I’ve always loved the look and feel of oilcloth, and have used dozens of yards of the stuff to create four tablecloths over the years. But I’ve always been hesitant to venture further than simply cutting the slick festive fabric into measured flat rectangles. Then I received Kelly McCant’s beautifully presented Sewing with Oilcloth, and […]
Earlier this week I was glancing over all our existing Weekend Projects to take some notes, and found myself asking, “What do these projects have in common?” I then found myself juxtaposing images from each project to do a quick visual compare-and-contrast. Clockwise from the top-right, that’s Floating Glow Display, Electronic Whack-a-Mole Game, USB Webcam Microscope, and Add Volume, Jack.
I think it goes without saying I have a tiny place in my heart for Lisa Frank – remember the wine charms I made? Well, when my friend sent me this Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre clip yesterday, it made my day and then some. A “mockumentary,” if you will, this trailer tells the story of […]
Chris McMullen and Steve Withycombe’s Potentially Annoying Sound is a kinetic sound sculpture constructed from various mechanical elements and a set of discarded church organ pipes. At Maker Faire Bay Area 2011, attendees delightfully turned a large red wheel which was geared to pump air from a bellows into the pipes and play a chord. Interestingly, the name “Potentially Annoying Sound” was inspired by a question on the Maker Faire exhibitor application which asked what kind of noise it makes. After listening to it in the video above, I think you’ll agree that the sound is not annoying at all. In fact, it’s quite pleasant.
Fancy file-work along the spine of the blade, like that featured in this step-by from custom knifemaker Bruce Evans, is commonly applied after the steel has been heat-treated. Which means, I believe, that you could apply it to a factory knife, for instance, if you wanted to customize it for yourself, or personalize it as a gift.
Maybe it’s my years and years of being vegan talking, but I find it absolutely impossible to resist anything that features my favorite herbivore dinosaur. Rachel from Four Wise Monkeys created this fun Drawstring Bags + Dino Party Appliqué project for Sew Mama, Sew, and you can download a PDF with the pattern and instructions […]
The ProtoSnap, from the Maker Shed, is an Arduino compatible development platform for teaching the basics of Arduino programming efficiently. It requires no assembly, wiring, or soldering, so you can jump right into programming. Control LEDs, buzzers, light sensors, and more. There’s even a small prototyping space so you can add your own circuits. Once you have a firm grasp of the programming, you can snap off the individual components of the ProtoSnap for use in future projects.
