Etsy Global Craft Party

It's time for another Etsy Global Craft Party, this time hosted by our local South Carolina Etsy Team!

If you aren't familiar with the Global Craft Party idea, the goal is to get people around the world making things 'together'. This year's party is happening next week, on June 20, from 6-8pm.

Etsy explains the idea for us: In a nutshell, Craft Party is a celebration of meeting and making, of creativity and community. It’s a time to meet your neighbors and share a creative skill. It’s a time to have fun and party down with your favorite craft supply in hand.

Our local Etsy Team will be hosting next week's party, and if you have an Etsy shop or are thinking about setting one up, you'll want to meet the ladies behind the team! Not only can they answer your Etsy questions, they regularly post helpful resources and links in the Etsy Discussion Forums, so be sure to check them out.

They describe the Greenville Etsy Craft Party as: a casual get-together where you can bring your own craft(s) to work on with other local crafty peeps! We'll also have a craft supply swap (bring some supplies to trade/leave in order to take some new ones home) and shop critiques at the Greenville event!

Here are the details:

Date: June 20, 2013 Time: 6-8 pm Place: Oriskany Glass Studio, 1112 Rutherford Rd Bring: your own craft to work on, craft supplies for trading RSVP here.

The good news is that even if you're not in the area, chances are there's still an Etsy Craft Party near you. Visit the Craft Party site to find your local party!

Meet the 2013 Jury

Today, we are thrilled to introduce our 2013 Indie Craft Parade jury members! Each year, five artists from our local community are selected to sit on our jury because of their experience and skill as well as their commitment to the expansion of the Greenville art scene. These artists will anonymously review the applications submitted and select participants according to the quality, innovation and uniqueness of their work. Without futher ado, meet the 2013 Jury:

Diane Kilgore-Condon

Diane Kilgore-Condon is an artist based in Greenville, South Carolina, who creates imaginative oil paintings with a surrealist feel. She is member and founder of ArtBomb Studios, a collaborative and visionary studio space established twelve years ago in what is now Greenville's Art District. Diane is best known for her paintings and mixed media pieces as well as her great love for rescuing dogs.

Marco Suarez

Marco Suarez is an artist and designer living in Atlanta, GA. Marco's artwork combines landscape photography with digital techniques that he has developed as a graphic designer. He creates digital collages incorporating photography, ink, watercolor, inkodye, and other textures and mediums. He is also the Art Director at MailChimp.

Barb Blair

As a designer, Barb specializes in redeeming found goods and furniture that inspires one-of-a-kind design stories. She is an avid lover of color and has a fresh eye for unpredictable combinations of style and texture. She also loves being behind the lens, carrying her camera everywhere. The art of capturing everyday beauty and detail strongly influences her design concepts. She is the author of Furniture Makeovers, published this spring by Chronicle Books.

Teresa Roche

Teresa Roche is an artist, a gallery curator, and an interior designer. As an artist, she creates mixed media collages primarily working with thin layers of acrylic paint, vintage paper and fabric. Art & Light is Teresa’s fusion gallery/home accents boutique featuring local artists and mid-century modern furniture and lighting. Her particular knack in interior design is the use of re-worked, previously outdated, odd or unusual pieces (from industrial material to old signage or a clock piece!), children’s art, the work of art students, etc. in order to maintain modest price points on furnishings and accessories.

Dan Marinelli

After completing a three-year residency at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, N.C., Daniel relocated to the Greenville area with his wife and children. Daniel has set up his shop and studio in the Old Southern Bleachery in Taylors, S.C., where he makes custom architectural work, sculpture, paintings, and objects for the home.

June 1st is the date applications open, so tell your crafty friends and get your products and cameras ready to apply for the 2013 Indie Craft Parade!

Product Photography Class!

Although a cliche expression, when it comes to product photography, a picture is truly worth a thousand words. Whether you're trying to stand out on Etsy, pitch your product to a wholesaler, or simply apply for a craft show (hint hint), most often your work is only as good as your photographs. If people can only see your work...they can't touch, try on, or experience how great your stuff is...they WILL make judgments only on what they see. Perfect example, for the jurying of Indie Craft Parade participants, everything is anonymous. The jury can only see the photographs of artists work. No names, no extra information.

So obviously, we think this issue of product photography is a big deal. Therefore in the month of May we will be addressing it as we help people prepare for Indie Craft Parade applications and beyond. Expect guest bloggers, example works, and other tips to make your application the best possible.

To start off with we've had a great offer from local photographers Michelle and TJ Getz. Michelle knows the value of good product photography, and she came up with the idea of hosting/teaching a product photography class while attending The Makers Summit. On Saturday May 18 Getzcreative Photography will be hosting a limited attendance class to help people get the most out of their product photography. They have a keen eye for details, and for all of the skills you could develop from the class, the price really is a steal.

See the details from Michelle below:

Product Photography Class

Attention Crafters! Let us teach you how to take good product photos on your own! Learn how to use background, props, and available light. Avoid the common photography mistakes. Bring your own product, bring your camera (yes, even iPhones will work), and we will help you use what you have to showcase your particular product.

When: Saturday May 18; 10 am to 12 noon Where: Getzcreative Photography Who: Open to anyone, but there only 10 spaces available How Much: $45

Email shootme@getzcreative.com or call 864-354-2548 to reserve your spot today!

