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The Beading Studio
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 at a “one-of” creative destination. It’s the epitome of self-expression. Helping us reach that destination is an extensive and ever growing array of bead shapes, sizes, colors and textures. The result is the perfect jeweled accessory for any…
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Swatch Ruler & Pattern Chart Marker Set
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 grandma to Dolce & Gabbana. Trending projects in fashion and fashion accessories, home décor and amazing independent pieces abound. A quick trip to a favorite yarn haunt or cruising a favorite site online reveals an unending, even…
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Knitting Must Haves
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 specific task in virtually any creative endeavor. A quality, purpose specific tool can make any task easier and more precise, freeing up more time for the creative process. It can also remove or even prevent the frustration…
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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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Sewing Studio Essentials
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 all of those sewing notions that answer to specific needs of that genre. Almost. While some sewing tools will be found to be unique to your specialty, some tools will be found to be generic to all…
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Seams Right
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 together. You sit down at your sewing station, switch on your amazing sewing machine and start to put stitches to fabric. This is the scary part though because it’s now becoming more or less permanent. Adjustments are…
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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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Wonder Pins
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 or pins is like a practice stitch or a trial run before we permanently sew our final seam. Turns out it’s just the best way to temporarily join layers of fabric together while we adjust…
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6-in-1 Stick ‘n Stitch Guide
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 particular. But why do we need them? When we start any project, we envision exactly what we want the finished article to look like, whether we’re replicating a sample or have something more original in mind. We…
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Tailoring Tools
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 tools, the ones we use all of the time? What about those sewing notions that have expansive applications to a wide spectrum of sewing requirements? Take tailoring or dressmaking for example. What are the operations common to most…