Do you recognize these yarns from the “Great Finds” section in the November issue of Living? Did you know that we dyed them ourselves? Dharma Trading has a new selection of natural yarns for dyeing—about 50 different kinds! We dyed our yarns the day before the photo shoot, and since they needed time to dry, we …

Our dear friend Laura Normandin is having a baby! We made a collective gift for Laura—an embroidered patchwork pillow. Athena cut small squares of linen, we each embroidered one or two, and then Steph assembled them into a pillow. It was great seeing all the different styles and techniques together—a personal gift with a lot …

This store is hardly just a yarn store, and certainly not the kind of yarn store you may be used to. Located on the 8th floor in a nondescript building in New York’s flower district, Habu Textiles is more like a work room and when you enter, you feel like you’ve entered the world of some very …

I rarely do needle crafts, but I was looking around my apartment and surprised to realize how many examples of different types of needlework decorate my home.  My collection ranges in style and technique, but they’re all warm additions to my space.  I love living with objects, knowing whoever made each piece invested a lot …

My dear friend Goli recently got a sewing machine, so I thought it would be an appropriate birthday gift to put together a special sewing box. I found a nice simple box at West Elm, the perfect little inserts and dividers at the Container Store and the goodies for the inside at Michaels and local sewing …

Have you noticed our new blog header?  It is also my first embroidery project, which I made in honor, and with the help of the new Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts.  For the header, I just used the backstitch, but I am eager to learn the 8 other essential hand-embroidery stitches (plus …

The Crafts Dept has always loved Purl & Purl Patchwork.   Who would have thought they could get any better?  They just did!  They’ve moved into a much bigger space and united into one amazing quilting & needle craft store at 459 Broome St.  Having everything in one location is certainly an exciting change.  This …

It is so amazing to have all these great projects together in one book.  It was hard to choose my favorite!  I have to say I have a strong attachment to Japanese Sashiko Embroidery.  You’ll find some beautiful examples of Sashiko in Martha Stewart’s Encylopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts, as well as a CD …