Hello everyone this is Karl, speaking on behalf of myself and Bradical.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

If you are anything like me, you realize it is going to be Monday very soon and you get kinda sad. But then you remember that means that Craft Night is just around the corner!

Well, this week Karl and I are hosting over here in West Seattle. It will be our first time hosting and we are looking forward to having everyone come over.

Our address is:

4433 44th Ave SW Unit A
Seattle, Wa 98116

The address gets kinda dim at night, due to lack of light, so if you need any information when you are in the neighborhood give Karl or I a call.

Brad = (805) 551-7514
Karl = (206) 271-2069

I think Craft Nights usually start around 7, but if you feel like showing up earlier that is absolutely fine.

The Alaska Junction Bus Stop is two blocks south of us. So you bus folk need not worry.

If anyone has any questions please let us know. By phone or email.

Hope to see you Wednesday.

- Brad & Karl

As you may or may not be aware, All Hallows' Eve falls on a Craft Night this year and this is serious business. If we put our noggins together, I think we can pull off a pretty spectacular Halloween Craft Night. This past Craft Night we discussed the possibility of pumpkin carving, roasting pumpkin seeds and costume making. These are good places to start and, good news, we have a while to come up with even more festive ideas!

 

Contribute to the discussion by commenting below.

 

Thanks!

 

Well, hello there,

 

As mentioned in the last bulletin announcement, someone brought up screen printing for this week's group activity and this sounds like fun to me!

 

The problem is, no one has mentioned having any experience with this or having materials; we may have to start from scratch. The good thing is, individually this might be an expensive project, however, since we are apart of an awesome group like Craft Night, we can split up the cost and material gathering.

 

I just read a few pretty good articles on DIY screen printing. One that uses photo-emulsion to burn an image to the screen (http://www.diehippiedie.com/screwball/diyshirt.html) and another process uses non-water-soluble glue (http://community.livejournal.com/craftgrrl/3674467.html ). The glue process seems less complicated and uses fewer supplies, but you will probably get a more accurate print with the photo-emulsion process. Another option would be to make a stencil. It's up to you what you want to do.   

 

I would suggest reading the articles mentioned above or looking up more articles before you come. But for now, here is a list of materials needed for two different processes. Most of these materials can be found at an art supply store.

 

1) Photo-Emulsion Technique

-Design copied onto transparency (preferably an image with high contrast & thick, broad lines)

-Silkscreen Frame (buy your own or make your own with needlepoint frame kit, silkscreen, duct tape, staple gun)

-Photo-emulsion

-150 watt light bulb(s)

-Hanging light(s) (we need multiple bulbs and lamps because there will be multiple folks doing this)

-T-shirts, paper, cloth (what ever it is you want to print on)

-Ink

-Wiper (buy or make your own with cardboard & duct tape or pine board & rubber molding)

 

2. Glue Technique (check out the link above. there are pictures!)

-T-shirt, paper, cloth, etc

-Cheap paint brushes

-Embroidery hoop (or frames as mentioned above)

-Screen Printing Ink (she suggests Speedball brand)

-Non-water-soluble glue (Mod Podge is suggested)

-Curtain sheer material/tulle/old nylons

-Computer printed image (or hand-drawn image)

 

I do not have most of these materials. But I do have tons of cardboard for making wipers and we might be able to use some as the t-shirt board. I don't have a printer so you'll have to bring the image you want to use already printed on paper or transparency.  I think that we should each be responsible for bringing our own t-shirts and designs but feel free to bring more for other people too.

 

Items that I can be responsible for are: glue, duct tape, and a staple gun.

 

Other than that, we need people to be responsible for: photo-emulsion, screen printing ink, light bulbs & hanging lamps, screen & frames (or embroidery hoops), cheap paint brushes, cleaning supplies, and anything else I have missed.

 

Yeah, okay, so check out the articles, let me know what you can bring and we'll do some screen printing tomorrow night!

Hello everyone,

Last night was a blast and I am thrilled that so many new people came!  What's even better, Craft Night is very new and has potential to grow into something even more amazing.

For those who have not made it out to a Craft Night, here is a little example about how things have been shaping up:

So far, Craft Night is becoming a night where individuals come together to hang out, talk and work on their individual art/craft projects.  People have been working on a variety of arts/crafts such as: zine making, drawing, knitting, collage art, post card art, stamp making, stencil making, and letter&creative writing.  Some people don't do any crafts at all and just come for the company, which is very welcome.

It has proven to be a great time and place to share ideas and become inspired to try new things.

There have been discussions about organizing group projects such as screen printing and paper mache!

People have discussed going to other DIY events 'round town such as ZAPP workshops and going to one of the many organized bike rides in Seattle.

These are just a few things that have been going on and I want to emphasize that Craft Night is not and was never meant to be limited to a regimented agenda. It should always remain free and fun and I am looking forward to seeing how Craft Night transforms once more people start coming and bring their new and exciting ideas to the weekly event.

Yes, indeed, Craft Night is taking off and you should be apart of it!

 

Craft Night was an event a few of my friends started in Virginia. It happened every Thursday night at someone's house. Besides having a set day and time Craft Night was never limited to a strict definition. Every Craft Night was different.

Mainly Craft Night was a night when people gathered at a location, (usually the same house but sometimes a different place depending on the availability of the host) brought their own crafts, supplies and good attitudes and worked a long side other artists, crafters and activists. Usually people worked on individual projects, however, there were also nights when people worked as a group to make flyers, create bigger craft projects, or organize an event.

When I moved to Seattle, I found myself missing the opportunity to hang out, make arts and crafts, and discuss/organize different projects in a group setting, which Craft Night provided. I hope that Craft Night's transition to Seattle will be successful and a core group of enthusiastic Craft Nighters will be established.

As of yet, there is no set weekly night or time for Craft Night Seattle. I have volunteered my apartment for weekly meetings, however, I will be unable to host until late August. So far, the day I've heard most often mentioned as a possible Craft Night is Wednesday. If more people think this is a good night the (tentative) first Craft Night date will be Wednesday, August 29th.

If you want to get involved but have a conflict with Wednesday nights or want to get more information, please email me at badpoetryzine@gmail.com.

Thanks!