Fabric Holiday Cards

Fabric Holiday Cards

As a wrap up to 2016 and another chance to make gifts for loved ones, we hosted a Fabric Holiday Cards program with the fabulous Tetyana Buchholz, lovingly known as Tat.  We discussed offering this simple project to give students a chance to craft a gift, while learning valuable sewing skills.

The Lesson Begins

Tat started the class showing the basics.  Everyone needed a square of cardstock, a piece of fabric cut to the same size, and the same size sheet of Heat and Bond fusible fabric.  The process involved sandwiching the fusible fabric between the cardstock and fabric, then ironing them to bond the three as one.

Heat and Bond was a new experience for these crafters

After fusing the paper and fabric, Tat instructed everyone to cut out two different fabric patterns in half moon shapes with a template.  Once that step was complete, she showed the students how to roll and fold the fabrics to create a tree shape.  This tutorial from Life After Laundry provides clear instructions to create a different version of the tree.

Simple Folds make a Tree!

Once this step was covered, the projects started taking on individual appeal.  Each artist had their own vision and were on a mission to make their's perfect before class ended.  The tree needed a straight stitch running down the center to hold it onto the fused fabric square.

Stitch down the Center

When the tree was stitched to the fused fabric square, then individual designs stared to pop up.

"Gift Boxes" were placed under the "Tree"

Rhinestones, pom poms and more stitches

A border accent frames this card

Craft supplies were flying at all angles, but these students worked until the final seconds to finish.

Hot glue goes a long way

Each card was unique and made with love and care.  Projects like these are wonderful for creative outlet, as well as utilizing important skills like sewing.  The success of this simple project will lead to more of these classes in the new year.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Thank you for visiting and staying awhile.  Check back in January for the next installment of Fashion Club with Tat, where we start the process of designing fashion from trash for the Recycled Runway Fashion Show.  You don't want to miss it!

Taking Trash to the Catwalk

Wishing a Happy and Healthy New Year to you and yours' in interweb land and beyond!

xoxo,

erica

Make & Bake Gifts 2k16

Each year in December, we combine First Friday Art Club and Teen Cooking Club into one BIG CRAFTING EVENT called Make and Bake Gifts.  This is the chance to cook and create handmade gifts for the holiday season.  There are no fees for participants.  Pre-registered attendees encounter a variety of crafts to make then take away.

Fabric Covered Coaster Tiles

The first station for creating was Fabric Covered Tile Coasters.  This was an easy project that could be quick or intricate, depending upon the details put into it.  Painting Mod-Podge glue onto a ceramic tile, then adding a square of fabric cut slightly smaller than the tile and burnishing that fabric onto the tile is the main process of this craft.  Coating the fabric covered tile in more Mod-Podge to seal in the fabric finishes off the coaster.  To save table surfaces, it is recommended to glue felt onto the bottom of the ceramic tile.  As you can see, these tiles got fancy!  Details were trimmed and secured and each tile had an individual flare.

Detailed adornment

The next project was soda can basket weaving, led by Kimberly Canale.  This video tutorial is extremely helpful and recommended to anyone who wants to make one at home.  This video is part 1 of a 3 video series.

Kimberly showed the First Friday Art Club how to make these in August, but that class focused on soda can flowers.  This event allowed students the time to focus on the weaving process.  It turns out the soda cans are gnarly when cut.  Students really liked learning to weave, but kept getting caught on the soda can, which limited their enjoyment.

Gnarly snags are no fun.  WEAVING IS AMAZING!

With a little bit of patience and focus, each person created an adorable woven can.

Woven Soda Can Baskets

This fun Snowman pin craft kept people busy and intent for a long time.  Putting tiny beads in a specific order on safety pins is a test of eye sight and patience.

"These pins take patience!"

This project was donated by a generous community partner.  There were dozens made for family members.  I was even able to donate more to a Homeschool Arts & Crafts group.

Frosty!

The edible portion of this event hit a rough spot.  The intended recipe was Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Reindeer.  It is sad to note that I burned the chocolate for this recipe.  Ugh!!!  The smell of scorched chocolate wafted through the Union Hall within moments of placing the melting wafers in the electric skillet.  This melted chocolate thing is still a learning curve for me, especially when I'm multi-tasking. My intention was to have a pot of melted chocolate ready to dip, so there were less steps to making these cute creatures. In hindsight,  I suggest melting chocolate in the microwave, like the recipe states, or using a crock pot to maintain a low temperature for the chocolate to temper, providing a smooth appearance and dry solid on the marshmallow.

Rudolph's nose is falling off!

