What is it? – Open any catalog of sewing notions and you’ll immediately be overwhelmed. There are so many specialty tools with each designed to assist us in our various sewing tasks. But as the “specialty” moniker suggests, they often apply only to a specific niche (or even micro-niche) of a particular sewing operation. But what about the other sewing… Read More Tailoring Tools
What is it? – Let’s think about it. What do we do when we sew? What comes after the creative vision is set and after finding the perfect fabric and the perfect accessorizing thread? We cut that beautiful fabric into smaller pieces and then, well, and then we sew it all back together again into a larger piece of fabric. But… Read More Marking Tools
If you all have seen our previous blog posts and Tool School Extra Credit projects, you know by now that we love a good embellishment! For this project, we are going to be using the Mesh Transfer Canvas from Clover and let us tell you… it is so easy to work with. Also, because it is… Read More Extra Credit: Use the Mesh Transfer Canvas to make a Butterfly Shirt
What is it? – Fashion, fashion accessories, heirloom sewing, quilting or home decor. At one time or another all of these project genres present us with a blank canvas to which we can apply our own creative brilliance. Or maybe we can just plagiarize someone else’s brilliance just a little. In any case, we’ve found a really cool… Read More Mesh Transfer Canvas
What are they? – The devil is in the details. Isn’t that what they say? How can that possibly apply to us? Just think about what we do when we sew. We spend hours selecting a delicious design or the perfect pattern. The same amount of time is spent finding the most fabulous fabric (and no, it’s not in your stash)… Read More Straight Pins
Following along with our posts, you will have noticed that we love taking existing tools and finding unique ways to use them. Most everyone reading this will have heard of bias tape, having purchased it or made it themselves for garment trims and quilt binding. Bias tape maker… surely there had to be other uses… Read More Scandinavian Fabric Stars with Clover’s Bias Tape Maker
What is it? – It’s common knowledge that woven fabric is made on a loom with warp (vertical threads) and weft (horizontal threads). In either direction there is pretty much no stretch at all. That’s a good thing but it also makes it pretty hard to form binding fabric around corners or adapt it to curved shapes found… Read More Bias Makers
What is it? – Appliqué . As a noun it’s an amazing and beautiful fiber art form. As a verb, appliqué refers to the addition of subordinate decorative fabric motifs to a larger, supporting piece of fabric. It has applications to quilting, fashion, home décor and crafts. Appliqué can be elegant or simple and it can create real world, geometric or… Read More Wonder Fuse
Non-Stick Lace Skinny Scarf Finished length: 128”/ 325 cm Finished width: 2”/ 5 cm What you’ll need: Clover Hairpin Lace Tool, item #3104 D/3.25mm Clover Amour Crochet Hook, item #1042/D Yarn of your choice – we used fingering weight yarn Thread – we used Aurifil 12wt cotton thread Scissors What you’ll need to know: Chain… Read More Hairpin Non-Stick Lace Skinny Scarf
What is it? – Scarves, shawls and wraps. Sometimes it seems as if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. But every now and then you see one that is somehow different. Really different. Seems to be made of endless flowing lace. It’s incredibly beautiful with a lacey, open design. And then we ask ourselves, is it knitting or crochet? Well, the easy… Read More Hairpin Lace Tool
What is it? – Crochet has been around for a long time. Just ask your friends at Wikipedia. Having said that, crochet is still very relevant, even considered cool and growing in popularity as evidenced by trending pieces all the way from grandmother to Dolce & Gabbana. Fashion and fashion accessories, home décor and amazing independent pieces abound. Patterns… Read More Amour Crochet Hooks
What you need: Size Large Yo-Yo Maker, item #8701 Neutral shade of thread, Aurifil 50 wt cotton Black Gold Applique Needles, item #4971 Fabric Cuts: 96, 4.5″ red squares (or any darker color) 25, 4.5″ pink squares (or any lighter color) One, 20×20″ red fabric square for the back of the pillow One, 20×20″… Read More Yo-Yo Pillow Tutorial
What is it? So what is this thing called punch embroidery? It’s actually one of those “mature” artforms that is pretty much old school, something our grandmothers may have loved. While traditional machine embroidery has its obvious applications, lately more and more of us have had our fiber-creative senses re-attuned to the amazing textures created… Read More Embroidery Stitching (Punch) Tool
What is it? Decorative beadwork has a history dating back millennia to a time when shells and bones were used to fashion necklaces and other jewelry. It was used to signify a special sense of importance to the wearer. The same can be said of crochet and knitting. As an art form they’ve been around for… Read More Swift Bead
Featured Items Art No. 4071 Purple Desk Needle Threader Art No. 4072 Green Desk Needle Threader Art No. 4073 Pink Desk Needle Threader Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, and the creative geniuses behind Shibaguyz Designz Studio.Their award winning crochet & knit designs have… Read More Desk Needle Threader Extra Credit!
