Spring Has Sprung: Handmade for the Garden Has Arrived!

Despite what the weather report says, Spring has sprung here at STC Craft with the arrival of Handmade for the Garden by Susan Guagliumi! Get your green thumbs ready to tackle over 75 projects sure to get you (and your garden!) in a spring state of mind, ranging from planters and embellished pots to trellises, mosaic walls, and more.

For those of you who have been hungrily browsing seed catalogs all winter (or those of us who are starting small with a windowbox of herbs), one quick peek at this gallery will be sure to get you ready to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty!

 


Handmade for the Garden is available today everywhere books are sold.

Get Inspired This Spring with 20+ Projects from BiblioCraft

We're so excited to introduce BiblioCraft: A Modern Crafter's Guide to Using Library Resoures to Jumpstart Creative Projects, from New York Public Library rare book librarian Jessica Pigza, on sale starting March 18.

Featuring over 20 projects inspired by the library, as well as information on how to use library resources as tools to aid your design process, BiblioCraft also boasts a contributor list of creative superstars, including STC Craft authors Natalie Chanin, Gretchen Hirsch, Heather Ross, and Liesl Gibson!

Here's the artwork from a 1922 edition of Heidi that inspireds Heather Ross's Kitten Pocket Dress --and Kittens.

And here's the dress with kittens.

And click here to see a gallery of more "before and after" images from BiblioCraft.

View Jessica's busy tour schedule, kicking off with her launch party at Brooklyn Craft Company in Greenpoint this week!

Jumpstart Creativity This Spring with Natalie Golderg's Living Color— Available Today!

With the days getting longer and temperatures warming up ever so slightly, we're so excited to welcome our first book of the spring season: Natalie Goldberg's Living Color: Painting, Writing, and the Bones of Seeing.

Warm, saturated hues adorn the pages of Goldberg's memoir, interspersed with essays on creativity, writing, and living with passion and purpose. Also included are 22 exercises focusing on expanding your creativity, with the hope "to jostle your mind out of the ordinary, out of logic, and maybe after a moment of shock, snap you into feeling and creating from a non-rational place, where things are interconnected on a whole different level."

Read a Chapter Excerpt. Click on the image below to enlarge the spread. 

View More. Shake off the doldrums with this inspiring guide—updated and expanded with a new chapter, new creativity exercises, and additional paintings. View more images from Living Color in our gallery. 

Catch Natalie on Tour! Beginning later this month, Natalie will sign books and speak at book tour stops across the country. More info on her site.

Win a Copy. Check out the book on Goodreads and enter for a chance to win a copy! 

STC Craft Author Lynne Barr Is Teaching Knitting Techniques on Creativebug!

Lynne Barr fans rejoice—video tutorials of the knitting expert's innovative techniques are coming to Creativebug!

Complementing the unique and groundbreaking techniques featured in STC Craft favorites The Shape of Knitting, Reversible Knitting, and Knitting New Scarves, these classes show the knitting expert in action as she demonstrates how to use "traveling pleats" to make a hat with a unique twisted top design, and double knit to create reversible multi-colored pieces. Best of all, she also provides valuable lessons on how to create your own charts using any stitch patterns you please!

While the names of the techniques might sound intimidating, they are easy to grasp with Lynne Barr walking you through the instructions one stitch at a time. These classes are the perfect companions to your Lynne Barr library—make sure to check them out today!

STC Craft Authors at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC This Weekend!

Join STC Craft authors at Vogue Knitting Live! at the New York Marriott Marquis this weekend for signings at the Knitty City booth (#712 - 714), readings, and teaching sessions throughout the weekend.

STC Craft Author Schedule of Events: 

Clara Parkes, author of The Yarn Whisperer:

  • Signing: Saturday noon-1PM at Knitty City Booth
  • Reading: Saturday 3:30-4:30PM at Astor Ballroom

Kristy McGowan, author of More Modern Top-Down Knitting:

  • Signing: Saturday, 3-4PM at Knitty City Booth

Amy Herzog, author Knit to Flatter:

  • Lecture: Friday Evening
  • Signing: Sunday 11:30AM- 12:30PM at Knitty City Booth

Stop by, say hello, enjoy, get your books signed. Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

Get Your Crafting in Gear in the New Year with a Creativebug Class Giveaway!

