You made it, you're proud of it; let's see it!

January 27, 2017 7:24 AM

In the spirit of other chill open Friday MetaTalk threads, I'd like to see a physical object you made that you're proud of. Maybe a fancy food, maybe a needlework, maybe a welding project, maybe a model train landscape? Maybe a car made of a cardboard box for your animal friend to ride in? One thing you put together with your own hands that turned out pretty well! Show us: What Hast Thou Wrought?
posted by Greg Nog to MetaFilter-Related at 7:24 AM (194 comments total)

I made this rolling tool cart entirely out of materials I salvaged from my building's Magical Trash RoomTM. Except for the wheels, those were a gift. And fasteners, which I bought.

I designed it in conjunction with my shelving units, so it would fit neatly underneath.

I've made tons of stuff with my hands (theater scenery, furniture, Burning Man stuff etc.), this is just one where I had photos handy.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 7:51 AM on January 27, 2017 [15 favorites]

Not me specifically but since I've put a lot of work into keeping Girl Scouts active and relevant in my neighborhood in the last few years I'm going to share it. My scouts made this poster a couple weeks ago for our cookie booth sales next month. I love it so much, it's just so self-assured and happy and every time I pass it in my apartment it makes me smile.
posted by phunniemee at 7:52 AM on January 27, 2017 [29 favorites]

I made a batch of Frankincense and Myrrh soy candles in December so I could fulfil two of my Quonsee's guidance notes (scented candles, homemade) and I was pretty pleased with them. (Ok, a small child or a chimp or a small chimp could make them, it's not hard, but I'm not crafty at all so I'm still counting this as an achievement.)
posted by billiebee at 7:59 AM on January 27, 2017 [11 favorites]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPxZGrYlenn/

I made the hat (for me, I thought) and the jumper (and, I guess, the child, though other people and herself have input nowadays) - Icelandic kids are way bigger than mine, judging by the pattern sizing, so I had to downsize the pattern and recentre the yoke design.
posted by hfnuala at 7:59 AM on January 27, 2017 [28 favorites]

Not to ruin the chill vibe but I'm proud of the protest signs I've made lately even if my artistic style makes them look like I outsourced them to a particularly angry kindergarten.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:08 AM on January 27, 2017 [31 favorites]

When we had a city-paralyzing foot of snow earlier this month, I made (with some snow-shoveling help from Secretariat) a four foot tall Menger sponge out of snow, and then on her excellent suggestion stuck a color-cycling LED lamp in it overnight.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:09 AM on January 27, 2017 [26 favorites]

I build dollhouses for a hobby. (Thanks to the advent of the current trio of felines, I've switched gears to working on English dollhouses, which hinge open from the front and therefore prevent, shall we say, undesired ingress; I've been working on this kit since October.)
posted by thomas j wise at 8:19 AM on January 27, 2017 [22 favorites]

At first I thought I didn't have anything I made of which I was proud and I felt sad, then I looked through pictures I'd posted on Twitter and found a surprising number of things and I was happy!

I think my favorites might be this dinosaur cake from my 30th birthday (the spikes are Chessmen cookies) and this pleated skirt I made for a dog (his name is Apollo). They're not the fanciest or the neatest but I conceived and designed them myself and they make me happy.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 8:20 AM on January 27, 2017 [37 favorites]

Mrs Pterodactyl I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
posted by phunniemee at 8:24 AM on January 27, 2017 [5 favorites]

Almost exactly a year ago I finished building an electric guitar, which I was super proud of so I posted it to projects and it was then posted to the front page. It's since become a hobby of mine and I've completed two more. My second one was a Telecaster clone, which as it turns out was built almost entirely different from the first one. I did an actual nitrocellulose finish on it (outside, with a respirator on), the logo was done (via MeFi jobs) by none other than Mr. Nog himself, and I was very happy with how it came out.

My third one (I know you said to post one thing, but I don't play by the rules) was originally going to be a simple cigar box guitar build but one thing led to another and I ended up building a guitar tribute to the state of New Hampshire because I had an old license plate that belonged to my late father-in-law.

I'm now working on a couple Tele bodies and necks, one of which is going to be a gift for someone (I hope) and I'd like to say I'm getting better at it but I seem to still be making a lot of rookie mistakes. Small steps.

What a great thread! One of the things I love about following people on Twitter is seeing the things they're passionate about. Now this thread will give me an extra dose of that!
posted by bondcliff at 8:26 AM on January 27, 2017 [28 favorites]

I designed and knit this sweater and I am beyond proud of it. When people compliment me on it -- and lots of people compliment me on it, which I love -- I practically glow with happiness.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:29 AM on January 27, 2017 [45 favorites]

Here's a photo I took this morning of a potato in my neighbor's yard
posted by beerperson at 8:30 AM on January 27, 2017 [41 favorites]

guitar tribute to the state of New Hampshire

AAAAAAAAAAAAA

Here's MeFi's Own not_on_display rocking out on it.
posted by bondcliff at 8:35 AM on January 27, 2017 [8 favorites]

I've gotten into building gunpla (plastic Gundam models). I've put together two so far -- Barbatos and Deathscythe Hell -- and here is them fighting on my windowsill, which is the only good place for photo light in my entire apartment apparently.

I have never seen a single episode of any Gundam or played any of the video games for more than like five minutes but damn I love putting together these lil plastic robots.
posted by griphus at 8:35 AM on January 27, 2017 [16 favorites]

One project has given me a special satisfaction that no others have: the Star Trek Pez Menorah 3.0.

Backstory:

One year I threw together a quick and dirty Star Trek Pez Menorah (STM) 1.0. (There are only eight Pez in the set so I had to improvise a shamish and Crow was the closest sci-fi thing I had on hand!) At some point my then-BF had the idea to hack the Menorah using a DIY LED Menorah kit (and replacing Crow) and the following year the STM 2.0 was born. The following year he dumped me, time passed, and when Pez released a ST:TNG set the next year I was kinda bummed I couldn't make a new Menorah. So I taught myself how to solder and built the STM 3.0 on my own.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:38 AM on January 27, 2017 [44 favorites]

griphus I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you make plastic models. Of all the hobbies that have pretty much disappeared since video games became a thing, I think building plastic models is one of the biggest losses.
posted by bondcliff at 8:39 AM on January 27, 2017 [3 favorites]

Room 641-A, that story and that menorah are both AMAZING.

I was pretty pleased with how my rainbow shawl turned out, but I didn't design the pattern or dye the yarn or anything, just knitted it.
posted by leesh at 8:41 AM on January 27, 2017 [30 favorites]

My friend and I -- I'm the one with glasses -- made Speed Walker costumes for a 10K fun run.

(Reference, for people who weren't watching late night local TV in Western Washington in the late 1980s.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:46 AM on January 27, 2017 [13 favorites]

Of all the hobbies that have pretty much disappeared since video games became a thing...

Ironically (??) the people I know who are super into gunpla (and got me into it by constantly posting their cool-ass robots to Twitter and FB) are also super, super into video games.
posted by griphus at 8:49 AM on January 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

I want to know more about yard potato.
posted by cjorgensen at 8:50 AM on January 27, 2017 [17 favorites]

Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Tater in the yard
posted by griphus at 8:51 AM on January 27, 2017 [39 favorites]

I dabble in lots of stuff, mostly cooking and photography, but here's a small album of some random stuff I've made (caramels, a stuffie for my kid, a cross-stitch sugar skull, a cake, an art thing).

