Tara Humphrey
Creative Successes
I have always been a creative person, I love making things and seeing something come together from the beginning to the end. Listed here are a few of my projects, many of which utilize equipment found in library create spaces, as well as some of my own creations outside of the library setting.
Savage Garden T-Shirt
Sublimation Machine
This is a t-shirt I made utilizing the sublimation machine at the library. The process involved choosing an image and editing it (with my sister's knowledgeable help), printing the image onto sublimation paper, then lining it up on the shirt and transferring the image using the sublimation heat press. It is important to keep in mind the shirt material as some fabrics are better for transferring images. The shirt used here is a polyester fabric.
Hanson Earrings
Laser Cutter
These earrings I made mostly to try the laser cutter when I learned about it. I decided to make guitar pick earrings with the Hanson logo. The process included finding the image and altering it to not lose pieces when cut out, choosing material that would work in the cutter, and lining it up before printing. This particular acrylic material came pre-ready for cutting, making the process easy, but I have also tried with a lightweight wood and had to tape the surface to avoid burn marks.
Mardi Gras Pins
Button Maker
For Salt Lake County Library's Adult Night Out Mardi Gras event recently I ended up giving the button maker a try, and these pins are the result. To make these pins, an image needs to be selected and sized. There is a round cutter to cut the picture to the right size, and then it is a matter of correctly layering the pin backing, the top metal piece, the picture, and the clear coating in the two-sided button press. Once everything its in it is easy to pull the lever, switch sides, pull the lever again, and take out the completed pin!
Dirndl Dress
Sewing Machine
Although this is something I made on my own, many libraries offer sewing machines in their create space. I grew up knowing how to sew, but really got to know the machine when I decided to make this dress. The process took me a week, involving choosing fabric, creating a pattern, and working with the machine. Running out of bobbin thread necessitated learning how to spool thread onto an empty bobbin. I also learned how to troubleshoot when the feed dogs started giving me grief. It was a learning process but a great experience to get to know the machine and end up with a great dress!
Star Trek Earpiece
3D Printer/Tinkercad
Early on when I learned about 3D printers being available in libraries, I wanted to try my hand at it. Though I haven't done a lot, one project I did was this Star Trek Earpiece. It may not be perfect, but I designed it myself using the Tinkercad software, which showed me how challenging it can be to adjust sizing and placement and shapes in the rendering. I managed to make my earpiece and had it printed. Since then I was also taught the printing process itself, which involves splicing the design and adding any supports that may be necessary for delicate elements.
Numbers Shirt
Cricut Vinyl Cutter
Many of the thing's that I have used the Cricut vinyl cutter at the library for have ended up being given to other people, such as this for my nephew. Making this shirt involved setting up the Cricut to cut out the numbers on the selected vinyl, including lining things up to reduce waste of the material. Once cut on the proper side, it was weeded with a tool to remove excess around the numbers, then transferred onto the shirt using the heat press.
Bracelets/Tie
Chainmaille
One of my personal creative hobbies outside of the library is making chainmaille jewelry. While the chain styles are standard, I have made my own designs with them. Here are some bracelets I have made, along with a tie I designed. It takes some time and patience to pry the rings apart and neatly close them while weaving them in intricate patterns, but the results are always pretty and cool! This skill also comes in handy for fixing broken jewelry or chains in a pinch.
Blanket
Crochet
Something that I have done casually for several years is crochet. One of my favorite thing's I've crocheted is this blanket, which utilized several balls of yarn, and involved crocheting dozens of individual granny squares, arranging them in a pattern I liked, and then crocheting all of them together to create a coherent blanket to throw on the end of a bed. Creating my own designs also helps me know how to find and fix my mistakes.
