Karukaj-The combination of arts and crafts

How to make a dreamcatcher

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 04:33:00 +0000

Dream-catcher Supply Links:

The hoop.
Hemp cord material – material for the middle pattern.
String spool – to make feather embellishments.
Crochet doily – material for the middle, if you’re skipping the weave pattern.
Fabric, fabric, fabric, and more fabric.
Lace material, lace material, and more lace material.
Colorful yarn, glittery yarn, and more yarn.
Feathers.
Beads.
Double-sided tape.
Hot glue gun + hot glue sticks.
1. These three supplies are the most critical to the craft – so they are necessary regardless of the end design!
  - The hoops or rings can be found in the yarn and crocheting aisles. Both metal and wood are fine and the size of the ring is dependent on how large you want the the dreamcatcher to be.
  - The hemp product is used to create the intricate weaving pattern in the middle. The hemp cord material is the easiest to use as it’s durable and somewhat stretchy. I bought a multicolored pack and a natural looking one, who doesn’t love options?
  - The red spool of string is used for creating feather embellishments. I found this in the yarn section, super inexpensive and lots of it. Choose whatever color you like.
2. These supplies are to hang from the dreamcatcher and make it look extra dreamy. You can find the spools in the yarn section and the lace material is from the ribbon section.
3. The fabric selection should be given some extra thought and time. This is where colors and patterns should be chosen based on a theme or overall look & feel. The fabrics I chose can create 2 – 3 different looks depending on which ones are paired together.
  - This step can become very expensive – look for the fabrics that are on sale,
  - Decide on a fabric that will be the base and wrap around the entire hoop.
    - Purchase 1 – 2 yards of the base fabric.
  - Decide which fabrics will be used as accent colors.
    - Purchase 1/2 – 1 yard of these fabrics.
  - Feathers and beads galore – no need to go crazy here but do have fun with it.
    - Purchase either a large bag or two smaller bags of feathers. I gravitate towards the more natural looking feathers.
    - Pick out a few packs of beads that fit the style and overall design.
    - How to Wrap the Hoop:
    - 1. Choose a fabric to use as the base and wrap around the entire hoop.
      2. Using a scissor, cut an inch into the fabric. Make sure to use the side that is jagged and scraggly looking.
        
        THEN – rip all the way down the fabric until you have a fabric strip. Be sure to stop every foot or so to keep the fabric from going crazy. This is my favorite part, for some reason ripping fabric is weirdly therapeutic!
      3. Start anywhere on the hoop and begin to wrap the fabric around the starting piece. Go a few times around and around to ensure the fabric is tightly wound and secure.
      4. Wrap it up! You can make each wrap as small or large as necessary. There’s no method to the madness, just keep wrapping the fabric around and around.
      5. If you run out of fabric – simply rip another strip, secure the first piece with double-sided tape, and start again where you left off.
      6. Finish wrapping the hoop by securing the fabric with a hot glue gun or any type of adhesive.
      How to Weave the Middle Pattern:
    1. Locate the wrapped hoop and hemp cord material.
    2. Cut a large amount of hemp to create the middle pattern – 3 to 5 feet to start.
    3. Decide where the top of the dreamcatcher will be and tie a knot – a tight, secure knot.
    4. Measure about a pinky fingers length away from the top knot.
      1. The measuring that is done in the beginning will affect the overall design. You can easily measure a smaller or bigger distance here.
    5. Wrap the hemp underneath and then loop it through, pulling it tight and secure.
    6. Continue measuring a pinky fingers length from each knot created – looping and knotting around the entire circumference.
    7. When you get back to the top knot, measure the next knot to the middle of the first one.
      1. This can get tricky so move slowly and patiently.
- How to Embellish & Decorate:
1. Decide what fabrics to use – these will hang down from the bottom of the dreamcatcher.
2. Use the same technique of cutting and then ripping to create fabric strips.
  - You can make however many your heart desires.
  - I did less of the expensive fabric and more of the solid, cheaper fabric.
3. Fold the fabric strip in half, then create a simple loop and pull the fabric through.
  - Use the picture above as a reference.