Since the chocolate was scorched, the cocoa butter crystallized and it would not harden.  The facial details could not stick, and the whole project was becomming a mess.  Luckily, these kids are quick to create a work-around.  Albino reindeer, snowmen, and even tarantulas were designed at this station.

Tarantula, Olaf, White Deer

Snowlady, Red-Nosed Puppymallow

The final cooking craft was a treat to most of the group.  Funfetti Shortbread Bites  are a quick and plentiful recipe, creating dozens of treats in one 13 x 9" pan.  I had older teen volunteers set up the recipe and prepare the ingredients.  When another teen finished their projects, they were welcome to help this group finish the recipe for everyone to enjoy.  These bites were packaged in a holiday box and taken away quicker than I had a chance to taste test.

Funfetti is always FUN!

This wraps up another fantastic teen Make and Bake Gifts for Southeast Steuben County Library.  Our teens had a busy year with school and library programs.  Just one more crafting session is held this week.  Join us for Fabric Holiday Cards on December 9, 2016.  Our favorite fashionista, Tetyana Buchholz will lead the group on sewing and appliqueing fabric cards for the holiday season.

Last teen craft for 2016

If you miss the program, stop back for a recap of the event.

Thanks for visiting.

I'll check ya on the flip side!

xo, erica

Friday Fashion Club - Accessorize!

For Fashion Friday Club, we had a TON of bric-a-brac donated by the Art Institute of Chicago.  Our resident fashion designer, Tetyana Buchholz is an alumna of the school and we are grateful to have this professional connection.

Craft 'til the table is clear!

We emptied the contents of two large tote containers and told the budding designers to "Craft until the table is clear!"  That joke was quickly understood.  These supplies are the type that never deplete.  A few parents also offered to add to the collection after seeing the projects at the end of the program.

Sewing lessons included

For some students, it is difficult to dream up a project when seeing a pile of supplies.  Some students had a mission from the start.  The hurdle several students faced was wanting to sew something, but not having the skills.  Luckily Tetyana is a seasoned sewing instructor and at least 3 students were trained on sewing machine basics within the 90 minute session.

A project in process

Learning to sew and design your own bag is fun, but requires some patience.  This designer had to remember how to place the fabric right sides together and pin the trim correctly in order for it to be sewn in place, but not bunched or cinched.  

Patience leads to project success

This rainbow bag inspired another designer to create a pouch for her mother.  Gifts made for parents always make me happy!

Pouch made for Mom

If you grew up in the 1980's, you are sure to remember, and possibly used these t-shirt clips.

Well, move over T-shirt Clip, you have now become a Veto Necklace.

Power of the Veto

The Big Brother reality television show inspired this simple necklace.  You can spend over $50 to get a replica from the CBS Store or you can get crafty in the studio to make your own for free!

Beginning of a Halloween Costume

With Halloween just around the corner, it was suggested to make costume essentials that cannot be purchased.  I look forward to seeing how this designer finishes her Chess Piece costume design.

Our designers had a blast rummaging through supplies and creating good and bad designs.  This is part of the process.  Not all creations are great.  Not all creations take forever to make.  We all appreciated the freedom to make without fear.  It was especially fun to get together and learn, while sharing silly stories and giggling away the afternoon.

Thanks for visiting.  Check back soon for more exciting stories from the SSC Library!

Theatre Camp 2016

The last week of August held excitement and multi-layered skill building for anyone aged ten and older at the Southeast Steuben County Library.  Partnering with the local theater group, Centre Stage Community Theatre, we hosted a week of Theatre Camp for five fun-filled days.  

Kimerly Canale is a terrific actress!

This workshop was offered in 2015 and was such a great success, we had to offer it in 2016.  Kimberly Canale lead the week once again with the help of the forever-funny, Eduvigis Vazquez>>> lovingly known as Eddie or Abuelo. 

Everyone loved Eddie for his goofy traits and all inclusive personality.  He was quickly seen as a mentor.  Keeping the action and excitement was key to entertaining and educating this large class.  The chant "Boom Chicka Boom" was the favorite practice game for the whole crowd, especially so with Eddie's antics!

Pick up to 5 pieces

To begin, Kimberly instructed each actor to pick up to 5 pieces from this bucket.  No one knew these items would equate to details about themselves.  This ice-breaker game was handy with opening up conversation between students and breaking their shells of shyness.  

You can't take me...

With games like "You can't take me," each student had a chance to act like a household object.  Roles were given while the main actor waited outside the room.  When the "scene" began, the main actor tried removing an "item" (aka, actor) out of the scene.  The "item" would reply, "you can't take me" and give a reason.  In this image, Eddie can't take Kimberly, because "How would you tell the time?" Look at her pose.  Can you guess she's a Grandfather Clock?!

