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Stick ‘n Stitch Guide
What is it? – We take such great care with our sewn projects. Crafts, quilts, fashion, home décor, it doesn’t matter what. We envision exactly what we want to create. Once we have that picture, everything about it has to be just perfect. Patterns, fabrics, threads, and accessories are all selected with great care. We measure, mark, cut, pin and press with precision. And then, well, then we put it all together. We sit down at our sewing machine and put thread to fabric. And that has to be…
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Mini Beading Loom
What is it? – As children, many of us went to scout camp or attended other summer activities where beading was a staple activity. It was fun, fast, creative and we were left with something that was uniquely ours. Unknowingly that was our introduction to an art form that was thousands of years old. From the earliest of times our ancestors were accessorizing their clothes, their tools and even themselves with beads. They were worn, traded and valued by the owner. Happily bead weaving is alive and well today and…
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Marking Pens
What is it? – “The devil is in the detail”. It’s a common enough phrase. Perhaps some of us has even used it. But what does it really mean, “the devil in the detail”? How often do we start a project that looks like it’s going to be a snap, only to get bogged down in all of the details. You know, all the little things that consume so much time, make us a little crazy and eventually affect the quality of our finished project or maybe even determine…
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Jumbo Amour Crochet Hooks
What is it? – Crochet is cool. There was a time when almost all of the gals and some of us guys grew up learning how to crochet from our moms or grandmothers. It was a necessary skill that seemed to play out as life became more fast-paced. All of a sudden it was more economical to purchase finished goods than to buy materials and devote the time required to complete a project. But times have changed and the creative itch is back. Crochet now goes to places where…
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Nancy Zieman Bodkins
What is it? – Bodkins. Only someone who sews would know what a bodkin is. Simply put, a bodkin is a tool that is used to pull various thin materials through a sewn fabric casing. Elastic, ribbon, cording or other “drawstring” type materials can all be pulled through the casing to serve any desired function. A bodkin usually resembles an over-sized sewing needle with a blunt point and a large eye. The bodkin is attached to the cording and manipulated through the casing by hand. The round point prevents…
