3D printed, hand-painted Kokeshi (a traditional style of Japanese doll) styled on my friend Tanya, who is the keeper of her family’s cultural traditions for her nieces.
Continue readingAuntie Tanya Kokeshi
Drawstring Key Bag
This scrap (faux) leather bag with a Celtic key theme is an initial exploration of a technique for using small scraps of leather or similar material leftover from other projects. I thought the tiles would be fun with a minimal Celtic key pattern motif in the center of each, then leaned into the theme with a circular key pattern ring on the bottom and, some 3D printed key, sculpted in Nomad Sculpt.
The SVG for the “leather locker” tile is linked below. You will likely want to adjust the slot height to match the thick ness of the material you are using. Let me know if you use it to make anything interesting!
This file is for personal, non-commercial use only. Note that, by referencing these, you are agreeing to release any variations you create under identical terms.
Purple Velvet Embossed Celtic Spirals Dice Bag
I made another dice bag with a new embossed velvet design. Some incremental improvements to the process for making the embossing plate: I switched to using 3M 468MP Adhesive Transfer Tape for the glue-up. It seems every bit as solid as the wood glue and, was a lot less hassle. More of the details are covered in the short update video below.
The kumihimo drawstring for this bag was done with glow floss for one of the colors and purple for the other. The glow from the floss is noticeable in the dark but, not especially bright.
By comparison, the 3D resin printed glow-in-the-dark skull beads are quite bright, especially after charging up with a UV lamp for 30 seconds or so. I used the Siraya Tech Craft resin for those.
[Amazon Associates links benefit a local arts organization.]
Drawstring Bag of Many Projects
I have a fair amount of custom-embossed Celtic key pattern velvet left from the pillow project. I was thinking some of it might make a cool drawstring bag. I may have gotten a little carried away with the details:
- Silk-lined round-bottom bag
- A new Celtic knotwork ring design for a laser-engraved faux-leather bottom
- Kumihimo braided drawstring
- Customized skull beads
- Second set of skull beads from scratch
There is a separate post with the design files for the floss separator I made for this, in case it is of use to anyone else.
It was a lot of fun and, I’m happy with the result. Of course, I shot video of every step of the construction of both versions of the bag.
Floss Separator
This is a quick, simple tool to assist when separating skeins of kumihimo (or embroidery) floss into working clusters with the desired number of strands. The upright is a sandwich of a piece of EVA foam between two pieces of 1/4″ stock (MDF here but, something like Baltic birch ply or acrylic should work, too). The EVA is sliced with a razor blade in the middle of each channel. Then, just glue it all together with wood glue. Some clamping is likely required while it dries.
It is probably best to clamp it down to a table when using. Knot the end of the skein/bundle of strands and, slip it into the cut in the EVA. That should keep the end in place while you separate the full length.
Floss Separator Design Files
These files are for personal, non-commercial use only. Note that, by referencing these, you are agreeing to release any variations you create under identical terms.
Celtic Key Pattern Embossed Velvet
With a new couch on the way last year, I came up with a plan to create some unique thematic throw pillows to go on it. In addition to one made from a fine wool Crawford clan tartan, I envisioned one of a forest green velvet embossed with one of my key pattern designs.
I figured that some combination of heat, pressure and a rigid die/stamp/form would give me what I wanted. I tracked down some (100% polyester upholstery) velvet, ordered samples and, made a test form on the laser from 1/8″ thick MDF. I cut a key square and, experimented using my old heat press.
After some experimenting (on purple velvet, while waiting on the green), I was able to find an approach that works. I set the pressure on the heat press by putting in a single sheet of 1/8″ MDF, tightening down until it touched the board, then adding another quarter turn. The range of pressure that works is pretty narrow. Too little pressure and the resulting design is faint. Too much pressure and, you emboss the edges of the form’s base, too.
The form goes on the bottom platen, facing up. The velvet goes on the form, facing down. I mist the back of the velvet lightly with a little water so there will be a little steam (but not enough to spot the fabric).
The optimal heat seems to be about 400º F for about 15 seconds.
I broke out my vintage Elna Supermatic sewing machine and, turned some of it into a pillow. I did several extra pieces. So, look for it in future projects.
There is a full video walk-through of making the forms and the embossing and, a separate video showing off the sewing machine and making the pillow.
No-Sew Felt Tray
I wanted to make something to contain my work hold-down pins for the laser cutter. I had seen some simple felt trays that were formed from squares with the corners pinched and sewn together. It seemed like a no-sew technique might work well for that and, it did!
For assembly, I push a pair of small 5″ needle-nose pliers through the slit and, pull the mushroom-shaped tabs through. If you want more guidance, I made a quick video showing production and assembly.
Update: I made another felt tray in “peacock” blue. The edges did not char evenly, which looked a little odd. Light application of a fine sanding sponge removed most of the edge char.
If you would like to make your own no-sew felt tray, you can use the pattern linked below. I am releasing this under a Creative Commons license. You are free to use and modify this pattern for non-commercial purposes. If you make changes to the pattern, you are encouraged to release your changes back to the community.
If you want to do something else with it (like make and sell felt trays), please contact me for separate licensing terms.
