You can learn how to make this adorable Raggedy Ann Button doll with Sharon Larsen right on www.stitches.tv in "The Scrap Box" channel.
Want to purchase yours as a kit? Look for this exclusive item in the "Stitching Products" category at www.hobbyworld.tv.
01/03/2012
11/14/2011
Beading Patterns for Quilts
New to Stitches.TV are two great films featuring Nancy Eha, "The Beading Queen," who specializes in fabulous beading embellishments to really make our quilts come alive.
She shows you how to create a gorgeous Beaded Kaleidoscope and a fun Beaded Dragonfly in these two new films. You'll find the patterns for these designs on Stitches.TV, but you can download them here as well:
Download Kaleidoscope_Pattern_Stitches
10/27/2011
Spooky Specials at HobbyWorld.TV!
Save $10 when you spend $75 at HobbyWorld.TV!
There are lots of tricks and things that go bump in the night on Halloween, so why not treat yourself to something that makes you smile instead?
This week only, treat yourself to a spooky special on anything in our store. When you spend $75 or more, you will receive $10 off your order!
Visit us at www.hobbyworld.tv and enter in the special coupon code SPOOKY11 at checkout to receiveyour special savings.
Happy Halloween!
09/30/2011
09/16/2011
Felted Slippers!
Brrr!! It's getting chilly out there! As I write this, I'm wishing that I had a pair of toasty slippers on my feet. (Why did I not wear socks today?)
Speaking of slippers, Ann Murphy shows us how to make adorable knitted and felted slippers on Stitches.TV! You'll love the simple knitting pattern and her creative ideas for embellishing your finished slippers She even shows us how to make them in different sizes and for the whole family--boy or girl, man or woman.
Watch the video here!
--Bailey
07/13/2011
Beading Through the Chaos
Here at Stitches.TV, we like to think we're perfect. Well, okay not perfect but pretty darn good. Unfortunately, sometimes the planets align and momentary chaos can ensue. Well, okay not chaos exactly but you know what I mean.
Such was the case with the studio visit Nancy Eha, "The Beading Queen," made recently. Nancy is new to the Stitches.TV studio and made the trip all the way from Stillwater, Minnesota--about an hour and a half away. Nancy is an innovative quilter who likes to get creative with fun and funky beaded embellishments for her stunning art quilts.
By the way, have you seen a completed art quilt before? Wow. Here's one of Nancy's prizewinning (beaded, I might add) quilt creations that she brought with her that day:
Anyway, the shoot was going smoothly. Nancy first shared an informative segment about beading on fabric--tips and techniques for quilters to keep in mind when they're looking to embellish their quilts. Then Bailey popped out to the studio to join Nancy in a demonstration on writing words with beads, or "beaded text messages" as Nancy likes to call them. We learned a really fun and surprisingly simple technique for adding inspirational words and phrases to quilts and bits of fabric.
In mid-shoot however, (heck, I think it was mid-sentence) the camera that is attached to an overhead jib to get close-up shots of the artists hands broke clean in half! It broke in half, dropping the camera right on the floor. Luckily, it didn't fall right on our heads as we were bent over looking at the beads. Don't know what happened--just one of those flukes I guess.
Luckily Nancy was very flexible and patient with us as we tried to tackle this unexplained technical difficulty. We were able to finish that segment by rearranging our camera angles--Eric the camera guy actually stood behind and off to the side of Nancy to point his camera over her shoulder rather than above her head. That worked quite well actually (thankfully).
Bailey and Nancy on set together
After that we said a great big thank you and goodbye to Nancy as we decided to wait and complete her other segments on a later date when we could have the camera jib fixed. So now, Nancy will be joining us again next week to finish those other three segments: How to Crazy Bead, Elevated Beading Techniques, and an inspirational segment where she will give you an up-close "tour" of her latest crazy beaded creation--which you're going to absolutely love.
Until then however, make sure to check out Nancy's two segments right on Stitches.TV. Click here to learn about The Beading Queen's tips for beading on fabric and here for a how-to on writing beaded text messages. Want to learn more about Nancy herself? Make sure to visit her website and while you're there, why not browse around her shop? She even sells kits and her own self-published books about beading!
Speaking of beading, you can also view Nancy's films on our sister TV site, Bead.TV.
Until next time,
Bailey
07/01/2011
Visiting Nancy Ellison's Sheep Farm
The crew at Stitches.TV was happy to be invited to Nancy Ellison's sheep farm in Zumbrota, Minnesota, to learn about how wool yarn is made and to see the place from where so much of Nancy's inspiration comes.
You may remember Nancy from Stitches.TV as our resident weaving expert and loom collector. Nancy has visited us several times to share with us her extensive knowledge of the history of weaving and the many techniques available to weavers, as well as to offer us a "show and tell" of the many looms in her collection.
Well, this time it was our turn to visit her. And were we ever astounded! Nancy's quaint farm is tucked on the edge of a valley, surrounded by green fields and huge, beautiful trees. Not only are there wool-bearing sheep and goats wandering around, but also cats, chickens, geese, and a loveable white dog.
We had the opportunity to tour the farm with Nancy and see more of her loom collection--many of them antique and nearly room-sized--and see her weaving studio, which happens to be a lovely, stone-walled out building on her property.
More importantly, we had the opportunity to sit down with Nancy and learn more about her life, her art form, and her passions in life. Click here to view the video and learn for yourself, exclusively on Stitches.TV.
Here's a behind-the-scenes look at our visit to Nancy's farm.
Stitches.TV would like to thank Nancy Ellison of Ellison Sheep Farm for our visit.
05/09/2011
Weaving an Amulet Holder
Weaving artist Connie Simonson recently visited us in the Stitches.TV studio to share a couple new projects, one of which was an adorable amulet holder made on a Weavette Loom.
In the video, Connie walks you through the steps in making your own amulet holder, complete with a strap to hang around your neck, cute beaded fringe, and a button for the finishing touch. Connie uses hers to store her lucky pennies. What will you keep in your creation?
Connie is a weaving artist from Southeastern Minnesota who often shares her projects with the viewers of Stitches.TV. If you'd like to learn more about Connie's beautiful work, visit her page at the SEMVA Gallery.
Looking to buy your own Weavette Loom? Visit your local craft or hobby store for a wide selection of sizes and varieties.
And make sure to log on to www.stitches.tv for even more great weaving how-to videos!
