel.

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  • Upcycling Tutorial: 5 Hacks to Transform your Clothes
    Teacher Craft

    Upcycling Tutorial: 5 Hacks to Transform your Clothes

    Learn easy ways to upcycle and remake your wardrobe with Steel and Stitch Repurposing and revitalizing items in our wardrobe can save money, help the environment, and produce one-of-a-kind pieces. Crochet designer and author Emma Friedlander-Collins, also known as Steel and Stitch (@steelandstitch), specializes in upcycling and remaking objects. Here, she shares a few simple ways we can extend the life of our wardrobe by using simple techniques to create pieces that are original and full of personality.

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  • How to Age Wooden Picture Frames
    Teacher Craft

    How to Age Wooden Picture Frames

    Want to give a new lease of life to your frames? Treat them like unique pieces full of personality, not just a support for your pictures and objects. Give them a vintage style in this quick and easy way. In the following video, designer and framer Coy Aballay of @elpezenmarcado shares her wood-aging technique in three steps.

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  • How to Decorate Your Notebook
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    How to Decorate Your Notebook

    Transform a boring notebook into a floral explosion with these simple steps Maya Hanisch (@mayahanisch) is a Chilean artist who works in editorial illustration for books. Her figurative art is strongly influenced by Latin American and European folklore. Her compositions are generated using layers of paint, which act as a solid gradient to give volume, contrast and intensity to various elements of nature.

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  • How to Embroider Hair in Less Than 4 min (TUTORIAL)
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    How to Embroider Hair in Less Than 4 min (TUTORIAL)

    Learn to use the nuance stitch and different tricks and techniques to create hair for embroidery portraits with Bugambilo Hair is something so fine, with so many shades, colours, shapes, and movements that it can be difficult to embroider it realistically. In this tutorial, Bugambilo goes over a series of techniques and tips for drawing hair with thread. So prepare your mouliné thread and needle and let's go.

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  • How to Transfer an Embroidery Design to Fabric with Solvent
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    How to Transfer an Embroidery Design to Fabric with Solvent

    Florula shows you her technique for transferring your embroidery designs to fabric with solvent, step by step One of the most important steps in embroidery is printing your design onto fabric. There are many ways to do it. Here, we show you one of Mexican designer and textile artist Elidé Rangel Soto’s (@florula) favorites. She specializes in embroidered lettering and always uses this technique: transfer with solvent.

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  • What is Latch Hooking and Locker Hooking?
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    What is Latch Hooking and Locker Hooking?

    Discover these two embroidery techniques that can create a multitude of decorative objects Latch hooking and locker hooking are two modern textile techniques that appeared at the beginning of the 20th century that allow the creation of a wide variety of things, from tapestries to pillows and mats. Colors and textures are brought together by weaving wool and other materials into a mesh. Mariana Baertl (@marianabaertl) is a Peruvian textile artist who specializes in the creation of woven and embroidered pieces for interior decoration who is an expert in these two techniques. Her main source of inspiration is the natural and organic world. All her pieces are made by hand with fibers from across the world.

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  • 10 Ceramic Artists That Will Inspire You
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    10 Ceramic Artists That Will Inspire You

    Ceramic designer Paula Casella shares the artisans who inspire her when creating her own pieces Pottery and ceramics have been experiencing a boom for some time now that has brought back traditional craftsmanship but, in many cases, with a modern and interesting twist. It’s a trend that has given ceramic objects new life and a place in our contemporary lifestyle. Argentinian artist Paula Casella Biase (@paulacasellabiase) is one of the leading examples in this renaissance of all things handmade.These are some of the potters who inspire her the most: Hand and Fire The hands that shape these pieces of white enameled black clay are those of Sage Cortez. Undoubtedly one of Casella's favorites, Cortez is an American ceramist who makes each object she creates unique by playing with textures and transparencies.

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  • What Is Fashion Upcycling?
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    What Is Fashion Upcycling?

    Ximena Corcuera sheds some light on the current global trend of design sustainability Ximena Corcuera (@ximenacorcuera) is a fashion designer who, from an early age, has been interested in experimenting as a way of life. She is an expert in fashion, and in design that is sustainable and experimental. She is passionate about responsible fashion, so we decided to talk to her to find out more about the concept of upcycling, and how to embrace a trend that is gaining more and more strength in the design world. What is upcycling and what do you do with it? Upcycling is a recent term and it is used to describe the techniques that encompass the idea of transforming residues or refuse to create new items of value. It can be applied to all sorts of designing or manufacturing: furniture, garments, textiles, decorative objects. etc.

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  • What is an Art Toy?
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    What is an Art Toy?

    Is it a toy? Is it art? What does it represent? Who determines its price? Luasio López answers your questions For many, the charm of an art toy derives from the difficulty of defining it. For Luaiso López (@luaiso_lopez), Spanish graphic designer and illustrator, it’s about understanding their essence: their figurative characters used in exhibitions, events, and collected by private collectors. To understand their nature, Luaiso shares part of the history of these iconic objects that–regardless of their shape, price or the value attributed to them personally–are becoming known to the minds and tastes of millions of people around the world.

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  • OrigamiSimulator: The Simulator That Will Teach You to Become an Origami Master
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    OrigamiSimulator: The Simulator That Will Teach You to Become an Origami Master

    This paper simulator allows you to follow, step by step, the procedure of creating any origami object When it originated in China in the first or second century, those who practiced it could never have imagined the heights this noble art would reach, much less how technology would help its development. We are not talking about types of folds, much less qualities of paper, something that, of course, will have changed a lot over time, but projects like OrigamiSimulator, a platform that, thanks to technology, is capable of becoming the most patient and meticulous teacher when teaching us to create all kinds of sculptures with paper, from the simplest to the most intricate.

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