3Doodler by Wobble Works: Petroleum Products

The 3Doodler is a fancy glue gun. Plastic is a petroleum-based product, but oh how cool to instantly make 3D objects! Like every other kid-at-heart, I got very excited about 3D printers; now there’s a goo-spewing pen that instantly cools the glue and you can paint with it, and no computer required.

BUT, aren’t WE (earthlings) trying to use less plastic in the 21^st century? Is this a green product? Where does the plastic come from, and where is it going? To find some answers, I sent this message to the WobbleWorks folks:

Subject: Kickstarter and 3Doodler: Please tell me about the plastics you are using

Dear WobbleWorks,

Congratulations, you have made your goal. I recognize and value your innovation and capabilities.

It’s all so cool, everyone will want it. But we earthlings need to use less plastics, not more. Tell me about any and all aspects of environmental impact and sustainability that you have considered in the development of this product. Is this a viable product as we face the struggle to control petroleum availability and its looming scarcity?

Thank you.

Mary Yaeger

www.maryyaeger.com

FYI, WobbleWorks asked for $30K and got $2M-plus, one of the most successful kickstarter projects ever. When I get an answer to my questions I will post them here and on Facebook.

National Craft Month on Michaels: Craft Master Contest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michaels kicked off National Craft Month with a Project Runway-style competition called “Craft Masters.” Hint: you have to scroll down a little—I guess Michaels doesn’t worry about the “above the fold” rule.

http://www.michaels.com/CraftMasters/MdCM1Vm3060,default,pg.html

I enjoyed the short video, and no commercials. It’s nice to know that opinion is just as subjective in craft design as it is in fashion and the other arts. The work one judge considered “a little disconnected” and lacking in a focal point ended up winning the contest.
What I couldn’t figure out (and I watched the video repeatedly to verify this) was where the winning piece used  the “mystery item,” a topiary. Was it the stick?

Katie Hacker at the Beadalon Booth, CHA Winter 2012

Katie Hacker, Beadalon Designer and host of ‘Beads, Baubles & Jewels’ TV show, demonstrates techniques from her just-published book Live Wire Jewelry: Make Colorful Designs That Shine (North Light, 2012).  During a lull in the booth buzz, I took the opportunity to ask Katie for tips on getting published. I was gifted with “Katie Hacker’s Ten-minute Talk on How to Propose a Book,” which will appear soon in another Stabbed! blog post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) Charity Wings Flash Mob

Here is Elena Lai Etcheverry, of Charity Wings, is pictured here wearing wings created by L. Grace Lauer

 

and the back–lovely weaving of newsprint with the feathers:

 

 

These wings are hinged and open up by a handle operated by Elena. I don’t have a photo of that, but if you go to this YouTube video of the flash mob, you can see more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvulLFTGCKw&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=120216+newsletter&utm_campaign=120209+newsletter&utm_medium=socialshare

Yours truly participated in the flash mob–great fun for a great organization!

Beading Daily and Seed Beads: What’s There Not to Love?

I just read Jen VanBenschoten’s Beading Daily post, “I Never Met a Seed Bead I Didn’t Like.”

That title would apply to my one collecting passion. Okay, I also collect Czech pressed glass beads, but not a lot of anything else. Wait a minute, I’ve also amassed a large collection of art, textile and design books, and …

But seed beads are my first love, believe me. If it’s a color I’ve never seen before, I have to have it for my collection. Which means I may never use it, and I’m okay with that.

The colors on JB’s post look just like the project scattered on my work table:

Compare my colors to Jen’s

Seed beads in gorgeous colors!

I just love it when this happens!

Tom Lundberg, embroidery artist, to lecture at University of Louisville

 

One of the earliest and most influential artists on my development of female merit badges, Tom Lundberg has an outstanding career as an embroidery artist. When I was living in Colorado, I had the opportunity to meet him and was honored to have him visit my studio on several occasions. He has taught several generations of artists at Colorado State University, Fort Collins and has lectured and exhibited all over the world. He’s also very warm, funny and easy to talk to!

For more information on the lecture and exhibit in Louisville, KY:

http://louisville.edu/art/calendar/tom-lundberg-microcosms.ics

Info about a workshop in Puglia, Italy:

http://www.masseriadellazingara.com/pages/James%20Hunting%20&%20Tom%20Lundberg.html

McCalls pattern for stuffed animals from 1936

Probably in the mid-70’s, when I was sewing many of my own clothes, I bought some vintage patterns, including this 1936 McCall’s pattern for stuffed animals:

McCalls printed pattern for stuffed animals, 1936

In all these years I never opened or examined this pattern, but I wanted to make some stuffed animals and thought these would work for my purposes. Upon opening the packet, I discovered that one piece had been carefully pinned to a pretty calico fabric, which is still crisp and colorful:

It gave me a little thrill, to connect with this hand from the past, but there is only one piece cut out, the “Under Body” of a giraffe. What happened? No other tissue pieces have been cut into, and no other fabric is in the envelope. It would be too early for a frustrated sewer to give up; there are no fabric scraps and not a single other tissue piece assembled. There is just one piece was folded up and tucked back away into the pattern envelope, that’s it.

pattern pinned to fabric

Stuffed animal, interrupted.

Mama Merit Badges

Mama merit badges: cute. What a great idea, I wish I’d thought of it.

Breastfeeding Female Merit Badge by Mary Yaeger

Actually, about a year ago I tried out commercially producing some other types of badges for moms and kids, like

A New Pea in the Pod! by Mary Yaeger

A badge for celebrating a new child, that can be customized with name and birth date.

2010 in review

Excellent, WordPress. Thanks!

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 6,400 times in 2010. That’s about 15 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 7 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 43 posts. There were 4 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 1mb.

The busiest day of the year was June 16th with 88 views. The most popular post that day was Recently Commissioned Merit Badges.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were maryyaeger.com, housewife.splinder.com, pintangle.com, iheartguts.wordpress.com, and animary.wordpress.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for crewel embroidery, merit badges, crewel, bead art, and merit badge.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Recently Commissioned Merit Badges September 2007
5 comments

2

Merit Badges at Gallery Hanahou January 2009
13 comments

3

Denise Perreault’s Fabulous Glass Tile Curtain May 2007
3 comments

4

Designs for Life: Uniting a Community Through Textile Art and Bioscience May 2007
3 comments

5

Before Breakfast: A Merit Badge Inspired by Lynda Barry May 2009

You Turkey

A Beaded Turkey Pin for Thanksgiving