I'm sad that I don't have a picture of the Christmas stocking I embroidered that my children are already telling me they're going to fight over when I die. Maybe I'll get a photo of it later. The Christmas boxes are still in the kitchen waiting for transport to the basement. Baby steps.
posted by cooker girl at 8:52 AM on January 27, 2017 [6 favorites]

I want to know more about yard potato.

Don't we all
posted by beerperson at 8:53 AM on January 27, 2017 [11 favorites]

This shawl that I knit for my mom's 60th birthday a few years ago is still the knitted thing I'm most proud of. Close second is probably this scarf, which you may remember from my AskMe about how to rescue it after it blew off my roof.
posted by ActionPopulated at 9:01 AM on January 27, 2017 [22 favorites]

I've been getting in to sausage making lately. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the finished Italian sausage we made from the latest hog butchering, but here's all the homemade meats I put together for our annual Christmas party.

The next step is probably to experiment with drying and fermenting sausages, but without a little more (well, any really) temperature and humidity control I worry about poisoning people.
posted by backseatpilot at 9:19 AM on January 27, 2017 [16 favorites]

Tiled paving stones, which I've since sunk into my front yard.
posted by porn in the woods at 9:20 AM on January 27, 2017 [15 favorites]

What a great idea for a thread!

Here are some pictures of my most recent Halloween costume - Steampunk Ghost-Buster - and a couple paintings I am proud of. A mural-sized Harry Potter canvas and one based on a black and white photo taken at our wedding.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:27 AM on January 27, 2017 [19 favorites]

I can't say I'm proud of it yet, because I'm not sure how it's going to turn out. But, a shortage of mustard in my house led me to try and make my own. Both yellow and black seeds, some Free State Cloud Hopper, some water, and a touch of rice vinegar. It won't be ready for grinding until Sunday night, though - so we'll see how it turns out.
posted by god hates math at 9:27 AM on January 27, 2017 [9 favorites]

I don't make things, I break things.
posted by jonmc at 9:34 AM on January 27, 2017 [4 favorites]

Okay, something I am proud of:

I took a screenprinting class this fall and decided to go nuts on the holiday cards: One of my good friends designed it, and I printed it. I ended up making about 180 to split among three of us, which just covered my need for 60 cards for friends and family. Screenprinting can be tough, but man, it's so satisfying to make a nice finished product.
posted by god hates math at 9:34 AM on January 27, 2017 [30 favorites]

Y'all knitters are BRINGING IT.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:36 AM on January 27, 2017 [6 favorites]

Tyger, Tyger, after a rug at the Shelburne Museum.
posted by MonkeyToes at 9:40 AM on January 27, 2017 [25 favorites]

The ciabatta came out well. I used this recipe.
posted by Diablevert at 9:43 AM on January 27, 2017 [18 favorites]

Here's the last painting I finished (back in like 2011, I think).

The faces are cut out of sheet acrylic and mounted to the back layer, then everything painted. I really have a hard time staying inside the lines, so that's my method for avoiding that kind of trouble.

Not easy getting a glare-free shot in this house in the daytime. A lot of the reds hiding in the black don't really show up because my lighting situation is less than ideal. I did the best I could.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 9:48 AM on January 27, 2017 [14 favorites]

One down, one to go.
posted by Lucinda at 9:52 AM on January 27, 2017 [31 favorites]

A mural-sized Harry Potter canvas

If you'll forgive a bit of a brag, I wanted to point out my favorite thing about this painting. In the upper left, behind where the snitch is painted, I glued a magnet to the backside of the canvas. I then embedded a similar magnet into a little stuffed snitch toy so it appears to stick to the canvas magically.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:53 AM on January 27, 2017 [8 favorites]

I like some of them better than others, but I have a big gallery post on my blog for holiday cacti I've grown from seed; any of them that are "[name TBD]" bloomed for the first time this year.
posted by Spathe Cadet at 9:59 AM on January 27, 2017 [13 favorites]

Here is the pirate ship cake I made for my eldest son's birthday earlier in the month. Unfortunately it cracked on the ride over to the church hall, but taste was unaffected.
posted by catch as catch can at 10:19 AM on January 27, 2017 [17 favorites]

Here Is the quilt that I am in the middle of making for a baby I know. I'm a bit behind but hoping to finish before the summer. Please forgive the wrinkles - it's been in storage for a few weeks.
posted by janepanic at 10:24 AM on January 27, 2017 [20 favorites]

I rebuilt this bike from scratch with the help of my local bike co-op over the summer. It's been so much fun to ride; it's an indestructible machine with a cheap brand stamped on it so I can leave it parked on campus, but everything else has been upgraded. I rode it on the greenway recently and passed some fancy cyclists with very nice bikes in full kit, taking a break in the shade, and distinctly heard one of them say, "Was that... a Mongoose with drop bars?" I've ridden her almost every day since I finished her and I love her to pieces.

I'm working on my second bike now, an ancient steel Triumph frame that will be a lightweight one-speed knockaround. Because n + 1.
posted by WidgetAlley at 10:42 AM on January 27, 2017 [19 favorites]

For a B&W photography class last year, I made ten large prints of a photo series of former and/or abandoned movie theaters. I learned how to use a medium format camera from the '70s and how to develop black and white film and then how to make hi-def scan of negatives and clean them up in photoshop. The digital version of the series is here. Eventually I hope to expand the project to book size.
posted by octothorpe at 10:53 AM on January 27, 2017 [19 favorites]

... a four foot tall Menger sponge out of snow
"The Abominable Snowmeng"

ಠ_ಠ
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:54 AM on January 27, 2017 [7 favorites]

Here's the Hamilton cross-stitch I just finished.
posted by penguinliz at 11:03 AM on January 27, 2017 [30 favorites]

A friend had some logs from branches cut down off trees in preparation for a hurricane passing through here last year, which he was happy to donate. This Compass Rose is my first result of doing a cut on a round chainsawed off one of the logs, surfaced flat and engraved on my CNC machine (which I built a couple of years ago) and finished with stencil ink, oil and bit of love, on the back is a cool little turtle.
posted by Static Vagabond at 11:09 AM on January 27, 2017 [21 favorites]

My recent project is an absurd toy made from bike tools, make sure you click past the last picture for a video of it in action.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 11:09 AM on January 27, 2017 [11 favorites]

For Christmas, we sent out homemade cordials and hot sauce. The hot sauce was optimized for flavor and less for burn. It was nicely balanced.

And though I need to make a case for it, I have a functioning clock with solenoid-driven chimes (which you may remember from this question).
posted by plinth at 11:13 AM on January 27, 2017 [10 favorites]

Y'all are some talented folks.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:43 AM on January 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

Hand marbled paper made into a custom journal box
posted by wens at 11:51 AM on January 27, 2017 [14 favorites]

I made drawstring bags in lue of wrapping Christmas gifts this year. I figured people could use them to gift something else, or store christmas stuff in them.
posted by INFJ at 11:54 AM on January 27, 2017 [12 favorites]

I did not know how to sew. But when my mom was despairing about having her small dog in the yard with her but having problems with birds of prey going after the dog and also being hot because the dog is dumb and stays in the sun, I decided to create a solution. . . . .annnnnnd most people decide to start sewing by making something like a pillowcase. Oh no, not me, that's not my way, I always have to take it up to fucking 11 when learning something new. So despite having to do it twice (I didn't know how to use a sewing machine, either) I'm really really proud of the collapsible tent I made: The Pup Tent! (My dog is modeling it.)

