I have a few favorite storage "devices" I always turn to:

First, almost everything gets sorted into what my husband calls The Great Wall of Crafts, the versatile Ikea EXPEDIT shelf unit.

It can get pricey to buy one of these door add-ons for every cubby, but it's valuable for childproofing at least the bottom few rows:

Ikea also makes boxes and baskets that fit perfectly inside each cubby, great for things like yarn and fabric:

BRANAS basket in white

LEKMAN box in clear

Inside my cubbies, I use these acrylic boxes from The Container Store. They can store just about anything tiny, and they come in several different configurations.  My favorite thing about them is that the lid is flush with the dividers, so even the tiniest beads don't migrate from one area to another.

I love these small polypropylene bins from Muji. The tall divided ones are great for storing pens, paintbrushes, or tools, especially when you need quick access to them. The flatter ones fit inside drawers - or they stack inside a cabinet! I find them so adaptable and useful.

"Make" box with partition

1/4 "Make" box

"Make" tray

Finally, to corral everything that you collect in 2012, I like this rolling bin from The Container Store (I call it the Mobile Craft Unit, or MCU - I guess we like naming things). It's a good catch-all for supplies and current projects, and you can roll it into a closet when you have guests.

Happy organized new year! What are your favorite ways to store your crafts?

One of our most dependable sources for quality, durability, and workmanship—Singer has always been there for us. No job is too small or too big for these mighty machines.

With a story that has both historical (sewing machine production was halted from 1939 to 1944 to focus on making wartime goods) and social (sewing became a popular pastime for housewives in the 1950s) significance, I'm sure many of us also have a personal history with Singer.

I remember my first time: I was 13 years old and my Mumma took me to the sewing store in the mall. I sat down, the shop owner put my hands on the fabric, and I stepped on the pedal. Ten minutes later I was walking away with my new best friend.

Do you remember your first time sewing on a machine? Let Singer know and you might win a new model!

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In the latest issue of Living, we've got the solution with these oilcloth pouches. Water resistant—and easy to look at, thanks to these beautiful fabrics from Butik 76—these pouches are an easy way to prevent soggy reads.

Pocket protectors, meet your match.

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Not only are its yarns a treat to work with but they come in a wide range of beautiful colors. We recently received their swatch kit in the mail, and as someone who loves color cards, paint chips, and basically anything organized into a glossary, let me tell you, I was ecstatic.

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1 Alpacas look a lot like llamas

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4 How could anyone not love these perfect little bundles?

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7 The new line of yarn even came in its own sweet package.

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We've relied on Blue Sky for years for many of our knitting and crocheting projects.

Now that I think about it, after the blistering heat wave we had last week, maybe knitting in the shade with a cool drink sounds like a pretty great summer activity after all.

Hey, crafters! We wanted to let you know about a Michaels friends & family discount event. You can find the coupon, which will get you 20 percent off your entire purchase, by clicking here for the United States and here for Canada. The event goes from 5/12 to 5/14 in the United States and 5/11 to 5/13 in Canada.

Happy shopping!

These Daffodil Candy Cups from the April issue of Living couldn't be easier to make.

Jelly beans transform into mini eggs in these Edible Bird's Nests.

This jelly bean arrangement would make a fun centerpiece, or a great gift for Easter.

]]> http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2011/04/easter-candy.html/feed 4 http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/07/shopping-for-supplies.html http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/07/shopping-for-supplies.html#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:24:20 +0000 Guest http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/?p=8344 Hi. I’m Renée, the crafts intern, and a few weeks ago I visited some really great places in the city to pick up a few things for the Crafts Dept.  The first place was the flower market on 28th Street,  between 6th and 7th Avenues, in Chelsea. It's a street lined with florists and floral supplies. Next, I stopped by Elegant Fabric at 222 West 40th Street in the Garment District.  This two-story fabric store is a treat for fashion and craft enthusiasts.

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1 The flower market is a great source for flowers.

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4 Floral supplies

5 I loved walking into stores and being greeted by the fresh smell and vibrant colors of the flowers.

6 I couldn't leave empty handed, so I bought a bouquet of sunflowers to brighten up the crafts dept.

7 Elegant carries a huge selection of fabrics, from ultra suede to faux fur to brocades.

8 My favorite part of Elegant is their precut fabric samples. I collected some beautiful swatches for a future craft project.

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To create the circle-in-square blocks, I used freezer paper to make circle appliques. Some of the blocks I left whole (the ones that featured Michael Miller's great "Zoology" fabric). I cut the other blocks into quarters - then mixed, matched, and sewed the quarters back together to make new blocks. See the gallery below for a quick circle-in-square tutorial.

