copyright 2013 by Shawn Gascoyne-Bowman. All rights reserved. Pattern illustration copyright 2013 by Matt Newell. Top photo on page 123 copyright 2013 by The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, used with permission. Bottom photo on page 123 copyright 2013 by Milkovisch Family Archives, used with permission. All other photography copyright 2013 by Laura Sams andRobert Sams. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.
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Thanks
This book couldnt have been made without the help of a number of talented, smart, and funny people. My heartfelt thanks go to all the fabulous folks at Andrews McMeel who turned this project into a real book, with a special shout-out to Lane Butler and Holly Ogden. Additional thanks go to: Sorche, Bo, Xander, and Lucy, the folks whove always got my back; Matt Newell, for pattern templates; Bekki Scotto, for original hat pattern designs; Emily Engdahl, for her kind thoughts and words; Elizabeth Start, for the loan of one spectacular dress; Amy Honeyman and Keri Pieh, for help with project designs; Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, for the use of photographs and biographical information about John Milkovisch; project and pattern testers Shelly Pagliai, Anne Wilseck, Donna Bartelt, and Felix Hewison-Carter. Even more thanks to Alex Ganum for trusting me with the keys to the brew house and lots of inspiration. My neighbors Jason and Dana were kind enough to take beer off my hands when I needed cans emptied. Way to take a hit for the team, guys! And, of course, thanks to Katie Merritt and all the folks at SCRAP.
Laura Samss and Rob Samss contributions to Beer Crafts extend way beyond photography; theyve been supportive, creative collaborators, darling models, and great friends.
Im hugely grateful to my good-looking friends who let me shanghai their afternoons for impromptu modeling sessions: Casey White, Bo Bowman, Bobby Roberts, Matt Newell, Cris Martin, Giuseppe Lipari and his girl Jane, Sue McDonald, Leslie Mestman, Ryan Manner, Jennifer Dawkins, and Brandy Ethridge are good sports, and I owe you all a beer!
Thanks to Upright Brewing, Taylors Market, Beer Bunker, Caldera Public House, and Montevilla Station for the use of their space for photographs.
A highlight in making this book was enjoying the fine beers used in the crafts. An enormous thanks to the following breweries and organizations who gave permission to use images: Pabst Blue Ribbon, New Belgium Brewing, Fearless Brewing Company, 21st Amendment, Fort George Brewery, Upright Brewing, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Rabbits Foot Brewing, Unita Brewing, Maui Brewing Co., The Pike Brewing Company, Hales Ales, Schirf Brewing Company, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Ninkasi Brewing Company, Uncommon Brewers, Kona Brewing Company, Big Sky Brewing, Full Sail Brewing, Avery Brewing, Shmaltz Brewing Company, Green Flash Brewing Company, North Coast Brewing, Brouwerij Van Steenberge, Boulder Beer, Laurelwood Brewing, Women Enjoying Beer, Magic Hat, Laurelwood Brewing Company, and Avery Brewing Company.
Foreword
When the crafty and craft beer communities come together, we all win. Creativity and crafting with found objects, including reusing bottle caps, cans, bottles, and carriers, is a direct expression of the craft beer philosophy that creates community around sustainability.
This sustainability, coupled with creativity, repurposing, and innovation, are all ways in which we can support our local communities, and in turn, the earth. When we support craft brewers, we keep dollars in our neighborhoods, strengthening our local economy. When we craft using repurposed materials, we keep waste out of the refuse stream and find unusual sources for supplies. In both beer and art, we are given glorious opportunities to build relationships with others, and expand our creative horizons. What better way to complement each other than by crafting with beer?
This is the heyday of the do-it-yourself mentality. From urban farming to home brewing, from the resurgence of modern domesticity like beautifully home sewn clothing to handmade objects for the home, the can-do attitude of creative folks is the very same industriousness that spurred on the craft beer movement from home brewers in the early 1980s.
At the very core, the hearts of craft beer and crafting beat with the same fundamental tempo. Within these two, community is queen. So grab a beer, gather up some friends, and get to it. Theres nothing better than enjoying a tasty beverage while creating, laughing, and having a good time with your friends. This book will show you the way!
Emily Engdahl
Crafter, home brewer, beer writer
Owner-creator, Oregon Beer Country
Introduction
Crafting may be my first love, but beer and I have a long and passionate history. Thank goodness, appreciating them both doesnt have to be a rivalry for affections and I can enjoy them simultaneously, sometimes even in public.
Im amazingly fortunate to be living in Portland, Oregon, which has the largest number of breweries per capita in the United States, and the beers here are pretty darn goodright up there with the awesome brews coming from my hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado. But Im guessing youve got some kick-ass beers in your town, too. Its a plague of awesomeness.
Weve seen a revolution in crafting and knitting. Folks are learning to make things for themselves again, and luckily for us theyve rediscovered beer. Home brewers who have been experimenting with hundred-year-old German recipes are opening brewpubs, and outstanding craft breweries are popping up all over the countryreally, all over the world.
Innovative graphic design has accompanied the boom in the beer industry, with stunning packaging acting as a visual signature from the breweries. My appreciation for these cool cans and subsequent collection of them had turned into a bit of a problem. These things take up space, and a couple of years ago it seemed time to move on from my decorating style of dorm room chic to something more befitting a foxy middle-aged mom.
The answer to the question, What do you do with the ninety-nine beers on the wall? came from an unlikely source, my eight-year-old daughter. She had become obsessed with making jewelry out of my discarded bottle caps, and one morning, I found a note on my desk that said, My crafting involves you to open a beer. Suddenly I had an epiphany: ALL crafting should involve my opening a beer. The basic source materials for dozens of craft projects are right in my house, no farther than the fridge or recycle bin.