As someone who is a maker as well as a photographer, it was a particular thrill to get to document all the women gathered by Lena Corwin for Made By Hand. I so loved to watch their process, learn their tips and tricks, and to see the magic of their projects emerging from raw materials. The week we spent in Brooklyn, New York doing the shoot, I often found myself itching to put down my camera and pick up needle and thread.

So, when I finally got my hands on a copy, I was quite excited to be the one making instead of documenting. I flipped straight to Erin Considine’s coiled bowl project as I knew I would have all the supplies (or decent substitutions) on hand in my studio, and I had been fascinated by them ever since I photographed her process.

My coil bowls are quite tiny as the rope I used as a base was relatively thin (I use the shallow one as a coaster). Erin calls for hemp twine in her instructions, but I used what I had on hand—variegated linen yarn for the one on the left and crochet thread for the one on the right—with great results. Once I get a hold of some larger rope, I have grand plans for larger bowls and baskets to give as gifts. I found the wrapping and stitching of these to be rather therapeutic. I would have happily made these all day given the chance! I’ll be sharing future coil bowls I make on Instagram along with all the other MBH projects I have queued up once I can find some free time.

I did make time for one more MBH project this week. Inspired by one of Lena’s own project’s from the book—the rotary-printed napkins, I used the technique to print on paper (using soy ink on kraft paper). MAV and I thought we’d share the results with you! If you purchase Made By Hand from our shop, it will come wrapped in the hand-printed paper (Thanks for the great response! Paper is gone, but we still have extra treats for you!!!). We love our 3191 community, so you’ll find a few other surprises tucked into your book as well! We are waiting for our shipment to arrive, but are accepting pre-orders now. We hope to have them in your hands in time for some holiday crafting and gift-giving!

To see all the makers and projects featured in Made By Hand along with some behind-the-scenes photos, check out Lena’s website.

—SCB

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