Tag Archives: eco crafts

April 24, 2013 · 3:13 pm

Introducing 2 new Peg Looms from Dewberry Ridge Looms

A couple of months ago, I published my new eBook on weaving jewelry with stick looms: See LINK

My friend, Donna McFarland of Dewberry Ridge Looms was looking at the photos when her husband, Gary, walked by the computer.

Donna told me that he said:’ Those have to be Noreen’s designs, right?’ and she agreed.

He then mused that he would like to make stick looms.

Well… I was delighted, and immediately asked if they would consider building peg looms.

I have a couple of peg looms, but felt that they could use a re-design with improvements that I knew Gary could build.

After lots of conversations, Gary and Donna have created the most wonderful peg looms!

Here’s the link to order them LINK

They are truly the Rolls Royce of the Peg Loom world!

Here’s what I asked for, and they have designed and created:

1: Taller pegs so I could see more of the weaving emerging before having to advance the warp. This is especially important in weaving tapestries on the peg loom.

2: Fine wooden pegs that are slimmer and closer together to give a firmer, tighter weave. A close sett avoids too loose, loopy fabric.

Another important note about the pegs: I asked for close grain wood for the pegs, as smooth pegs that don’t catch the weft are essential. Gary has found the perfect wood for the pegs that is smooth as silk. He also carefully shapes the top of the pegs to make them guide the yarn beautifully. His attention to detail is exquisite!

3: A really nice threading tool – I came up with a rather crude one, and Gary totally surpassed my concept.

4: Legs that would stabilize the looms- Gary’s design for the legs is so elegant that it knocked my socks off!

Donna and Gary came up with some neat ideas, too.

They suggested tilting the looms backward slightly. This is brilliant, as it improves the ergonomics of the loom enormously and makes the loom more comfortable to work with.

They also decided to offer a loom with 3 sizes of pegs, for people who want to work with larger pegs.

Personally, I am so smitten with the thinnest pegs that I probably will just be working with them and not the larger pegs, but Gary and Donna wanted to appeal to the widest possible group of weavers.

Gary also decided to make the base of the loom removable in case a peg gets stuck. What a great idea!

Peg looms are eco friendly, as they are great for using t shirt yarn, or tarn, or fabric strips torn from discarded clothing.

And, I am working on a new book for peg loom weaving, so do stay tuned for that 🙂

I have made a little video that introduces the Dewberry Ridge Peg Loom:

9 Comments

Filed under Dewberry Ridge looms, eco crafts & green projects, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, Peg and Stick Loom weaving, peg looms and weaving sticks, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as Dewberry Ridge Looms, Dewberry Ridge Looms Peg Loom, eco crafts, hand weaving, handwoven, Noreen Crone-Findlay, peg looms, recycling, small looms, upcycling

March 10, 2009 · 12:03 am

Spool knitting wire and making connections

spool-knitters-for-wire-4-peg-275 spool-knitters-for-wire-6-peg-275

Recently, a jewelry maker contacted me and asked me if I could make her some industrial strength spool knitters so she could spool knit wire for her jewelry making.

I went for a rummage through our stash and found a wonderful old piece of wood. It looked like it was an old handle off some kind of tool that had seen heavy and hard use. It was worn smooth but ripply and looked quite organic.

We inherited it from my husband’s Dad more than 10 years ago.

I cut some pieces off it and used them to make these 4 and 6 peg spool knitters.

Yipes! Is that wood hard! Drilling the holes and hammering the nails in was intense .

whew…. My tendons were screaming for mercy.
spool-knitters-for-wire-1-275

I love the way they feel…. the old wood is smooth and textured from having been worn by years of use- it’s quite alive!

The whole collaborative process is so inspiring to me. I just love it when someone says to me –

‘Can you think of a way of doing this or that….. ?’

Sometimes, I am not interested in making the new thing

(for instance, we just don’t want to make wooden potholder looms anymore….sorry)

But, lots of times, I am intrigued by the ‘Can you make a this or that’ question and end up in the workshop having a wonderful time!

This was definitely one of those times. I love working with wire, and do a lot with it. So, I am really glad that Vickey inspired me to make some super strong spool knitters for wire.

Just think. That old, old piece of wood out in the workshop would still be laying there, just waiting to come to life if Vickey hadn’t emailed me…..

This kind of thing makes me celebrate the joys of the internet.

Someone has a thought and sends a note to someone else a thousand miles away. Then, that person goes and finds a piece of the past and brings it to life in a new way. And that recycled, re-created, upcycled treasure goes off to the first person who creates all manner of magic with it.

Now, that’s creativity in action!

