By The Crafter's Box
The podcast currently has 87 episodes available.
Create embroidery art on a larger scale as we craft modern customizable felt pennants. Lauren Holton, the fiber artist behind Lark Rising Studios, shows us how to layer geometric botanical shapes with high-quality wool felt and attach them to cotton twill using two simple embroidery stitches.
Lauren’s thoughtfully curated kit contains everything needed to create three custom felt pennants. The luscious felt is a Merino wool blend with a soft feel and incredible color retention. Durable and pliable, the felt is Made in the USA and ideal for this project. To correspond with the rich hues of the felt, there are thirteen matching embroidery threads along with size 5 embroidery needles. To play with felt shapes, color, and layers, Lauren has included traceable templates that can be modified and customized.
Create handmade resin floral coasters and trays that are both elegant and functional. Join Christie Lothrop, the artist and green thumb behind MadPotters, as she shares her honed techniques for mixing and pouring epoxy resin into silicone molds while creating depth with layers of botanicals. To further customize your projects, Christie shows us how to add metallic flakes, alcohol inks, and mica powder into the mold.
The kit includes everything needed to make personalized circular coasters, square coasters, and an oval tray—plus safety supplies to protect both you and your workspace. Christie has also included several additional decorative elements to make the dried botanicals pop. Adding metallic flakes brings sparkle to the project, mica powder creates a translucent or milky shimmer, and alcohol inks combine to make a marbled appearance. The heat gun will help to create a clear result in our cured resin.
The possibilities for these resin projects are endless. Besides botanicals, try adding photos or trinkets to preserve these memories for a lifetime.
In these workshops, Amanda walks us through every aspect of quilting. Amanda’s curated kits include everything needed to quilt in your favorite Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton colorway. Years of experience and testing have informed her materials selection so that students can continue to make well into the future. She’s chosen the best tools to elevate our sewing, making the process enjoyable and clean. The seam guide and marking tool ensure precise seam allowances and markings, while the magnetic pin cushion and leather thimble make hand sewing more comfortable and convenient.
Learn more: https://thecraftersbox.com/amanda-carye-hand-sewn-patchwork/
In this workshop, Liz teaches us how to handle the beeswax sheets, make our cuts, and pick the best wick size for each candle. The possibilities are seemingly endless as we learn to make tapered, fluted, pillar, beehive, and decorative floating candles. By combining different colors and playing with cut shapes, we can further customize our designs.
“Beeswax is one of my favorite materials to interact with, on a sensory level and on a creative level,” says Liz. Since the Middle Ages when it was introduced, beeswax has been a preferred choice for candles. This natural byproduct of honey production has a bright and warm burn with a pleasant smell. Liz has selected the ideal wicking to pair with our beeswax, ensuring the flame will burn beautifully. After cutting and rolling our candles, they’re ready to be gifted or lit immediately.
Stitching is a meditative, slow craft tradition that embraces the thoughtful work of our hands as we turn textiles into art. Pour a cup of tea, settle into a cozy chair, and join us for a deeper look at the rhythmic stitching of appliqué with expert sewist Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin and The School of Making.
Founded as a preservation of the living art of textile making, The School of Making considers quality, sustainability, and location for each and every material they source—their focus is on the intersection of fashion, craft, and DIY. Natalie shares, “I’ve come to believe that craft, making, and creative endeavors toward producing sustainable products will create an enduring future for our community.”
The heart of this workshop is found in the art of stitching. In this workshop, we’ll explore specialized reverse appliqué and negative reverse appliqué techniques by starting first with essential sewing concepts in preparing our thread, keeping our stitches neat and structured, and building a strong sewing foundation. Through reverse appliqué, we ‘reveal’ the stunning stenciled designs that The School of Making is most known for.
Our completed swatch is the perfect size for embellishing journals, pillows, and tote bags. Next, explore appliqué with quilting or even garment construction--consider adding accent beads or embellishments for an even greater challenge.
