My talented friend Tiffany and I bartered: I would create a name plaque for her and she would make a gift baby quilt for another friend of mine. Custom sketch, digitized, and then laser etched onto birch plywood. I’m not 100% happy with how the staining turned out. It looks great from some angles, but from others the words completely disappear! Live and learn. Oh, and because I did it all in Fontlab, I gave her the font so she can use ‘Tiffany Anne’ as a signature or tag on other projects. Fun!
I’ve been playing with lasers again! These designs were created as prizes for my office. We’re a bunch of nerdy geeks who create fonts for publishing minority languages. Last year we started taking bits from the ‘team movie’ of The Princess Bride and twisting them to our own silliness. There were actually a few more converted quotes, but these were the ones I chose to design. I etched them on wood as well as several different types of acrylic, but I feel that these turned out the best. Pardon the bits of dust clinging to them! I rubbed silver paint into the etching, exactly like I did for the Obscure Word book.
F.O.U.S.s…Fonts Of Unusual Size!
(R.O.U.S.s…Rodents Of Unusual Size)
The Glyphs of Insanity
(The Cliffs of Insanity)
Twoo Type
Twoo Wuv
The maple leaf pattern tutorial, as requested in the poll! I’d say this one is pretty simple. The instructions for the ‘V’s at the edges are written differently than usual, but I hope it make it a bit easier.
*Tip: make holes 1, 14, and 26 a bit larger than the others, as the needle will have to go through them eight times.*
**click on an image to enlarge**
hole pattern
sewing pattern
EXIT = needle pointed DOWN and ENTER = needle pointed UP
=====
enter 1, leave a tail but don’t knot it
exit 2, wrap around right edge, exit 2 again
enter 1
exit 3
enter 1
exit 4
enter 1
exit 6
enter 1
exit 7
enter 1
exit 9
enter 1
exit 11
enter 1
exit 12
enter 11
exit 10
enter 9
exit 8, wrap around spine, exit 8 again
enter 7, wrap around spine
enter 6
exit 5, wrap around right edge, exit 5 again
wrap around spine, exit 5 again
enter 4, wrap around right edge
enter 3
exit 2
enter 3, wrap around right edge, thread needle through loop at edge, point up
enter 4
exit 5
enter 6, wrap around spine, thread needle through loop at edge, point right
enter 7
exit 8
enter 9
exit 10
enter 11
exit 12
enter 13
exit 14
enter 15
exit 14
enter 16
exit 14
enter 18
exit 14
enter 19
exit 14
enter 21
exit 14
enter 23
exit 14
enter 24
exit 23
enter 22
exit 21
enter 20, wrap around spine, enter 20 again
exit 19, wrap around spine
exit 18
enter 17, wrap around spine, enter 17 again
exit 16
enter 10
exit 15
enter 13
exit 15
enter 10
exit 16
enter 17
exit 18, wrap around spine, thread needle through loop at edge, point right
exit 19
enter 20
exit 21
enter 22
exit 23
enter 24
exit 25
enter 26
exit 27
enter 26
exit 28
enter 26
exit 30
enter 26
exit 31
enter 26
exit 33
enter 26
exit 34
enter 26
exit 35, wrap around left edge, exit 35 again
enter 34, wrap around left edge
enter 33
exit 32, wrap around left edge, exit 32 again
wrap around spine, exit 32 again
enter 31, wrap around spine
enter 30
exit 29, wrap around spine, exit 29 again
enter 28
exit 22
enter 27
exit 25
enter 27
exit 22
enter 28
exit 29
enter 30, wrap around spine, thread needle through loop at edge, point right
enter 31
exit 32
enter 33, wrap around left edge, thread needle through loop at edge, point down
enter 34
exit 35
enter 26
exit 25
enter 24
exit 14
enter 13
exit 12, tie off
I’ll be honest, I’ve been working on this tutorial for days. It might be the most convoluted one. I’ve checked and double-checked for errors. If you find one, leave a comment and I’ll fix it as soon as I can.
But ‘woven’ is not that difficult to sew once you understand the technique. If you’ve tried the marionette tutorial, then you could sew this bind with that method. However…if you can figure this technique out, it will give you more options! The ‘woven’ part will actually be partially over the spine edge – though the diagram doesn’t show it well. I rate this pattern somewhere in the intermediate range, with beginning holes.
A few things to remember: when you are making the first diagonal Xs, do not make the knot too tight. Also, leave a bit of slack in the first three Xs. Your fingers will thank you when you try to thread the needle under the massive knot to make the last X between holes 16 and 20. If when you first read the pattern and can’t visualize what to do, just think how an X is written… you sew the first diagonal from the beginning hole to the matching hole on the opposite side of the pattern, and then complete the X on the way back to the original hole. Clear as mud? Well – jump in and try it and hopefully it will make sense!