Furniture Makeovers Launch Party

We'll be introducing our 2013 jury very soon, but in the meantime, we want to share and celebrate a huge accomplishment by one of our previous jury members and a longtime supporter, Barb Blair. We select each Indie Craft Parade jury member because of their involvement in the Greenville art scene as well as their contribution to the creative community at large. We think these folks have a lot to offer, so we're thrilled when they get recognized well beyond the scope of our city. This weekend, Barb will be celebrating the release of her first book, Furniture Makeovers, with a book party at her studio. The celebration starts Friday at 5pm, complete with amazing freebies for the first 100 guests in the door! Check out all the event details here.

If you're not familiar with Barb or her work, she specializes in redeeming found goods and furniture, often giving discarded pieces new life. More about the book from Chronicle:

Furniture Makeovers shows how to transform tired furniture into stunning showpieces. You’ll never look at a hand-me-down dresser the same way again! The book offers 26 easy-to-follow techniques that can be applied to all different types of pieces, from bookshelves to desks: painting, applying gold leaf, wallpapering, distressing, dip dyeing, and more. In addition to the core techniques, author and Knack Studios founder Barb Blair shares 30 beautiful before-and-after makeovers from her studio and outlines how to achieve each look. With helpful step-by-step photographs, a visual glossary explaining all the tools and materials needed, and a lovely contemporary aesthetic, Furniture Makeovers is a treasure trove of ideas and instruction for the home decorator.

Join us at Knack Studios this Friday to see Barb's work in person and celebrate with one of Greenville's many creative entrepreneurs!

School Scholarship: Artists Day

It's been a while since we've given updates about our school scholarship program, but today, I'm really excited to share some photos from this past Monday when three Indie Craft Parade participants shared their skills with the students of Gateway Elementary in Traveler's Rest. This post is also a really good opportunity for us to say THANK YOU to everyone who financially supports Indie Craft Parade. These are the kinds of projects that we can do because people and companies sponsor us. We're working really hard to make sure your investments are worth it, and we think that immersing kids in the arts is one of the best things we can do.

I spent the better part of the day with the artists and students, and I really had a great time. There's nothing like seeing kids discover something new. I loved hearing the questions they had for the artists. And I especially enjoyed watching the kids learn that art is a much broader field than they may have thought.

We coordinated 3 local artists to demonstrate their craft/trade throughout the day: Cory Godbey showed 4th graders and kindergarteners his work as a professional illustrator. Deb Potter brought her spinning wheel and felting supplies to 1st and 2nd grade. And Matt Moreau let 3rd and 5th graders try their hand at letterpress printing.

Cory shows the 4th grade class how he paints digitally. They were completely mesmerized by his work...particularly with this video that he designed and animated. They couldn't get enough of it.

Cory's presentation to the kindergarteners, however, quickly turned into a game of pictionary. "Draw a snake!" "Draw a dog!"

Deb taught the kids how she spins the wool that her husband shears into yarn. One girl told us it was "the best art class she ever had."

They particularly loved touching some of the dyed wool.

Muscling the Kelsey letterpress. The kids did a great job!

Numbering and signing their prints.

Thank you again to the art teacher, Joanne, for helping us coordinate the day. She's doing a great job with her students!

The Spring Flea at Swamp Rabbit Cafe

Looking for something fun to do this Saturday? Walk, ride, or drive over to our friends at Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery for The Spring Flea!

Winner: The MaieDae Mixer

And the winner is... Brittany! (Chosen at random thanks to random.org.) Hooray for Brittany and The MaieDae Mixer! Brittany, we've just emailed you to arrange your free ticket.

For everyone else, hurry over and buy a ticket, they're going like hot cakes! The MaieDae Mixer is must-not-miss event for bloggers, small business owners and creatives. Get the details here and get your party on!

The MaieDae Mixer & Ticket Giveaway!

Have you heard about The MaieDae Mixer? It's "an annual fancy networking event for bloggers and creatives in the Southeast," and it's all the rage. It's going to be held on June 1, 2013 in beautiful Rome, Georgia, and you don't want to miss it. Pssst - keep reading, we're giving away a ticket!

From their website: We are incredibly excited to launch the first annual Maiedae Mixer event! Hosted by the owners of Maiedae: Jenny Highsmith & Savannah Wallace. This excitement is rooted in a passion to create a community of bloggers and creatives in the southeast region. Because, let's face it...we are a pretty small community and it's time to get out, mingle, and make this side of the states more "known" for its blogging and creative community! It's a time to celebrate, meet new friends, and spur one another on towards great and exciting things! Plus, it's going to be a *great* excuse to buy a new dress, put a little lipstick on, and get yourself gussied up for a fancy evening.

So to break it down a little more for you. This is a "Get Fancy, Get Connected" (as we like to call it) networking event for bloggers with delicious desserts, great music, swag bags, giveaways, crafting time, photo-booth...and a couple more surprises. It's a time to pamper yourself, meet creatives and best of all, dress up!

T I T L E : The Maiedae MixerH O S T S : Jenny Highsmith & Savannah WallaceL O C A T I O N : 7-Hills Fellowship Hall, 538 Broad Street Rome, Georgia 30161D A T E  &  T I M E : Saturday, June 1st, 2013 - 6:30PM-10:00PMT I C K E T S : $95.00 - Only 50 available! Purchase yours here.T H E M E : Will be announced on April 15th!

Jenny and Savannah from MaieDae are not just completely adorable, they know their stuff too. These girls are a ridiculously talented team; check out their blog, design studio, and photography. The MaieDae Mixer is sure to be a splendid evening of meeting, making, and partying! You can see more fun details about the event here.

They have graciously offered us a ticket to give away, so one lucky winner will get a free ticket to The MaieDae Mixer!

TO ENTERComment on this post! Tell us about the best party you ever went to. The winner will be drawn at random and announced on Tuesday, April 16.