That turned out so well that when a good friend said he wanted a tapestry I decided to make him a tiny tapestry. He fucking loves the Arctic so I made him a constellation themed tapestry using a pattern I stole from a tablecloth tutorial with a quote from one of his favorite books. Here 'tis.

And just in case y'all think I'm getting soft, here is my T-Rex painting I made at one of those sip and paint places while everyone else was painting a moonlit pond.
posted by barchan at 12:00 PM on January 27, 2017 [27 favorites]

I urge you to please figure out when 'in loo' is correct or at least clean it up if you're wrong
posted by griphus at 12:02 PM on January 27, 2017 [6 favorites]

I'll get Lou to do it
posted by griphus at 12:03 PM on January 27, 2017 [4 favorites]

Here are some of my weird little paintings. They are about the size of a playing card. These are not my top favorites of what I've been working on, but I'm glad they're done, which is more than I can say for my other projects.
posted by blnkfrnk at 12:14 PM on January 27, 2017 [9 favorites]

I love seeing all of these made things!

I ordered some glow in the dark/UV reactive pigments to use in my clay and after a month of waiting they finally came last weekend. So right now I am making glowing things!

I made this headband for my daughter's birthday last month and I am super proud of it. She told me she wanted pink kitten ears with flowers and sparkles - I think I came through. Here she is wearing it with the best birthday outfit ever.
posted by Lapin at 12:14 PM on January 27, 2017 [15 favorites]

that headband is damn adorable, Lapin. (can we see the glowing things in their unglow state?)
posted by INFJ at 12:17 PM on January 27, 2017

I built a reproduction of this 15th century Italian folding chair. I'd like to make another one someday and have a matched set.

I've made about 10 of these folding bookstands, which dates back to at least the 13th century in what is now Turkey (here's a 14th century one from Iran). Sometimes I carve them, like this one with a Rod of Asclepius. Some of you may know of these as the Roubo bookstand, but the style long predates him.

A little dovetailed box with a removable inner shelf. I've made several other chests and boxes with simpler joinery, like this one.

I do some embroidery. That's a progress pic of a hood I embroidered with planes, modeled after hoods worn by John the Fearless in the 15th century. There's also a little embroidered needle book with its inspiration, and an embroidered neckline I did for a Viking-era tunic.

This is a reproduction of a loculus, an ancient Roman's soldiers satchel. I've made a couple of them.

I grow a small vineyard of cabernet Franc grapes. Here's some of our most recent vintage after bottling.
posted by jedicus at 12:24 PM on January 27, 2017 [39 favorites]

it's a TIE bomber
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:24 PM on January 27, 2017 [8 favorites]

I love when dovetailed joinery is described as "simple".

The simpler ones don't use dovetails, "just" rabbets, dadoes, and nails.

If you look closely you can see I did the dovetails 'wrong' on the little box: the characteristic dovetail shape faces the sides, not the front. It's only an aesthetic concern, but when I realized my error it was quite the forehead slap. Ah well.
posted by jedicus at 12:30 PM on January 27, 2017

I kind of want to start* a little MeFi makers club now. This thread is so much fun!

* what I really mean is I want someone else to start it
posted by bondcliff at 12:31 PM on January 27, 2017 [9 favorites]

I occasionally make collage art. Here's my most recent collage and here's my favorite.
posted by capricorn at 12:32 PM on January 27, 2017 [6 favorites]

*waves at Lapin's daughter and welcomes her into the world of furry* Ears are just a gateway drug. Tails and badges and full fursuits are on her horizon.

So my children are pretty much furries already. My oldest daughter is sitting next to me on the couch dressed as a reptile person, watching Thundercats. She says hi. :)

Here are some non glowing pictures of most of the glowing things. The picture taking part of making things isn't my favorite.
posted by Lapin at 12:35 PM on January 27, 2017 [8 favorites]

I'm still really happy with how my silkscreened Sad Executive Boy t-shirts turned out.
I made the screen from a still of a video I shot (starring my son!) for one of my songs a few years ago.
I screened it onto tea towels last Christmas for a few people.
posted by chococat at 12:37 PM on January 27, 2017 [12 favorites]

So, did I mention I'm a fan of Disney's Haunted Mansion? I carved and painted them all by hand. Yes, including the hitchhiking ghosts.
posted by Sophie1 at 12:39 PM on January 27, 2017 [14 favorites]

Are those made with polymer clay, Lapin? The pink and purple ones are especially amazing.
posted by INFJ at 12:40 PM on January 27, 2017

My IG is pretty much about all the things I make. Yesterday's production. Two in one. And one I learned a lot from.
posted by Liesl at 12:50 PM on January 27, 2017 [8 favorites]

Are those made with polymer clay, Lapin? The pink and purple ones are especially amazing.

They are - and thank you!

I forgot the thing I'm proudest of and wasn't gonna be all braggy mcbraggerson and post it - but I won an award, and its the only major award I've ever won.

My Blue Ribbon, 1st place at the 2016 Arizona State Fair, Halloween cookies
posted by Lapin at 12:53 PM on January 27, 2017 [32 favorites]

This is great!

so eamondaly gave me several yards of disconium fabric a while back and I made this wonderful 1971 cheerleader's costume (with bloomers) using bright red satin for the contrast. Alas, no pictures exist.

But! I used the remaining bits to make several things: a contrast yoke dress from 1970, a white satin capelet from 1969, a beret (which the spouse calls my Rerun hat--he's a big fan of Scrubs), a bolero and a little tiny patriotic hat that I made out of all sorts of leftovers before heading over to a July meet-up with TINCC*.

*there is no Chicago Cabal
posted by crush-onastick at 1:24 PM on January 27, 2017 [11 favorites]

My efforts have been going towards cooking lately, and doing science projects with my kids, so I haven't been as crafty, but one of my kids is OBSESSED with intersections so I made him a plushie intersection for Christmas just to be silly. He snuggles it every night.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 1:58 PM on January 27, 2017 [26 favorites]

This was long before Instagram, but I'm still pretty insanely proud of this busy book I made for my first kid. Eyebrows' intersection made me think of it.
posted by Liesl at 2:05 PM on January 27, 2017 [9 favorites]

A few years ago, after some general tips from AskMe, I made a face-in-the-hole thing*. And it didn't fall over and kill anyone.

*I still don't know what the proper name for these things is.
posted by Kabanos at 2:11 PM on January 27, 2017 [17 favorites]

these are a bit old cuz it's been a while since i've been in the studio, but here are some bowls i've made

i'm also in the midst of a couple of knitting and cross-stitch projects but none of em are done enough to post
posted by burgerrr at 2:16 PM on January 27, 2017 [13 favorites]

The variety here is astounding!
posted by Room 641-A at 2:20 PM on January 27, 2017 [4 favorites]

Hey guys - I don't have anything to share at the moment, but just wanted to say thanks. I'm current sitting/lying in an urgent care centre because my stomach pains this week got bad enough for me to finally seek out a doctor, and they are pretty sure it is appendicitis at this point. I'm now waiting for a decision on whether or not to take a CT scan or if I should just be sent for surgery.

