A few weekends ago, I traveled with some friends to Nikkei Place in Burnaby to see their exhibit of tenugui towels. I’ve seen cheap tenugui in Japanese dollar stores here but it had never occurred to me they were more than mass-produced tea towels. This exhibit was eye-opening. Tenugui means ‘a hand-wiping cloth’. Since the 17th century, these hand printed cotton cloths have been used widely in Japan. Not only used for cleaning and wiping, tenugui are used for wrapping …

Lately, I’ve received a few emails that have asked me how I secured my book contracts. I thought it would be best to post my answer here so that others who are interested in publishing a DIY book might be able to glean something from my experiences. My first published book, Yarn Bombing, was the culmination of sheer luck, timing, a willing co-author/tech editor, and many years of study of both the creative and the business sides of publishing. In …

I love bookstores, and I love stop-motion animation, so I double-love this book trailer that was shot at Type Books in Toronto. (Text link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKVcQnyEIT8&feature=player_embedded) Full disclosure, my book Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery has a tiny cameo. See if you can spot it.

I’ll be at One of a Kind Vancouver tomorrow giving a short talk on Subversive Craft. Find me on the main fashion stage between 2-2:30. Afterwards, I’ll be teaching Siobhan Long’s ‘Photo Feelism’ an embroidery craft from Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery which will have participants learning to stitch on photographs. Books, as always, will be available for sale and signing. Can’t make it? Then make sure that you check out one of Kim Werker’s Mighty Ugly Workshops happening …