What is it? What can you make with fabric yo-yo’s? That’s not the real question. The real question should be what can’t you make with fabric yo-yo’s? Those little creative gems are perfect for all kinds of home décor applications like doilies, quilts, bead spreads, pillows, placemats or fashion accessories like dresses, vests, headbands or… Read More Quick Yo-Yo Makers
What is it? Feeling creative? No holds barred creative? Want to make something that exudes light and color and texture? Something that conveys emotion? Flat is good but how about adding form or structure? Something like three dimensional shapes to make gorgeous flowers, cute puppies or elegant birds? Well you’re in for a treat. Let me… Read More Needle Felting Tools
Featured Item Art No. 499 Download Project Sheet Here Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, and the creative geniuses behind Shibaguyz Designz Studio.Their award winning crochet & knit designs have been featured in and on the covers of both US and international publications. Their… Read More Slash Cutter Chenille Pillow with The Shibaguyz
What is it? Quilting construction is all about fabric cut in geometric shapes and applied in a specific order to present our preselected pattern. Squares, rectangles, triangles and curves. They are all important and can be applied in any combination to mimic our creative vision. Using these basic shapes we can create an endless array of… Read More Carefree Curves
What is it? Few things are more essential to the sewing process than the hand sewing needle. They were around even before thread and fabric. Think about it. Ancient ancestors used “pointed” objects to perforate animal hides so they could be laced together with cords. It was only a matter of time until some smart cave… Read More Desk Needle Threader
What is it? You know that fuzzy, super comfortable quilt your grandmother gave you? Probably made of chenille. And there’s nothing more reassuring than a hug from a chenille robe. Why? Chenille is your basic comfort fabric. It’s a natural for towels, robes and baby items. But don’t forget home décor, fashion or crafts. You can… Read More Slash Cutter
What is it? Triangles and quilts. What do they have to do with each other. Plenty. Using half-square and quarter square triangle blocks in various arrangements of color and size have produced literally thousands of quilt patterns. Solid colors, prints, batiks, fabric styles and block orientations all contribute to an unending array of designs. And triangles… Read More No-Hassle Triangles Gauge
What is it? Okay, who has too much time on their hands? We find it’s a challenge every day for us to figure out what we’re going to do with ourselves. Plenty of time on our hands and nothing to do. Well that’s not much of a showing. How about this, who thinks that quilting… Read More Foot Note on the Ultimate Quilt ‘n Stitch Presser Foot
Roll ‘n Press Point 2 Point Turner … Read More I Sew For Fun Extra Credit
What is it? – If there was such a thing as a machine that could transport us back in time to review our history we’d no doubt see that one of the first sewing tools developed by our sewing ancestors was the hand sewing needle. Granted it was a very crude artifact compared to the precision needles… Read More Flexible Rubber Thimbles
What is it? – Whether we’re into fashion, quilting, heirloom, home decor or all of the above, there is one constant. Specific techniques apply to each. The more adept we are in that technique to more personal satisfaction we realize for our efforts. The more completely we can achieve our creative intent. It’s that simple and that’s… Read More New I Sew For Fun Items!
Extra credit with the Shibaguyz Art No. 3129 Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, and the creative geniuses behind Shibaguyz Designz Studio.Their award winning crochet & knit designs have been featured in and on the covers of both US and international publications. Their craft, portrait, and… Read More Pom-Pom Neck Warmer Extra Credit
What is it? – We just left our favorite knitting shop with a very cool new sweater pattern and yarn so beautiful that it defies description. We weren’t planning on starting on a new project today, but when inspiration strikes what can you do? You tell yourself you have no choice but to start right away.… Read More Swatch Ruler & Needle Gauge
What is it? – A pom-pom is the very epitome of cute. And I’m not just talking about the bobble on the pointy end of a ski cap. It’s much more than an accent for funny hats sporting snowflake and dear head designs. Much more than that, these beautiful little gems become valued accents to any… Read More Pom-Pom Maker Set
Create-a-Pincushion Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, and the creative geniuses behind Shibaguyz Designz Studio.Their award winning crochet & knit designs have been featured in and on the covers of both US and international publications. Their craft, portrait, and fashion photography has appeared in six books and… Read More Create-a-Pincushion Extra Credit
What is it? – Ever wonder where we’d be without that GPS function on our phone? If we want to know where we are, our exact location is only a finger swipe away. And if we have a specific destination in mind that same finger swipe will give us a detailed route complete with options and estimated… Read More Pattern Chart Marker Set & Knitting Counters
What is it? – “A pincushion is a small, stuffed cushion, typically 3-5 cm across, which is used in sewing to store pins or needles with their heads protruding to take hold of them easily, collect them, and keep them organized. Pincushions are typically filled tightly with stuffing to hold pins rigidly in place.” Wikipedia. Really, is… Read More Create-a-Pincushion
