Things are changing…

There’s going to be some overhauling, some underhauling, and some consolidating around these parts.

While we’re off battling the powers that be in hopes of getting this to be our main site, please rethink your links and join us here for what I promise to be more interesting, interactive, and frequent postings.

Thanks for minding our mess,

Meggers and Amanda

2011 100 Craft Challenge

It’s that time Again…

The 100 craft challenge, can you make it to 100 during 2011?

The only rule is there are no rules. Use your own discretion. We usually go by if you sit down and make 10 hair bows, it counts as 1 item, not 10, but if you make 10 hair bows and then the next day make 10 more, that could be 2. Or you could go all out and make 100 different items. It’s all up to you. Cooking projects count too, but if you make anything extra good be sure to shoot us the recipe so we can share with the rest of the crew! Keep track of your progress in your own personal tumblr, or you can always go onto the board to track your progress as well: (http://bitchessewstitches.proboards.com/)

Pictures are always welcome. (Actually, my view is pics or it didn’t happen. We <3 pictures) Ok. Ready, Steady, GO!

 

All Cut Up.

It’s that time of season again, the weather’s getting warm and so are those heavy winter sweaters. Which mean it’s time for my favorite summer staple, tshirts. There are numerous books on the subject, I guarantee your local library probably has Generation T, if not you can buy it for a couple bucks. However, the internet is a great source of tshirt altering tutorials.

Here’s a couple places to look;

Craftster’s Tutorial Database:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=125734.0

So, this could be cheating, but here are all the tshirt tutorials they’ve compiled on Craftster. Lots of good stuff here.

What the Craft

http://whatthecraft.com/

Brought to you by the lady who brought you the fine hand made clothing that is Smarmy’s (http://smarmyclothes.com/) What the Craft offers some more great tutorials on how to customize and alter your tshirts.

Youtube

http://www.youtube.com

What can’t youtube teach you what to do? To start off your browsing here’s Kat Von D…

I’ll be posting the bitches guide to altering tshirts later on today… Until then, send us your pictures of your altered tshirts!

Bitch of the Month: Sally from Australia

What is your craft?

I guess you could say that my craft is conducting interviews for my blogzine. I interview subcultural girls about stuff that they do, whether it is art, music or performance. If looking at ‘craft’ in a more traditional sense, I guess you could say that I love to modify things to my own tastes. My personal favourite is denim vests and jackets. Makeup is another thing that I like to play around with a lot! Bright colours are the best! I also loooove to cook, especially anything involving potatoes! Potato pizza is my specialty!

Why do you craft?

I started my blogzine because I was well and truly sick and tired of the only representation of subcultural girls online being through them getting their clothes off. For example, the resurgence of pinup culture, as well as through sites like Suicide Girls. Girls can do so much more than take their clothes off, and through my blogzine I wanted to share these things with the world. In regards to actual crafting, I do it because I can’t buy things exactly how I envision them!

What are your sources of inspiration?

Musical subcultures, it’s pretty much my main interest in life. I love delving into them and discovering all the history. This mish mash of musical interests is represented in my crafting, for example, my vest has a back patch of an old reggae band, plus a patch of my favourite psychobilly band, as well as button badges of my favourite riot grrrl bands and punk bands!

What is your favorite beverage?

Gin and tonics alllll the way!

Where do you buy your favorite beverage?

My favourite night club, Deville’s Pad, of course! How did you come up with your business name? I came up with the name for my blogzine, Subcultural Pink Bits, a few years ago now. The focus of the zine is on subcultural girls, so that is where that part comes from. My online identity has been ‘everpink’ since I was 14 years old, so ‘Pink Bits’ refers to the interviews being done by me, but also acts as a slang term to represent females (since ‘pink bits’ has been a way to refer to female genitalia for years). Add it all together, and you get Subcultural Pink Bits, I feel it accurately portrays what the zine is about.

What is your weapon of choice?

My laptop! haha For actual crafting I’d definitely say my big bag of studs. I love studding stuff! And splattering with bleach!

What would you be doing otherwise?

Probably unconstructive ranting to anyone that will listen!

Do you have any advice for other crafters?

Just dooooo it! I am by no means a competent journalist, but the easiest way to learn a new skill is to just give it a go.

Any final last words?

Meggers and Amanda rock my socks off, keep an eye out on my blogzine for the interview I did with them! Yew!

Thanks Sally! You can check out Subcultural Pink Bits on Myspace, and become a fan on Facebook!

Tutorial: Foam Koozies

Brought to you by Ms. EatyrSpleens off of the bss board!

