You Asked, We Answered!

You decided what project we'd take on and you've waited long enough.

We changed the design quite a bit -- to update it and to make it work for our space. But we think you'll still recognize the "seating system" inspiration in our final design.

The first step was to customize it with our awesome logo, so we dusted off our screenprinting supplies and got to work!

Ladies and gentlemen, may we present to you... our new version of the mid-70s seating system!

To make it a seating "system", everything comes apart and can be moved into different formations:

Knowing that it would be used in our messy messy studio (by messy messy us!), we decided to use a button closure, so that the covers can be removed and laundered.

Ahhh, just what we need in the studio -- a comfy spot to relax, put up our feet and not get any work done!

Starting the Seating System

Thank you so much to everyone who voted on our last post. The results are in, and the Simple Seating System has reigned supreme!

Suck it, Team Wall Tidy! I'm joking of course, you Wall Tidies fought a good fight. We will have to put the Tidy back in the game the next time we let you decide our crafty fate...

Still, majority rules and so we've starting to work on our new version of the mid-70s Seating System -- which will really open up the lounging options at the Five Corners studio. We are modernizing and making the project more practical for our purposes... but you'll still recognize it!

To pay homage to the era of the inspiration craft, we've chosen a verrrry 70s rust colour for the fabric:

Can you dig it?

We're hard at work on our assignment now. We'll post again with pictures of some of the steps we took and, of course, the finished project!

 

You Decide: Craft from the Past

In our 'Craft from the Past' posts, we seek inspiration from our ever-growing studio book collection, and attempt to revamp vintage craft projects. 

At Five Corners, we're always on the lookout for weird (and cheap!) crafty books. We have amassed a huge stack of books -- but our very favourites are the funny and ridiculous publications from the seventies and eighties.

The hardest part can be just choosing from all the great, weird projects. So this time, we're letting you decide! Majority rules!


First up, a 'Wall Tidy'... of course. Circa 1982, this beauty stores your items. Tidily. On a wall.


And as the copy reads, it is "well received at any fund raising event". Huh?

 

Your second choice, also circa 1982, is an 'Embroidered Notebook Cover'. As you can see, it looks quite stunning beside your rotary phone. So there's that.

 

And your final choice -- a 'Simple Seating System'. As they always say, you're not fully grown up until you've sewn your own uncomfortable couch. (That's totally a saying, right?).

 

Okay, you have until Saturday night to vote... and then we'll get to the task of making a modern version of your assignment!

Which vintage craft project would you like us to tackle?

Craft from the Past: People Pillows

We at Five Corners feel pretty strongly about creativity. While it's not always easy, we make a strong effort to designate time specifically for making things... in fact, it's what our messy rented "art basement" is all about. We have drawers of clay, magnets, a cool-looking stick found while walking the dog, jars of old buttons, all kinds of art supplies, piles of assorted fabric, a half-finished mini felt cactus, heat guns, scraps of metal, and stacks of fun papers, among many other things. Sure seems like ample ingredients for creativity, right?

Usually it is... but we get stuck sometimes. With great intentions and expectations we head to the studio where we sit down, crack open a Diet Coke, twirl around in our chairs, eat some candy, and... stare at the wall. These are the moments when we turn to our studio bookshelf for a little inspiration:

We have an eclectic collection of old crafting books we've collected from library sales, garage sales, thrifts stores, and grandmas. Many of the books are from the seventies and have some very strange, dated projects. They also have some pretty rad ideas. If you can't get a spark of inspiration from looking through these, there's something seriously wrong with you!

In Craft from the Past, Megan or I will choose a "vintage" craft project from our book collection and try to make it our own.

In this first chapter, I've chosen a project from the "Family Creative Workshop" series...

While admittedly dated-looking, I think the "People Pillows" project is pretty great. In fact, I would happily adopt any of the kitschy and fun pillows in the book for my couch! Using the book's technique, I decided to make it a little more personal by crafting a "People Pillow" of my brother-in-law for a very unusual birthday gift... because who wouldn't want a giant pillow of their own face?

Since he's an actor, I had lots of photographs of him to choose from (thanks, Google images!). I went with a beautiful in-character western shot because I loved the graphic quality to his distinctive facial hair. Starting with a drawing from the photograph, I blocked out the main shapes:

Then I cut those shapes out of fabric and assembled the image:

 

I used spray glue to keep the little fabric scraps in place while I machine-sewed it all together:

 

Et voila! A "People Pillow" for a new generation! I was really happy with how it turned out. When I gave it to my brother-in-law, he looked confused, then pleased, then confused again... the perfect reaction! It now sits in on a chair in his living room, creepily greeting visitors.

 

Stay tuned for more retooled Crafts from the Past!