Guidelines:- The free ticket is not transferable, so don't enter unless you know you would be able to attend.- If you've already purchased a ticket, you can still enter! If you win, MaieDae will refund your original ticket.

UPDATE: This giveaway closed on Monday, April 15. Congrats to Brittany, our winner!

Dates for the next Makers Summit

The first ever Makers Summit was such a success, we've decided to do it again next year!

We'll be updating the website with more info about tickets and speakers in the coming months, but in the meantime, you can check out photos and video from our first event.

Live Art Installation

We have a very fun public art project to share with you today!

In anticipation of their new store opening, Anthropologie has partnered with the Fine Arts Center to create a temporary art installation in downtown Greenville. A team of artists will work alongside high school students from the Fine Arts Center to create a large-scale piece of art and we're all invited to come watch.

This Saturday and Sunday, March 9-10, head to the site of Greenville's new Anthropologie (at the corner of Coffee and Main Streets) to observe as the project takes shape.

A note from Anthropologie:

"The piece will be painted on the barricade currently outside of the Anthropologie store location at 1 North Main Street on the weekend of March 9th and 10th. The 20’ by 8’ painting is designed and conceptualized by the students of the Fine Arts Center and we invite the community to observe as the students, along with the team of artists who will work full-time at the Greenville location, progress from first brush strokes to final touches. The painting will be on view at 1 North Main Street until the store opens at the end of March."

Mark your calendars and head downtown this weekend to see the artists in action. This should be a lot of fun!

New Giveaway! Paper Wreath Kit

You know we love to get people crafting, so why don't you spend part of your weekend working on an awesome project like this paper wreath we're featuring today. You can either make your own from scratch using our instructions, or you could be the lucky person who wins a craft kit all your very own. All you have to do is comment at the end of the post. You'll be automatically entered in a drawing for the craft kit. Here's another project from The Best Craft Party Ever: Paper Wreaths. The coolest thing about this project is it's inspired by crafty maven Mollie Green. This is one of the wreaths she included in her awesome book, Sweet Paper Crafts, published by Chronicle books, releasing in June 2013 (available for pre-order now).

Supplies: · various papers · pencil · scissors · templates · glue stick · glitter (optional) · glue dots · wreath form

The following instructions are specific to the butterfly cutout, but the same instructions apply to any of the templates.

1. Trace templates onto paper.

2. Stack two papers together and cut out the butterflies, keeping each butterfly pair together. Depending on the size of your templates, you will need anywhere from 12-20 butterfly pairs.

3. (Optional step) When you’ve cut out your pairs, apply glitter to the wings of one of the butterflies in the pair.

Pour the included glitter onto one of your large scrap pieces of paper.

Using a glue stick, rub a small amount of glue around the perimeter of the wings.

Gently press the glued portion of the wing into the glitter and tap off the excess. Repeat this step for as many or as few of the butterfly pairs as you like.

4. Adhere the butterfly pairs to the provided wire wreath form: Take a pair of butterflies and apply 3 or 4 glue dots to the body (not the wings) of one butterfly and place it under the wire form, pressing to adhere.

Take the other butterfly body and attach it to the wire directly above the first butterfly, lining up the bodies and the wings.

**NOTE: The glue dots have a double sided adhesive, so the easiest way to transfer them to the butterfly is to take a single dot (with the backing still on) and press the exposed sticky side into the paper. Once secure, peel the backing away, and the glue dot should remain on the butterfly.

5. Continue gluing butterflies to your wreath until you are satisfied with the arrangement. You can go for a full look, or an open, airy feel.

6. Once you’ve finished, bend open the wings of each butterfly for a fuller, more fluttery wreath.

PFor the templates to Mollie's wreaths, check these out: Paper Wreath Templates.

And don't forget to comment below for a chance to win a kit!

Craft Kit tutorial and Giveaway, Part 2

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! Hope it's a very special day. To celebrate, we're giving away our 2nd of 4 craft kits that were featured at the recent Greatest Craft Party Ever---Today, Handmade Beeswax candles. This craft is quite fun and rather easy. Here are the steps. Don't forget, if you would like to win your very own kit, simply leave a comment below.

Supplies: · 4 8x8 sheets of beeswax · 3 yards of candle wick · scissors –provided by Dritz · small knife · cardboard cutting mat · velvet ribbon · muslin bag

Notes: The instructions are for making a set of 8 taper candles, but feel free to experiment. You can make a large pillar candle, a set of small birthday candles, or any assortment of sizes you like!

1. Take one sheet of 8x8 beeswax, and place it on the cutting mat. Cut it in half, so you have two 4x8 pieces (or cut into any size you’d like for custom candles).

2. Lay the cut piece of beeswax onto your table surface. Unroll a length of wick, and cut a section 1 inch longer than your candle height. (lay it on top of the beeswax to measure, you want it hanging off the top about an inch but flush with the botton edge).

3. With your wick lined up along the 8 inch side of beewax, begin rolling it up. Try to keep it rolled as tight as you can, especially the center with the wick. Roll it into a cylinder form gently. If the wax starts to crack just push it back together and keep rolling.

3. (continued) At the end, gently push and pinch the seam into the candle to seal. If the bottom of the candle is uneven, trim it on the cutting mat.

4. Repeat until you have finished making all your candles!

5. To package up pretty, place candles into a bundle and tie up with velvet ribbon. Slip the bundle into the muslin bag, perfect for safekeeping or gift giving.

6. Before burning, trim the wick. The wax is a little sticky so you can use a glass dish as a candle holder by pressing the candle into the bottom dish and making in stick in place.

S0 simple, so fun! Leave a comment below and win your own kit!

PLEASE NOTE! The craft boxes are available to people within driving distance of Greenville, South Carolina who are willing to pick them up in person. The craft kits are NOT available for shipping.

Craft Kit tutorial and Giveaway, Part 1

We hope you've been checking out all of the pictures of The Makers Summit and The Best Craft Party Ever on various blogs, Facebook, and particularly Instagram under the tag #makerssummit. They're really awesome. If you have been looking, I'm sure you've noticed all of the crafty goodness that took place at the party. Over 100 people spent the evening trying their luck with a new handmade skill. And now...YOU CAN TOO!

Photo courtesy of Paige Maitland

For the next four Tuesdays, we will be sharing tutorials for the crafts made at The Best Craft Party Ever, and one lucky person will actually win a complete craft kit. With the kits, you can make either a terrarium, a leather notebook, a paper wreath, or beeswax candles from start to finish---no need to buy supplies. At the bottom of the post, simply leave a comment, and on Friday we'll choose a winner at random from the selection.

PLEASE NOTE! The craft boxes are available to people within driving distance of Greenville, South Carolina who are willing to pick them up in person. The craft kits are NOT available for shipping.

Today, we'll be sharing the tutorial for our most popular craft kit from the party, the moss terrarium--complete with little houses from Crave Studio.

Supplies: · glass jar with lid · dirt · stones · preserved moss · lichen and twigs · ceramic houses (handmade at Crave Studio) but you could make your own out of polymer clay · plastic gloves for keeping clean · wooden stick to help move & position

Note: The instructions here are just suggestions. Feel free to experiment and create your terrarium any way you’d like!

1. If you’d like to keep your hands clean, put on the plastic gloves.

2. Begin by layering rocks and dirt in the glass jar. You can tilt it sideways to layer at an angle, or build it flat. Mound up some little hills of dirt to create an interesting landscape.

3. Cover the surface with mounds of moss. Try varying sizes and textures. Don’t build your terrarium too high, it’ll look better with some headroom. 1/2 - 2/3 full should be just right.

4. Add in twigs and bits of lichen. You can use the wooden stick to help adjust and position.

5. When you’re satisfied with your terrarium world, add in the ceramic houses (made by Crave Studio), pressing the wire legs into the moss to secure. Put the lid in place, and you’re all done!

Caring for your terrarium: Because your terrarium is made with preserved moss, it needs virtually no care! It doesn’t need water or sunlight, just love.

Now, how easy was that? Just a few supplies, and you'll have a beautiful creation. But, go ahead and take a chance on the giveaway. For just a comment, this could all be yours.

See you soon with the winner!

Guest Tutorial by Shop-Keep (part 2)

Welcome back to the upholstery tutorial from our friends at Shop-Keep!  Last time Mandy Blankenship shared the beginning of her long but rewarding journey to recovering her lovely chevron chair. If you missed part one of the story, please check it out here.

Now to continue...

7) Sewing and Stapling

All your hard work laying out fabric, thinking about which direction the motif should run, and planning how the seams will meet pays off when you begin sewing the pattern pieces together. I began by sewing the decking to the lip fabric, an odd rectangle piece of chevron that has mitered corners. Decking fabric is usually not the same as your pattern fabric but of a similar weight, so choose wisely. Once I joined the grey decking fabric to the lip, I returned to my chair frame to staple them in place. Staple the bottom of the lip to the front bottom of the chair, starting in the center and evenly distributing your fabric over the batting to the right and left, a little bit at a time. Staples should be a couple inches apart–not super close, but not really far apart. When stapling fabric, don't stretch it too tightly, or it will weaken and possibly tear. Finesse it, be gentle but firm. The fabric will go where you tell it to, but don't be harsh with it.

After stapling the fabric to the bottom of the lip, pull the top of the decking fabric underneath the chair back and staple to the chair base, starting at the middle and working your way to either side. Next reach the sides of decking fabric underneath arms and staple them to sides of the chair base. You may need to cut slits near the base of chair arms so that the fabric stays smooth and doesn't fold awkwardly. Use a curved needle and upholstery thread to anchor the decking to the springs below, near where decking fabric is sewn to patterned fabric.

Now it's time to sew the welting. Join 1 1/2 inch wide strips to one another to form one really long strip of fabric the same way you would make bias tape (but ignoring all the double-folding). Then wrap the strip of fabric evenly around cording, place under cording foot on the sewing machine, and sew in place. The cording foot on the industrial machine is so dreamy to use.

To make the arm covers for the Chevron Chair, I placed the welting on top of the center top strip of arm fabric with all the raw edges facing the same direction, then pinned it in place. After pinning, I basted the welting in place to keep it from moving around during sewing. If you omit basting, you MUST remove each needle before it goes under the sewing machine foot. I have broken way too many sewing machine needles by not doing this. Basting the welting in place is really the best method, looks the most tailored, and is how all the couturiers make garments of old. Sew welting to arm top fabric, then sandwich the welting in between the right side of the next piece of arm fabric to be attached, pin and baste; then sew from the side you haven't sewn on yet (this ensures the welting will be evenly placed between layers). Fit arm fabric over chair arms, remembering to smooth the batting. Staple inside arm fabric on top of where you placed the sides of the decking fabric. Before I stapled the outside arms in place, I made sure to place dust cover fabric over the outside arms in order to have a surface on which to place outside arm batting. Staple both in place, fluff batting, then cover with outside arm fabric.