What you’ll need:
craft foam sheets
needle and thread
measuring tape/ruler
super glue (optional)
scissors/xacto knife

i searched around for a template and found this one:

http://www.makethemyourself.com/s_koozie.html

but i didn’t have a printer, so i just measured a can myself. the measurements i got were approximately 4″ high (koozie height, not can height!), 2 5/8″ diameter, and 8 1/4″ around.

after you cut out the template, i sewed one side together, each foam piece flush with the other (not overlapping like when you sew other materials!) and then i put the can back in to make sure it evened up on the other side. i had to cut a piece off to make it flush with the other side and then i sewed that together. now here is where you could just stop and have a perfectly good koozie, but i kept going.

i then super glued another piece of foam around the koozie. then i cut out different patterns on a piece of sticky-back white foam and stuck onto the koozie. super glue might be better because it sticks really well, but it’s very messy and will show up!

that’s it. here’s how mine turned out:

Tutorial: Decopauged Marbles

Brought to you by Meggers and Amanda.

You probably want to lay down some news paper if your a klutz like me and might spill glue on your nice tablecloth. Gather your supplies. We used tacky glue but any glue that dries clear is okay and a brush for it. Some clear marbles with the flat backs, they have bags at the Dollar Tree. Some magazines, printed pictures, comic books whatever you want for the design on the back. We used old AP mags.

Paint some glue on the back of a marble.

Stick them down on your pictures and let dry.

ENJOY! It’s easy peasy lemon squeezy to make these and is alot of fun!

You can glue earring posts on the back, magnets, buttons, pins, put them on an bracelet blank, add a bail for a necklace, anything!
I even used to use them as decorative weights for my 60′s turntable to weigh the arm down.

So go now and get crafty! Don’t forget to send us pictures of what you make!

Car Kulture Deluxe

Look who we caught a glimpse of while browsing through magazines at Borders… Congratulations Nikki!

Now, tell us, what are your favorite magazines to browse and for inspiration?

It’s Back: BSS 100 Craft Challenge for 2010

It’s that time of the year again, the annual 100 craft challenge starts again. Let’s try to make it to 100 this year!

The only rule is there are no rules. Use your own discretion. We usually go by if you sit down and make 10 hair bows, it counts as 1 item, not 10, but if you make 10 hair bows and then the next day make 10 more, that could be 2. Or you could go all out and make 100 different items. It’s all up to you.

Keep track of your progress here http://bitchessewstitches.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=challenge&thread=141&page=1

Pictures are always welcome.

Ready, Steady, GO!

Bitch of the Month January: Zanna from Ohio

What is your craft?
-I dabble in a little of everything, from sewing, to crocheting and knitting, even some jewelry and soap making. I’ve been crafting since I was a wee baby, so I’ve tried a few different thangs in my life.

Why do you craft?
-I craft to relieve stress, to relieve boredom, and to feel good about making something and being productive. I craft, therefore, I am. Yeah, I went there.

What are your sources of inspiration?
- I’m inspired by a huge range of things. I love horror, gore and zombies, tattoo flash, punk and rockabilly culture, Dia de Los Muertos, pin-ups, culture of past eras, beauty queens and drag queens, Greek mythology, pop culture, music, fairy tales, the Golden Girls and John Waters. But mostly, I’m usually inspired by random flavor of the week stuff. Whatever catches my eye.

What is your favorite beverage?
-Odwalla Superfood juice (holysweetbabyjesus) or Sweet Tea.

Where do you buy your favorite beverage?
-I get the juice at Ye Olde Grocery Store; I get my sweet tea at my Nanny’s house. Gold Star Chili also has some bomb ass tea.

How did you come up with your business name?
-My name is Zanna and I like Star Wars. Ya dig?

What is your weapon of choice?
-Support hose filled with pennies and tied off. The support hose are firm yet have a little give, and the pennies are surprisingly heavy and wont rip the hose like gravel does. Also, an old fashioned crochet hook up the nose works. Egyptian style. And don’t underestimate my Force Grip.

What would you be doing otherwise?
-If I weren’t artistically inclined, I would be a plastic surgeon or a mortician.

Do you have any advice for other crafters?
- Craft while listening to metal. Trust me here.

Any final last words?
- Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.

Check her out on Etsy!

Offset Posters!

Hot off the presses, get your hands on a limited run of offset printed BSS posters!
Signed, numbered, and liable to add a sense of kick ass to wherever you decide to display your bitch pride.
$12 shipped within continental United States!
If you post regularly on the board let me know and I’ll throw in something special…

- DeeManda

ayarmolich@mac.com