I know it's not a big deal, but it's suddenly scary and having threads like this to read is helping a great deal.
posted by nubs at 2:29 PM on January 27, 2017 [36 favorites]

i made some corn muffins but they have been et already
posted by poffin boffin at 2:31 PM on January 27, 2017 [16 favorites]

I made some mittens (here is one of them). When I knit them they were slightly too small, so I tried to block them, and then they were way too big. So then I felted them and now they're just the right size, just a bit wrinkly when they aren't on the hand.

I also made this hat - it's actually colorwork alternating two very similar yarns to help break up the pooling a bit.
posted by dinty_moore at 2:43 PM on January 27, 2017 [11 favorites]

I like to take photos of my kids. This is one of my favorites. And here's a smack of jellyfish, just because jellyfish are cool.

I also paint pictures of giraffe girls, strange landscapes, soup angels, and big swirls of color.
posted by belladonna at 2:55 PM on January 27, 2017 [10 favorites]

I made a giant (8' x 3') table, with some input from Ask.
posted by Kreiger at 3:27 PM on January 27, 2017 [11 favorites]

I designed and made this cross stitch sampler a couple years ago. I feel okay in my pants about it.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 4:20 PM on January 27, 2017 [13 favorites]

You should all feel super lucky that I took my magnificent morning shit before seeing this thread.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 4:28 PM on January 27, 2017 [3 favorites]

Here's my other one which I kept meaning to post and never did ... I finally, finally this summer finished my MetaQuilter quilt. I had to make a few blocks to fill it in, but most of the blocks are made by my fellow mefites who followed my theme of "a naturalist's journal." I finally sat down and pieced the top and quilt the whole shebang for the new baby and got it done about two weeks before she arrived!

It feels a little extra meaningful because I started working here shortly after finding out I was pregnant and so it's been modding and babying all together with this one, and she has her very own special MetaQuilter quilt.

Please note I am TOTALLY WEARING CLOTHES in that picture but it is a tank top with thin straps that are hard to see because it is approximately ten billion degrees and I was nine months pregnant and every time I got too hot I went into early labor. Everyone who sees the picture asks if I'm naked. As if! I'm holding the quilt as straight as I can but my big belly is in the way, that's why one side is hard to see. :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:37 PM on January 27, 2017 [29 favorites]

Nobody is judging you!

That's not at all true, I'm totally judging all of you!

You're doing great. Keep up the good work, everyone!
posted by aubilenon at 4:49 PM on January 27, 2017 [7 favorites]

(Here's some pictures of the fabrics people used in the quilt ... the fabric pics are like two cell phone cameras ago so they're not nearly as good as the one of the finished quilt, but I thought some of you might like to see.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:54 PM on January 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

A lap quilt I made as a Christmas gift for my mom. A thing I'm extra proud of is that I finished it four days before Christmas instead of traveling to my parents' with unfinished quilt business, like I have in past years.
posted by clavicle at 5:36 PM on January 27, 2017 [10 favorites]

So this is only a tiny thing, but the right-hand grip on my bike fell apart over the course of several years, and then the tape I had replaced it with fell apart over a much shorter time period. It was a difficult time. The free end of the tape would flutter in the wind. Strangers were mocking me in the street over the sad state of my handlebar grips. Then I had a thought: I have some leather scraps of various sizes that I bought on a whim one day; I have a fair amount of paracord that I bought to teach myself an assortment of knots; and while I don't always have a cork handy, I do always have a willingness to drink a bottle of wine. Hence was born my new grip, and my problem solved.

In much bigger making-news, I'm also building an entirely new bike, including a frame made out of bamboo. But it's still very much a work in progress--I'm finishing up the joinery work on the frame this weekend (hopefully) and then it's wheelbuilding time. Just before I started any joinery, it looked like this.
posted by egregious theorem at 5:38 PM on January 27, 2017 [6 favorites]

Most of my arts are still in boxes, but I have a halfway done sketch I'm working on of a rotund little powderpuffball of an albino squirrel I met one day while sitting in Loring Park, in Minneapolis. S/he climbed out on a twig to get a better look at me and didn't seem to mind being admired.
posted by notquitemaryann at 5:59 PM on January 27, 2017 [11 favorites]

I made this articulated (parralel view Stereo Pair) lamp for my wife to shine light on her crochet, needlepoint and knitting projects. It was made almost entirely (the electrical was all new) from salvaged material I'd collected going back as far as 30 years ago so it's a eclectic collection of cedar, mahogany, birch, maple, and pine.

jedicus: "I've made about 10 of these folding bookstands, which dates back to at least the 13th century in what is now Turkey"

I've been wanting to make one of these since I saw one on the Woodwrights Shop. Good job.
posted by Mitheral at 6:17 PM on January 27, 2017 [8 favorites]

Once upon a time, I made tiny princesses and other assorted tiny things from polymer clay. I haven't worked on these in a long time, but maybe I should--it's a very relaxing little hobby. The only problem is what to do with all those tiny princesses.
posted by drlith at 6:43 PM on January 27, 2017 [10 favorites]

The only problem is what to do with all those tiny princesses.

Tiny princess army!

And polymer clay really is soothing. It's nice and squishy like those stress balls.
posted by Lapin at 6:49 PM on January 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

I've been chugging through making radiator covers for our steam-heated house, since it turns out having radiators professionally rehabbed is really expensive, and buying radiator covers is ALSO really expensive. Hence, learning how to build radiator covers myself. I've been using a Kreg Jig for the joinery, which isn't at all the fanciest way of doing things, but it is really fun to put these things together using it. Here is the first one, and you can see where I accidentally put the damn pocket holes on the wrong side of one of the boards. There are also a ton of invisible mistakes on that one, where I managed to totally mess up the dado for the back panel. the second one worked out better. I have another one one almost done that has been taking roughly a billion years because it is turning into less of a cover and more of a cabinet in a weird corner where nothing is straight. None of them are stained yet...I will have to wait until spring to make that happen.
posted by rockindata at 7:37 PM on January 27, 2017 [16 favorites]

I'm pretty proud of the wrapping paper I made for my family's gifts at Christmas this year.

It's a digital thing and I don't think this is what you mean when you say 'make' but I did this thing (with stolen music) and I very much want to make more.
I too made a sign.
posted by carsonb at 7:46 PM on January 27, 2017 [8 favorites]

I made a joke board game, Stick Fight in the Yard, which featured quilted sticks made of wood panel fabric made into tubes stuffed with batting, and a bag of chips for the winner... Your favourite virtual fight game now with IRL action! Sent one to my nephew for Christmas, the other for the gift stealing night at the fencing club.
posted by chapps at 7:46 PM on January 27, 2017 [7 favorites]

Rockindata, did you turn to a particular resource for learning to make those? They look great.
posted by notquitemaryann at 8:05 PM on January 27, 2017

Feel better, soon, nubs! I'm sure you will be in dinosaur-fighting shape in no time.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:11 PM on January 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

I knit a {\}. Sarcasm free!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:20 PM on January 27, 2017 [10 favorites]

I learned to use an axe and whittling knife last week and I made two incompetent spoons from tree branches that fell down in the wind. But the second one was miles less incompetent than the first, so I'm still proud of them. Especially because I had them in my pocket when later that night, while waiting for the sauna yurt to heat up, we suddenly found ourselves exactly two spoons short of being able to equitably share around the apples and pears we had just stewed in wine over the campfire. (That is why they are stained a bit wine coloured. Although some of the red might also be my blood. Hook knives are complicated devices with a lot of self-stabbing potential.)
posted by lollusc at 8:44 PM on January 27, 2017 [19 favorites]

I'm part of a Mardi Gras krewe here in New Orleans and every year every member is required to make a new papier-mache skull head/mask. Last year I shot and comped together my first six years of skulls.