The new year is right around the corner and here at STC Craft we are already looking forward to the excitement that 2014 will bring. Along with personal resolutions, the thrill of opening up crisp new calendars and planners, and the promise of a fresh start, we'd like to extend an exciting offer to you and a friend.

If learning something new is on your to-do list for the new year, we'd love to help! From now until the end of the month, we're offering one lucky reader a chance to win two free 3-month subscriptions to Creativebug classes—one for you, and one for a friend.

Launched last year, Creativebug is an innovative online learning site offering creative classes on subjects ranging from embroidery to bookbinding to wire jewelry-making, with options for well-seasoned and beginner crafters alike. Their all-star roster of instructors includes STC Craft favorites Natalie Chanin, Liesl Gibson, Heather Ross, and Kelly Wilkinson as well as our own Melanie Falick.

Enter by joining our newsletter in the form below by December 31st at 11:59 p.m. EST. One winner will be chosen at random. Current newsletter subscribers are invited to enter as well (and please feel free to follow us on twitter and facebook, too!).

Enter below for your chance to win. Click here for official rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you'd prefer to get a jump-start on a new crafting course while you have a little down time over the holidays, Creativebug is also offering special subscription rates—up to 50% off!—available now through December 31st:

3-month subscription for $30
6-month subscription for $60
12-month subscription for $99

To find out more about this offer, and to learn more about Creativebug, visit their site and blog.

5 Handmade Gift-Packaging Ideas

Wrap bits of leftover yarn over kraft paper for a beautiful rainbow effect, from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

 

It's a gloomy, stormy day in New York, the perfect kind of day to put on a pot of tea and start on that mountain of presents that still need wrapping. If you're a fan of a good handmade gift right down to the packaging, here are five unique and crafty ways to take your gift-wrapping to the next level.

 

Create your own wrapping paper designs in Photoshop, with instructions from Heather Ross Prints by Heather Ross

 

Knit a delicate ruffled ribbon from Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick

 

Make your own paper boxes from Modern Paper Crafts by Margaret Van Sicklen

 

Whip up a few of these fabric pom poms, from Last-Minute Fabric Gifts by Cynthia Treen

6 Quick & Easy Gifts to Complete in an Evening

Kim's Hats from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

For me, the holiday season seems to follow the same trajectory every year: At first, I vow to create special handmade gifts for all of my loved ones. Then days go by, lost in the whirlwind of get-togethers and winter cheer, and suddenly I find myself a few days out and nary a project is started. If this sounds familiar to you, you're not out of luck yet. Put aside an evening, gather some craft supplies, and get ready to make one of these unique, yet quick and easy, gifts!

Big Lace Scarf from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

 

Sewing Box from The Repurposed Library by Lisa Occhipinti

 

Pieced Pillows from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

 

Rice Paper Lanterns from Heather Ross Prints by Heather Ross

 

Assorted terrariums from Tiny World Terrariums by Michelle Inciarrano and Katy Maslow

Holiday Gift Guide: 12 Books for Crafters

From Weekend Handmade by Kelly Wilkinson

We all know one—that person who makes the perfect gifts every year without fail. This year, why don't you return the favor! Whether you want to please a Jill-of-all-trades or the hardcore artist, these books are guaranteed to delight any DIY maven on your list.

For the dabbler:

Lena Corwin's Made By Hand; The BUST DIY Guide to Life; The Gentle Art of Domesticity


For the weekend crafter:

Tiny World Terrariums; Weekend Handmade; Modern Paper Crafts


For the décor-obsessed:

Past & Present; The Repurposed Library; Crafting a Meaningful Home



For the art-inclined:

Art Doodle Love; Printing by Hand; Heather Ross Prints

Holiday Gift Guide: 15 Books for Sewists & Quilters

Ermine Stitch from Alabama Studio Sewing + Design by Natalie Chanin

Still looking for the perfect gift for the crafter who can do it all? Don't despair! It's not too late to pick up a copy of any of these great titles for your resident sewist or quilter.