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

4 Comments

Filed under eco crafts & green projects, spool knitter & spoolknitter & spool knitting & spool knitting

Tagged as crafts, eco crafts, green crafts, handmade, jewelry, recycling, recycling crafts, spool knitted cords, spool knitter, spool knitting, upcycling

February 6, 2009 · 10:08 pm

Some handmade books – 1

I am inviting people to a Green Challenge of making a handmade book that has big envelopes or plastic sleeves to hold their sketches, notes, clippings, pdf’s etc.

See: Challenge posting

Just for fun, I thought that I would post a few pics of some of the handmade books I’ve made over the years:

Here are some handmade books that I made and then glued origami angels to. (yes, I made the angels)

The angels are all very eco friendly and ‘green’ as they are recycled and upcycled, as they are all made from junk mail or magazine photos

handmade-book-origami-angel-11 handmade-book-origami-angel-2 handmade-book-origami-angel-3 handmade-book-origami-angel-4 handmade-book-origami-angel-5 handmade-book-origami-angel-6 handmade-book-origami-angel-7

I’ll post more pics soon.

All images are copyright protected and not to be copied without Noreen Crone-Findlay’s permission

3 Comments

Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, eco crafts & green projects

Tagged as book making, doll, doll making, dollmaking, dolls, eco crafts, flat doll, flat dolls, green crafts, handmade books, journal, mixed media, multi media, Origami, origami angel, origami angels, origami doll, recycling, recycling crafts, upcycling, Yarn Crafts

February 5, 2009 · 6:45 pm

Hand made GREEN book Challenge

wooden-book-qs-4

On the Spool knitting group on yahoo, we’ve been talking about paper vs pdf patterns.

Several of the clever women there have said that they print out their pdf’s, slip them into plastic sleeves and pop them into a binder. The patterns never get lost that way.

WELL! That has inspired me!

wooden-book-qs-3

I LOVE making journals, notebooks, sketchbooks etc. that are one of a kind, eco friendly and oh so artsy.

So….. why not make your own book to store your pdf’s and loose patterns?

You could make 2 covers from cardboard or plywood or veneer or chipboard or somthing else, and then decorate them any way that you wanted to.

Then- spool knit, or tat or crochet or braid or kumihimo or use any other method of making a cord.

Use the cords to hold your pdf book together….

And, if you didn’t want to use plastic sleeves, you could punch holes in large envelopes, label them, and store your pdf’s and pattern bits and pieces in there….

And, Voial! your pdf’s, notes, sketches, clippings and patterns won’t ever get lost! Yay!

SO HERE’S THE CHALLENGE:

MAKE A BOOK

THAT IS PERFECT FOR STORING YOUR PDF AND OTHER LOOSE PATTERNS

THIS IS A GREEN CHALLENGE,

MAKE 2 COVERS FROM SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE RECYCLING, RECLAIMING OR UPCYCLING,

AND DECORATE THEM ANY WAY YOU WANT:

USE PHOTOS, PAINT, WEAVING, FLAT DOLLS, TATTING, CROCHET, STITCHERY, DRAWING, WHATEVER….

A N D !

THE BOOK HAS TO BE BOUND WITH HANDMADE CORDS

Take pics and post them to your blog

or wherever you post your pics

and then send me a link

so we can all be inspired and admire.

Who is the challenge open to?

ANYONE. Everyone….

Any crafter who loves making recycled and reclaimed and upcycled stuff.

People who like making books.

People who have never made a book.

This challenge is for spool knitters, tatters, scrapbookers, weavers, crocheters, yarnies and crafters in general .

Show us how it works for you to store your pdf’s, clippings and loose sketches, notes and patterns….

There should be a prize, shouldn’t there?

Okay…. I’ll work on something special for the winner… not telling what, yet.

The challenge STARTS NOW

and is open ended,

but I will award a prize on APRIL 22,

because that’s EARTH DAY

okay everyone…. get to work!

I have posted pics of some of the handmade books I’ve made over the years –

Here are the links to: Books with Origami Angels

images and text on this blog are copyright protected

so please don’t copy them without Noreen Crone-Findlay’s permission.

Thanks

16 Comments

Filed under eco crafts & green projects

Tagged as book making, books, challenges, cord making, cords, crafts, doll, doll making, eco crafts, green crafts, handmade, journal, mixed media, multi media, prize, recycling, recycling crafts, self published books, self publishing, spool knitter, spool knitting, tatting

January 10, 2009 · 11:31 pm

Rosie Recycle is done and ready to go!

rosie-recycle-book-and-dolls-2-qs

I am so excited!
I have finally finished The Rosie Recycle Doll Book!

http://www.crone-findlay.com/Crone-FindlayCreationsWhatsNew.html

tottie-and-pin-dolls-qs
Rosie Recyle dolls are charming little one of a kind dolls that are
an inspiration to ‘go green’, and become a thrifty ‘eco crafter’.

