Archive for the ‘Crafts’ Category
January 20th, 2012 | 
Author: Artisan crafts are made by skilled manual workers. An artisan is also known as a craftsman, who uses tools, and very rarely, machinery, in a special way to produce a handmade article.
During the Middle Ages, in Europe, craftsman organized into guilds, which were associations of master artisans. These guilds were granted charters by local authorities. To become an artisan in a guild, a person worked as an unpaid apprentice under a master artisan. If the apprentice completed the training, he became a paid journeyman, but to become a master artisan, he had to produce a masterpiece that met the standards of the guild. Read the rest of this entry »
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“The art of quilting integrated the European and African cultures in America during the slave period. The African folk-tradition was considered inferior, and the European superior. In spite of this gap, quilting brought about the unity of these two traditions and cultures.
It brought the values of both the African and European American women together in a way no folk art tradition did before. Both of them deeply rely on the traditions of storytelling and folklore. Uniting women to sew and pass the traditions to new generations are the common characteristics of both traditions.
Not only did both African and European Americans make quilts to provide warm blankets for their families, but also to show their creativity and gain status, record family history, and to represent various themes and beliefs. Women considered it to be the best way to spend time together and display their skills.
Despite the fact that quilting is a process with individual interpretations, it is also a cultural process that came into being from the exchange and merging of both African and European traditions. The emergence of American quilting was one of the products of this process. The quilting styles of both traditions are highly symbolic. Both of them deeply rely on the traditions of storytelling and folklore. Uniting women to sew and pass the traditions to new generations are the common characteristics of both traditions.”
I make no apology for quoting these extracts, if you like, from my e-Book – The Essential Guide to Quilting. The book is basically about learning how to quilt, but firstly I felt that it was important to have a look at the history of quilting – like a lot of you reading this, I had no idea about how important this craft was to our history, indeed for much of the world.
I go into more detail on the History in the e-Book, so, as I said in my Autobiography, when I started Quilting several years ago, there was not that much good information about how to start thus I took a break from quilting to write the e-Book – The Essential Guide to Quilting – to put my readers on the right road without the hit & miss ride that I had, when I might have given up at times.
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Don’t feel that you are talented enough to perform fabulous Christmas crafts? Have you never tried to make a Christmas craft as a gift for someone who you love and admire? Just think how lovely it is to receive a homemade Christmas gift from someone you care about and love. You know you will cherish it always. Wouldn’t someone you love feel the same way if you gave him or her a Christmas Craft gift?
Now you can simply carry out your Christmas craft, even if you didn’t order crafts kits, and experience a new way of celebrating Christmas.
I know that it is very easy to purchase ready-made decorations and Christmas crafts, but it is far more festive and fun to make your own special Christmas crafts. Making homemade Christmas cards and Christmas crafts is a great way to spend quality family time together. There are so many fun ideas for homemade Christmas ornaments to give to relatives, teachers or friends. They can be varied to make a number of different sparkling ornaments for your Christmas tree.
Christmas crafts can be made from a variety of materials. If you like working with wood, you can cut out typical holiday designs, like snowmen, Christmas trees, or Santa figures and then spend some time painting to bring life to your Christmas crafts. If it’s your first time working with wood as a Christmas craft, start out simply- cut out any shape and make a sign for your holiday guests. You can paint little trees or stars, and print out with a cute Christmas greetings sentences like “Hope all your wishes come True”.
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Cracks in Leather
The only way to un-crack leather is to replace it. One approach that leather repair specialists use is to clean the leather and then re-color it. The result is that the leather will have a uniform appearance. The cracks will still be there but will be less apparent.
You can also have a leather repair professional replace the cracked areas and match the new leather to the original color. This works best when you are working with a panel of leather, for example on a car seat or the surface of a furniture cushion.
Dog and Cat Scratches
If you own a dog or cat, do not allow them on your leather furniture – PERIOD!
For dogs, most damage occurs while climbing on and jumping off. If you are a cat owner, leather fillers or tanner’s resin will cure the symptoms but not the problem.
You might consider buying your cat a scratching post and put it near the area where the cat is scratching before using the filler.
Spray water on the scratch and cover it with a small square of 1000 grit wet sand paper from the hardware store. Sand very lightly until the surface is smooth and you cannot feel the tear from the scratch anymore. You may end up needing to re-color the furniture if the scratch damage is extensive. That would be a job for a pro.
Leather Repair Kits
If your leather has a tiny tear and it’s not highly visible, (and if the color is black) any leather repair kit should be sufficient if you follow directions.
However, there are a couple of things to be aware of in case you run into problems. The repair material may not bond well with the leather. This happens if the leather is old or if the heating element supplied with the kit (if it’s included) is not hot enough.
Usually, a leather repair kit will contain grain papers that you rub over the repaired area to imprint a grain-like finish. The idea is that the grain will resemble that of the original undamaged leather as much as possible.
Some grain papers are also pigmented. It’s difficult to match color but it’s even more difficult if the leather is old. Experts say that unless the leather color is black, the repair will show.
You may need to place a small piece of cloth and padding under the tear to help hold the edges together. You can place a piece of material under the tear and glue it with the edges to be repaired as close together as possible. Hold the edges together while the adhesive dries, or use a hair dryer (very carefully) to speed up the process.
Using a leather repair kit will usually hide the tear and hopefully prevent further damage. The problem with using a leather repair kit is the damaged area will always be weaker. The other thing you can do of course is have someone replace the damaged section of leather and match the color professionally.
Stuck Leather
If you have a leather item with sides, such as a purse that appear to be stuck together, look inside to see if you can tell exactly where the sides are sticking. You should be able to see if it is sticking in a couple of places or if the leather is completely stuck shut.
Hold the item over a pot of boiling water – not too closely and do not allow the purse to get soaked. The heat and humidity will expand the pores in the leather and might allow you to work the sides free, just do not force them if they will not budge.
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