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Extra Credit: Curved Tailor’s Awl Overview
Curved Tailor’s Awl Overview By the Shibaguyz Almost as old as the needle itself, the awl has a long history in the sewing world. Originally used for punching holes in leather and fabric, the simple tool has so many more uses that make it one of our close-at-hand tools for all of our sewing on our machines and by hand. Here are a few of the reasons we reach for our Clover Curved Tailor’s Awl: View on our website To pull up the bobbin thread when quilting. To save yourself…
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Extra Credit: Custom Fit T-SHIRTS
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 and narrow waisted? Your new T right out of the package is going to hang awkwardly rather than compliment you. And buying “athletic fit” or “shaped” T’s can be quite expensive. What’s the solution? Custom…
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Extra Credit: Pillow Slipcover By the Shibaguyz
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 tired of looking at the same elephant staring at you from the pillow print. New Years is just around the corner, it’s time for an easy makeover. We suggest the humble Pillow Slipcover. The pillow…
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Shears & Cutters
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 our finished project will be and by extension, the happier we are with what we’ve accomplished. So what do we use to make these all important cuts? Scissors and rotary cutters of course. Two entirely…
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Extra Credit: Kanzashi Flower Hair Comb
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 make your own Kanzashi Hair Comb using their templates that make quick work of these intricate shapes. In only a few minutes with a minimum of effort you can have a beautiful accessory for your…
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Extra Credit: Shibaguyz Sewing Must Haves
The Shibaguyz Sewing Must Haves Please join us to view the Shibaguyz sewing must haves straight from their sewing studio. Clover tools transcend the common requirements of all sewing techniques, and having them available is essential to any great creative endeavor. We hope Clover notions empower any and all who love to sew! 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…
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Extra Credit: Soothing Eye Pillows
We try to take a little time for self-care each day. Try… Whether it be exercise, yoga, reading a book, listening to music, or just taking a moment to close our eyes, we all need a little pampering every now and again. Even if it’s just a small thing, a few moments of self-care go a long way to making sure we don’t end up under the dining room table with a box of cheese crackers, a bottle of wine, and a gallon of ice cream. When you need just a…
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Extra Credit: Sashiko Book Cover
We love books; cookbooks, novels, photo albums, and journals. Visitors to our home on more than one occasion have marveled and asked, “have your read all of these?” Yes, we have. Many times over… Because of that, we occasionally have to cover a favorite book with a homemade cover to keep it safe, just like we did with our science books in grade school. Often a simple cover will do but, for our favorite books and journals we give them a special cover. For this project, we are using one of our…
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Extra Credit: Use the Mesh Transfer Canvas to make a Butterfly Shirt
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 clear, you can use it to trace an outline from any photo or printed design. Once your item is traced onto the canvas you simply place the canvas on top of your fabric and trace…
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Scandinavian Fabric Stars with Clover’s Bias Tape Maker
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 for a tool that made fab strips of fabric that totally encased any fraying edges of fabric. It was during this last holiday season we stumbled onto a solution almost by accident. Shannon’s grandmother and…