[bonus Projects post from that time with a small amount of more info]

I would love to show you my progress so far on year 7 but we don't reveal anything until Mardi Gras day itself.
posted by komara at 9:14 PM on January 27, 2017 [27 favorites]

i like to make things. Especially attractive, instagram-worthy things.

i like to bake bread using a no-knead recipe from a book. Trying to up my score game. pizza (i buy the dough, make my own sauce)

Fancy fruit liquor was beautiful. Tasted ok but I'm not really one for liquor. I also made grape jelly but cooked too much water out, and then threw it out anyway because I didn't feel good eating grapes grown right next to a highway.

I made a holiday wrath by wandering around the neighborhood and yanking off likely branches, then binding them together with wire and a $4 decorative bird I found.

I've done small bit of leather - I made a notebook, a coffee bottle sleeve, a wallet, a cool watch strap... this only sort of counts i think, but i like to make notebooks that look impressive. Even if the content is rubbish. Just like my cooking, ha!

Lastly, I'm learning to make drawings. I just completed Betty Edward's "Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain" and it was really amazing. I woke up a couple days ago and decided to figure out water colors, so that was cool and incredibly rewarding. Good track of my progress is on this hashtag
posted by rebent at 9:15 PM on January 27, 2017 [13 favorites]

rebent, that watch strap is cooooolio
posted by chapps at 9:56 PM on January 27, 2017

Wonderful things to behold, oh those radiator covers! The tiger rug! Sauerkraut with ginger! All of it, really the articulated lamp, the tail.
posted by Oyéah at 10:22 PM on January 27, 2017

I make little ink pen sketches of sculptures and busts at museums (mostly 1500s-1700s). I also made this linocut print based on an old photo of my grandfather and his brother when they were kids in Germany—my first, so it's a bit wonky, but I like it!
posted by waninggibbon at 10:42 PM on January 27, 2017 [10 favorites]

This probably won't be of interest to anyone here, but I made some furniture for cats.
posted by aubilenon at 10:54 PM on January 27, 2017 [29 favorites]

There are no good bagels available in my state, so I make my own so that my husband doesn't leave me and move back to Brooklyn. They are the most work of anything I bake but I have gotten good at them over the last couple years and they are very pretty and tasty. Here is the MLK day batch.
posted by charmedimsure at 11:10 PM on January 27, 2017 [13 favorites]

I made this glass candy bowl & paperweight combo as part of a glass blowing taster session I went on last year (work teambuilding kind of thing).

With a lot of assistance from people who know what they're doing around hot glass, I should add, but I'm still real pleased with how they turned out.
posted by terretu at 2:50 AM on January 28, 2017 [11 favorites]

I like this just-Chatfilter-enough thread. Don't have anything of my own to add and it'll be a miracle if I ever click even half of people's links (sorry guys), but, yeah, what a neat idea Greg Nog!
posted by comealongpole at 5:46 AM on January 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

Last year I shot and comped together my first six years of skulls

Omg. Did you make...a Flaming Carrot skull?? I'm speechless. I have no speech.

There are no good bagels available

That's how it is here with bialys so I made my own, too. Much easier than bagels, and if I can make them in my tiny kitchen I don't know why even the good bagel places in L.A. cannot. RIP that place on Robertson.

Your bagels (and the other bread) is making it very hard to stick to not eating empty carbs.

Yes, I know, but I don't like poppy seeds.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:34 AM on January 28, 2017 [4 favorites]

Recently: this shelf! (involved tools, safety glasses, hardware, had all the pats at home, so gratifying!)
Earlier: these signs! (making a comeback!)
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 6:35 AM on January 28, 2017 [13 favorites]

I'm late to the party, but I'm really happy with how my most recent batch of pendants turned out: I had a lot of fun with these
posted by d13t_p3ps1 at 6:57 AM on January 28, 2017 [12 favorites]

Please sign my on-line petition to have Greg Nog reveal what he's made.
posted by bondcliff at 7:38 AM on January 28, 2017 [4 favorites]

Post-surgery update: making water is apparently a big deal.
posted by nubs at 8:53 AM on January 28, 2017 [20 favorites]

This is definitely my favorite thread in a while and I hope we can bring it back every six months-ish so I can keep seeing all the amazing, beautiful stuff my fellow Mefites are making.
posted by WidgetAlley at 9:01 AM on January 28, 2017 [5 favorites]

I love this thread! I, too, immediately thought I'm not much of a maker then scrolled through my photos and found all kinds of stuff I make! Most of my creative output is song writing (see MeFi music). But here's what else I came up with:

After the women's march we had opera tickets and I stopped by my clinic and picked up some stuff to make a kick ass lapel pin.

I'm a pretty good pie maker. I also made the kid in that picture.

Also pizza pies.

This one time, I made an amazing moustache. Please contact my wife if you would like to see it return.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:57 AM on January 28, 2017 [9 favorites]

It's not a handicraft, but a couple weeks ago I finally got around to making jamaro's canonical Mefi cat fountain (link is to her comment with her photo), and it continues to work better than even the fanciest of dedicated-product cat fountains. A+++, would jamaro again.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 10:06 AM on January 28, 2017 [2 favorites]

Er, here's the comment with her photo.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 10:07 AM on January 28, 2017 [2 favorites]

I made a The Hobbit cake for our workplace's 2015 charity Bake-Off. (It won!)
posted by Morfil Ffyrnig at 10:27 AM on January 28, 2017 [18 favorites]

I made a himmeli mobile for my solstice party. It's about 3 feet tall and 2 feet in width. I made it out of vintage paper straws I bought for $1 and instructions from the internet.
posted by vespabelle at 10:55 AM on January 28, 2017 [17 favorites]

I'm pretty proud of the Star Wars baby blanket and the outdoorsy baby blanket I made for two recently arrived humans.
posted by chainsofreedom at 11:07 AM on January 28, 2017 [11 favorites]

That's how it is here with bialys so I made my own, too. Much easier than bagels, and if I can make them in my tiny kitchen I don't know why even the good bagel places in L.A. cannot. RIP that place on Robertson.

I (ex-Mormon Alaskan) have spent the last five years learning to make the comfort foods of my NYC-raised (lapsed) Orthodox Jewish partner's childhood, but have not made it around to bialys yet. Want to share a recipe, if you've got a good one?
posted by charmedimsure at 11:35 AM on January 28, 2017 [2 favorites]

Here's MeFi's Own not_on_display rocking out on it.