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1 Fold a piece of freezer paper in half, and cut a circle using a circle cutter or bowl as a guide. You will end up with TWO perfect freezer paper circles.

2 Iron one freezer paper circle onto the wrong side of a piece of fabric, shiny side down.

3 Trim fabric, leaving about 3/8 inch all the way around circle (this does not have to be perfect).

4 Place second freezer paper circle shiny side UP on top of fused circle. Use a couple small pieces of double-sided tape to temporarily tack the two together.

5 Fold the excess fabric over the two paper circles, and press in place (the fabric will stick to the top circle). If a bump shows up, simply lift the fabric and press again - freezer paper allows repositioning.

6 A completed circle will look like this - not perfect from this side, but all fabric has been secured to the edges in smooth curves.

7 Cut a second piece of fabric to the size of the finished block, plus seam allowance.

8 Fold both the square and circle in half one way, then in half the other way.

9 Place circle paper-side-down on top of square, lining up the folds, and press in place. The circle will temporarily stick to the square.

10 Machine-sew all the way around the circle, about 1/8-inch from the edge.

11 Completed circle attached to square.

12 Turn over block and cut the fabric from the inside of the circle, leaving about 1/4-inch within the seam.

13 The fun part - carefully rip the paper from within the circle. Use tweezers to get any stubborn bits out.

14 Flip the block over and press. Sew two together into a pillow, or a bunch to make a quilt!

Special thanks to little Graham for modeling free of charge!

More baby projects to try:
Follow-the-Lines Baby Quilt
Simple Baby Quilt
More Handmade Baby Gifts

When I began working at marthastewart.com as a web producer, I was an avid knitter and never devoted much time to sewing.  After taking a few Martha Stewart employee sewing classes, I was hooked. One pillow, two aprons, and three tote bags later, I knew I wanted a sewing machine of my own.

Singer; Education Manager Becky Hanson, who teaches sewing classes here at MSLO, encouraged me to choose a machine that I can grow into as my skills (hopefully!) improve.

After narrowing my choices to the Husqvarna Viking brand, I spoke with Roxanne and Stuart Lasky at Quilter’s Alley, MSLO’s authorized Viking dealer. Roxanne and I discussed what I would be making with my machine, my budget, and my experience.

Roxanne stressed the importance of buying the machine from an authorized dealer so that I not only choose the right machine, but also receive training and support even after I take the machine home.

Check out the photos from my visit to Quilter’s Alley to see which machine I finally chose!

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1 Quilter’s Alley recently relocated to this great space in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

2 I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I opened the box.

3 I purchased a Viking Emerald 183. It has enough bells and whistles to bump me up to an intermediate sewer.

4 I was excited to try all the decorative stitches. There’s even a bicycle!

5 I can’t wait to learn how to use the different types of feet. Buttonholes, anyone?

6 Roxanne gave me some time to test the machine on my own.

7 IThen she trained me to thread the machine and use all the accessories.

8 I spent some time drooling over the fabric and Amy Butler patterns at Quilter’s Alley.

9 Quilter’s Alley uses this machine for long-arm quilting.

10 They had every color of thread you can imagine.

11 A few other Viking machines at Quilter’s Alley, plus some beautiful quilts on display.

12 How many quilts do you think I could make with all this fabric?

13 Roxanne told me to call her about any questions I had, even after I took the machine home.

Quilter’s Alley photos by Heidi Richter

Thinking about buying a sewing machine?  Get more tips on choosing the right one.

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1 this paper yarn is one of those perfect 'objects'. Though it would probably knit into a great bag.

2 the 'store'

3 stainless steel yarn. I'd love to crochet a coaster with this

4 would make the softest little stuffed animal

5 the also sell yarn from other companies, if special enough. This one is so inspiring.

The walls are covered in handwoven fabrics from Japan and Laos, which you can buy by the yard (or half) and are surprisingly affordable. This time I just couldn't stop myself from getting a half yard of this handwoven striped fabric of organic natural and indigo dyed cotton. I think I'll make a pillow .... or simply display it with my  'object yarn balls'.

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1 bolts of handwoven fabric (the striped one is mine)

2 a subtle, so sophisticated shibori

3 would make such beautiful window treatments

4 could just be a wall hanging

5 I'm obsessed with these fine bags. Netting made with hand spun Kuzu from Laos

6 my fabric again, and an extra special Laos bag