Craft Articles

When you first enter the wonderful world of wood carving, you may feel a little overwhelmed by all the new names for tools, techniques, measurements etcetera. How large is a board-foot? What is the difference between AD wood and KD wood? How can I tell a butt chisel from a framing chisel? To make it easier for prospective wood carving enthusiasts, we have compiled a short list of a few words commonly used within the hobby. 

• Board-foot
The term board-foot is only used in Canada and the United States. If you order one board-foot of wood, you will get a volume that equals 1 feet x 1 feet x 1 inch. This is the same as 144 in³ or 1⁄12 ft³. For those more familiar with the metric system, one board-foot equals 2.360 litres (0.002360 cubic metres). Wood ordered using this form of measurement is typically rough lumber that has not been dried or planed. If you instead order planed lumber, the term board-feet will refer to the nominal thickness and width of your lumber. The calculation will be based on the size prior to drying and planning, but the length will be measured after planning. Keep in mind that softwood and hardwood react very dissimilar to drying and planning.   

• AD wood
AD stands for Air Dried. Air dried wood has been left to dry over a long period of time. The moisture content will usually drop to 12-18 percent over time. 

• KD wood
KD stands for Kiln Dried. Kiln dried wood is not left to dry naturally; it is instead heated by a gas or solar fired kiln. This expedites the drying process. Once of the main difference between air dried and kiln dried wood is that kiln dried wood has a lower moisture content. Kiln dried wood will usually have a moisture content no higher than 6-12 percent, while air dried wood can consist of up to 18 percent moisture.

• Chisels
A chisel is a tool used for carving or cutting hard materials. It is commonly used by wood carvers, but you can also purchase chisels adapted for stone or metal work. A chisel is characterized by its cutting edge. When you use your chisel for wood carving, you push the chisel into the wood in order to make a cut. Some woodcarvers use a mallet or a hammer to force the chisel. You can find small hand chisels for detail work as well as large chisels capable of removing big sections of wood. As the wood carving techniques developed, more and more specialised chisels were invented. Today, you can for instance use butt chisels, corner chisels, framing chisels, mortise chisels, paring chisels and skew chisels. The butt chisel is a very short chisel used for shaping joints, while the corning chisel is ideal for cleaning out corners and square holes. The cutting edge of a corning chisel is shaped like an L and the tool is somewhat similar to a punch. A framing chisel is similar to a butt chisel, but the blade is longer and more flexible. The framing chisel is often used together with a mallet or hammer. A mortise chisel has a thick and rigid blade and features a straight cutting edge with square sides. If you want to clean grooves or reach into tight spots, the paring chisel can be a good choice since it has a very long blade. If you instead need to trim and finish your item, the skew chisel with its 60 degree cutting angle is to be preferred.

Traditional wood carving techniques utilizes a hand-held cutting tool when sculpturing wooden figures, ornaments, mouldings or similar. Today, many craftsmen prefer to use power tools even when carrying out traditional wood carving techniques. There exists a wide range of different traditional wood carving techniques, including whittling, chip carving and relief carving.

Whittling is a wood carving technique where shapes are carved out of raw wood using a knife. The term whittling is sometimes confused with general wood carving, but when you whittle you use no other tools than a knife. Other wood carving techniques can on the other hand utilize not only knifes, but chisels, gouges, mallets etcetera. If you want to try whittling, the preferred type of knife is a small, light-bladed one. Many whittlers all over the world use ordinary pocket knifes, but you can also purchase advanced whittling knives. A specialized whittling knife will typically have a larger and more comfortable handle than a standard pocket knife and is therefore easier to use.

Chip carving is a time-honoured wood carving technique where knives are used to take out small triangular chips of wood from the surface of the carved item. When you perform chip carving, you will work with to planes: the surface of the wood and the spot beneath the surface where the cuts intersect. By varying the size and position of the triangles, chip carvers can create very beautiful and unique decorative patterns. 

The most commonly used relief carving technique involves fixing the wood in a workbench. You can for instance use a clamp or a carvers screw to secure the wood. Most craftsmen will then prefer to sketch out the main lines onto the wood, but it is of course possible to work free-hand as well. If you wish to create a highly elaborate pattern, it can be a good idea to prepare the pattern on paper first and then trace it to the wood. Proceed by grounding out the space between the lines using a gouge. A gouge is similar to a chisel, but the edge is curved or angled in cross-section instead of being flat. After the grounding, an upstanding pattern will remain for you to work on. During relief carving, it is common to go over the same part several times before the item is ready. This can be compared to the chip carving technique described above, where the items tend to be finished in one sweep rather than being gradually shaped into the desired form.

