Author Archives: Amy Yates
Zipper Pouch Tutorial
Here’s a video tutorial for our zipper pouch!
Steps:
1: Use a standard piece of paper to cut two pieces of fabric. One will be your outer fabric, and the other will be your inside liner.
2: Place your fabrics WRONG sides together (I know, I know, we never do that!) and carefully fold in one of the shorter edges 1/2 an inch and iron it in place. Make sure the clean side of your fold is on the fabric you are using for the outside of the pouch.
3: Carefully pin the ironed edge to one side of the top of the zipper. Right next to the part you zip open. Then sew it down.
4: Repeat the process on the other side of the zipper making sure the bag is lined up nicely.
5: Turn your pouch inside out and lay it flat so that the zipper is in the center of the pouch. VERY IMPORTANT: your zipper must be half way open!
6: Pin both sides of your pouch shut. Make sure the open end of your zipper is pinned perfectly side by side so it will zip shut nicely.
7: Sew the sides shut and backstitch each corner and over the zipper on both sides. Make sure you backstitch up and off each edge to make sure all of the corners are completely sewn shut.
8: Trim your threads and carefully cut off the extra zipper that is hanging off the edges. Don’t cut too close to your stitch!
9: Flip your pouch right sides out and you’ve got yourself a zipper pouch!
Ruth Bader Ginsburg – A Tiny Art Show
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and are putting together a tiny art show in honor of her memory and to raise money for the causes she fought for.
We are holding our second tiny art show inspired by @tinyartshow https://www.instagram.com/tinyartshow/ on instagram. You can check out photos from our first tiny art show all about our studio mascot @siggy_sue here: http://paintboxartstudio.com/siggys-tiny-art-show-2/
So, here’s the deal:
Our friends at The Frame Maker http://www.theframemaker.com/ have been kind enough to offer to make frames for each piece we receive. So, we want to keep the size uniform at 3″ x 3″ each. You can explore with any medium you’d like – acrylic, watercolor, pencil, pastel, collage, graphics, etc. We just ask that the pieces be two dimensional for framing purposes.
And of course, the piece should be inspired by the notorious RBG. It can be a portrait, a quote (we love fancy lettering!), a piece about women empowerment or anything else that she worked hard for in her lifetime.
All artwork is due to the studio by Friday, November 6th!
We will be selling all of the artwork to raise money for the Southern Poverty Law Center – an organization working hard to dismantle hate and to advance the human rights of all people. https://www.splcenter.org/
The show will be installed in front of the studio from Monday, November 16th to Friday, November 20th from 9AM to 5:30 PM for all to see! We really hope you’ll join us in creating art to honor a true American Hero.
Also…VOTE!
Scrunchie Tutorial
Here is a video tutorial on how to make a scrunchie!
Steps:
1: Cut a strip at least 3 inches wide (4/4.5 for a bigger scrunchie) and 15 inches long.
2: Fold right sides together and pin.
3: Sew along the open edge of the strip.
4: Using a safety pin, flip the fabric so it’s right sides out. Attach the pin to one end of the strip and feed it through the inside of the fabric until it has come out the other end.
5: Using the same safety pin technique, feed your elastic through the entire strip. Measure around your wrist and cut.
6: Backstitch your elastic shut.
7: Fold in one edge of your fabric and tuck the other edge inside the folded edge. Backstitch shut.
8: Trim threads and voila! You’ve got yourself a scrunchie!
Fashion Camp Pics – Week 2
Fashion week is so much fun that we had to do it again! The kids started the week by drawing their looks first thing Monday morning and ended it by wearing their design down the runway for our Friday fashion show. Very excited to share the photos of their looks. Enjoy!
The Runway:
The Photoshoot:
Fashion Camp Photos!
Fashion camp was such a blast! Each kid started by drawing their dream outfit on Monday morning, and by Tuesday we had all of their fabrics ready and we got to work! Check out these incredible outfits that our students created from conception to completion!
Here are all of the looks in front of the mural that we painted together.
Next, let’s check out some photos from our park photo shoot, shall we?
Finally – Red Carpet Ready!
Thanks for checking out all of our photos, goodbye for now!
Michelle Obama Coloring Page
The first African-American First Lady of the United States! A lawyer, author, and a true role model for women. As First Lady, she worked as an advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating.
Wynton Marsalis Coloring Page
Wynton Marsalis is an internationally acclaimed jazz and classical musician as well as a leading advocate of American culture.
From the biography on his website, www.wyntonmarsalis.org, “Marsalis’ core beliefs and foundation for living are based on the principals of jazz. He promotes individual creativity (improvisation), collective cooperation (swing), gratitude and good manners (sophistication), and faces adversity with persistent optimism (the blues). With his evolved humanity and through his selfless work, Marsalis has elevated the quality of human engagement for individuals, social networks and cultural institutions throughout the world.”
Let’s all put on some Wynton Marsalis and get colorin’!
Nelson Mandela Coloring Page
Our teacher Maria Cruz has created another coloring page featuring Nelson Mandela–a social rights activist, politician and philanthropist. Please watch this short informative video about his life and print out our coloring page.
If you would like to turn in your completed coloring page to the bin in front of the studio, we will be hanging them in our windows for all to see!
Still I Rise – Maya Angelou Coloring Page
Parents: You can take action and express support for the black community by educating your children about race and racial history in our country. It is imperative that we expose our children to black culture in everyday ways to slow the cycle of passive racism that exists in our communities.
A compelling way to teach children about black culture and history is through art. One of our fantastic teachers and artists, Maria Cruz, has created some beautiful coloring sheets for us that feature black art and culture. Our first coloring sheet features The Maya Angelou poem ‘Still I Rise’, which aims to be an anthem of hope amidst the struggle to overcome prejudice. Please use this coloring sheet as a starting point in your conversation with your kids about race and the history of racial inequality in our country. We will continue to create new sheets weekly.
Starting Wednesday, we will have a bin out front of the studio for parents to drop off coloring sheets completed by their children. We will be hanging them in our studio window for all to see. Please join us in creating these beautiful images and sending a message of support to the black community.
In the area around the Maya Angelou image, we ask that you personalize your picture. Maria suggests that you look up African Adinkra symbols and draw the ones you feel connected to in the blank part of the picture. These symbols have strong meanings and are another great educational tool for your children.
Thank you Maria for providing this beautiful art for us. #blacklivesmatter
