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Get The Technique
Name: Athena Preston
Job Title: Senior Associate Craft Editor
Date started at company: in the craft department, November 2005, but I first worked here on the Kmart Holiday line way back in 2001
First story: Ribbon lettering for the December 2005 well openers
Hometown: Washington D.C.
Education: BFA Rhode Island School of Design, MA in the History of Decorative Arts and Design, Cooper-Hewitt Museum and Parsons School of Design
First Job: I worked at an ice-cream parlor called Thomas Sweet. I gave a lot away for free.
Astrological sign: Gemini
Personal crafting/artwork: various silkscreen, stenciling, and block-printing projects.
First craft memory: tea-dyeing white tights with my mother so they’d match the crocheted lace collar of a very special brown velvet dress. Also, around the same time- wallpapering my dollhouse
Things you collect: manufacturer’s samples of ceramic plates with handwritten notations and pattern swatches, Tove Jansson picture books, old rulers painted bright colors, paper ephemera, my co-workers’ discarded craft efforts
FAVORITE . . .
Color (Pantone): Pantone # 178
Holiday: Valentine’s day, I never tire of the palette
Pizza topping: fresh ricotta
Kind of Fabric: Prints of all sorts. Scandinavian linen and cotton, certain crazy chintzes (but certainly not others!), mill-engravings and other tiny patterns, lately nearly any fabric that combines pink and blue
Dessert: Yakimochi from Café Zaiya
Source: the library at the Cooper-Hewitt
As many of you know, we are preparing for our third annual Holiday Craft Sale here in our offices, which will be open to the public and held Saturday, December 4. More details can be found here. (You can also view a gallery of last year’s sale.) As in previous years, many of our staff …
Though it’s one day late, this post is in the spirit of Halloween, mostly because I’m beyond terrified of spiders and can barely look at the image above…but I’m sharing it here because it relates to an amazing craft. On a recent visit to the American Museum of Natural History I viewed the textile below, …
Just a quick post to let you know that our beloved Nick, Crafts Dept. alumnus and great friend, is featured this week on The Selby. Confetti System is a collaboration between Nick and Julie, another old friend of ours… They and their work are so inspiring and cool! Hooray! Have a look at their studio …
I’ve been working on an embroidery project recently, and thinking about it has led me to find some interesting embroidery-related things online. Below is an assortment of things I’ve fancied lately. Elsie Svennas published several books (in both Swedish and English) on embroidery, lettering, and quilting in the 1960s. Sadly they’re now out of print …
While on a neighborhood stroll over the weekend, I ran into my old friend Maura Madden, who is a crafter, author, and comedy writer, and just about the most fun gal you’d ever care to cross paths with on a Saturday afternoon. She’s always up to something fun—I recommend her blog, where you can read …
Here in the Crafts department we have quite a collection of vintage craft books. These never cost much, so I’m in the habit of buying them whenever I see them. Many of them are amazingly dense with information and detailed projects, so they really are a great resource. I also love the covers and titles …
Tonight I’m going to a birthday picnic in the park for two old friends of mine whose birthdays are this week, Carrie and Ana. As usual, I’m in a scramble to make something to give them, so I’ve turned to my never-fail birthday card which I’ve made a zillion variations of over the years. All …
Morgan recently pointed out to me that one of my most favorite craft supplies is this glue, Yes! Paste, which I used for the first time on a story about making jewelry boxes several year ago. I used it to glue very heavy paper, very thin rice paper, and silk and velvet fabrics and was amazed …
Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Crafts features 225 festive projects, step-by-step instructions, and basic techniques for your year-round celebrations.