I used cardboard tacking strip to give a nice, sharp edge to the welting and arm fabric that reaches down the side of the chair frame past where the arm ends. Sneak cardboard tacking strip underneath the arm fabric, and carefully staple in place. Staple outside arm fabric underneath chair frame at the sides. Lastly, staple the back of the arm covers to the back of the chair frame.

8) Reuse Old or Cut New Foam

For several decades now foam has replaced traditional stuffing like horsehair in making chairs cushy to sit on. I'm really not a fan of petroleum based products (one of the many reasons I hate polyester), but it's increasingly unavoidable. You can purchase soy foam, but it's only about 20% soy-based with the rest of the mix produced like polyfoam. The healthiest, least toxic chemical-laden option is to use natural latex rubber foam made from the rubber tree. But in terms of cost-effectiveness, reusing your chair's old foam is the winner. Again, if your chair came from a smoker's house or has cat pee on it, look into buying new foam; otherwise reusing the original stuff is the cheapest and greenest option.

I reused all my old foam and batting for the Chevron Chair cushion, arms, and inside back. If you purchase new foam, cut it into the same shapes as the old, using an electric turkey carver. Sounds crazy, but it works. Staple it in place, and cover with batting.

9) Sewing the Deck Cushion

Sewing the deck cushion is just like making the arm covers. Pin and baste welting to the top and bottom pieces first, then sew in place. Reuse your old zipper, if possible, for the middle piece of the cushion cover. Sew the zipper to the middle piece, then pin and baste the middle piece to the top and bottom of cover. Remember to sandwich the welting between right sides of the cushion cover, this time sewing from the side you haven't done yet. With the cushion foam wrapped in batting, stuff it into the new cushion cover and zip closed. You can sew a simple muslin cover to go over the foam and batting first, and then put that inside the upholstery fabric cover, but that is an extra step you may not want to take. I didn't.

10) The Inside Back

Completing the inside back of the chair is one of the easiest parts to do because it requires no sewing. Place chevron fabric right side up (because you marked which direction that was) over inside back foam and batting, making sure the batting looks smooth. Staple in place at top and bottom first (on the backside of the frame), working from the center to the right and left. Distribute taut fabric evenly. Then draw the fabric through the left side and right side and staple the same way. This was when I noticed where all the change from your pockets disappears to over the years. You can reach your hand pretty far back between the decking fabric and inside back fabric.

11) The Outside Back

You're almost done! Staple dust cover fabric over the outside back of the chair frame, the same way you did for the outside arms, and place batting over it. Staple the batting in place and fluff it over the staples. Next, take the remaining welting and staple it, raw edges facing inward, around the outside back of the chair. I stapled welting on the top and sides but not the bottom of the chair back because I wanted the bottom of the chair to look the same on all four sides.

How do you staple the outside back cover of the chair, you ask? You don't. This is where you employ flexible metal tacking strip. It's tricky to use and will definitely bite you, but magically works. Staple the metal tacking strip inside the welting, with claws poking outward at you, but in the center of the chair. You're going to bend these claws toward the welting, grabbing the outside back of the upholstery fabric and enclosing the back of the chair. Bend the claws toward welting with your fingers, then pound completely closed with a rubber mallet.

After finagling the flexible metal tacking strip, the only part of chevron left to staple is the bottom. Work from the center to either side of the bottom of the chair frame like you have before.

12) The Dust Cover

¡Finalmente! You're really almost finished! Carefully turning your chair upside down on a clean surface (you don't want to get the fabric dirty), place dust cover fabric over the bottom of the chair. Tuck raw edges in and staple in place to keep critters out.

13) Reattach Chair Legs

Lastly, importantly, reattach your chair legs by screwing them in place through the dust cover fabric. Dust cover fabric is not super strong and easily tears. But that's ok, because you need to have chair legs go through it. Once the legs are secure, turn your chair over, and sit in it. Revel in a job well done.

You can use these instructions as a supplement to a book about upholstery, such as Furniture Upholstery by Sunset Books. I also HIGHLY recommend taking an upholstery class at your local community college. Hands on experience with a teacher at an affordable price + whatever you spend on fabric and tools you'll keep. Happy upholstering!

Guest Tutorial by Shop-Keep (part 1)

We love living in such a creative community (as we've said a million times). We learn so much from the makers around us...and sometimes we even get to share their talents and experience with you, our followers. Today, I'm pleased to share with you the talents of Joshua and Mandy Blankenship, creators of Shop-Keep. Shop-Keep is a wonderful jack-of-all-trades in the creative scene. The Blankenships both source and craft all manner of creative goods. Whether it's handmade paper cards or refinished vintage furniture, Shop-Keep is your one stop shop for something unique and wonderful.

Mandy has a particular knack for upholstery projects, and she has graciously shared with us the story of how she turned a frumpy old chair into an updated, reupholstered beauty. This is a long story/tutorial, but Mandy has done a great job simply explaining the involved steps of the reupholstering journey. I've always been fascinated with this process, so it's great to have a detailed step-by-step.

So take it away, Mandy!

If you don't like details, maybe reupholstery is not for you. This is not the blog post to tell you how to hot-glue fabric to your dining chairs. I am not that girl. I dream of making things--all kinds of things--and doing it the proper way, the way the professionals do.

When my husband and I starting collecting vintage furniture, we collected more than our fair share of chairs. Often wooden dining chairs, or aluminum Goodform and Steel Case office types; but we couldn't turn down the occasional comfy side chair–envisioning a graphic, modern fabric in place of that dingy corduroy or yucky tweed. Around 30 chairs into our collection, Joshua and I decided it was finally time to sign up for the upholstery class at the local community college. It would cost more than $170 per chair to hire someone to redo them, so we figured it was money well spent even if we decided we hated the process.

