….and speaking of field trips I have to schedule, the Lake Farm Park Quilt Show is going on right now, through March 9th. I’ve gone every year for the past 7. Always a good time. This year, since I have some child care, I’m planning on just going by myself so I can really take it all in and even take some notes. If you are going to be in or around the Mentor, Ohio area, check out link above. […]
Search Results for: quilt
Cleveland Sewing and Quilt: The Countdown Begins!
Oh, what little things make my heart go pitter-pat! One of them is the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo, coming up at the end of March. It’s on the tail end of spring break, and I’m taking at least 2 whole days to go and play. Ever since my dear friend Nicole left town- what, 3 years ago?- I haven’t had a buddy to schlep around with. This year, however, cousin-in-law Carla may come for a day, and Nicole is […]
NorthCoast Needlers Quilt Guild
For those of you in the greater Cleveland area looking for a Quilt Guild to join, I highly recommend checking out Northcoast Needlers. I’ve been a member for a couple of years. For current members we have a Northcoast Needlers Yahoo Group. You must be a member of NCN to join!
Modern Crafts + Activism
This post is challenging to write- but that’s because I know it will alienate some of you. I hope that if my politics don’t line up with yours, that’s ok. We can still be crafty friends! I have lots of friends all up and down the political and religious scale, and we co-exist just fine. But here’s the thing- I’m not apologizing for being liberal, or using my crafts to share my views. And neither should you. I encourage you to […]
The Benefits of Crafting
Crafting and Health- Benefits for Mind, Body and Spirit. (Note: this article originally appeared in the Craft Industry Today magazine, published by the Association for Creative Industries, formerly the Craft and Hobby Association.) If you ask any artist or crafter, you will hear a variety of comments about how art-making or crafting makes them feel: “I get in the zone.” “All my troubles melt away.” “I feel so much better when I’m creative.” So anecdotally, even instinctively, […]
Battle of the Water Soluable Drawing Media: Scribble Sticks v Neo Color II v Inktense
Almost as soon as we shared the Scribble Sticks video from Creativation/CHA 2017, the questions started pouring in. Folks wondered if they were lightfast, water- resistant, were they like Neo Color II? Well, sometimes the best way to discover what a product IS is to compare it to similar/familiar items to draw comparisons and contrast the differences. So this post is comparing/contrasting Scribble Sticks from Ranger, Neo Color II from Caran D’Ache, and Inketense Blocks (sticks) from Derwent. Let’s GO! Disclosure: […]
Picnic Basket Makeover with Krylon
We are in full-on summertime mode here, with hikes, road trips and picnics! I got our “new” picnic basket at a yard sale for $10- it’s clean, sturdy and BIG! But it was also pretty plain. So I gave it a makeover using Krylon spraypaint! Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Krylon brand but all opinions are my own. For this Krylon challenge, our color of the month was “Honeydew.” We were asked to pick some accent colors, too. And […]
Fabric Creations Block Printing Stamps from Plaid- Review and Demo
Yesterday I shared an unboxing video with you to show you a little bit about the Block Printing Stamps from Plaid (oh, and ALL of the designs, too!) But today I really want to share with you my experiences with how they work on fabric, paper, and clay! I also use a variety of paints, inks, and markers in today’s review and demonstration. Disclosure: Samples provided for review purposes; however my opinions are honest and my own and based on […]
Unboxing and Overview of the Fabric Creations Block Printing Line from Plaid
Last January at CHA I drooled all over myself when I saw the Fabric Creations line from Plaid. The stamps looked just like authentic wood stamping blocks (and actually cast from original wood ones, too!) You can imagine how I jumped for joy when these beauties hit my doorstep last week. Disclosure: Samples provided for review purposes; however my opinions are honest and my own and based on my first-hand experience. I was not financially compensated for this video nor […]
New Products Announced from Silhouette- Mint and Curio!