Extra Credit with the Shibaguyz Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, and the creative geniuses behind Shibaguyz Designz Studio.Their award winning crochet & knit designs have been featured in and on the covers of both US and international publications. Their craft, portrait, and fashion photography has appeared in… Read More Thimbles Extra Credit
Extra Credit with the Shibaguyz Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, and the creative geniuses behind Shibaguyz Designz Studio.Their award winning crochet & knit designs have been featured in and on the covers of both US and international publications. Their craft, portrait, and fashion photography has appeared in six… Read More Hot Hemmer & Hot Ruler Extra Credit
What is it? – Think about what we do when we construct any sewn project. Most likely we take large pieces of fabric and cut them into small pieces of fabric and then we sew them back together into large pieces of fabric again. And it’s all done with some creative vision in mind. If we measure,… Read More Hot Hemmer & Hot Ruler
What is it? – When you think about it you’ll have to admit it’s true. Most of us have been weaving since childhood. Remember the square plastic looms we used as children to weave countless preformed cotton loops into all of those square hot pads using that funny looking long hook? It was great fun because… Read More Mini Weaving Loom
What is it? Here’s a question for you. What is the easiest way to make eye popping embellishments for everything from home decor projects to fashion accessories? Also throw in the ability to make stunning jewelry, elegant scarves, clever hats, attractive belts, beautiful throw rugs, cute coasters, decorative place mats with matching table runners and so… Read More French Knitter & Wonder Knitter
Art No. 3200 Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, and the creative geniuses behind Shibaguyz Designz Studio.Their award winning crochet & knit designs have been featured in and on the covers of both US and international publications. Their craft, portrait, and fashion photography has appeared… Read More Swatch Ruler & Needle Gauge Extra Credit
Art No. 7807 Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, and the creative geniuses behind Shibaguyz Designz Studio.Their award winning crochet & knit designs have been featured in and on the covers of both US and international publications. Their craft, portrait, and fashion photography has appeared… Read More Hold it Precision Stiletto Extra Credit
What is it? So much of what we do in sewing involves detail work. Quilting, fashion, home decor or accessories all are made better when we pay attention to even the most obscure details in the construction process. But this requires more than just paying attention. It means all of those little points, folds, creases… Read More Hold It Precision Stiletto
What is it? Chances are if you’re into sewing it’s because you were introduced to it by someone. Maybe a friend or your mom or dad or even a grandmother or grandfather or other relative. The point remains, however, that most often someone close to you inspired you, encouraged you and taught you. And because… Read More I Sew For Fun
Extra credit with the Shibaguyz Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, and the creative geniuses behind Shibaguyz Designz Studio.Their award winning crochet & knit designs have been featured in and on the covers of both US and international publications. Their craft, portrait, and fashion photography has appeared in… Read More Snag Repair Extra Credit
What is it? It’s always your new sweater, coat, blouse or pants. The dreaded snag. An unruly thread pulled free and right there for everyone to see. You can pat it down but you know it’ll come back. Cut it off and you leave a hole in its place. That’s no answer either. How can… Read More Snag Repair Needles
What is it? Sometimes a new sewing notion, a tool designed with one very specific purpose, comes around and we think, “Huh, why hasn’t someone thought of that before?” Case in point, sewing parallel lines of stitches for quilting, home decor or even fashion. Quite a chore, right? Measuring and marking all of those lines… Read More Ultimate Quilt ‘n Stitch Presser Foot
What is it? There are many projects we can make with fabric for fashion, quilting, home decor, accessories or crafts. But how do we make them truly ours? How can we personalize what we’ve made so that it really shows our own creative vision. One very dramatic way to achieve that is hand embroidery. And… Read More Embroidery Stitching Tool
Extra credit with the Shibaguyz Pins Extra Credit Tool School Watch Tool School an overview of Pins Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, and the creative geniuses behind Shibaguyz Designz Studio.Their award winning crochet & knit designs have been featured in and on the covers of… Read More Pins Extra Credit
What does it do? Bias binding tape has been called “the duct tape of sewing.” Why? Because, like the actual duct tape, it’s just so handy. We can use it to join raw edges of fabric in any fashion that suits our creative vision. Bold fashion accents, button hole loops, draw strings, bag straps, elastic… Read More Bias Tape Makers
What is it? What do we think of when the topic of straight pins comes to the fore? Usually we think of those sharp little devils that find us when we’re not looking for them. You know, the one that’s hidden in that quilt top that we’re folding (but is now in our finger) or… Read More Straight Pins