The 8 week class turned into 18 weeks, attending extra classes once or twice a week to finish our little preciouses (caveat: we could have finished the chairs in MUCH less than 8 weeks if classes had met more often). Joshua became increasingly frustrated with the detailed parts of the process, but he discovered he's exceptionally adept at tear-down (a tight grip comes in handy). I enjoyed it all but needed some extra help with staple-removing and de-nailing things. We're a good match.

What follows is a rough overview of The Making of The Chevron Chair. Once upon a time it was The Comfortable But Aesthetically Needy Corduroy Chair. To create the Chevron Chair, I made some design decisions like removing the skirt to expose those lovely turned legs. You need basic sewing skills to reupholster furniture. An industrial walking-foot machine and upholstery staple gun with air-compressor are also really necessary. I'm not saying you can't do this on a home sewing machine or with a manual staple gun, but your wits will be tested and your hands will be bruised if you go that route.

SUPPLIES

Claw tool: a forked-end tool used to remove tacks and staples Hammer Pliers Masking tape Rubber mallet (white is best, but you can cover a black one with fabric)/ Curved upholstery needles Straight pins Sewing needle (for basting) Seam ripper Flexible tape measure Yardstick / straightedge Spring twine: also called laidcord, a waxed jute twine used to tie springs together Burlap Fabric shears: sharp scissors used for cutting fabric only Flexible metal tacking strip Cardboard tacking strip Tailor's chalk Dust mask Goggles Leather work gloves Upholstery fabric (common yardage for different chairs) *Foam *Batting Dust cover fabric Cording *Zipper Upholstery weight thread

*Can be reused from old chair upholstery

1) Studying the Chair

This is an essential first step to reupholstering any piece of furniture. Most upholstered chairs have an inside back, an outside back, inside arms, outside arms, deck, lip, and some have wings, welting, and cushions. If you can't identify where all these pieces are, you will not end up with a fully reupholstered chair, and that will be sad. Make a simple diagram of your chair labeling each part. Place masking tape on each section of your chair and label appropriately: inside left arm, outside left arm, inside right arm, outside right arm, etc. Label your chair, left and right, as you face it, not as if you were sitting in it. Do not skip this step, or you will be confused later on.

2) Tear-Down

Remove chair legs, and place your chair on a sturdy surface for the duration of the reupholstery project. Our chair stands were about 2 feet high and large enough to hold each person's piece with a few inches to spare on each side. Deconstruct your chair with care and gusto, wearing a mask, goggles, and work gloves. Old dust, splinters, and pet hair fly during this phase. Remove staples and decorative nails completely, but do not rip or cut the old fabric. You need all the old fabric to use as a pattern for the new. Also save the batting and foam under the old fabric if possible. Throw away damaged, bug-infested, or smelly chair innards. A smoker's chair stuffing will always smell like the smoker who nestled in it. Rip all the seams of the old fabric and separate the various pieces. Double-check to make sure each piece is labeled before you rip the seams. Consider using the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation">neti pot</a> after a tear-down session.

3) Repair Springs, Webbing, and Frame

Some springs are zig-zaggy and others are classically coiled. Every coil is joined by spring twine to create a firm, bouncy base on which to rest your tush. The BEST chairs, we learned, have eight-way hand-tied coils. Our teacher could not say enough good things about eight-way hand-ties. If there is an upholstery hall-of-fame, I wonder if people reminisce about Sir So-And-So's eight-way hand-ties like legends about Helen of Troy's beauty or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. I hope so.

Make sure your coils are properly tied together with spring twine, that frayed webbing is replaced with new, and that any defects on the wood frame of your chair have been dealt with. Now is the time to completely remove stubborn staples or hammer in broken ones, yank out unnecessary nails or pound ones that are loosely holding the frame together. Make the frame of your chair completely stable and ready to carry the weight of the most robust visiting relative. Once you've repaired all the essentials, lay burlap over bottom and back springs, tuck raw edges under, and staple in place.

4) DO NOT WASH YOUR NEW UPHOLSTERY FABRIC

Learn from my mistakes. I'm used to sewing quilts and garments, and pre-shrinking fabric is a must when you expect to launder anything regularly. Upholstery fabric, however, comes with a sort of protective coat on top, a sheen to repel moisture or food spills. You can, of course, choose a fabric that's not strictly for upholstery, but even those come off the bolt with a finished look. Just remember, you are not going to launder your chair. You will spot-clean it. If you desperately want to pre-shrink the fabric, for goodness sake check the washing instructions for what you bought. Luckily washing the chevron fabric was no big deal, though completely unnecessary. Washing the turquoise fabric for Joshua's chair was a big mistake, as you can see. Fabric.com has wonderful customer service and sent me new fabric at no cost.

5) The Old Upholstery Fabric Is Your Map

Lay out the old fabric on top of the new and use it as a pattern, tracing its shape onto the new fabric with chalk. Make sure that each peace of new fabric you cut faces the same direction, as light will reflect differently on upside-down fabric grain vs. right-side up fabric grain. Decide whether to "railroad" your fabric or leave it vertical, where the straight-of-grain runs vertical (parallel to selvedge edges) and the cross-grain is perpendicular to the straight of grain. Railroading fabric is turning the bolt sideways so that it runs left to right and will shift the motif completely. This works for some patterns and definitely not for others. If you're reupholstering two chairs to match, make note of whether or not you railroad the fabric. You don't want to end up with one vertical plaid and another horizontal plaid. Label each new fabric piece with masking tape to show which direction is up.

