Lift up the world...

Lift up the world a little every day . . .

by putting a tiny bit of something new in it.

And why not?

It's an act that encompasses:

passion

creativity

growth &

generosity

in a neat daily package. 

Perfect.

Susan M. Hinckley

Small Works in Wool

TAFA Team Treasuries of the Week, October 21

Here are a couple of beautiful treasuries made by TAFA members for this week.

Made by Ekohaus who crafts stylish, natural and eco-friendly felted shoes and accessories for both men and women. You can check out her Etsy shop here.

Treasury made by WrapturebyInese: Inese knits beautiful wraps, cowls, shawls, convertible hats and mittens. You can visit her shop here.

Treasuries posted by Coco Kulkarni of CocoBags: fabric handbags out of spun cottons, wools and other natural materials.

TAFA Team Treasuries of the Week: October 15

Cindy has done it again! She has put together another beautiful treasury with gorgeous TAFA creations. You can visit her shop here on Etsy.  Featured treasury of the week:

Other TAFA Team treasuries, both beautiful:

Coco's Vintage Textiles from India

Posted by Coco, TAFA Team's Treasury Manager.  Visit ThreadsOfOld, her Etsy shop with beautiful Indian textiles.

A nice video on Etsy by PBS

Brenda Abdullah recycles sweaters into new garments.

PBS came out with a nice video on Etsy, shown below.  They have several artists talk about the work that they do, giving special importance to recycling or upcycling the old into something new.  They also make a good point in stating that Etsy allows artists access to a broad market, that art does not need to exclude that which is functional or available to the masses.  

Many of our TAFA Team members also have the environment as their agenda.  Garbage becomes the raw materials we forage for in our work.  And, those selling vintage items also extend the life of something old, giving it a renewed purpose in a fresh home.  "One person's trash, another one's riches."  

You will find examples of both upcycled and vintage items in all of our shop categories.  Explore the tabs at the top of this blog to visit our Etsy shops.

Stamp it! Cool textile stamps and dye supplies from our TAFA Team.

Vintage Textile Stamps from Afghanistan

Without a doubt, our TAFA Team members are incredibly talented!  With stitches, dye, and all kinds of tools, they transform threads, fabric and other materials into gorgeous clothing, art pieces, and functional things for your home.  Surface design, those changes wrought on a piece of fabric, has become a broad discipline that supports the exploration of what can be done: take it to the limit!  Twist it, dye it, stamp it, stitch it!

Stamping fabric is an ancient practice all over the world.  From the simple carved potato to intricate wood carvings and metal tools, we find examples of textile stamps in almost every culture.

Handcarved textile stamps from the Oshiwa Designs, Namibia

Before the actual stamping, dyes can be applied to the fabric or to yarns to create unique colors or designs.  Jane Porter sells natural dyes in her Etsy shop:

Natural Indigo Dye Kit available on tangledlair

There are many tutorials online and videos on youtube of how you can use the stamps and dyes to create infinite effects.  Acrylic paints can be rolled on with a brayer or a stamp can be dipped into liquid dye.  It all depends on what YOU can imagine and how you like to work.

A couple of examples of what our TAFA Team members do:

Stenciled Katazome Designs by Kit Eastman

Kit uses a traditional Japanese stenciling technique for her designs.  She describes it: "Katazome is a traditional Japanese textile design process in which a stencil is cut from a special water impervious mulberry paper. Rice paste resist is then "printed" through the stencil and left to dry. The open areas of the cloth are painted with brushes using natural pigments in a soymilk binder. The cloth is air-cured, which binds the color to the cloth permanently. Finally the paste is washed off to reveal the completed design."

SimonEtCie has some cool Japanese stamps that would work well with Katazome!

Vintage Japanese Wax Seal Stamps

Susan Schinnick, of Iowa (big supplier of corn here in the US) both dyes her fabric and makes her own stamps to alter fabric for her home accents and garments:

Corn stamp, original designs by Susan Schinnick

As you can see, the possibilities are endless!  Other team members also sell patterns, felt supplies, fabric, kits they make and vintage tools.  Look through our Supplies and Patterns page and you are sure to find some very cool treasures to add to your studio!

Pillows! Freshen your room with a new look.

Photomontage designs by floorartetc

Billie Anderson hit on a big seller with her photomontage designs!  The antiqued, distressed look make her old world images wonderfully rich.  She uses this technique on her pillows and bags and also sells the unfinished panels which can be used in your own creations.  A quilt maybe?

Pillows are an easy way to change the feel of a room.  Our TAFA Team members have all kinds of pillows in their shops: contemporary, vintage, bold, ethnic, cute, striking....  you name it!  You can look through the shops on the Home Interiors page or use this link to find the pillows that TAFA members have tagged on Etsy.

Know any college kids?  A pillow would be a great gift to help decorate their room and something they would surely use!  Most come without the pillow inserts but these are easy to find in craft shops or online.

Pillow It!

Life is precious. Live fully! In memory of Steve Jobs

 

Here is a treasury honoring how Steve Jobs has changed how we communicate and what we make:

Most of the items are made by our TAFA Team.  We have lots of great bags to carry laptops, notebooks, ipads, iphones, etc.  Click on the item to see it on Etsy and visit all of our shops by exploring the tabs at the top of this blog.

Steve Jobs will be remembered for the impact he had on our time.  May he rest in peace.