Handmade: Stamp carving

This weekend I took a class at Handmade, an annual Wellington event where you can learn and do all kinds of crafty things.  I decided to try something outside my existing range of craft skills and took a class called Hand Carved Rubber Stamps and Printing, taught by Melissa Wastney (who blogs at Tiny Happy).

 

The concept is quite simple really - you take a rubber eraser and some kind of carving tool (I used a little set of wood carving tools but you can also use a lino cutter) and create your very own stamp.

 

I had a think before the class about the kind of stamps I might like to make.  My drawing skills are minimal at best so I was trying to come up with simple shapes that I can actually draw.  I got the idea of creating a two piece stamp from a new design, "Flight", which Leslie Keating from maze and vale posted on instagram last week, and I guess the winter weather inspired the clouds and the rain.

 

The cat stamp was something that of course I had to try out.  I think it turned out quite cute, like a funny little cat polka dot.

Overall I really enjoyed this class - we didn't have too much to cover in the time available, and Melissa was a great teacher with a lovely calm and encouraging manner.  It was fantastic to see what everyone else in the class was doing as well - people came up with some amazing designs and my favourites were not necessarily the most complicated.  

I'd like to play around with stamp carving and printing some more, and since I bought about a dozen erasers and only used 4 in class I've got plenty of material to work with!  Have you ever tried making your own stamps?

A tote bag for travelling handmade

Lately I've been looking for more ways to live a little more handmade.  I'm psyching myself up to make a "proper" bag (maybe a Super Tote) so I bought some Soft and Stable in anticipation.  It's something that I read about at Sew Sweetness, and boy does Sara know her bags, so I had to try it.

 

I'm a bit nervous about sewing proper fancy bags with zips and pockets and all that jazz, but I could picture how to make a simple tote bag so I thought I would experiment with the Soft and Stable to make just that.

 

For this tote I used a relatively subtle cat fabric (which I really really love, in case you can't tell), together with Essex Yarn Dyed Linen in Black (another favourite).  I quilted the exterior fabric to the Soft and Stable with lots of vertical lines.  I then added the handles, leaving room to add the lining.  I slightly boxed the corners, then added a simple lining to match.

 

I was really impressed with the Soft and Stable - it was easy to work with, and it's given the bag enough body so that it can stand up by itself, without being stiff or heavy.

I'm doing a lot of travel at the moment, and I'll be using this bag for my carry on luggage.  It fits my laptop nicely, with enough room for the miscellaneous junk that I need to carry on but can't fit in my handbag.  I'm kind of in love, and very relieved that my "make it up as you go along" method worked out well.

Have you tried Soft and Stable?  Do you have any specialty product recommendations?

Linking up with finish it up friday at crazy mom quilts and Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts.