Fabric Folding Pen with Instructor Steve Butler Class 161 View at our website What is it? We get it, no one likes to take the time to press fabric pieces when putting together that new creative inspiration. The sewing machine is ready, that fabulous fabric is ready, the complimenting thread is ready and, most importantly, we’re… Read More Fabric Folding Pen
Tracing Paper “Clover Chacopy” with Instructor Steve Butler Class 160 View at our website What is it? When it comes to sewing, and that’s what we do, tracing our pattern designs onto fabric is one of our least favorite activities. We find that perfect pattern, amazing fabric and complimenting thread and we just want to jump… Read More Tracing Paper “Clover Chacopy”
Hot Ruler Large and Hot Hemmer Square with Instructor Steve Butler Class 159 View at our website Visit our website What is it? If we were to make a list of essential actions required to achieve our most lofty creative aspirations when sewing, pressing would be near or even at the top of that list. Precise… Read More Hot Ruler & Hot Hemmer
Fabric Tube Maker with Instructor Steve Butler Class 155 What is it? Jelly Roll™ projects of all types are more popular than ever. Home décor, fashion, fashion accessories, quilting, or any other application you can imagine. The three dimensional effect of the folded fabric tubes are particularly enticing. Add to that the unlimited selection of fabric colors, patterns… Read More Fabric Tube Maker
Takumi Interchangeable Circular Knitting Needle System with instructor Steve Butler Class 149 What is it? – Hats, socks, sweaters, sleeves, mittens, bags and so much more. All things knitted, great or small, flat or in the round. How can we do all of these projects? Besides some killer yarn and a crystal-clear creative vision, we’ll need a… Read More Takumi Interchangeable Circular Knitting Needle System
Wonder Fuse with instructor Steve Butler Class 147 What is it? – Whether you’re a seasoned fashionista or a die hard quilt aficionado, applique can be an amazing part of your design process. Applique is essentially applying one piece of fabric to another. It’s usually comprised of supporting decorative fabric motifs attached to a larger, background piece… Read More Wonder Fuse
Darning Needles with instructor Steve Butler Class 145 What is it? – Darning needles, sometimes referred to as tapestry needles, are a no-nonsense, must-have tool for all fiber artists who work with yarns, flosses or heavy threads. In the needle world, these are the heavy lifters. Crochet, knitting, embroidery, counted cross stitch or sewing, they… Read More Darning Needles
Amour Steel Crochet Hook Set with instructor Steve Butler Class 144 What is it? – Every time I see lace crochet I am reminded of my grandmother. She truly was an artist with lace-weight threads and steel crochet hooks. As you might expect, most of her crochet projects centered around beautiful edges applied to handkerchiefs or table… Read More Amour Steel Crochet Hook Set
View Here! Bracelet Maker with instructor Steve Butler Class 142 What is it? – If you want to discuss useful fashion accessories you have to include bracelets in the conversation. Dressing up or dressing down, black tie or no tie, bracelets are perfect for every social occasion. Perhaps the most meaningful of these vaunted fashion accessories are the… Read More Bracelet Maker
Bodkins with instructor Steve Butler Class 140 What is it? – The buzzer goes off telling you the drying cycle has finished. Finally. You go over to the dryer and pull out the new hoodie you were planning on wearing today. As you remove it, you notice that the cord that is supposed to go through the hood… Read More Bodkins (Art. No. 9581,9582,4001)
No Hassles Triangle Gauge with instructor Steve Butler What is it? – We’ve all been there, right? We’re in our favorite quilt shop and as usual, we see some amazing quilts. Flying Geese, Drunkard’s Path, School House, Log Cabin, Dresden Plate, Double Wedding Ring, Bear Paw, Half Square, Mariner’s Compass, it goes on and on. Talk about inspiration! Or maybe… Read More No-Hassle Triangle Gauge
Needle Threaders with instructor Steve Butler What is it? – Few sewing tools are more useful and necessary than hand sewing needles. Specific needle styles have evolved into virtually every genre of sewing specialty including general sewing, appliqué, embroidery, ribbon embroidery, quilting, upholstery, tapestry, basting, beading, darning, tailoring, etc. Additionally, and regardless of style, each needle is… Read More Needle Threaders
Tunisian Crochet Mug Rug By the Shibaguyz It should come as no surprise to most of you that we like to play with a lot of different types of crafting. We knit, crochet, quilt, sew, spin… you get the idea. Our general philosophy for our making and art is that all forms of art and craft… Read More Extra Credit: Tunisian Crochet Mug Rug
Yarn Guide with instructor Steve Butler Class 133 What is it? A particularly enticing knitting technique is called stranded colorwork. Using two or more colors of yarn simultaneously allows us to create amazing designs in knitted fabric. With a full pallet of colors, a wide range of fibers and a limitless assortment of patterns available to… Read More Yarn Guide
French Knitter & Wonder Knitter with instructor Steve Butler Class 131 What is it? Think back for a moment. You’ve been on the cutting edge of creative expression for most of your life. Everything from home décor to fashion accessories to all types of craft applications. But when and how did that creative fervor start? For many of us… Read More French Knitter & Wonder Knitter
Stitch Dome with instructor Steve Butler Class 130 What is it? Embroidery hoops are familiar to all of us who do hand embroidery, applique or cross stitch. They’ve been around forever, are made from any number of materials from wood, plastic or even PVC pipe. They are also available in a wide assortment of sizes, each fitted… Read More Stitch Dome
Sweet ‘n Sharp Macarons with instructor Steve Butler Class 129 What is it? When we think of sewing, two things come to mind first. Needles and threads. They are just basic to everything we do in sewing. Historically speaking, the demands of both existing and emerging sewing technique have resulted in the development of an amazing array of… Read More SWEET `N SHARP Macarons
