Supplies you’ll need:

• paper
• beeswax
• an old saucepan or double-boiler
• a stove
• tongs
• heatproof gloves
• heat pad
• newspaper

Directions:

Fold Your Paper
1-2. Take a regular piece of rectangular printer paper and fold it half width-ways, then in half again to find the center.

3-4. From the folded edge, fold the top two corners down to the center line.

5. Then fold the bottom flap upward on each side.

6-7. Bring the corners of the base together to create a square shape and fold the flaps under each other to tidy it up.

8. Fold each of these bottom corners up to the top corner on each side. It should look like a triangle. Open up the base of this triangle and squash it into a square shape.

9. Gently pull the side pieces out and unfold it to create a boat shape. Open up the base with your fingers — this will help it to float.

Heat Your Wax
10. Place your wax into your old saucepan or double boiler, and heat the beeswax on the lowest temperature on your stove top. It should take about 5-10 minutes depending on how much you have. Your wax will melt quicker if it is in small pieces, so if you'd like, you can break up your beeswax sheet or use a grater to grate your block of beeswax. Turn the stove off when it has melted. 

Dip Your Boat
11. Take the pot of hot melted beeswax and place it carefully on a heat pad on the table.

12. Hold your origami creation with your tongs and place it carefully into the hot wax. The wax will immediately start to soak into the paper. Use the tongs to carefully rotate the origami piece around so that it soaks up the wax on all sides.

13. After a minute or so, use the tongs to remove the origami from the wax and let it drain on a piece of newspaper. It will be cool and dry within a few minutes.

14. Go and float it in the bath, at the local frog pond, or in your backyard pool.

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  close up of stitches
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Pick the cross-stitch pattern you’d like to use (or draw your own). I picked letters because they’re pretty easy to work with, and they’re nice and graphic. Draw the pattern on grid paper so you can figure out what size each square (or stitch) should be. The simpler the design is, the bigger you can make the overall piece.

Once you have everything sketched, it’s time to do some math. To find the overall dimensions of your cross-stitch, count how many squares tall and wide your design is on the graph paper. Multiply that number by the number of inches you’ve chosen to make each square. (I did 2-inch squares, which are pretty big. If you want to something that’s easier to work with, you could go with 1-inch squares instead.) After you have the image size, add a couple of inches to each of the four sides as a border (I added 5 inches to each side). Now you have your overall dimensions. Use these dimensions for your frame size. Be sure to add a couple of additional inches to each side of the fabric for stretching the canvas to the frame. For example, my overall frame size is 72" w x 34" h, but the piece of fabric I used is 82" w x 44" h.

Make a reverse copy of the pattern you just created. Using a ruler and triangle (or T-square) draw your grid and pattern on the back of your fabric with a pencil. Mark all the X’s from your pattern (since you’re working on the back side of the piece, don’t forget to use the reversed pattern). Use an X-acto knife to poke a tiny hole at the end of each X so that the needle will easily go through the canvas when cross-stitching.

Lay your fabric on the floor, pattern side up. Join the wooden stretchers to make a frame, gently tapping the corners with a hammer if necessary. Lay the frame over the fabric, with the pattern centered. Starting in the center on any side, staple the canvas to the back of the stretcher. Move to the opposite side, pull the canvas taught and staple the middle in place. Repeat with the other two edges. Keep stapling a couple of inches apart, and then staple the opposite side until the whole back is stapled; staples should be about 3 inches apart. At the corners, fold the edges of the canvas neatly and staple to frame. Trim excess fabric, one side at a time.

Using your upholstery needle and yarn, start cross-stitching from the back of the canvas, making X’s with the yarn for each stitch. Make sure to knot each end of the yarn on the backside so that the yarn doesn’t come undone

Assemble the top and bottom beams, which will rest between the steel angles. Glue and screw together two sets of 18-inch-long 2x4s. Attach four 1½-inch angle brackets (two on each side) to the bottom beam (flush with the top edge and inset a couple inches from the ends).

To make the floating platen (the piece of wood that presses down onto the plate), center and glue the 12x12-inch plywood piece onto one of the 15x15-inch pieces. Further secure them together by attaching four 1¾-inch angle brackets (facing out) in the corners of the 12-inch piece. The brackets should be set in about ¼ inch from the outside edges of the wood.

For the base, attach the two 15-inch 2x4s flush with the outside edge of the second 15x15-inch plywood piece using angle
brackets. Center the bottom beam underneath the base so it protrudes an equal distance (about 1½ inch) from both sides. Secure the beam temporarily to the base with a few screws through the angle brackets you attached in Step 1.

Set the base on its feet and hold two slotted steel angles in place on one end of the protruding bottom beam. The angles should be facing out, their corners flush with the end of the beam. Mark holes for two threaded rods, which will secure the steel angles to the bottom beam. Unscrew the bottom beam from the base and, using a drill press (or power drill) with a 5/16-inch bit, drill the holes for the rods. Repeat this process with the remaining steel angles on the other end of the bottom beam.

Reattach the beam to the base and secure the steel angles with the rods, washers, and wing nuts.

Place the top beam between the four slotted steel angles and mark holes for the four threaded rods, using a level to make sure the beam is properly aligned. Drill where marked.

Attach the fence anchor to the bottom center of the top beam. 

On the Plexiglas, use a permanent marker to create a grid of 1-inch squares as well as two diagonal lines from opposite corners (to help determine plate placement when printing).

Assembly: We’ve recommended using 24-inch slotted steel angles because they’re readily available in that length. For printing purposes, they are actually a bit too long, so secure your top beam 3 to 4 inches down from the top of the angles.

Place your platen on the base of the press. Attach the ends of your bungee cords to one side of the platen through the angle brackets, bring them over the top beam, and attach the other ends to the opposite angle brackets. Depending on the brackets, it may be necessary to drill a hole in the center of each one to accommodate the hook from the bungee cord.

Center your bottle jack on top of the platen with the top of the jack pressed against the middle of the fence post anchor. When printing, the bungee cords help retract the jack, while the fence post anchor prevents the top of the jack from digging into the top beam.

To keep the platen on target when you’re cranking it down, it is helpful to insert two guide screws on each side of the platen, which keep it from swinging around between the upright posts.

Get carded!

rope knot bracelet

1. Wrap one end of the twine around the can to shape an X. Leave about a 4" tail. You will need this tail at the end to finish the bracelet.

2. Wrap the long end of the twine around the can again and bring it up to the middle of the X. Then pass the long end of the twine under the right, upper leg of the X and pull the long end all the way through.

3. Next, move the upper left leg of the X over the right leg of the X to create an oval shape.

4. Pull the long end of the twine through the oval shaped opening you just set up.

5. Turn the can a bit and you will see that the oval shape has created another X shape. Again, pass the long end of the twine under the right upper leg of the X and pull the end through.

6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 until you get to the beginning of your project.

7. You will now find a three-stranded braid. Follow the twine you initially laid out and create a parallel second line.

8. Continue around the can. If you find that it's getting too tight to pass the twine through the openings, you may want to take the bracelet off the can and continue with the knotting in your hand. If you take it off, be careful not to pull the twine too tight, otherwise your bracelet will shrink on your wrist.

9. Continue knotting the rope around the bracelet until each strand of the braid has one parallel line — a total of three passes. At this point you can stop or add another three passes to create the traditional pattern of three parallel lines, like the bracelet in the third picture in this step.

10. To finish, just knot the ends together and weave them into the inside of the bracelet.