Combine your stash of scraps of yarn & embroidery floss
with colorful bits of junk mail, old magazines
and packaging to create enchanting & unique little
Rosie Recycle Dolls.

The book includes instructions and patterns for
* Knitted Rosie Recycle Dolls
*Crocheted Rosie Recycle Dolls
* Spool knitted Rosie Recycle Dolls
*Rosie Recycle Dolls with ribbon or lace scrap skirts.

The completed Rosie Recycle dolls
are approximately 5 inches (12.5 cm) tall.

They have pins on the back of their heads, so they can dance from
your hat, bag, lapel, curtain, inspiration or bulletin board.
They’re also great for scrapbooking, too…..

The Rosie Recycle booklet is 48 pages, and is full color.
It’s 5 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches- so easy to slip into your tote bag!

I am doing the big time happy happy happy dance….

and Tottie Tomato thinks that Rosie Recyle is pretty darned wonderful, too!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

13 Comments

Filed under crochet, doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, eco crafts & green projects, spool knitter & spoolknitter & spool knitting & spool knitting

Tagged as crochet, doll, doll making, dollmaking, dolls, eco crafts, green crafts, knitting, recycling, recycling crafts, Rosie Recycle, self published books, self publishing, spool knitted cords, spool knitter, spool knitters, spool knitting, Yarn Crafts

November 14, 2008 · 9:11 pm

Green crafts- hand made book with spool knitted binding cords

Oh my.

This week….. winter arrived…..

So, it’s time to get to work on Christmas presents.

I love green and eco crafts – recycling and re-using things to up-cycle new treasures…

I am making my sister-in-law a hand made book with wooden covers.

The wood has been hanging around our barn for more than 20 years.

It was part of an old stage set from my days as a theater set designer.

I cut out the covers and and sanded the edges and scuffed up some layers of the paint.

I then painted gold around the edges.

I drew a Celtic Interlace then drew a tree over top of that. I connected the tree into the interlace and erased the bits I didn’t want. I painted and etched and drew, until I was satisfied with my version of the Celtic Tree of Life.

I tatted 2 butterflies and a dragonfly, and glued them to the inside cover.

Then I spool knitted 3 cords for the binding.

I folded some recycled/reclaimed pages that had been used on one side and punched 3 holes in them.

I put them all together…..

And all in all…. I am very pleased with it….

Hopefully, my sister-in-law will enjoy her book. She’ll be able to put more pages in when she fills these ones up.

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

13 Comments

Filed under eco crafts & green projects, gifts & easy to make gifts & presents, tutorial & how to

Tagged as Christmas presents, eco crafts, green crafts, handmade book, journal, reclaiming, recycling, recycling crafts, sketch book, spool knitted cords, spool knitter, spool knitting, upcycling

November 10, 2008 · 6:06 pm

Green crafts -Twig buttons with spool knitted cords

I was given a leather coat about a year or so ago. I was delighted, as I have always wanted one.

But…..

I ended up leaving it in the closet…. it just felt frumpy.

I thought that perhaps I might turn it into a leather skirt, as I have always wanted one of those, too.

But then, my daughter showed up wearing a great leather jacket that she had just bought at the second hand store. She looks fabulous in it, and it made me think….. hmmmmm…..

maybe I should look again at the leather coat.

I realized that it was the buttons! Boring, boring boring….

So, I decided to get adventurous.

I consulted Tottie Tomato, who suggested:

that I use some of my stash of treasured arbutus wood (aka madrona) twigs.

I LOVE arbutus, and when we make our yearly visit to the west coast, I always bring home twigs that my sister in law saves for me when she prunes their arbutus tree. (Arbutus don’t grow where we live, sigh.)

So, I cut up one of the arbutus twigs, drilled holes and sanded the ends.

Voila!

a box of fine buttons!

Next step: Spool knit 4 or 5 inch long cords for the buttons:

and sew the ends together to make a loop

and choose flat buttons to be the anchors on the inside of the coat.

Then, sew the buttons on:

and now the coat is REALLY fun to wear!

I am just loving it.

The arbutus twig buttons remind me of one of my most favorite places on earth, and an old coat that was languishing in the back of the closet has a whole new life.

By the way, the wire pin doll on the lapel is one that I made with wire from a yard sale.

I’ve been making wire dollies since I was a little kid. My dad used to bring home scrap wire from work for me. I was a dollmaker even then, and designed the little wire people and gave them to all my friends and relations. And, here I am , a million years later, still making little wire people from left over wire…..

I was born to be an eco crafter.

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

17 Comments

Filed under eco crafts & green projects, tutorial & how to

Tagged as doll making, dolls, eco crafting, eco crafts, how to make wooden buttons, reclaiming leather coat, recycling, recycling crafts, spool knitting, tute, tutorial, tutorials, twig buttons, upcycling, wire doll