Practice makes perfect

From games like "Mirror, Mirror," where actors pair up to play off of each others' movements to tongue twisters to say out loud, like "Cinnamon Aluminum Linolem" (say it out loud!) or "Unique New York," (go on- try it!--you'll get the giggles) the group moved on to acting out plays from readers' theater script books like Cinderella Outgrows the Glass Slipper and Other Fractured Fairy Tale Plays.  Repeating the same play over and over again was not something anyone complained about!  They had the insight that repetition is the foundation to mastery.

Parent Performance

Our actors requested to perform for their parents and families on the last day, so we set up a theater for final performances.  Parents got to gush over the skills each actor gained and tons of video was shot.

If unsure, check with the director

Performances were undoubtedly wonderful.  Kimberly's guidance gave students confidence.  If anyone was unsure of a detail, they were told to "check with the director."  During performances, Kimberly announced each process and the value or purpose for each activity.  This gave everyone insight to the methodology.

Big smiles and treats

The week long workshop ended with treats for our hard working actors and some group shots.  This program was well attended, with almost 20 actors ready to play each day. Summer vacation was nearly over, but they never wanted the fun to end.  Even after 5 days and ten hours of hard work, the group groaned when we declared the end had arrived.

Groans are good after a five day program.  Aside from attendance retention, the students actions showed their appreciation for the class.  We kept it low-key.  No rehearsing, no filming, no costumes needed.  Simple repetitive fun and skill building.  Reading aloud and public speaking skills soared in this class and will be utilized for a lifetime.  Bravo actors!  

Garden of Fire

The Rockwell Museum invited the Southeast Steuben County Library to host an activity at the annual Garden of Fire Festival at Care First in Painted Post, N.Y.  This is the third year of the Garden of Fire and the event just keeps growing, because it is a well cultivated community project.

Director of Education of the Rockwell Museum Gigi Alvare speaks at the opening of the annual Garden of Fire Festival for area summer programs at Carefirst in Coopers Plains. Eric Wensel/The Leader

Several area organizations participate in the festival.  There are science and art projects, as well as health and nutrition lessons.  With "Water" as the festival theme, Squirt Gun Painting seemed like a fun activity to bring to the event.

Squirt Gun Painting samples

The samples I made attempted the method of "resist," which uses objects and elements to block paint from the page or "resist" the color.  Wax and glue usually make great resists for painting effects.  I used glue sticks and was not pleased by the results.  As you will see in the following photo, the glue resist was not very effective, but the paper letters and foam squares I used to resist the paint were really great elements to remain in the composition.

"2016" is barely visible after painting

 I expected 250 kids in 6 hours, so the project had to be made within 5 minutes for all kids involved to create a masterpiece.  Since the glue stick resist was a minor failure, we used paper letters and foam squares to decorate the pages before hitting them with squirt gun paint.

My sample, doused in paint

I used water color paper, tempera paint and Nerf Super Soaker Zipfire squirt guns to "paint" each color in a Jackson Pollock drip and splatter style.  Super Soakers are quality squirt guns that held up to the masses and did not clog!  It's easy to get carried away and add too much paint, leaving a muddy puddle on the page.  Therefore, the kids were instructed to squirt 2-3 shots of each color, 4 colors total, before picking up the page and making the paint run abstract lines across the page.

Paint, then turn the page to let the colors run together

This project was fun, fast and mildly messy.  Luckily, we were outdoors and the heat was so oppressive, any contact with water was a GOOD THING!  This kids loved working paint in this method.  Many parents commented on the ease and feasibility of this craft for birthday parties and picnics.  Wet paintings hung on clothes lines to dry, which added a wall of color "flags" flapping in the breeze.  A beautiful day in the Garden of Fire!

Samples hanging in the sun

Eric Wensel, a photographer from our local news paper, The Leader, took great shots of the event.  This is the only image I have seen from the busy, hot, water-filled day!  

Kids make squirt gun paint art. Eric Wensel/The Leader

Gratitude goes to The Rockwell Museum and Chelsea Ambrose from Care First for organizing this rewarding festival.  The SSC Library is pleased to be part of the effort.

Check back in a few weeks to see how our Theatre Workshop Camp goes.  It was so much fun last year, it's back!

There is still plenty of time to register!

 

SSC Library UnMasked 2016

We stayed open after hours for another fabulous SSC Library UnMasked event on July 15, 2016.  Entertaining an all-ages cosplay crowd is a big undertaking during busy summer scheduling, but it is 

TOTALLY WORTH IT!