AAAAAAAAAAAAA
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 12:14 PM on January 28, 2017 [3 favorites]

update im making curtains sort of? which basically just consists of me finding different colored sheers on amazon that are like $4 for a pack of 2 and then shittily hand-stitching them together in whatever stitch i learned in girl scouts back in the 80s, all while watching the hilarrible batman vs superman solely to leer at henry cavill's firm glorious manbreasts

i have stabbed myself 5 times, the ancient terracotta pot has been well fed today
posted by poffin boffin at 1:08 PM on January 28, 2017 [6 favorites]

notquitemaryanne, I primarily followed this instructable but I made it all with pocket holes instead of doweling. I also made a pretty handy spreadsheet that generates a cut list and what the spacing between stiles should be and where to mark the top and bottom boards so everything works out evenly. You have to be really, really careful with the lengths of everything so that things fit properly. Butt joints are unforgiving! Also, I bought the expensive premium wood that is dried and planed, and ready for finishing, so weird shrinkage hasn't been an issue. I'll probably make a projects post once I finish up in the spring.
posted by rockindata at 1:14 PM on January 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

It was years ago, but I am inordinately fond of the head of Smaug I made for a production of the Hobbit for a children's theatre.
The first photo doesn't really do justice to how large it is. Here it is taking up most of the inside of my car.
posted by Adridne at 2:32 PM on January 28, 2017 [7 favorites]

Want to share a recipe, if you've got a good one?

I used smittenkitchens's bialy recipe. I weigh everything to the gram but I think the only change I make isadding a pinch more salt (as noted in the recipe) and omitting the poppy seeds.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:36 PM on January 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

I made some cyanotypes today! And I am very pleased with them, it's so tricky to get the exposure time right and it worked (8 minutes today; it was sunny in the front yard.) If you keep looking on that page you will see a lot of the film photography, everything printed by hand in the darkroom, and some of the other cyanotypes and pinhole stuff I've been doing for the last year.
posted by mygothlaundry at 5:57 PM on January 28, 2017 [12 favorites]

I made this cyclekart. It goes about 30-35 mph.

• another view
• and another
• and another

Cyclekarting is still a thing though I haven't been much involved with it lately on account of sudden move to California and coincident lack of free spacetime. Googling around a bit will find more recent goings on.
posted by smcameron at 7:37 PM on January 28, 2017 [8 favorites]

I love your work mgl. I'm just getting into printing and just really did my first print today. The cyanotype stuff is at least a few years in my future but I can see getting really into alternative printing techniques.
posted by octothorpe at 8:06 PM on January 28, 2017 [5 favorites]

I am still proud of my protest sign from last weekend. Not only because the lettering was decent and (to the best of my knowledge) there are no misspellings, but also because the words were mine and they said exactly what I felt (and still feel). As a graphic designer, I had seen so many clever and amazingly punchy signs post-election that I was itching to copy or improve on; it can be so much fun to design something with just a couple words for maximum impact. Instead, I put in the work to make a sign that reflected exactly me.
posted by redsparkler at 10:16 PM on January 28, 2017 [13 favorites]

I made pineapple tarts and they turned out okay even though it was my first pastry attempt! I'm really not a good cook, but I took up baking last summer to alleviate my election anxiety (it didn't, lol, and I wrecked my skin by stress-eating too much sugar), and I think that little bit of experience plus repeated watchings of GBBO helped.
posted by peripathetic at 11:32 PM on January 28, 2017 [5 favorites]

These might not count, but I made not one, not two, but three beautiful children. Well, to be honest, my wife did the great majority of the work. Anyway, the youngest turned 1 on Saturday and the oldest had her 5th birthday on Friday. Because of that, I don't really have the time to make anything. I did, however, finish my first Android app a few months ago, which was quite a feat because I didn't know anything about programming when I started and just learned as I went, so hooray me I guess?
posted by Literaryhero at 11:33 PM on January 28, 2017 [9 favorites]

Aw man, if I had seen this thread I could have taken pics of the tacos I made. They were immaculate, these tacos. They were delicious. They were just stunning. They had black beans, and red cabbage/cilantro/jalapeno coleslaw, and avocado. I...ate them. They are gone.
posted by supercrayon at 1:49 AM on January 29, 2017 [7 favorites]

I drew a quokka on the back of a brown paper bread bag when I was at Rottnest over New Year. Quokkas are awesome.
posted by honey-barbara at 1:59 AM on January 29, 2017 [9 favorites]

One thing? You're killing me, Greg.

I made this thing and this thing and this thing and this thing and this thing and a whole bunch of other things as well.
posted by louche mustachio at 3:00 AM on January 29, 2017 [13 favorites]

Here is a leather belt that I covered in pieces of gold-coloured circuit board. I used pop rivets to fasten the pieces and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
I made it as a gift for a friend; after I gave it to her, I was so envious that I made one for myself as well, this one is made with sea-blue circuit board and I wear it almost every day. But that would make it two things. So I'm not showing it here. But here is one of out cats expertly modeling the golden belt.
posted by Too-Ticky at 3:38 AM on January 29, 2017 [15 favorites]

This is the nth time that I have to build shelves to avoid being completely overwhelmed by our books, cds, tapes, old records...
posted by nicolin at 5:32 AM on January 29, 2017 [8 favorites]

I just crocheted these baby shoes as a gift for my newborn upstairs neighbor. I chickened out and gave them to my neighbors wrapped, so I still haven't heard if they liked them yet. My all-time favorite is still this hat I made for my son.
posted by Mchelly at 5:40 AM on January 29, 2017 [8 favorites]

Got obsessed on the Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon at Le Pain Quotidien recently, so in order to save my wallet I've started experimenting with re-creating it. Here's the first try.
posted by Celsius1414 at 7:43 AM on January 29, 2017 [4 favorites]

So many great things you all have made!

Here's my dining room table.
posted by notyou at 9:16 AM on January 29, 2017 [11 favorites]

I love this thread and am the stranger following a bunch of you on instagram.

I embroidered one of my partner's phone doodles onto a cushion for him, my first chance to make something after a miserable few months with a fractured wrist. It's still making me happy when I see it every day.
posted by carbide at 9:59 AM on January 29, 2017 [11 favorites]

So this past summer my flaky roommate (who was living in the living room of our tiny apartment) moved out and, much to my profound irritation, "gifted" me with her mattress and fold-out bed frame, which I had to figure out how to dispose of on my own without a vehicle (also four garbage bags full of old clothes and a literal closet full of trash, but I digress.)

I decided to channel my annoyance into more productive means by, uh, cutting the mattress into sections, stitching up the exposed ends and covering it with eye-wateringly stripey tablecloths to form THE FRANKENCOUCH (adventure documented chronologically on tumblr)

More recently, I made myself a new coffee table out of 2x4s and plywood. This was notable in that I had to do it entirely in the aforementioned tiny apartment and tried to construct a sawdust isolation chamber (inside view) in a corner of my apartment. This didn't really work and I'm still finding and sweeping up sawdust in random parts of my apartment every now and then.

Taken together my living room set is colloquially known as "jank couch + jank table".
posted by btfreek at 10:11 AM on January 29, 2017 [14 favorites]

btfreek, your Frankencouch is very clever. And that coffee table looks lovely!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:38 AM on January 29, 2017 [1 favorite]

I have an entire blog that exists solely to give me a place to showcase the stuff I make. It's called Modwardian. To give you some highlights, I recently finished knitting this jacket for a friend's little girl, these felted slippers for me, this Sherlock doll for my sister, who is obsessed with the show, and this pullover for me.