For the weekend stitcher:

Weekend Sewing; Last-Minute Fabric Gifts; Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts


For the color-obsessed quilter:

Kaffe Fassett Quilts Shots and Stripes; Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration; Material Obsession


For sewists who stitch outside the box:

Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing; Alabama Studio Sewing + Design; Stitch Magic

 

For the storyteller:

 

Kaffe Fassett: Dreaming in Color; Alabama Stitch Book; Quilting for Peace


For the little ones:


Wee Wonderfuls; Kata Golda's Hand-Stitched Felt; Oliver + S Little Things to Sew

Holiday Gift Guide: Books for Knitters

Crafters can be difficult to shop for. What do you get the person who can make anything? Craft books, of course! Here are our suggestions for all of the knitters in your life.

 

For the fashionista:

More Modern Top-Down Knitting; Knit to Flatter; Custom Knits


For the homebody:

The Knitted Slipper Book; Comfort Knitting & Crochet: Afghans; Knitted Socks East and West

 

For the knitter who loves learning new techniques:

Shape of Knitting; Knitting From the Center Out; Reversible Knitting


For the weekend stitcher:

More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts; Weekend Knitting; One More Skein


For knitters who appreciate a good yarn:


Yarn Whisperer; Knitting for Peace; A Knitter's Home Companion

For the accessory maven:

Knitting New Mittens & Gloves; Custom Knits Accessories; Knitting New Scarves

 

For the new mom (grandma, auntie, or best friend):


Comfort Knitting & Crochet: Babies & Toddlers; Vintage Baby Knits; Knitting For Baby

5 Holiday Decor Projects To Make (And Finish!) This Weekend

Festive Stars from Modern Paper Crafts by Margaret Van Sicklen

We may be in the thick of December, but there's still plenty of time to deck the halls with handmade decorations. This weekend, plan to pour out some piping hot chocolate, put on your favorite winter album, and craft yourself some holiday cheer with our favorite end-of-year decor projects:

Egg Cozies by Kristin Nicholas for Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick


Bird Ornaments from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson


Willow Chandelier from Weekend Handmade by Kelly Wilkinson


Lettered Wreath from The Repurposed Library by Lisa Occhipinti

8 Quick and Easy Personalized Gifts To Make (And Finish!) This Weekend

There's no better way to make someone feel special than with a unique and personalized gift. But creating a one-of-a-kind handmade offering doesn't always have to be time-consuming! This weekend, pull out your craft supplies and channel your loved ones with one of our favorite quick and easily customizable projects:

Silhouettes on Canvas from Crafting a Meaningful Home by Meg Mateo Ilasco


Stationery Suite from Heather Ross Prints by Heather Ross


Empire-Inspired Plates by Julia Rothman for Past & Present by Amy Azzarito

Happy Birthday Pillow from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson


Biographical Bracelet from The Repurposed Library by Lisa Occhipinti


Customized Mugs from The BUST DIY Guide to Life by Laurie Henzel & Debbie Stoller


Printed Notebooks from Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin

 

Made-By Patch from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

Crafts to Keep Kids Busy This Season

As we gear up for the holidays, a lot of us find ourselves with long to-do list and limited time--and kids happy to be home from school but getting a little stir-crazy (or maybe just making us feel crazy). Here are a few ideas for keeping them busy so you can go about menu-prepping, wishlist-filling, and, hopefully, doing some crafting of your own.

Keep tweens and their friends busy with activities from The Doodle Circle by Dawn DeVries Sokol.

Specicially geared towards teaching younger learners, check out some projects from Kids Crochet by Kelli Ronci.

Bonus: Project Giveaway!

Here's a fun holiday snow globe you can make with young DIYers from The Bust DIY Guide to Life by Debbie Stoller and Laurie Henzel.

Do you have other fun tips and ideas for keeping kids busy (or fun projects you can make with them) this season? Share them in the comments!

5 Quick and Easy Gifts to Knit (And Finish!) This Weekend

With early snow flurries and shop windows awash in red-and-green lights, it's hard to deny that the holidays are upon us. It may be the busiest time of the year, but if you're anything like us, you're probably figuring out how to make time to craft a few meaningful gifts. So now's the time to start planning! Have your list handy? Here are five knitted gift ideas you can whip up in no time:

Pom-Pom Flats from The Knitted Slipper Book by Katie Startzman

 

Sleep Shades from The Shape of Knitting by Lynne Barr

 

Filigree Gloves from Knitting New Mittens and Gloves by Robin Melanson

 

Flower Washcloths from Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick

 

Seed-Stitch Bracelet from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

 Have you started working on any handmade gifts yet? Let us know in the comments!