Class 19 Tool School with Instructor Steve Butler 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…

What is it? – In some of the oldest archeological digs around the world you can find ancient straight pins. They’ve been around that long and probably always will be. There are so many uses for them and in many cases there really is no substitute. We use them to hold patterns in place on our fabric, bind fabric pieces, tailor fabric to our bodies, hold seams together, anchor trims, beads or other embellishments in place and even block knitted products. Because of this wide variety of uses for straight…

What is it? – Takumi, Stradivarius, Cartier. Their legendary quality of performance defies all attempts of description. The name alone is iconic and imbues a sense artistry. Pretenders and imitators come and go but never stay. Clover has long prided itself in the production of Takumi premium bamboo knitting needles. Production quantity has always been secondary to production quality. Only the finest raw materials have ever been used and manufacturing has always been accomplished to the absolute highest, most exacting standards. But just when you thought it couldn’t get any…

What is it? – Chances are either you or someone you know has a box full of fabric yo-yo’s under the bed or in a closet. And chances are either you made them or they were given to you by your grandmother or an aunt. It’s surprising how many people tell the same story. But why do so many people make fabric yo-yo’s? The answer is actually very simple. It’s FUN! Sit down in a comfy chair, grab a handful of fabric scraps and get your creativity flowing. Colors, patterns,…

What is it? – How do you make a Kanzashi flower? Place a piece of fabric in the template, fold it closed, trim around the edges, take a threaded needle through the holes in numerical order, open the template and pull the thread tight. Petal complete. Repeat four more times and your flower is done. Could not be easier and no heavy equipment required. With all of the different sizes and shapes of Kanzashi Flower Maker templates and the vast and always changing selection of fabric patterns, colors and textures…

What is it? – Stick weaving is a traditional art form made modern by Clover with Weaving Sticks. Just how old it is no one can truly say. Not even Wikipedia knows for sure when or where it came to be. There is little doubt that this simple method of weaving was initially utilitarian by nature intended primarily for making clothing and other needed implements by ancient ancestors. Weaving Sticks are so simple to use that anyone, regardless of age, ability or skill level, can create beautiful and useful woven…

What is it? – Check out “stiletto” in the unabridged dictionary and you start reading about stylish heels or a long narrow knife with a sharp point.  Look it up in the Clover dictionary and you read about something entirely different.  The Hold It Precision Stiletto is an incredibly useful sewing tool designed by Clover in conjunction with Joan Hawley. Modern sewist require precision cutting, sewing and pressing.  Unfortunately some of these activities put our fingers in precarious proximity to either hot things or sharp things or both.  Done incorrectly…

What is it? – So much of what we do in sewing requires precision ironing. Careful pressing equals flat hems and seams. However, tiny hems, seams, points, appliqué and delicate creative shapes allow little space for stabilizing our projects while we press. The problem arises when we get that hot iron in close proximity to our cool fingers. Too close and it’s sailor talk and nobody wants that. So how do we accommodate the creative demands of our project while protecting our fingers? Simple, put Clover’s Iron Finger to work.…

What is it? – In a recent class we discussed how easy it is to create perfect half-square and quarter-square triangle blocks for quilts using the No Hassles Triangles Gauge. Well, that’s great and it allows us to make a seemingly endless array of quilt designs. But they’re all straight lines. What do we do if we want to make quilt blocks with curves or circles? Old school requires joining apposing curves cut from a template. That is not only labor intensive but requires a great deal of skill to…