Answers to Go with Susan Smith
Q. We travel out-of-state for Christmas to visit my dad and brothers and sisters. We’re all retired now and don’t need any more sweaters. We draw names and pick something inexpensive and silly for a gift. This year I got my brother who is infamous for his duct tape repairs. I’ve heard that duct tape arts and crafts are popular. Do you have a book I could look at to make him a gift? I might want to buy a copy of the book, too.
A. If silly is your goal, I’d suggest Joe Wilson’s “Ductigami: The Art of the Tape.”
Wilson introduces his book with this tribute to his duct tape projects: “… a book that reveals the essential techniques of duct-tapefolding to create objects of transcendence, wonder and inspired usefulness.
“Not to be confused with origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper-folding to create delicate, fragile items for the moment, Ductigami employs ordinary offthe-shelf duct tape in the creation of functional folded objects that are built to suffer the rigors of modern life.
“Can a majestic origami crane withstand an assault with a water pistol? Can an origami jack-in-the-box survive a three-year old? We think not.
“Once you master the art of the tape, you will be able to construct some of the world’s most unique items of function and fashion. And part of their beauty is that if they ever wear out, they can be repaired quickly with more duct tape.”
Wilson begins with four pages of basic instruction in creating duct tape sheets, strips, loops, slots and pockets.
Is your brother by chance a baseball lover? And an art lover? Page 62 features a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in a duct tape baseball cap.
Here is Wilson’s introduction to the baseball cap instructions: “Get one of those really big rolls of tape in the color of your choice. Photocopy the three pattern pieces from this book and trim them to the size of hat you want to make.
“We found that if you cut the pattern pieces out of poster board it will give you better stability when you cut your tape. Next, put a fresh blade in your knife: the better the cuts, the better the seams.”
Wilson offers pattern pieces for small, medium, and large caps. The brim is apparently "one size fits all."
There are eight steps to make the cap and then 10 more steps to make the brim and finish the cap. On the plus side, just like real baseball caps, it can be adjusted in the back.
I’m pretty sure this isn’t a beginner project. That’s my opinion – not the author’s. Keep in mind, I’m not that good with precision taping. The stickier the tape, the more trouble I have.
Duct tape must be having its moment as a craft. For adults, we also have Lance Akiyama’s “Duct Tape Engineer: The Book of Big, Bigger, and Epic Duct Tape Projects.” Akiyama’s projects include a bed frame, hammock, geodesic dome, kayak, giant pyramid catapult, giant slingshot and rocket launcher.
For kids, we have three books: Carolyn Bernhardt’s “Duct Tape Costumes” and “Duct Tape Animals” as well as “Crafting with Duct Tape” by Dana Meachen Rau.
