I feel like there is a whole intimidating world of artist teddy bears makers out there that I can't compete with. They have conventions with juried competitions and participate in super active message boards and only use the finest materials to make their bears. I admire this community, though, for their high standards and their…
Making Anzac Bikkies: A Review of the eMag Action Pack
Action Pack is an eMagazine published by Kathreen (of WhipUp) and her husband. The tagline is, “A Magazine for Kids Who Want To Do Stuff.” I love this tagline. I can remember the craving I had as a child to make something real. And I know as a parent that my kids can see right…
Review: Books by Charlene Phillips
When I began teaching people how to use their sewing machines I was nervous that I wouldn't know how particular machines worked. After all, I only know two machines very well: the Bernette 330 that I bought when I was 13 and had for 22 years, and my new Janome 2160. Fortunately I co-taught the…
Book Review: Sewing School
Charlie’s sister, Jacquie, asked me what Roxanne would like for Hanukkah this year. Roxanne has been asking for a new backpack, so we chose one from Land’s End and had it monogrammed. It was deeply discounted so we got to choose something else to go with it. Books are always a huge hit with Roxanne…
Project Upcycle: An Online Class on Craftsy Taught by Betz White
Betz White gave me the opportunity to try out and review her online class, Project Upcycle, offered through Craftsy. Craftsy offers online courses on all kinds of crafts. Once you sign up for a particular class you have access to it anytime and for as long as you want. The videos are in HD and…
patterns and books
I have two things to share today. First, I have had the most wonderful time choosing books for my new Amazon affiliate bookshop. The bookshop has several categories, each filled with books I love. When you click through from my links and purchase a book I get a very small percentage of the sale. It’s…
my work is on the cover
Over the winter I contributed a project to a book edited by Kathreen from Whip Up entitled Kid's Crafternoon Felting: 25 Projects for a Crafty Afternoon and today my copy arrived in the mail. My project is a set of five animal finger puppets and it is on the cover of the book. I really…
Book Review: Nancy Zieman’s Sewing A to Z
My mom doesn't sew. Neither did my grandmother. Growing up I never wore a handmade garment of any kind. There was no fabric stash in my house and nobody mended clothing or knit sweaters. My mom is artistic and certainly encouraged all of us to pursue our own projects, but she didn't know how to…
Book Review: Modern Soft Toy Making by Margaret Hutchings (1959)
A few weeks ago I was in bed reading one of my favorite books, The Techniques of Soft Toymaking by Enid Anderson. Although I’ve read this book many times over, I’d never noticed the dedication. Here is what Enid says, “I was motivated at the start of my craft career by many people, but possibly…
Book Review: Big Little Felt Universe by Jeanette Lim
I love house plants to death. I saw a beautiful jade plant at Trader Joe’s last year and brought it home to live on our kitchen table, under the window. I admired it every morning at breakfast, I watered it frequently. Too frequently. As its leaves began to drop off one by one I was…