Hello, my name is Anice and I am a card maker and craft designer for Funky Hand. I have been making cards for over two years and in that time have learned that it is a hobby that can take over your life! If you have decided that it is something that you would like to try then join me on a simple guide to getting started.

When I decided that I would like to start card making I was in the lucky situation of having a Mother who was already heavily addicted to it, because of this I had easy access to most information that I needed and got some realistic advice about getting started rather than the sales pitch that you can sometimes come across. Over the next few weeks through the articles that will be posted here I intend to give you a simple guide to getting started with card making, and then go on to introduce you to general card making, ideas and techniques. If you are an experienced card maker then this first article might be a little too basic for you but take a look anyway you might learn something new… right lets get started!

What on earth do I need to get started?
The first time you enter your local craft shop can be a bit daunting. there are so many shelves full of different papers, card, stamps, inks, pens, glues, knives and other stuff it can be a bit overwhelming. If you are just trying out card making to see if you would like to take it up then you don’t want to spend a fortune in order to get started. My Mom told me that when she started she bought stuff that she has never used and she still has it in her stash (Stash: This is a crafters term for all their crafting collection, paper and embellishments etc…there we are, starting to get into it all ready!) I don’t want you do the same so, let’s talk about what your basic needs are to get you making your first card:

Basic Card Making Items that you will need:

A Cutting mat – This is a real staple as it will double as a cutting matt a protector for your table and the craft item you can never find anywhere to store flat!A pair of Scissors- You probably have a spare pair of scissors lying around in a kitchen draw, to get you started they will be fine, later you might want to go out and buy some smaller or larger ones or even fancy cutting edge ones for different craft techniques but when you are just trying out the craft what you have got will do fine.

Glue: In the craft store there are loads of different types of glue but to get you started just buy a small bottle of All purpose PVA glue, get one that dries colourless so that if you put a bit to much on when you a trying out your first cards it wont show up so bad!

Card for making the base of your card: There are hundreds of different types of card available and in the future if you decide that card making is something you would like to continue then you can buy every type (and you probably will!) but, I suggest when you are just starting that you buy a small pack of ready scored and creased cards. They usually come in packs of about five with matching envelopes, buy whatever colour takes your fancy but I usually stick to white or cream because that will go with any embellishment that you decide on. I have chosen a cream card for my example card

Card for matting and layering: What’s matting and layering I hear you ask. We will get to that in the next article. Just get yourself a couple of pieces of A4 card in co-ordinating colours to go with the pre scored cards you have chosen. I have chosen to use a pink and a silver mirror type of card for my example card but you choose what ever you like.

Backing Paper: Now, backing papers are my passion. Backing papers are the patterned papers that you see on a card on top of the base card underneath the greeting or embellishment. They come is every size and pattern imaginable. To get you started I suggest just buying one or two papers from your craft shop. Choose designs that you like and will co-ordinate with the card that you have decided on. The backing paper on my example card is pink with hearts over it.

Embellishments: This is the fun part. Embellishments are the bits and pieces that you use to make the card special and different to any cards you might buy in the shops. There are many different types of embellishments and later on in this series I will be showing you ways to create your own embellishments for your cards. But to get you started I suggest that you buy a ready made set of embellishments. They are made by companies like Jolies and Paper Mania, when you go into you craft shop you will see hundreds to choose from. Buy something that takes your fancy or will fit the type of card you are planning to make. For my example card I have gone for a simple pink fabric flower.

Peel offs: Peel offs are the sheets of silver or gold stickers that can be either pictures or wording. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of peel offs they are used very badly by some card makers but they are great when you are first starting out as they are pretty cheap and an easy way of adding a sentiment to a card. Buy yourself a sheet with something like ‘Happy Birthday’ or ‘Best Wishes’ in whichever colour goes best with your choice of cards and papers. Those sentiments are the ones you will probably use the most.