Learn more: https://thecraftersbox.com/natalie-chanin-hand-stitched-applique/
In this special episode of The Crafter's Box Podcast, we sit down with the talented Lindsey Campbell of Hello Hydrangea to discuss three incredible workshops Lindsey has prepared with us for release. Frame Weaving, released in October 2021, Strohsterne, released in November 2021 and Premium Tablet Weaving, to be released in mid-November 2021 are each unique and intricate techniques that will expand a maker's library of skills.
Frame Weaving is one of the oldest artisan techniques in the world, dating back to ancient times. In her workshop, Lindsey guides us through a specialized technique that weaves yarn in floating patterns on a fixed frame. The wooden frame provides structure to weaving elements that would otherwise not be able to stand on their own, creating an intricate and colorful décor piece that’s ready to hang in your home.
Strohsterne is the art of creating straw stars using natural wheat stalks and cotton thread. In her workshop, Lindsey teaches us how to make six different star patterns in varying sizes, shapes, and techniques. “These dainty celestial projects are often used in Germany, Sweden and other Scandinavian countries,” shares Lindsey. In traditional stories, the straw stars are connected to the star of Bethlehem, shining in the night during Christ’s birth. Additionally, straw was readily available and affordable for people, making Strohsterne ornaments a deeply important part of German and other northern European Christmas traditions.
Tablet weaving, also called card weaving, is one of the oldest weaving practices. It is a type of band weave, which has been found in different parts of the world since the Bronze Age. The yarn is threaded through a series of cards, and as they turn, a pattern is woven into a thin band. You can use the end project as a belt, hat band, curtain tie, shoelaces, bracelet bag strap, pretty much anything.
Join us for this special deep dive into all three beautiful and unique techniques.
Learn more: Frame Weaving & Strohsterne. Stay tuned for Tablet Weaving.
Explore the art of custom soy candle making. This workshop immerses students in the cozy craft of personalized scent blending and candle pouring as you learn the technique essentials with husband-and-wife team, Melissa and Chad Burgess. They share their expertise and passion in their workshop, teaching us how to choose the best pairings of materials and scents to make exquisite and aromatic poured soy candles.
We begin with an overview of fragrance, learning how to identify top, middle, and bottom notes. Chad and Melissa walk us through each step of candle making, from choosing your vessel and wick size, to preparing and pouring your wax, all the way through to completing and curing your candle. For those interested in fragrance blending, they share tips on getting started and exploring your preferred scent combinations.
Not only will we learn the step-by-step process of creating candles by making them together, Melissa and Chad also set you up for future success by examining the intricacies of fragrances, wick sizing, and scent blending—and how to pair them all together in the best vessel. Once you complete this workshop, you will have the skills to fill any vessel suitable for a candle with your own creative scent blends.
Yes, you’ll be making gorgeous candles, but you’ll also be treating yourself to creative therapy. Melissa developed a passion for candle-making after receiving a DIY kit in 2015, and it quickly became a therapeutic outlet for her. The act of creating will soothe the soul, and the candle itself will add a sense of calmness and joy to your home each time you light the wick.
Learn more: https://thecraftersbox.com/craft-and-foster-poured-soy-candles/
In this premium workshop we are exploring the art of wood carving, handcrafting artisan serveware that will become staples in our kitchen and home. Motoko Smith, of Leo in the Woods, inspires, educates and shares with us her thoughtful practice in design and woodworking. Following her techniques, we’ll create a knife, coffee scoop, large spatula, and kuksa out of a rich cherry wood. This rewarding and immersive workshop allows us to take a wooden blank and, with time and diligence in our craft, create custom home goods that we will enjoy for a lifetime.
Along with learning the fundamentals of woodworking and wood carving techniques, Motoko shares her expert tips derived from years of experience and countless hours of work. By the end of this workshop, Motoko will leave us feeling confident in our new skills, ready to experiment with future wood carving projects on our own.
Learn more: https://thecraftersbox.com/2021-08-pw-featured-maker
The podcast currently has 87 episodes available.