By the way, if this thread is making you feel like you'd like to make something even though crafting isn't normally your thing, the world's least crafty person ought to be able to make themselves bookmarks like these, which I cut out of some old greeting cards. You'll be done in five minutes and they are ever so pretty.
posted by orange swan at 12:25 PM on January 29, 2017 [6 favorites]

For those of you who like shelves, previous models : kitchen a / b, corridor, angle.
I love shelves. My wife will probably have to stop me covering every inch of our walls with more shelves.
posted by nicolin at 12:57 PM on January 29, 2017 [4 favorites]

I didn't realise that food counted!
There's only one place that serves soup dumplings where I live now, and they're the same frozen ones that the good asian market sells. I finally started making my own from a mix of Lee Anne Wong's recipe and Serious Eats', with some cheaty gelatin and pre-made wraps.
My first few hundred took forever, and only occasionally stayed intact in the steamer, but the last couple of batches have flown by and stayed together consistently. Some of them even look right.
I haven't been this impressed with myself since I first made pasta, like, 20 years ago.
posted by Kreiger at 1:52 PM on January 29, 2017 [3 favorites]

Just in case anyone was holding their breath on a mustard update:

It's done!

It looks great - nearly identical to the stone-ground stuff that I got at Sprouts and have been loving for the last month or two. It smells... terrible. I don't even know how to describe it. Just not good. It tastes worse. It's truly disgusting. I had a small dollop on a tortilla chip because I couldn't bring myself to eat it straight off of the spoon. I had to spit it out, and now I have a little bit of a headache.

So that's not great. Could have gone better. Maybe I won't deviate so much from the recipe next time?

In other news, I need to pick up some mustard at the store; I was really betting on this batch being good.
posted by god hates math at 2:34 PM on January 29, 2017 [8 favorites]

Name it Colonel Mustard, salute it, and toss it out. A for effort. At least you tried. I outsource the production my mustard and all of my condiments. You are making America great again.
posted by AugustWest at 3:04 PM on January 29, 2017 [1 favorite]

Late as ever, but it's still this hat I designed & knitted. I do this whole knitting design thing professionally but this hat was the first time I had this idea in my head and it came out exactly like I imagined it with without any compromises or regrets. I am my own worst critic and I love my hat so much.

I wear it when I'm blue, so I wear it a lot at the moment.
posted by kariebookish at 3:56 PM on January 29, 2017 [11 favorites]

Cheese press.

Looks like we need two, so I'm hoping the next one won't have the icky edges.

Does anyone know a better way of cutting polycarbonate than just hacking away with an angle-grinder?
posted by pompomtom at 4:03 PM on January 29, 2017 [3 favorites]

I made this rat after buying a new rat and discovering that it just didn't sound the same as the old ones from the 80s.
posted by cazoo at 4:20 PM on January 29, 2017 [4 favorites]

Trees and shrubs for the yard; so that something green is still around when the present drought hopefully moves on. Or if it never moves on, more sticks for the plains of CO.
posted by buzzman at 6:50 PM on January 29, 2017 [2 favorites]

Mr. Nat and I folded this origami thing. Modular origami is fun!

Also I'm very happy we rearranged the colors partway through-- they would have been in the wrong order otherwise, even if it was a pain to partially redo.
posted by nat at 7:37 PM on January 29, 2017 [7 favorites]

nat, is the pattern/instructions for that origami thing available somewhere online? I want one!
posted by btfreek at 7:53 PM on January 29, 2017

Ooh, I don't know about online--we made it out of this book.
posted by nat at 8:02 PM on January 29, 2017 [1 favorite]

Hete is a chicken I bought in a thrift store and painted up day of the dead style. And here is the thing Im currently photoshoping. I'm not happy with it yet but I've learned a lot about how to do light effects so I'm proud of that part.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:17 PM on January 29, 2017 [5 favorites]

PS I love this idea for a thread. Its so cool to get to see all the amazing stuff you guys do!
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:19 PM on January 29, 2017 [1 favorite]

"Omg. Did you make...a Flaming Carrot skull?? I'm speechless. I have no speech."

I did not, sadly. I wanted to make a very long and thin skull that year, and went with a carrot. I knew that it would inspire comments about Flaming Carrot but it was not intentional. There are just only two ways to wear a carrot for a head.

"Here is a chicken I bought in a thrift store and painted up day of the dead style."

That reminded me of some little ceramic figures I picked up and painted on a whim a few years back. There was the Southeastern Skull Owl and the Brazilian Skeleton Cat [360º views]. I always intended to follow up with some more but then never did.
posted by komara at 9:57 PM on January 29, 2017 [4 favorites]

My latest in a series of watercolors I am in the process of doing with the end goal of creating a mildly morbid children's(?) book.
posted by clavier at 10:02 PM on January 29, 2017 [7 favorites]

"That reminded me of some little ceramic figures I picked up and painted on a whim a few years back."

Sorry to post back-to-back but those reminded me of even more things that I hadn't thought about in a few years, so here's a big list of stuff. Hopefully something in here will be of interest to at least a few people:

In terms of liquid things I've enjoyed making strawberry shrub, falernum, and some apple cinnamon whiskey.

Liquid needs bottles and those need glass etching [1, 2, 3, 4].

There's dumb simple stuff like using spray paint and cicada shells to make firebugs, or taking one of my dental molds and giving it gold teeth.

Or creating stuff that ain't real through Photoshop, like this commissioned family portrait (dad there bakes a lot of bread) or this little Tom Waits-inspired thing titled Puerto Rican mistress.

But honestly overall I think my favorite physical object that I've ever created was this rabbit.
posted by komara at 10:11 PM on January 29, 2017 [6 favorites]

When I saw my therapist shortly after the election, she strongly urged me to do "y'know, arts and crafts stuff," as a focus to alleviate some of my anxiety. So far, so good.

This collage is outline letters printed on adult coloring book pages, all colored pencil except the D which was done in marker, affixed to wrapping paper. Previously (Correction to what I wrote there: Ananda appeared in A Swiftly Tilting Planet, where we can place MetaFilter between ourselves and the powers of darkness.)

This little quilting project is going to become a pillow for my daughter.

This quilting project is going to be a lap blanket for me.

This cross stitch, I've been working on sporadically since 1990, when my family visited Colonial Williamsburg. That church was opened in 1674 and still has multiple services every week.

I've composed numerous pieces of music; one was performed to a standing ovation in 1997.

Upcoming projects include: tissue and crepe paper flowers, a book page wreath, a carved book where the pages are cut at specific points to they form an image when the book is partially opened, a basket woven from newspapers, learning to knit, learning to crochet, and fleshing out a few song ideas that have come while I've been working on all of the above crafts.
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 11:15 PM on January 29, 2017 [5 favorites]

My quilling!
posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat at 6:30 AM on January 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

I have 539 days of sobriety, so I've made it that far, and I'm proud of it. I'm not working a program or anything, and I actually have to look up the number of days every time, but after looking into the efficacy of various options, I decided to just go it on my own (in conjunction with my doctor). So far it's working for me. I'm not saying I'll never drink again, or that I won't let it get out of control again, but for now I'm not drinking and that's good enough.

I got my degree last month. (Links should go to pics of me holding my degree.) It only took me 26 years, but now I finally have an English degree with a Technical Communication minor.

And I signed a book contract with a new imprint, Run Amok Books, to reprint the back catalog of my website: Jackass Letters: Archive Volume 1.
posted by cjorgensen at 9:11 AM on January 30, 2017 [20 favorites]

Look at all of us! Great post idea.

A few years ago, I had to complete a journal for a grad school assignment. Visual art speaks to me more than writing, so I drew most of my entries. I find myself looking back on two entries often: Impromptu Friend's Wedding Road Trip, and Epic Iceberg Voyaguer Canoe Journey. (they probably need better titles...)

