Category: Paper

Faux Papyrus

Faux Papyrus

Links of entry

As I saw the title ‘Papyrus’ in connection with ‘crafting’ (English for ‘bricolage’) I was instantly interested.
And the technique is easy and convincing.
The tutorial is in French, but there are very good illustrating photos.

 

And this is, what you have to do:
Materials:

  • gauze or cheesecloth
  • wallpaper paste
  • some coffee for colouring
  • a soft brush
  • a sheet of plastic foil
  • some water

Prepare the wallpaper paste with some cold coffee, not to liquid and not to solid.
Put the gauze on the sheet of plastic foil and coat them with the paste.
Let dry on a flat surface.
Check the photos in the tutorial to better understand what to do.

I used my piece of Faux Papyus on a card with a leaf and some other background papers.


Links:
Tutorial on how to make Faux Papyrus

Cardboard Weaving Frame

Cardboard Weaving Frame

Links of entry

Once I wanted to create a picture frame with a woven border. I simply made a cardboard loom with an opening where I wanted to put the picture.
Cardboard Loom It worked out well, but I didn’t really like it when finished ;-)
I wanted to share anyway.
The sketch shows how to wrap the yarn.
If you want to see it better, enlarge the picture by clicking on it.
If you want to know how to weave on a cardboard loom, see the Links below.


Links:
Tutorial on how to weave with a cardboard loom
Tutorial on how to weave with a cardboard loom

Paper Crazy Quilt

Paper Crazy Quilt

Links of entry

I love Crazy Quilts, because it is a kind of Freeform work, but I don’t like sewing. So I began to make my quilts on and with paper.
On the photo you see a card I made with this technique.
I didn’t only embroider the seams but I also used some fancy stitches like French Knots e.g. (the red dots on the photo) onto the surfaces.

To make your own Paper Crazy Quilt, find matching papers and cut them into pieces. On the photo I used rectangles, but the typical Crazy Quilt distribution is also beautiful (here you can find some lovely blocks here you can find some lovely blocks).
Glue the collage on thin paper and then begin embroidering (carefully!) as if it was a real Crazy Quilt (here is an online class for Crazy Quilts).
To finish you glue or embroider your Paper Crazy Quilt on cardboard.


Links:
Crazy Quilt blocks
Tutorial moved to: Crazy Quilt blocks

Online class for Crazy Quilts

English Embroidery Stitch Diagrams
Deutsche Stickstichbeschreibungen

French knots (Knötchenstiche) (English)
French knots (Knötchenstiche) (German)

Stitched Flowers

Stitched Flowers

Links of entry

While I was browsing through the projects of STITCH I found Precious Petals. They ‘glue’ the flowers on fabric and then embellish with decorative stitching.
A stunning idea which is still on my to-so list.



Links:
STITCH project: wonderful projects around stitching (how surprising ;-))

 

Simple Cro-Tat

Simple Cro-Tat

Links of entry

There is a technique called Cro-Tat, which is a technique between Crochet and Tatting: the item it is crocheted, but looks like tatted. For tutorials look beneath the Links.
I don’t have a straight steel crochet hook and so I figured out how to do this in another way.
It is a kind of clothesline crochet: I am crocheting a simple chain that I ‘decorate’ with single crochets.
I once wrote a (German) tutorial on how to make a Mother’s Day card with a Simple Cro-Tat Ornament. It is heavily illustrated ;-)
Anyhow: ‘Luftmasche’ is chain, ‘feste Masche’ is single crochet and ‘Kettmasche’ is slip stitch, the actual row is red, the previously worked rows are in black.


Links:
Tutorial on how to make a Mother’s Day card with a Simple Cro-Tat Ornament (German)
Tutorial on how to make another Simple Cro-Tat Ornament (German) (‘Zusammen häkeln’ means join)

Cro-Tat
Cro-Tat Instructions (English) The link isn’t available no more. Try instead to find an appropriate tutorial in this list of Cro-Tat Instructions.
Cro-Tat Instructions (German)

Here at unikatissima: Clothesline Crochet

Serendipity Collage

Serendipity Collage

Links of entry

Create a lot of similar but not equal little squares to be used in card making, inchies* ‘production’ and other paper arts.
Take matching papers, tear them in pieces and glue them on a sheet of paper. If you like to, stamp it, paint it (to blend them a little) or doodle on it.
Then cut the embellished sheet in squares.

* What is an inchie? An Inchie is a 1″ square of art. I’ve seen them (in internet) made from paper, then embellished in innumerable ways or even sewn from fabric, also embellished in uncountable ways (see links beneath).


