Craft is often defined as skill in making things by hand, but this interpretation is being challenged by AI. Craft transcends physical interaction; historical figures like Mozart and Beethoven exemplify mastery without traditional methods.
"We met with linen and wool weavers and were blown away by the exceptional quality and beauty of the cloth they produced, as well as the depth of [textile] history in Ireland. We were in equal measure concerned by the decline in the number of weavers. They mentioned that they were losing out to cheaper cloth from abroad and that Irish buyers were few and far between."
Textiles are a window into the communities that created them, with every motif and line signalling a different memory, tradition or identity. Often seen as folk art, these pieces of embroidery and weaving bring together dozens of narrative threads, from Japan to South America. But nowhere is it more fraught with meaning than in Palestine.
Each nudibranch in this archive is three inches long, grown-up size, as the artist puts it, and each one is a faithful replica of a real species. The cerata, those finger-like projections on a nudibranch's back that serve as gills and defensive organs, are recreated individually in wool, each in the right shape and color for its species.
Despite having to haul a dozen dumpster-loads of damaged goods out of the offices and the nearby Lab Store, to the tune of $1.5 million, Eileen said at the time, 'It was just stuff.' You can only imagine the emotions that might arise in a chief executive if they saw their sewage-soaked products floating by. Eileen and her staff did not linger there. They mobilized quickly-organizing carpools, impromptu meeting spaces, and arranging interest-free loans for staff needing cash during the crisis.
This research-based design project by Laura Oliveira investigates discarded as a potential raw material for sustainable design applications. Human hair is produced continuously and in large quantities through everyday grooming practices, yet it is almost always treated as waste once separated from the body and typically disposed of in landfills. Despite its material properties, strength, flexibility, and durability as a keratin-based protein fiber, its remains uncommon within design and research contexts.
Enjoy free craft workshops that are the perfect artsy excuse to explore bars and restaurants in Mid-Market. Join us at Jay's Grill to explore the art of watercolor, The Beer Hall make your own one-of-a-kind beaded coasters, and Habibi's Birria to try your hand at painted paper weaving. Grab a craft beer, savor hand-crafted eats, and socialize with fellow crafters while making festive creations.
Crocheting started as a pandemic hobby. My background is all creative. I have several design degrees and yearned for a creative outlet that was away from a computer screen.
At first glance, the faux fur treasures all look similar, but each has its own distinct perk. For instance, the Lola Blankets pick has a stretchy construction that's perfect for wrapping, while the Cozy Earth bubble blanket is the ultimate reading-in-bed accessory thanks to its heftier weight and tailored look. Since these are quite fluffy, I like to style my faux fur blankets in two ways, depending on my mood. For all-season decor, you can't go wrong draping it against woven upholstery.
I was surrounded by 200 marine biologists and students living and working together on a small island. That summer changed everything. It was there that I first learned about nudibranchs-these impossibly colorful sea slugs with shapes and patterns that looked like they came from another planet.
Making pojagi was a way of "economizing resources," and also "an act of affection," explains artist-fashion designer Christina Kim of Remodelista longtime favorite Dosa. Shown here: Dosa's cotton and silk Pojagi Scarves are "both a reminder of Christina's childhood in Korea and a beautiful expression of traditional recycling"-and would work well on a wall or in a doorway.
Tons upon tons of these single-use plastics end up in landfills or even floating in the ocean. Spanish design firm PET Lamp set out give another purpose to these otherwise short-lived materials. Partnering with artisans in communities from Chile to Ethiopia to Australia, the company celebrates both Indigeneity and sustainability, drawing upon time-honored global craft traditions while supporting local economies and recycling discarded materials.
In this freezing season, we're thinking warm thoughts. Hot chocolate, '90s rom-coms, purring kittens, and the best luxury throw blankets. "Feels like -6 degrees" day after day has us dreaming up cozy blankets speciated for sophisticated lounging. We're talking thick wool that's not scratchy, cashmere not prone to pilling, oversized throws as soft as your favorite sweater. High-quality textiles are of the highest import, and we'll even pay the dry cleaning fee for this level of comfort.
In the show, "dirty" extends to anything that breaks fashion's pact with propriety. Here are clothes caked in grime, blotted with makeup, stiffened by salt, pieced from trash, frayed, and faded. The garments span decades, from the 1980s through the mid-2000s, when the likes of Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier built their fame on defying convention, to today, when corporatization has made such daring increasingly rare. But forgoing practicality frees certain designers from the demands that the body be polite-and thereby policed.