I also paint my fiancee Birds of the Year as a Christmas Gift. I've done it the past 3 years, I'm really pleased with how the attempts at painting backgrounds turned out this year.

BotY has been nearly the only art I've created the past 2 years...time to make 2017 a year of more creativity!
posted by Guess What at 9:54 AM on January 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

I made a train. My model building and painting skills are really rusty, but last year I did manage to build a few train cars and a battery-powered locomotive.
posted by gamera at 2:46 PM on January 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

I saved a 40 year old circuit board from the Dumpster at work and turned it into a pretty cool clock.
posted by Bringer Tom at 3:37 PM on January 30, 2017 [14 favorites]

Oh good lord I covet that clock!
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:58 PM on January 30, 2017

Does anyone know a better way of cutting polycarbonate than just hacking away with an angle-grinder?

I have cut several varieties of polyethylene from the cheap low-melting stuff to UHDPE, acetate, and acrylic with ordinary woodworking power tools. You can cut the soft plastics with a jigsaw or table saw; with a jigsaw, make a guide out of something straight to hold the saw against while cutting, and on the low-melting plastics take it very slow so the plastic cuts instead of melting. (You can cut UHDPE as if it's wood, but the stuff also costs $40/lb.)

You can cut almost all plastics with a circular table saw, even brittle ones like acrylic if you take it slow and WEAR GLOVES, LONG SLEEVES, AND EYE PROTECTION. Shattering can be avoided with care but should always be considered a possibility for safety reasons. Use a carbide blade to get a clean cut. Again, having a fixed guide is key, but table saws come with that feature.

You can also get some plastics, including fairly thick acrylic plates, laser cut by Ponoko for a reasonable fee.
posted by Bringer Tom at 4:04 PM on January 30, 2017

Never wear long sleeves or gloves when operating any exposed rotating machinery. The cloth can get caught in the machine [SFW, only innocent clothing damaged] and pull your hand/arm in resulting in serious injury or even death.
posted by Mitheral at 4:57 PM on January 30, 2017

Bringer Tom that clock is boss. Very very rad.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:08 PM on January 30, 2017

I started a silver jewellery class before Christmas and it's been the most soothing thing ever. This bangle was worth its weight in therapy.
posted by ninazer0 at 7:04 PM on January 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

And, god hates math, don't throw out the mustard. Stick it at the back of a cupboard and rediscover it in a year or so. I bet it will taste awesome!
posted by ninazer0 at 7:19 PM on January 30, 2017

Never wear long sleeves or gloves when operating any exposed rotating machinery.

Okay, this is also valid advice. I actually don't bother with sleeves and gloves, but I am very careful and aware of the risk of getting pelted with acrylic shards. What's important is that you don't have LOOSE sleeves or gloves. I actually work in industry, and the consensus of the training I've been given is to wear the PPE but make sure it doesn't get caught in the gears. The risk from something like a circular saw isn't really as great as that from something like a conveyor belt, which turns slowly with much greater torque; the saw will generally rip clothing up but the conveyor will drag it in with great force.
posted by Bringer Tom at 7:27 PM on January 30, 2017

Excuse me while I fangirl over you for a moment, kariebookish! Your Lindgren mittens are on my must-knit list.
posted by atropos at 8:22 PM on January 30, 2017

BREAKING POTATO UPDATE

it appears that there are actually something like a dozen potatoes in my neighbor's yard, also rabbits do not seem interested in them
posted by beerperson at 1:57 PM on January 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

I made a hat for my cat.
posted by peagood at 5:49 PM on January 31, 2017 [26 favorites]

Peagood!! That hat and photo series are both amazing! I have never seen such a look of murder in a cat's eyes before. I am beaming you some heart eye emojis.
posted by leesh at 5:59 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

have the potatoes been interviewed, have they made any demands
posted by poffin boffin at 6:20 PM on January 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

I made this clay sculpture a long time ago, but I'm still pretty happy with how it came out.
posted by crocomancer at 4:03 AM on February 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Is that thing fired?
posted by cjorgensen at 6:12 AM on February 1, 2017

yes
posted by crocomancer at 6:37 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I made an ornament for our holiday tree. The bumpy bits in the middle are a pair of tiny orange hands made of fimo.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 9:24 AM on February 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

I made a bunch of candles over Christmastime.

They mostly turned out pretty good, but none were quite as striking as these accidental hideously pink ones. (Picture does not really convey actual fleshy horror of pink candles.)
posted by brennen at 10:24 AM on February 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

I made the little guys here, I'm not sure if I'll put them in the garden or make them into fridge magnets.

Also made this bottle as a tribute to Harry Eng.
posted by Marky at 3:13 PM on February 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

further update fuck these curtains i sewed them to my lap
posted by poffin boffin at 11:37 PM on February 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

Does fire count? I went far into the local woods with the guild of Druids last night, as we marked Imbolc with a ritual. There was fire, naturally. Which also, for a split-second, transmogrified into some kind of fire spirit as the bread was broken and handed round. Also, lots of lanterns.
posted by Wordshore at 4:50 AM on February 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

ok but did you burn farage in effigy or not
posted by poffin boffin at 10:53 AM on February 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Metafilter: fuck these curtains i sewed them to my lap
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 9:24 AM on February 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

My local cheesemaker (I just do infrastructure, timings, and heavy lifting) wanted me to post an update with the hard cheeses made possible by the press, so: cheddar, pepato and parmesan.
posted by pompomtom at 2:44 AM on February 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

My Halloween costume. I started just wanting to be a tall skeleton. Bamboo emerged as the building material and "Bam Booey", the 9-foot tall human-bat forest spirit was born.
posted by achrise at 5:52 AM on February 6, 2017 [10 favorites]

"My Halloween costume. I started just wanting to be a tall skeleton. Bamboo emerged as the building material and "Bam Booey", the 9-foot tall human-bat forest spirit was born."

Speaking as someone who is into the whole skeleton costume thing [my contribution way upthread] I have to say that your post is my favorite out of everything I've seen here. Great work. I would love to see in-process shots and more.
posted by komara at 7:32 AM on February 7, 2017

Here's an update to my shelves building craze : for my daughter, and an extension to my cd / dvd space.
posted by nicolin at 5:40 AM on February 11, 2017

I'm just seeing this thread now, so maybe no one is reading anymore, but, what the hell! I moonlight as a baker, so here's some specialty cakes I've made! And apparently I haven't updated the site in a while, but the Big Lebowski groom's cake and assorted cupcakes as well as the not how I wanted it to come out dinosaur first birthday cake aren't on there.
posted by firei at 1:04 PM on February 12, 2017 [2 favorites]

firei, your Lebowski cake link is busted which is a problem because I really want to see that.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:14 PM on February 12, 2017

Thanks Cortex! Trying again: Big Lebowski cake
posted by firei at 1:29 PM on February 12, 2017 [7 favorites]

We wanted to recreate a "langoustine and calamansi lime gelee terrine" for our literary food project, but we couldn't find a recipe anywhere so we invented our own, and it was not only beautiful but also surprisingly tasty!
posted by exceptinsects at 1:53 PM on February 13, 2017 [1 favorite]

A coffee table and kitchen table and benches.
posted by brent at 11:26 AM on February 19, 2017 [5 favorites]

They're good furniture brent.
posted by billiebee at 3:36 PM on February 19, 2017 [9 favorites]