Links:
Once I have found lots of instructions on how to make Serendipity Squares, but I can’t find them back ;-(
Therefore I link here results of the Google image search for ‘Serendipity square Collage’:
Stamped Serendipity Squares (English) by ScrapFriends

Serendipity Technique Tutorial (English) by Art Without Anxiety

Serendipity Technique Tutorial (German) (select ‘Serendipity) by Anja`s Artefaktotum

Amendment (29. April 2008)
I found back my links and here are the missing ones:

Serendipity Squares (English)
Serendipity Do! (English)

Serendipity Squares Scrapbook Layouts: Search for ‘Serendipity Squares’

Serendipity (German)

Inchies – Inchies
Google image search for ‘what are inchies’
Google image search for ‘what is inchie’
Flickr search for ‘inchies’

Crochet Chamsa

Crochet Chamsa

Links of entry

I always liked the Chamsa (English Wikipedia entry for ‘Chamsa’) because it seems to me to be a sign of peace and friendship.

One day I crocheted a Chamsa to use it on a card.
Have fun with my original crochet pattern (and if you use it, please give credit).

First you work three rounds, then you continue in rows.

(Instructions on how to crochet with a magic ring and how to crochet the double treble crochet: see Links beneath)

Click picture to enlarge
Crochet Chamsa

Links:
Crochet Chamsa pattern

English Wikipedia entry for ‘Chamsa’
German Wikipedia entry for ‘Hamsa’

Magic ring
(Google results)
The Magic Adjustable Ring: A Better Way to Begin Crochet in the Round (English): very good illustrated instruction
Häkeln lernen: Der Fadenring (German)

Double Treble Crochet
(Google results)
Tutorial Double Treble Crochet (English): very good illustrated instruction
Tutorial Double Treble Crochet (German)

Starburst Card

Starburst Card

Links of entry

I love many of the string art patterns, but I would never make them, because I find them on the other side quite old fashioned.
Although the I thought that I could use the pattern to create a card.
I pricked the holes of the Starburst pattern Starburst pattern (template here template here) from The Art of Thread Design The Art of Thread Design into my cardboard and measured the length of thread. About 8m (about 26 feet ;-)). Then I started to weave the thread through the holes. I hadn’t finished the first two stitches when my thread became a firm knot. Totally entangled. Absolutely un-detangable.

Therefore I had to try something else with new thread.
I thought (what I should have done beforehand ;-)) that in string art they use pegs (nails) to fix the thread at the predefined points. Then I realised that I could have a kind of pegs too: if I weave the thread over and under the holes (from hole 1 to hole 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4 etc) and back, I get a coloured frame where the holes are, I get pegs, because one thread goes from the front side to the back side and vice verso (see picture).

Starburst Card-Thread weaving
Click to enlarge

Now I could wrap the thread around my self-made pegs just in the same way they are doing it in string art around the nails.

I enjoyed working on the Starburst pattern, but at one end it is very narrow and I only could use two layers in place of three.


Links:
The Art of Thread Design

Starburst pattern instructions
Starburst pattern template

The original site doesn’t exist any more and is now available through webarchive:
The Art of Thread Design

Starburst pattern instructions
Starburst pattern template

Paper Beads

Paper Beads

Links of entry

I always loved paper beads, but never knew what to do with them. Then one day I created an artist book (more to follow in a later entry) and – eureka! – I found a use for those paper beads: I wanted to use them on the fibers embellishing the spine of my book (see photo). For those beads I used an advertisement flyer from a furniture dealer with lots of sofas in matching colours. They just had the right size for the beads ;-)
To make the beads I used those instructions on how to make paper and fabric beads.
It can also be used to make the fabric beads I mentioned before.
Later on I found an entry at craftster: A bowl made out of paper beads! I stood there in awe!
But I think that I never will make such a bowl – it’s all a question of having or not having patience ;-)


Links:
Instructions on how to make paper and fabric beads

craftster.org: A website with sooo many craft ideas, inspirations and tutorials
A bowl made out of paper beads

Here at unikatissima:
Making Fabric Beads

Miniature Book

Miniature Book

Links of entry

The title of this entry isn’t fully correct: the instruction is named ‘How to Make a Miniature Book from a Sticky Note Pad’, but I felt it was too long ;-)
The tutorial itself is great!
Unfortunately I didn’t have time yet to try it out, but I will.
I really will ;-)


Links:
Studio 3D: A website with great instructions, I found it while looking for tutorials on how to make books
How to Make a Miniature Book from a Sticky Note Pad ;-)