The event began just after 6 p.m. with a line of cosplayers rolling onto the sidewalk! It's a joy to see the fruits of your labor pay off with an excited crew ready to UnMask the Library.

First 50 in the Door

Our registration table had free raffle tickets for all attendees to enter for prizes.  Comic magnets and special raffle tickets were offered to the First 50 in the Door.

Welcome to SSC Library UnMasked 2016

Rounding the library, attendees found FREE COMIC BOOKS

 leftover from Free Comic Book Day.

Free Comic Books for All

We had a button making station with lots of glossy images to make permanent mementos.

Make a Button with Danielle and Bethany

If you brought your appetite, Super Hero Stew would fill your hungry tummy.

Kacey serving the Super Hero Stew

There was a Super Smash Bros. video game tournament.  The competition for a $20 Game Stop gift card was tough.  Luckily we had a runner-up prize of $10 to Dippity Do Dahs Homemade Ice Cream Shop.

Super Smash Bros.

Many businesses and local artists donated their goods and services to this event and we are indebted to their generosity.  Great Escapes Adventures was on hand to play board games available in their shop in the Arnot Mall.  One lucky raffle winner will get to experience an Escape Room game in the near future.

Can you find the key to leave an Escape Room?

Joey Schichtel returned with his talent and photo booth for all to enjoy.  He donated 2 framed prints and an exclusive Harley Quinn comic book cover to our raffle prizes--

wish I could have won!

Joey Schichtel

Maegan McKenzie designed coloring sheets with background settings.  Everyone was welcome to draw their own super hero character to be added into a coloring book.

Maegan McKenzie

Emily Swan brought her talent with Paper Bag Super Hero Puppets.

Emily Swan and Co.

Ed Bond showed off his Metacheckers game.  He raffled one game as a prize, but also donated one game to the library in-house board game collection.  I challenge you to a duel!

Ed Bond with Metacheckers

We had an outta-control obstacle course.  

You had to capture our villain robot named Ramsey.

Obstacle Course

Hungry (human) Hippos gave way to more excitement.

Human Hippos

The evening rounded out with the highly anticipated Cosplay contest. For clarification of the word cosplay, it is costume play.  A fun activity for kids of all ages.  11th Hour Cosplay brought their knowledge and experience with cosplay costumes to the competition.

They had the honor of considering winners for four categories:  Novice, Journeyman, Master, and Group.  Each winner scored a weekend pass to Twin Tiers Comic Con in Elmira, New York on August 13 & 14, 2016!

Cosplay Contest

With stories and anecdotes behind each costume, 11th Hour Cosplay narrowed their decisions to these final winners:

Cowboy as Novice

Soul Eater Evans as Journeyman

Glados from Portal as Master

Robin and Batman (or is that The Joker?) as Group

We even had a surprise category of O.C., original character.  One of my First Friday Art Club students won this award for her creation made in our Cosplay Costumes event.

Best Original Character

There were so many wonderful efforts in competition.  The decisions were tough!  Congratulations to our winners, but extra special thanks to all who participated.  I feel events like this are more fun to meet new friends with similar interests than winning prizes.

It's difficult to list all costumes in entirety.  So much variety to enjoy all evening.

SSC Library UnMasked ended with over $600 in prizes offered to lucky winners whose names were drawn from our registration collection.

P R I Z E S ! ! !

We are grateful to our program sponsors who provided 

free or discounted opportunities and art work.  

• Heroes Comic Shop hooked us up with 2- $25 gift certificates, plus magnet door prizes
• Denny's Submarine Shop provided a certifiicate for 2 subs and 2 shakes 
• Park Avenue Sports Center gave 5 free passes for mini-golf
• Dippity Do Dahs Homemade Ice Cream Shop sent a $10 gift card + 6 scoop credits
• Filomena Jack sold us a Dr. Zoidberg original painting
• Joey Schichtel gave us 2 framed prints and an original comic book 
• Laura Charles provided 2 original prints
• Twin Tiers Comic Con gifted 4 passes for the 4 we bought for the Cosplay Contest.
• McDonald's Restaurant provided free small ice cream cards
• The grand prize was a Kindle Fire with $10 gift card, power cord, and screen protector

Prize Giveaway

The event finished at 8 p.m. once all prizes were collected and many families had their fill of thrills.  With 16 volunteers and library workers on hand, the building was back to business as usual within an hour.  As I locked the doors for the night, I felt relief that it all went off without a hitch.  I extend my gratitude to everyone who supported the Library UnMasked efforts.  Our community is rich with generosity!

Join Us Next Time

If you missed it this year, be sure to join us next time.  It just keeps getting better!

Thanks for visiting :)

~erica