Coats & Clark, Tim Holtz Announce Line of Quilt Fabric

Fans of Tim Holtz who also take part in sewing and quilting activities will have something to celebrate soon as Tim announced today a new partnership with Coats & Clark that will have him designing that company’s debut fabric line.

Coats & Clark is well-known to sewers and quilters for their thread and sewing notions, and lovers of knit & crochet for their Red Heart yarn and their Susan Bates brand needles & hooks. But fabric will be a new endeavor for Coats.

The new line, called Eclectic Elements, will feature 24 SKUs of fabric designs that will be familiar to Tim Holtz fans from his paper lines. Some of the designs are being produced in two different color tones, taupe and neutral (seen below). The 100% cotton fabric is 44″ wide and will be available on 15 yard bolts. For quilters, the fabric will be available in fat quarters, design rolls, 5” and 10” charm packs and fat eighths, while it is being marketed for papercrafters in 6″ and 12″ fabric crafting packs. [Read more...]

Review | Silhouette Premium Vinyl

After coveting one since the day they were announced, I finally bought a Silhouette Portrait machine a few weeks ago! (A full review will be coming soon to Craft Critique.) One of the first things that I decided to try cutting was their premium vinyl. I’d never cut anything like this before on a die cut machine, and thanks to Silhouette, I was given the chance to try it out.

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Silhouette Premium Vinyl comes in rolls that are 9″ wide, and 10 feet long, or 12″ wide by 6 foot long. It comes in 14 colors, plus chalkboard, frosted glass, gold, and silver. Two of the specialty versions, frosted glass and chalkboard, come in shorter rolls than the standard colors. The premium vinyl is manufactured for indoor or outdoor use, and is labeled as easily removable from most smooth surfaces, which I found to be true while working with it. [Read more...]

CHA Winter 2013: Oliso Pro Smart Iron with iTouch

I got a look at a product at CHA Winter 2013 that isn’t new but sure looks like it could run circles around the antique I’m using at home! (And who knew an iron could be fun?)

The Oliso Pro Smart Iron with iTouch is not your grandmother’s iron! It has safety and convenience features built in that made me want to run out and buy one and find something to iron.

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CHA Winter 2013: Sticky Sticks

Some of the most interesting things to see at CHA are always the new exhibitors. There’s always some eye-catching and innovative ideas to be seen!

One  unique thing in the new exhibitor section in Anaheim this time was a product called Sticky Sticks.

The idea is deceptively simple – tongue depressors with adhesive on the end on them:

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CHA Winter 2013: Sierra Hills Stone

One of the fun things about attending the CHA shows is the opportunity to see the crafts that don’t cross our paths everyday. Visiting Sierra Hills Stone gave me the opportunity to see soapstone carving in progress!

Sierra Hills Stone offers instructional kits in several different designs with everything you need to make a small carving. Most of the designs are animal figures.

This charm carving kit could appeal to both carving enthusiasts and bead makers, and is a small project for beginners to take on. It’s just one of several instructional kits that the company offers, and packages of additional bead carving blanks are also available.

SIerra Hills Stone [Read more...]