Tailor’s Awls with instructor Steve Butler Class 128 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 an incredibly wide variety of specific sewing tasks. It’s often hard to keep track of them all. There are, however, some… Read More Tailor’s AWL
Custom Fit T-Shirt By the Shibaguyz Who doesn’t love a good T-shirt? They go with everything from jeans to modern business attire. We have them in various colors, with and without graphics. The one issue… the fit. T-shirts are made to fit a wide population, most of whom have unique sizing issues. Curvy? Broad chested… Read More Extra Credit: Custom Fit T-SHIRTS
Thimbles with instructor Steve Butler Class 127 What is it? You know what they say, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” In the case of thimbles it is certainly true. Thimbles in one form or another, have been around as long as needles have. Why? Well, whether you’re pushing a spike through animal hides in ancient times or a… Read More Thimbles
Curve Ruler with instructor Steve Butler Class 126 What is it? Is fashion important? Yes! Absolutely! Almost without exception, we feel better when we’re wearing something we consider fashionable. And what makes it fashionable? Style, fit, aesthetics and function. It looks good and we feel good in it. If it’s going to be something we make ourselves, it starts with an amazing… Read More Curve Ruler
Pillow Slipcover By the Shibaguyz It’s inevitable, especially at this time of the year when we are spending so much of our time inside with our possessions. You start to notice all the small things: The pulled threads, the small stains, that slightly worn edge on the sofa pillow. Or maybe you are just really… Read More Extra Credit: Pillow Slipcover By the Shibaguyz
Pressing Station with instructor Steve Butler Class 125 What is it? We’ve all seen it. Two friends make the same sewn project using the same pattern and similar fabrics and threads. Both friends are accomplished sewists so we’re kind of expecting the finished projects to look the same or, at least, similar. And yet somehow, they’re not. One is… Read More Pressing Station
What is it? Everything we do in sewing starts with cutting larger pieces of fabric into smaller pieces of fabric, before we can reassemble them again into larger pieces of fabric fitting our creative design. Fashion, quilting, heirloom, home décor and crafts, it all starts with the cut. And the more precise the cut, the more precise… Read More Shears & Cutters
Kanzashi Flower Hair Comb By the Shibaguyz Kanzashi flowers have been used for centuries in Japanese culture as ornamentation for hair combs and picks. Originally, makers of Kanzashi would train for years to learn the intricate art of folding and sewing fabric into floret shapes, but thanks to the fab folks at Clover, you can… Read More Extra Credit: Kanzashi Flower Hair Comb
Fashion Accessories- Pom-Poms, Tassels & Kanzashi Flower Makers with instructor Steve Butler Class 123 What is it? – Hit Paris Fashion Week and grab a seat at one of the famous catwalk displays at the Carrousel du Louvre, or just cruise through your favorite haunts at the local shopping mall. What you’ll see is the creative… Read More Fashion Accessories: Pom-Poms, Tassels & Kanzashi Flower Makers
The Beading Studio with instructor Steve Butler Class 122 What is it? – There are no two ways about it, we simply love working with beads. Why? Whether we’re making stand-alone beaded jewelry, fashion embellishments or accessories, home décor projects or adding beads to our crochet or knitting projects, the end result will always be the arrival… Read More The Beading Studio
Swatch Ruler & Pattern Chart Marker Set with instructor Steve Butler Class 121 What is it? – What is so special about knitting and crochet? Why are we inextricably drawn to them? It’s the opiate of creative expression. It’s almost intoxicating what we can do with yarns, needles and hooks. We can find creative examples all the way from… Read More Swatch Ruler & Pattern Chart Marker Set
Knitting Must Haves with instructor Steve Butler Class 120 What is it? – Artists have them, sculptors have them and musicians have them. How about those who knit and crochet? Yes, they have them too. What is it that they all have you’re no doubt wondering. Specialty tools. Uncommon implements of assistance. You know, those relatively simple devices that perform a… Read More Knitting Must Haves
What is it? – Chances are if you’re into sewing, you’ve narrowed your focus and you’re into primarily one specific genre of sewing. Maybe couture fashion and accessories or perhaps heirloom sewing. Could be you love quilting or maybe home décor is your thing. Regardless, the sewing studio associated with each will be found to be replete with… Read More Sewing Studio Essentials
What is it? – Let’s just take a minute and think about the actual process of your last sewing project. You’ve measured, marked and cut your most treasured fabric into the required component pieces. With great care you’ve pinned those fabric sections together just like you wanted. All is well. Now you’re ready to put it all… Read More Seams Right
What is it? – Basting just may be one of the least enjoyable elements of the sewing process. So why do we do it? Well, we have to. Basting ensures greater stitching accuracy. It makes the difference between something we’re proud to show and something we quietly and secretly put in a bottom drawer somewhere and forget. Basting with either stitches… Read More Wonder Pins
What is it? – Did you ever wonder why we have all of these sewing notions? All of these tools that we use almost every time we sew? Quilting, fashion, heirloom, home décor or crafts, it doesn’t really matter. There are tools that apply to all of them while some notions are very specific to just one in… Read More 6-in-1 Stick ‘n Stitch Guide
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? – 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 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