Even though all through this guide I have been talking about going to your local craft shop I know not everyone has one near them or can get to one so you will find many web based craft shops where you can buy everything that you need. My favourites are Mad about Cards and Create and Celebrate, have a search on the web you will find lots and lots.

OK so now you know what goodies you need to get started, next time using all the items that I have told you about here, I will show you step by step how to put together a simple card like this one:

Anice McNamee
http://www.funkyhanddigital.com/

The craft of pressing flowers reached the height of its popularity during the 19th century Victorian era, but is today going through a revival as more and more people rediscover this fascinating hobby.

When you create pressed flower art, you place flower petals and/or leaves and stems and other parts of the flower in a flower press where they become dry and flattened. The pressed flowers can then be used for a wide range of different items. When you press flowers, their colour will change. Some flowers develop more intense colours, while others become paler and display the characteristic faded shades that we often associate with pressed flower art. Both types of colour changes are highly desirable within the hobby and you can combine the two types in order to create striking, contrasting works of floral art. 

If you do not wish to press your own flowers, it is today possible to purchased already pressed flowers for craft projects.

Purchasing pressed flowers is for instance popular among brides-to-be who wish to create personal invitation cards but do not have the time to go out and pick their own flowers and press them. Pressed flowers can be ordered 12 months a year, and this is naturally very convenient for hobbyists living in regions subjected to cold or dry seasons when picking flowers is impossible and floral art requires a lot of planning in advance.

Pressed flowers are usually mounted on paper, but fine linen, silk, velvet and cotton are also popular. High-quality hand-made paper is highly fashionable within the hobby. If you want to create long-lasting crafts, it is important to choose a paper variant that will withstand the test of time without deteriorating. Pressed flowers are sometimes combined with the craft of paper marbling. This is a technique where free flowing water-based paint and a tray of water is used to create unique patterns on durable paper. Paper marbling was invented in China over 2000 years ago. It did not grow popular in Europe until the 17th century where it was initially a secret craft known only by a selected few.

Pressing flowers and other parts of a plant is not only a way of creating beautiful art; it is also a way for botanists and other scientists to preserve living plants that would normally decompose within a few weeks. Pressing flowers was especially important among early scientists, such as Linnaeus, who could not ship flowers frozen in liquid carbon dioxide or relay on photographs and films.     
 

Assisi embroidery is an Italian form of counted-thread embroidery that evolved in the town of Assisi during the 13th century. When Assisi embroidery was invented, Italy was already famous for its rich embroidery tradition and skilled artisans. Assisi embroidery encompassed old stitching techniques, such as cross-stitch, long-armed cross-stitch, Italian cross-stitch and Algerian plait stitch.

During the 13th century, Assisi embroidery was usually carried out on fine linen cloth and coloured silk was the preferred type of tread. Red, blue, green and gold were, and are still, the traditional Assisi colours.

Blackwork embroidery was often used to outline the motif. During this period, it was very popular to have heraldic beasts and other forms of heraldic patterns created in the form of Assisi embroidery. Altar cloths and chasubles used by the Catholic Church were also frequently adorned with Assisi embroidery.

During the 15th and 16th century, Assisi embroidery grew more fashionable in Europe and its use spread from heraldic and religious items to a much broader range of articles. Popular renaissance imagery such as demons and ancient mythical creatures was now often depicted by the Assisi embroiderers. As the renaissance ended, so did the popularity of Assisi embroidery and by the 18th century, Assisi embroidery had become extremely rare and was considered a thing of the past.

Assisi embroidery was rediscovered during the early years of the 20th century when the practise was revived in its hometown of Assisi. In 1902, ‘Laboratorio Ricreativo Festivo Femminile San Francesco di Assisi’ was established in an effort to create working opportunities for poor Italian women. Among the traditional local handicrafts revived in this “laboratorio” was the art of Assisi embroidery. Today, you can still see Assisi women carry out the craft in front of their houses in Assisi. The embroidered items are sold in the local cooperative embroidery shop or exported to other parts of the world.

Assisi embroidery can be described as “negative embroidery” since the background is filled with cross-stitches or long-armed cross-stitch in order to create a motif. This type of embroidery is also known as voiding, since the motif is left void. There exist two basic forms of Assisi embroidery: traditional and modern. The traditional form dates back to the 13th century, while the modern form was invented during the 20th century.