Look at the pattern motif of the new fabric, and plan where the pattern repeats will meet at the seams before you trace with chalk. Seam allowances are included in the old fabric piece after you rip out the seams. Notice if that allowance is 1/4 or 1/2 inch and take that into account when deciding where to place seams. My chevron fabric is made of a series of Vs, and I had to think about how those Vs flowed from section to section (from the lip of the chair to the front boxing of deck cushion to the top of deck cushion, etc.). If they can't match perfectly, at least make it look purposeful. I chose to center the chevrons on the lip of the chair first and planned my way up the chair from that point. The top of the chair arms don't match the inside back perfectly but are positioned in a pleasing way. The sides and back just continue the chevron pattern in a way that makes sense. Cut new fabric along traced chalk lines.

Welting, sometimes called piping on garments or smaller projects, is fabric sewn around a cord and used as decorative edging. The Chevron Chair has welting on the deck cushion, down the arms, and around the back of the chair. Fabric used for welting is often cut on the bias, but for my chair I cut 1 1/2 inch strips vertically down the chevron motif so the welting would look kind of like a candy cane. Measure the length of welting on the old fabric to decide how much you need for the new upholstery, or just measure parts on the frame where you think it would look good. Be generous in your measurements. I used less welting with the new fabric than the chair previously had, but I still needed some extra to sew it all together. Use chalk to trace 1 1/2 inch strips as long as you can on the new fabric, and cut along traced lines.

6) Batting Isn't Just for Quilting

Batting is commonly thought of as the fluffy, scrumptious layer between the top and bottom of a quilt, but it's a must for upholstery too. Every place your chair will be covered with fabric, it needs to be covered in foam and/or batting. Any upholstery fabric that rubs agains raw wood will tear over time and ruin all your hard work, plus it's not comfy to sit on. Before fitting sewn fabric over top of chair arms, place batting over arm foam and raw edges of wood, staple it in place, and fluff batting over staples. Fluffing the batting makes sure that you won't see any divots in the fabric after you place it on top of the batting. If your batting is smooth, your fabric will lay smoothly; if your batting is lumpy, your fabric will look lumpy.

To be continued...

Quick Christmas DIY Framing

I picked up this screen printed poster from Dapper Ink earlier this week for a steal ($12 for an 11 x 17" print!), but I needed some real inspiration for how to mount and hang it in my living room. I didn't want to do a traditional frame from the hobby store--I have such a hard time finding one that I like, and anything custom costs an arm and a leg. Not to mention, since this is a seasonal print and will be packed away in less than a month, I wanted to showcase it in an unconventional way. So I went on a hunt through the house, and came up with a framing technique all my own. Although I think this mounted poster turned out really great, this method could work for any holiday paraphernalia you pick up this season (photos, greeting cards, etc.)

What you need:

Poster or holiday print 1/4" thick plywood (or foam core board if you're in a pinch) Washi tape Blade or scisors Double sided foam tape Small eye screw (optional) Nail or frame mounting hardware (optional)

How to do it:

1) Start by measuring your poster, photo, or print. You'll be mounting this onto the plywood. Then measure and cut your plywood. Obviously you want your plywood to be larger than the poster, but if you're wondering how much larger, a good rule of thumb is as follows: Make the plywood 3" larger than the print on the top, right, and left  and 3 1/2" larger on the bottom. Now, I'm lucky enough to have a husband with a table saw, so this wasn't an issue. However, if you don't have a friend or family member with a table or skill saw, this is where the foam core comes in handy. Simply cut it to size with a straight edge and blade.

2) Find a festive print or color of washi tape. Have I ever mentioned how much I love washi tape?? I truly use it for everything...packaging, labeling, and now apparently framing too.

3) Line up the washi tape with the horizontal and vertical edges of the plywood. Carefully roll it to the opposite end (it's fragile) and firmly press to smooth. I liked this method because it kept me from sanding and filling any of the rough edges of the plywood. Trim your edges once you've gone all the way around the plywood and are satisfied with the placement.

4) Adhere the double sided foam tape to the four corners of the back of the print and line up on top the plywood. Press firmly. I like the floating look of the foam tape.

5) To mount on the wall, I screwed in a single eye screw into the center of the back of plywood about 2" from the top. Then I hung it from an existing nail on the wall. But this piece has a large enough presence, I could just lean it against the wall on a table or mantle.

So that's that! Super simple and a really festive way to hang a holiday print.

All that Glitters: a special tree for the Holiday Fair!

Well, do we ever have a surprise for everyone who plans to attend the Holiday Fair! Last night the Indie Craft Parade staff had quite the crafty get together where we made over 60 handmade ornaments. (I'm not sure the glitter will ever come out of the carpet.) And guess what?! They're all going on an adorable 4 foot tree provided by our friends at We Took to the Woods. And we're going to raffle off the entire tree this Saturday at the Holiday Fair!! Check out this sneak peek at our work.

Pretty cool, huh? We'll have raffle tickets available at the event. And next week we'll even give you DIY instructions for a couple of the ornaments we made, so you can give it a try.

So if you didn't already have enough reason to attend, you can check out our beautiful tree and purchase raffle tickets to win it.

See you Saturday!

