Craft & Design

Garth on Extreme Craft writes “For every crafty punk rocker or artist dipping their toes into the craft world, there’s a techno-geek with a heart of gold and a yen for the handmade. So it is with Leah Buechley, a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at the University of Colorado. Leah is a part of the Craft Technology Group, which investigates intersections of craft and technology with a pedagogical bent. Her personal projects have included LED tank tops and bracelts with programmable light-up ornaments, math handbags, and an automated wine glass orchestra”… [via] Link.

Wonderful looking (and I bet sounding) hand cranked musical instruments – There is a mount for a contact microphone (piezo) on the back of each one, so it can be amplified. Each has a hand-crank in the middle, and all but the Spring Board Hand Crank have a feather-spine that acts as a plectrum that rotates when the hand-crank is cranked. As the plectrum rotates, it plucks something that vibrates and is amplified. The “something” that vibrates is in some cases a rubber band, in some wires sticking up, in one it is a metal strip, and in another one is a heavy spring. Each has a handy handle too. Link.

Video game inspired quilting on Flickr, in the same set as some other sewing projects, including a nice jacket with a pirate-looking skull on it. I think the Tetris one in my favorite. [via] Link.

Keith writes “Found this in the current issue of my daughter’s Highlights magazine: “A six-foot tube of lipstick, a bulldozer, a jukebox–these are just a few of the things kids have built from cans. Across the country, kids compete to construct amazing works of art and help put a dent in hunger.” The winning entries from the 2005 competition are pretty amazing. My favorite is the 3,160 can model of a breaching shark. Very cool. The tornado too. Heck, they’re all cool! Be sure to check out the slide show of past entries as well. There’s a great entry of an Etch A Sketch made from large Hunt’s Tomato cans–complete with artwork on the screen–that looks to be about 7 feet tall!” Link.

Here is a neat site that has a lot of art made from “junk” – many of the pieces are made from old computer parts and are wired or constructed to move around. Good place to get inspired and make things…Link.