Craft
The Craft Stories Colossal Readers Loved Most in 2022
We’re wrapping up 2022 and revisiting some of the craft projects we wrote about this year. From a 2,000-year-old Roman glass bowl to a menagerie of paper bats, the stories Colossal readers loved most are diverse in medium and subject matter and show a vast array of creativity around the globe.
If you want even more of 2022’s highlights, check out the top art stories and our favorite books of the year. You can also dive into the Colossal archive.
Image courtesy of Marieke Mom
Archeologists Unearth a Roman Glass Bowl Dating Back 2,000 Years in Pristine Condition
A January archaeological dig in the city of Nijmegen, The Netherlands, unearthed a stunningly preserved bowl made of blue glass that’s estimated to be about 2,000 years old.
Image © Larysa Bernhardt
Vintage Tapestries Cloak the Wings of Larysa Bernhardt’s Plush Moths
Artist Larysa Bernhardt creates colorful moth sculptures embroidered with vintage tapestries, often portraying historical people, animals, and delicate botanical forms on their wings.
Image © Guardabosques
A Collection of Paper Sculptures Studies the Wild Diversity of 88 Different Bat Species
A project by Juan Nicolás Elizalde, who is half of the creative team behind the Buenos Aires-based studio Guardabosques, explores the incredible diversity of bats through geometric paper sculptures.
Image courtesy of SJSA
In a time when witnessing inequity is like digging into an already numb wound, the Social Justice Sewing Academy offers the power of touch. Program director Stephanie Valencia speaks about the work of honoring the victims of violence and their families through community art, supporting young entrepreneurs with creative or social justice-oriented businesses, and most importantly, giving people something to hold on to.
Image © Ryan Eicher
Kaleidoscopic Patterns Coil Around Miniature Snakes Exquisitely Cast in Glass
Intricate linework and trippy, geometric motifs flow through the minuscule glass-blown serpents by Ryan Eicher.
Image © Sew Beautiful
Skies Peek Through Foliage in French Knots in Embroideries that Peer Up From the Forest Floor
The vibrant embroideries of Sew Beautiful capture the awe-inspiring breadth of the outdoors within a tiny wooden hoop.
Image © Raya Sader Bujana
Impossibly Small Houseplants and Basketry Crafted from Paper by Raya Sader Bujana
Barcelona-based artist Raya Sader Bujana defines her work as something between sculpture and illustration, creating impossibly tiny replicas of houseplants that rest atop a finger.
Image © Diane Yevtukh
Vivid Compositions in Thread Enliven Hollow Spaces in Diana Yevtukh’s Striking Embroideries
Ukrainian artist Diana Yevtukh draws inspiration from her surroundings by carefully situating cornucopian floral arrangements made of thread in the hollows of trees.
Image © Brian Giniewski
Mottled, Marbled, and Speckled Glazes Ooze Over Ceramic Vessels in Thick Pastel Drips
Referencing a melty summertime ice cream cone or icing on a cake, Brian Giniewski’s Drippy Pots are covered in mottled pastels, speckles, or single colors that trickle down the exterior of mugs and cups.
Image © Cai Wei Qun
An Elaborately Designed Book on Weaving Opens to Reveal a Fully Functional Loom
Cai Wei Qun constructed an impressively immersive book on weaving, which opens to reveal a trove of history, techniques and tricks, and an entire loom tucked between its covers.
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