Maker Crate is a monthly craft box from KiwiCo, which provides makers and crafters ages 14 to 104 with projects that introduce new craft techniques and design tools. Each box will include materials and tools for the project plus a booklet that shares the real-world applications and the history behind each art form or design. They also promise that the end product for each project is always fun and functional. Some of the skills you can learn through this subscription may include paper marbling, metal sculpture, dip-dye painting, macrame, loom knitting, hand lettering, embroidery, and more. The subscription is $24.95 a month, with free shipping in the US.
DEAL: Save 30% on your first month! No coupon code needed, just use this link to subscribe! (also valid on the other KiwiCo family subscriptions Kiwi Crate, Koala Crate, Panda Crate, Atlas Crate, Doodle Crate, Tinker Crate, and Eureka Crate).
This month’s project is Sashiko Embroidered Lamp!
Explore a traditional embroidery technique and add a hand-stitched flair to a lampshade.
The side of the box lists all the materials included in it!
On top of the materials is a card featuring this month’s project!
Maker Crate includes all the necessary supplies for the featured activities.
Some materials came in their own packaging.
BREAK RULES. LEAVE THE WORLD MORE INTERESTING FOR YOUR BEING HERE. MAKE. GOOD. ART.
– Neil Gaiman
Maker Crate Project Details: Inspiration & History
Like the other crates from KiwiCo, Maker Crate includes a booklet.
The booklet welcomes us with an overview of this month’s project. It also has step-by-step video instructions for the project available on their website!
Featured on this part of the booklet are some classic Sashiko patterns that can be used for inspiration in creating the embroidered lamp. You can use this stitching technique to patch worn-out jeans, bags, or even canvas shoes!
The booklet also shares the beautiful history and details about Sashiko embroidery in an article. They included some fun facts and trivia related to the project.
Everything inside the box!
Maker Crate Materials
The materials include 3 templates. There’s one with a simple pattern, and the other two have intricate patterns. There is also a blank graphing paper in case you want to create your own design.
For the embroidery part, there are three spools of thread, two needles, four binder clips, two small plugs, a ruler/stencil, two Sashiko cloth pieces, transfer paper, fabric marker, glue, and a glue spreader.
Also included are a light bulb, USB cable, lamp rings, base, base cover, stand, and liner for the lamp.
Maker Crate Main Project: Sashiko Lamp
Before starting, grab the smaller piece of Sashiko fabric, a thread, and a needle to practice the style before heading to the lamp cover. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the proper stitching technique.
Sashiko is all about running stitch. The first step is to stitch the edges of the square. Just make sure all the stitches have the same length!
Here, I used a double-thread technique for the outer border and a single-thread on the inner border. Keep practicing with the pattern you want and always flatten the fabric to ensure it won’t pucker.
Here is the finished sample pattern! Sashiko is all about not having the two stitches touch. It may be challenging to keep every corner and intersection to not cross over any stitches, but the result is really pretty!
To get the project started, get the blank graphing paper and draw the pattern you want for the lamp. You can also use the provided pre-made patterns if you’re more comfortable with that.
To transfer the pattern on the Sashiko fabric, put the template on top of the fabric with the transfer paper between them. Then, trace the pattern with a little pressure to make sure your pattern is transferred onto the fabric!
After tracing the pattern, you can now start stitching your lamp cover! Bring a lot of patience as it may take some time to finish. There’s a lot of running stitch in here, and I can’t wait to see it on the lamp!
To assemble the cover, lay flat the backside of the fabric. Gently put the liner on top of it and leave enough margins on the top, bottom, and right.
The next step is to glue the top part of the fabric over the empty ring. You can use binder clips to secure it in place and for it to stick well.
Do the same procedure on the bottom part with the socket ring in it.
Make some small cuts to the fabric to glue it over completely. Let it dry for some minutes, and you’re done with the lamp cover!
It’s time to assemble the lamp! Prepare all the necessary materials so it’s easy to put them together. First, you need to screw the stand to the base.
Insert the USB cable in the stand and connect it with the bulb’s cable placed on the socket.
Align the hole on the stand to the hole on the socket ring and keep it in place using the small two plugs on each side.
Then, push the rubber grommet into the hole on the base to secure. All there’s left to do is attach the base cover!
Plug it into a power source to check if it works. And yes, it did!
Here is the finished Sashiko embroidered lamp!
There are some marks left on the fabric from the transfer paper, but it will come off eventually.
This lamp deserves a space in our living room. I love it!
It always feels good to create something new and also to have that new creation displayed or used at home! This Maker Crate project is all about making an embroidered lamp and I love how it turned out. The materials were already provided in the box, along with easy-to-follow instructions and some design inspiration. This particular project takes a lot of effort and patience, and it’s also time intensive. It easily took 20-30 hours to finish, and if you’ll only do it on your spare time, it may take about a month! Still, the time and effort put into it is worth it when you finally see the completed pattern on the lamp! Ideal whether for teens or adults, this subscription is great way to stay productive and also to learn new crafting skills and techniques!
What do you think of this Maker Crate project?
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