Pull the fabric tight and voila – you’re on the way to a dreamy dreamcatcher!

Continue adding fabric strips to the bottom of the hoop, keeping the fabric strips close together.

Create more dimension by using the materials from the yarn section.

This is where it starts to get really pretty!

Optional: add beads throughout the hanging pieces.

Create a layering / texture effect by tying knots or braiding pieces together.

Again – the options are endless here!

Arts and crafts History in BD

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 04:32:00 +0000

Folk Art and Crafts traditional arts and crafts evolving over time through the age-old folk practices. The distinction between what constitutes art and craft is often blurred. Thus floor and wall paintings or nakshi kantha are included in folk art while the products of potters, carpenters and weavers, as well as articles made of bamboo, cane, shola, conch-shell, ivory, bell-metal are referred to as craft. There are, however, some folk arts that cannot be categorised separately. For instance, an earthen pot on which fish, leaves and other designs have been painted as well as cane mats with designs of trees, birds, mosques etc are a combination of both art and handicraft.

Folk art generally includes those articles that are traditionally made by communities of people to satisfy their religious, social and aesthetic needs. alpana or painting floors with rice paste, manasaghat, laksmir sara, mabgalghat etc are connected with social and cultural practices of the people and have no commercial value. However, chal chitra, paintings on canvas, which have religious connotations, are also a means of livelihood.

Most folk arts need very ordinary raw materials like clay, wood, cloth, thread, sola or spongewood, conch-shell, reeds, bamboo, cane and horns. However, some material is more expensive. Though gold jewellery does not fall into the category of folk art, ornaments made of copper, brass, and silver may well be included. The implements used for making folk artifacts are very simple. Even the village goldsmith, despite his use of the precious metal, also works with primitive tools, crouched on the ground over a small flame.

Much of women's folk art has been non-commercial, whereas the folk art produced by men has a commercial value attached to it. Thus, blacksmiths, potters, cobblers, painters, goldsmiths, brass-smiths, weavers earn their livelihood from what they produce. Traditionally, in the past, alpana artists or nakshi kantha needlewomen were working within the home and received no monetary recompense for their labour.

Folk art uses traditional motifs reflecting the land and its people. Different forms of folk art tend to repeat these common motifs. For instance, the lotus, the sun, the tree-of-life, flowery creepers etc are seen in paintings, embroidery, weaving, carving and engraving. Other common motifs are fish, elephant, horse, peacock, swastika, circle, waves, temple, mosque etc. Many of these motifs have symbolical meanings. For example, the fish represents fertility, the sheaf of paddy prosperity, the lotus purity and the swastika - usually more curvilinear than the Nazi symbol - good fortune.

Folk art may be divided into the following categories: (1) painting: floor painting, stage scenery, painted pots, masks, wall painting, tattooing and other body painting, chal chitra, karandichitra (Manasa tales on a sola canvas), fancy pots, fancy dolls etc; (2) embroidery: nakshi kantha, nakshi pakha, handkerchiefs, etc; (3) weaving: fancy mats, nakshi shika, fancy fans, baskets, flower vases; (4) modelling: dolls and toys, utensils, masks, moulds for making cakes and, sweets, ornaments; (5) engraving: wooden products, terracotta slabs, metal works; (6) inlaying: ornaments inlaid with gems, pearls, diamond and other precious stones, decorating buildings and houses with coloured glass and stones.

The first post of my Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Dec 2017 17:28:00 +0000

Welcome to karukaj!!

Karukaj-The combination of arts and crafts

How to make a dreamcatcher

Dream-catcher Supply Links:

How to Wrap the Hoop:

How to Weave the Middle Pattern:

Arts and crafts History in BD

The first post of my Blog