Yesterday I got an intriguing email from Silhouette America announcing new products! (Remember the good old days when companies used the CHA summer show for their big releases? Sigh.) Anyway, we haven’t seen a new machine from Silhouette in quite a while, so this REALLY caught my attention- and now TWO? Introducing the Silhouette Mint ( a stamping machine) and the Curio (a new mixed-media diecutter.) Note: all of this information is taken from the websites- there are no machines […]
Overview of the PixScan Mat from Silhouette (Paper)
Last fall I attended Quilt Market in Houston, and Silhouette was really making a splash with the new PixScan Mat. They gave me one to try, so I here are my first impressions! Disclosure: This is an unsponsored review. Product was provided for review. All opinions are honest and my own and based on my personal, first-hand experience with the product. Links below may include affiliate links and purchases made using them support CTD. Here’s the description from the Silhouette website: […]
Review: Speed Sew / Dritz Liquid Stitch Fabric Mender
I love my sewing machine, but sometimes you need a quick fix or a convenient no-sew project. I was approached by the makers of Speed Sew (out of Canada) to give it a go- so I was absolutely game. They provided the product for this review. From the website: Credibility: Speed-Sew has been on the market over 45 years. Once you start using Speed-Sew you will continue to love Speed-Sew. Longevity: Speed-Sew has an amazing shelf life. You have no risk in buying 2, […]
Kid’s Sewing Kits by Jennifer Jangles
Last fall at the International Quilt Market I ran across one of the most colorful, festive and HAPPY booths- Jennifer Jangles. It drew me right in. And I’ve got a daughter who is crafty…so I wondered if some of these kits might be a good fit. Jennifer was gracious enough to send me home with a few. Since we’ve been deluged with snow days lately, it was the perfect time to crack open and kit and get my daughter going. […]
Printing on Fabric; Tests and Results from The Sewing Loft
I love it when I find a post that answers a question that I, myself, would have asked. I met my new friend Heather of the Sewing Loft at the Quilt Market last fall and she’s one sharp and talented cookie. Furthermore, she thinks like a “CraftTestDummy” and has posted her results of her experiments with printing on fabric- including wash results! Head on over to her blog today and read the entire post- it’s SUCH good info for sewists […]
Product Review: Terial Magic
As a quilter and crafter, I’ve tried the more traditional ways to stabilize my fabrics – using spray starch and using Best Press. So, when I was asked to try out Terial Magic, I wasn’t sure how excited I would be. Spoiler alert: I was VERY excited! Terial Magic is a liquid that comes in a spray bottle. It works a little different than starch or best press. You spray it on your fabric, wring out the fabric, allow it […]
Top Ten Posts on CraftTestDummies 2014
I love to take a look at the end of the year and see what has been resonating with you, my readers. For this review, we will look at the top posts on CraftTestDummies and break it down by pageviews. Here are we go! In order: #1: Comparison of Stamp Pads on Fabric (31.5K views!) It just goes to show that good information doesn’t die. This post was written in 2011 (and lucky for us, all of these brands are […]
Crafty Field Trip- Hawaii, Part 2 (BEADS!)
As I mentioned before in Part 1 of the Crafty Field Trip Hawaii series, I often have a junior partner in crafty crime- my nine-year old daughter Bailey. We had scoured the Kona Coffee Festival booths that were loaded with locally-made jewelry, and she really wanted to buy some pieces for her friends. As you can imagine, though, the *good* stuff was out of her price range, and what was left was pretty tacky and touristy. So I promised her […]
Crafty Field Trip: Hawaii (Part 1 of 3)
As some of you know, I LOVE to travel. Seriously love it. And I often am not picky at all about where I go, as long as I get to see the sights and eat the food….and visit a few craft stores or handmade markets along the way! This month our whole family took a trip to Hawaii’s Big Island (also called Hawaii) and we spent 5 days taking it all in. And one of the sights (for me at […]
Epson LabelWorks Printable Ribbon Kit
Disclosure: I received this product for review purposes. My opinions are honest and my own and based on my first-hand experience with it. I was not compensated for writing about it, but if you click an affiliate link and purchase one of your own, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price. Thank you for supporting CTD and free, unbiased reviews! The holiday crafting season is upon us! I know a lot of folks are anxiously counting down […]
Chip-It Color Matching Tool from Sherwin Williams
Recently I’ve come across some cool things on Pinterest, in which someone shares a photo and pulls out the colors from it- either for inspiration, or to paint their room, or what ever. It usually looks like this: But I had no idea how to do this myself! Enter in Chip-It from Sherwin Williams. It’s a online service (free) that enables you to upload a photo or paste in a URL and get color-matched chip ON THE SPOT! POOF- any photo […]
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