String Art Demo from Dapper Ink

A few months ago, we shared our love of string art---that is incorporating string into an existing piece, or creating art entirely out of string. So we were pretty excited when our friends at Dapper Ink (a local screen print and design shop here in Greenville) decided to do a new installation that featured string art. Over the past years, Dapper Ink has hosted installations created by local artists. With the addition of letterpress printing to their shop, however, they wanted to do something that showed off their love for all things print, and the Long Live Print plans began. So check out their behind the scenes video. They've proved that string art (though time consuming) can be an accessible form of art. Maybe this will even inspire you to try it yourself.

http://vimeo.com/53853809

If you're interested in making some string art of your own, Jen from Dapper Ink has shared a few tips:

1) Rather than just going at the project with nails and string, have a plan. We actually printed our design on a banner printer, attached it to the plywood and used that to guide our nail holes. The paper is also great because it keeps your wood underneath clean. Our hands got REALLY messy because of the oxidation on the nails. Chances are you might not have access to a banner printer. No problem...as long as you're not doing a huge installation, print outs from home should work fine.

2) Recruit friends to help you put in the nails. It WILL take you longer than you think.

3) Look at string art inspiration online to give you an idea of how you want to wrap your string, that is, how you want the pattern to look. Do you want it to be very uniform? Or is it ok to be messy and random? Either choice can be fine, but it's difficult to change your tactics once you've started to fill in the nails with string.

4) Use one continuous strand of string or yarn for as long as you can to maintain an even look to the design. However, tie off the ends often. If it starts to unravel, you could lose all of your work to your last tie off point.

Upcycling Vintage Crates and Boxes from Maiedae

We've had such an incredible response to Emily's DIY Chalkboard Lettering a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't wait to put up a new guest blog post from another talented lady. Today I'm introducing Savannah Wallace from Maiedae--an artistic, fashion, and lifestyle blogger. Two years ago Savannah and her business partner Jenny participated in Indie Craft Parade as jewelry artists, and I've been mesmerized with their work ever since. Besides her work in jewelry, Savannah is also a graphic designer and photographer. I've been pestering Savannah to do a guest blog post, and fortunately, her busy schedule has allowed her to share this adorable tutorial with us. Thank you, Savannah!

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DIY: UPCYCLING VINTAGE CRATES & BOXES

Hello friends! Savannah from 

Maiedae

 here to share with you a simple DIY and tips on up-cycling your vintage crates and boxes. Last year I spent some treasure hunting time at local antique stores in search for wooden finds. I found old coca-cola crates, small wooden boxes and a few larger crates. I built up my little collection and have found over the past year that they've served for many uses! I used them as display pieces for my handmades at a craft show, stacked them together to make night stands for my husband's and my pallet bed, put plants on them outside and used them for pretty storage. Today's DIY shows how I used simple elements to up-cycle one of my favorite wooden boxes as a "free for all" things box.

SUPPLIES

* Multi-surface paint - I used Martha Stewart's metallic gold paint.

* Stencil or silk screen - I found a great selection of stencil pieces and some beautiful Martha Stewart silk screen letters at Michael's. You can find things like this at your local craft shop.

* Dresser knobs.

STEP BY STEP

1. Using a drill, make holes into your wooden piece for knobs or hooks. Use these to hang your keys, add a little visual interest or hang other treasured items from.

2. Paint the inside of your crate with a color of your choice to give your box/crate dimension and a little pop or color or metallic flair.

3. Stencil a word or pattern on your box to match its use.

IMG_2721small

Just by getting a little creative you can easily up-cycle any of your favorite wooden antiqued pieces and give it a little extra charm! Try using your favorite colors, fun stencil patterns and trying it out in different places in your home. I love that my "things" box can be used for mail, main floor nick-nacks, make-up and bathroom supplies. So many uses and way more attractive than a plastic bin.

Thanks for having me! Stay warm.

-Savannah

DIY Chalkboard Lettering with Emily Jeffords

We've said this before, but one of the best things about Indie Craft Parade is getting to know the awesome people in the maker community. These connections can provide new friendships, networking connections, business opportunities, and they always supply creative inspiration. For this guest post, we called in one of the amazing connections we've made---the ever lovely Emily Jeffords. 

We asked Emily to supply a project for us...and she did something awesome: DIY CHALKBOARD LETTERING. This is an amazing idea. Who doesn't love beautifully hand lettered designs? And now you can do it yourself!

So without further ado, take it away, Emily!

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Hello!  I’m so happy to be guest blogging for one of my favorite groups, Indie Craft Parade!  I’m sure you have noticed the growing chalkboard lettering craze sweeping America and Europe right now.  It’s pretty awesome.  Well, it’s awesome if you have freakishly amazing handwriting (which I don’t!)  I can barely write an address on an envelope with grace. Sadly, I’m going to have to leave the hand-lettering to the likes of Dana Tanamachi and Molly Jaques.

The good news: those of us who aren’t Dana Tanamachi can still have amazing chalkboards with freakishly amazing typography and precision (we just need a teensy bit of help from the computer….  Shhh.)

Oh, and lefties, you’re in luck.  Because you don’t have to do one bit of writing, you can work from right to left!  You should have seen me working on this baby upside down, sideways, and backwards!

This chalkboard DIY is so stylish, so trendy, and so, so easy.

Things I leaned during this DIY:

1. Chalkboard spray paint is a total joke.  Just use flat black paint and mix in a tiny bit of clear gesso or unsanded tile grout.  I didn’t try the paint can variety.  Maybe it’s amazing? 2. Really, really, really cover the paper with chalk.  It will save you so much time in the long run. 3. You might want to do a few words with larger text…  not going to lie, this took quite a while because my text was so small (and I’m a bit of a perfectionist.) 4. A small paintbrush + water is like a magic eraser.

I hope this inspires you to have fun creating something amazing and original.