EXIT = needle pointed DOWN and ENTER = needle pointed UP
=====
enter 1, (leave a tail but don’t knot it) wrap around right side, enter 1 again
exit 2, wrap around spine, exit 2 again
enter 3, wrap around spine, enter 3 again
exit 4, wrap around spine, exit 4 again
enter 5, wrap around spine, enter 5 again
exit 6, wrap around spine, exit 6 again
enter 7, wrap around spine, enter 7 again
exit 8, wrap around spine, exit 8 again
enter 9, wrap around spine, enter 9 again
exit 10, wrap around spine, exit 10 again
enter 11, wrap around spine, enter 11 again
exit 12, wrap around left side, exit 12 again
enter 13, wrap around left side, enter 13 again
exit 14, wrap around left side, exit 14 again
enter 15, wrap around left side, enter 15 again
exit 16, wrap around left side, exit 16 again
wrap around spine, exit 16 again
enter 15
exit 14
enter 13
exit 12
enter 11
exit 10
enter 9
exit 8
enter 7
exit 6
enter 5
exit 4
enter 3
exit 2
enter 1, thread needle under 2, over 3, under 4, over 5, under 6, at angle to between 6 and 7; *opposite side* thread needle under 7, over 8, under 9, over 10, under 11
enter 12, thread needle under 11, over 10, under 9, over 8, under 7; thread needle backward (point left) under loop from 1, pull to the right (knot/twist should be vertical), *opposite side* thread needle under 6, over 5, under 4, over 3, under 2
enter 1
exit 17, thread needle over 2, under 3, over 4, under 5, over 6, thread needle under knot/twist between 6 and 7, point right, *opposite side* thread needle over 7, under 8, over 9, under 10, over 11
exit 13, thread needle over 11, under 10, over 9, under 8, over 7, thread needle under twist between 7 and 6, point left, *opposite side* thread needle over 6, under 5, over 4, under 3, over 2
exit 17
enter 18, thread needle under 2, over 3, under 4, over 5, under 6, thread needle under twist between 6 and 7, point right, *opposite side* thread needle under 7, over 8, under 9, over 10, under 11
enter 14, thread needle under 11, over 10, under 9, over 8, under 7, thread needle under twist between 7 and 6, point left, *opposite side* thread needle under 6, over 5, under 4, over 3, under 2
enter 18
exit 19, thread needle over 2, under 3, over 4, under 5, over 6, thread needle under twist between 6 and 7, point right, *opposite side* thread needle over 7, under 8, over 9, under 10, over 11
exit 15, thread needle over 11, under 10, over 9, under 8, over 7, thread needle under twist between 7 and 6, point left, *opposite side* thread needle over 6, under 5, over 4, under 3, over 2
exit 19
enter 20, thread needle under 2, over 3, under 5, over 5, under 6, **thread needle under twist between 6 and 7, don’t wrap knot,** *opposite side* thread needle under 7, over 8, under 9, over 10, under 11
enter 16, thread needle under 11, over 10, under 9, over 8, under 7, ••thread needle under twist between 7 and 6, don’t wrap knot,** *opposite side* under 6, over 5, under 4, over 3, under 2
enter 20, wrap around spine, enter 20 again,
wrap around right edge, enter 20 again
exit 19, wrap around right edge, exit 19 again,
enter 18, wrap around right edge, enter 18 again
exit 17, wrap around right edge, exit 17 again
tie off
I made this for a friend’s birthday. Please pardon the poor lighting. I don’t have time to take a picture in the daylight. But good daylight is kind of hit or miss in England anyway… Seven colors of Sharpie marker, eight including the silver. On a brown paper envelope I cut apart! I like the contrast of the silver with the brown.
Shop sign, Great Russel Street, London
A fairly straightforward beginning bind and hole pattern.
Sandwich board in the Camden Market, London
Dedicated to former adviser, Robert…I know you miss my ‘butterfly’ days… :)
An intermediate bind with a difficult hole pattern.
**click on an image to enlarge**
hole pattern
sewing pattern
EXIT = needle pointed DOWN and ENTER = needle pointed UP
=====
enter 1, (leave a tail but don’t knot it) wrap around right edge, enter 1 again
exit 2
enter 3
exit 4
enter 5
exit 6
enter 7
exit 8
enter 5
exit 8
enter 7
exit 6
enter 5
exit 4
enter 3
exit 2
enter 6
exit 2
enter 1
exit 9
enter 3
exit 10
enter 5
exit 10
enter 3
exit 9
enter 11
exit 12
enter 10
exit 12
enter 5
exit 12
enter 13
exit 14
enter 13
exit 12
enter 14
exit 5
enter 14
exit 8
enter 14
exit 15
enter 7
exit 15
enter 16, wrap around spine at an angle to below 19, enter 16 again
exit 15
enter 14, wrap around spine, point needle to the right, thread needle through loop from 16, enter 14 again
exit 17
enter 18
exit 16
enter 19
exit 17
enter 19
exit 16
enter 18
exit 17
enter 14
exit 20, wrap around spine at an angle to below 21, exit 20 again
enter 14
exit 12
enter 21
exit 22
enter 23
exit 24
enter 23
exit 25
enter 23
exit 22
enter 21
exit 26
enter 25
exit 27
enter 25
exit 26
enter 21
exit 28
enter 29
exit 30
enter 31 wrap around left edge, enter 31 again
exit 32
enter 33
exit 34
enter 35
exit 36
enter 37
exit 38
enter 35
exit 38
enter 37
exit 36
enter 32
exit 36
enter 35
exit 34
enter 33
exit 32
enter 31
exit 30
enter 33
exit 39
enter 35
exit 39
enter 33
exit 30
enter 29
exit 28
enter 39
exit 28
enter 35
exit 28
enter 40
exit 41
enter 40
exit 28
enter 41
exit 35
enter 41
exit 38
enter 41
exit 42
enter 37
exit 42
enter 43, wrap around spine at angle to below 46, enter 43 again
exit 42
enter 41, thread needle through loop from 43, point needle to the left, enter 41 again
exit 44
enter 45
exit 43
enter 46
exit 44
enter 46
exit 43
enter 45
exit 44
enter 41
exit 47, wrap around spine, thread needle through loop from 20, point needle right, exit 47 again
enter 41
exit 28
enter 21
exit 12
enter 11
exit 9
tie off with tail from 1
I didn’t connect the wings and the antennae, but you could if you wanted. The hole pattern is difficult, but the sewing is intermediate.
sewing pattern
becca making faces 