If you want to use the traditional Assisi embroidery technique, you begin by drawing the figures on fine linen cloth free-hand. Surround the motif with Holbein stitch and fill the background using the traditional Assisi colours - red, blue, green and gold. Modern Assisi embroiderers will instead construct their patterns on paper and a much broader range of colours are used for the filling.

Basket weaving is an ancient craft that has been carried out since prehistoric times. Radiocarbon dating performed on some of the oldest preserved baskets from upper Egypt confirmed their age to be at least 10,000 (possibly 12,000) years. This makes them older than the oldest known remains of pottery. There are also several preserved baskets from the Middle East that exceeds 7,000 years in age.

A problem with baskets is however that they are more inclined to decompose and vanish compared to pottery, metalwork and similar. Baskets are usually created from roots, stems and similar natural materials that are easily broken down as they age. A lot of the baskets that were created by ancient craftsmen have therefore vanished and can never be found in archaeological excavations. We do however sometimes find basket imprints on fragments of clay pots, since certain types of clay pots have been traditionally created by packing clay on the walls of a basket and then burning it. 

Baskets can be formed out of a wide range of different unspun vegetable fibres. A popular classification divides handmade baskets into four basic types: coiled baskets, plaited baskets, twined baskets and wicker/splint baskets. Wicker and splint basketry typically use willow, oak, ash, cane, and similar wood types. Reed is also popular.

Coiled baskets are often made out of grasses and rushes. Rushes are a form of grassy plants that grow in wet regions. When you make a traditional coiled basket, you stitch a bundle of rods or strands into a spiralling round or oval form. Over the years, a wide range of different stitch types and embellishments has evolved.

Plaited baskets utilize palm fibres, yucca and similar materials that are wide and ribbon-like. The same material is usually chosen for stakes as well as for weavers. Hardwood, such as ash or maple, is often chosen for the splints. When you create this form of basket, you wove the fibres together at right angles in diagonal or horizontal and vertical orientation.  

Twined baskets are traditionally made out of tree bark and/or roots. At least two flexible weaving elements cross each other as they are pulled through a set of sturdy, radial spokes in the basket. The two flexible elements encircle a sturdy base element, the technique is called pairing. If you instead prefer to use three or more elements, the technique is called waling.

These basic methods can be varied endlessly and each basket maker can develop his or her own embellishments, designs etcetera as well as experiment with different materials and material combinations.  

Wood burning is the art of decorating wood using a heated object that forms burn marks in the wood. Wood burning is one branch of pyrography. Pyrography means “fire writing” and involves burning designs on a wide range of materials, such as wood, leather or gourd. Today, most wood burning craftsmen use a solid-point tool or a hot wire tool. Before these tools were invented, traditional wood burning were carried out using a piece of metal placed in a fire or a magnifying lens that could focus the sun’s rays and thereby scorch the wood. We know that the tradition of wood burning is very old and has been practised by the Egyptian civilizations as well as by several African tribes. Pyrography is also a time-honoured craft in central Europe and many regions of South American. 

The most commonly used wood types are birch, beech, sycamore and similar hardwoods. These woods consist of find non-obtrusive grain and the pale colour provides a strong contrast against the burn marks. There are however many craftsmen that use other types of wood, e.g. oak and pine.

Solid-point wood burning machines typically come with a broad collection of tip shapes, while wire-point machines make it possible to shape the wire into unique outlines.  You can vary the type of tool tip, the temperature and the application method to create different effects on the wood. Wood burning can therefore create a great variety of tones and shades, from mild sepia shadows to bold, dark burn marks. Some craftsmen combine wood burning with painting or other forms of tinting.

Alfred Smart is an important name in the history of wood burning since he developed a technique were hot water-based paint is applied to the wood. Benzoline fumes are pushed through a heated platinum pencil and this method makes it possible to form tints and shades that can not be created using traditional wood burning techniques. Alfred Smart was an architect living in Melbourne during the late 19th century.

Wood burning can be as easy as adding your name to a key ring or as advanced as creating intricate pieces of art using multiple techniques. Beginner wood burners often prefer to create a faint pencil sketch on the wood before they proceed. If you want to learn more about wood burning, there are several books and guidelines written on the subject. You can also purchase videos or visit one of the many websites dedicated to wood burning.