Check out all the fabulous new classes we have for you in the month of April. Watch this quick promo to get a sneak peek of our all-new releases and seasonal favorites. Click here to watch all of the classes shown in the promo.      

 

Do you fear your chairs catch a chill in the winter months? Crochet Cal will ease your worries by showing you how to quickly stitch a set of four cozy socks for your chair feet. Cal demonstrates how to select yarn that matches the complexion of your chair, take measurements for a perfect fit, and discusses yarn weights so you can create a set of socks for any season.  You'll be all set to enjoy this class on April Fool's Day!

Feeling creatively blocked can be so frustrating. You know you want to create something, but what? Or you have an idea of what you want to do but your hands are just not cooperating with your head. When you’re in a block, it feels like you’ll never find your way out, but you can, and you will. Danielle Krysa, a.k.a. The Jealous Curator, walks you through a multitude of processes and techniques that will help you become creatively unstuck. Each day includes jump-starts to get you headed in the masterpiece direction, and helps build skills towards overcoming any creative obstacle.

Artist, illustrator and Cricut aficionado Natalie Malin lends her design expertise to customizing and crafting a custom pencil pouch.  She’ll walk you through the three-layer design, then demonstrate how some of her favorite Cricut tools – namely, the Bright Pad and the Easy Press – can really simplify the process.  Finally, you’ll learn how to customize type in Design Space to make it your own. Essential for keeping your tools organized or crafting on the go, the resulting pencil pouch is versatile and once you’ve personalized it, totally unique to you.  

Crochet designer Twinkie Chan, beloved for her sugary snack-themed accessories, goes au natural for Creativebug with this crocheted banana. Easy enough for the beginning crocheter but with enough subtle details to maintain interest, you’ll learn skills and tricks that make crocheting 3D objects a breeze. This banana will stitch up in less than an hour and is perfect for a play kitchen or a decorative fruity spread.

Find your flow in improv quilting with master Sherri Lynn Wood. Explore how the square motif can be interpreted and re-interpreted as your flexible pattern or "score" expands and contracts to fit with your quilting goals. Work ruler-free and feel the freedom of improv as you move along. Play with squares within squares, cut them up to create grids and crosses, and learn how to make choices to move your pattern along. When you’ve finished this class you’ll have a piece of improv patchwork you can use for future projects.

In this class, Alison shares two hand-stitched projects—a sweet stuffed chick and a companion Easter basket. The egg-shaped chicks are a cinch to stitch and stuff, and the basket comes together with just a few rows of sewing. Whip up a batch in neutral colors and display them in an egg carton for whimsical Easter décor. Or fill the Easter baskets with pastel colored chicks and candy for a classic Easter presentation.

Combine linear paper piecing and applique techniques to create a lovely, layered block featuring vibrant blooms. Modern quilter Carolyn Friedlander teaches you how to paper piece a background layer, remove the paper easily, and then applique curved flower petal shapes on top.

This workshop offers all the foundation skills you need to work up a whole bouquet of crocheted flowers. Superstar crochet instructor Cal Patch demonstrates three different center designs and five different petal styles so you can mix and match. Whether you like more frilly or structured flowers, you'll be ready to stitch up an entire bouquet's worth, ready to adorn hats, clothes, pillows – or anything that needs of touch of cozy charm.
 

In this class, paper flower artist Lia Griffith shows how to create realistic paperwhites using the Cricut Explore cutting machine. Lia demonstrates how to use the scoring tool to create perfect creases in the flowers and leaves, and then shows how to assemble the blooms to make a stunning arrangement.

The hardest part of starting an art journal is figuring out how to dive in. In this first week, Dawn explains what an art journal is, and provides fun and fearless exercises for getting started on that first blank page. Dawn demonstrates the full arsenal of art supplies you might want to have on hand, and shares lots of beginner techniques, such as simple ways to draw faces, incorporate color, and play with lettering, as well as tips for identifying your favorite doodle shapes. These warm-ups are intended to get you nice and comfy within the pages of your new journal.

What Will You Learn:
• What tools and materials to have on hand
• Exercises for discovering your go-to doodles
• Tips for incorporating words
• Easy ways to draw faces
• Exercises for combining collage and doodles

If you’re new to knitting, baby projects are a great place to start. Not only are they small and quick to knit, but with just a few techniques, you can create a beautiful, cuddly heirloom. In this class, Maggie shows knitters how to make a simple striped baby blanket. She walks new knitters through all of the basics, including casting on, knitting and purling, and binding off. Once you weave in the tails at the very end, your baby blanket is ready for snuggles!

In this class, Alison shares her method for hand-stitching a sweet little bunny with a companion carrot softie. Only a few stitches are required to complete these adorable dolls – satin stitch, running stitch, and blanket stitch – and Alison shares tips for how to work the stitches successfully. Templates are provided to make a large and small bunny, both of which are sewn exactly the same way. Have fun stitching up a little springtime bunny family, and don’t forget to sew a carrot or two for them to munch on while you’re at it.

Learn how to take that painting out of your sketchbook and turn it into a reproducible art print! Designer and artist, Cecelia Murphy, shows you her technique for scanning artwork, touching it up in Photoshop, and transforming it into a giclee print. This fine art printing format allows you to create high-quality multiples of your artwork, perfect for selling on Etsy or at craft fairs. Perfect for Photoshop first-timers, Cecelia shows you how to use your painting as a jumping off point to enhance color, achieve brighter whites and even add digital paint brush strokes to improve and stylize your painting. This digitizing technique is ideal for watercolor artists, but also works well with artwork made in other mediums. 

Harken back to your summer camp days and learn how to master the five-stranded braid. Anne Weil shares the standard technique for working this fancy braid and then shows how it can be applied to bracelets, belts, and straps. You’ll learn how to create the grownup version of a friendship bracelet by attaching your braid to a leather band and finishing it off with jewelry hardware. You’ll also learn how to use twine to create a belt, and how to use leather cording to create a seven-strand wristlet key fob. Once you get the hang of this simple braiding technique, you will be able to braid just about any type of fiber, be it yarn, rope or floss.

Add beautiful hand embroidery to enrich a store bought or handmade garment. Rebecca shows you how to test shapes for design and composition before committing to the embroidery. Thick yarn adds dimension, which is then filled in with a satin stitch for extra texture.

Create a gorgeous leather-bound traveler’s journal to take on all of your adventures. Perfect for drawing, sketching or writing, this easily customizable notebook is simple to construct and sturdy enough to take on travels. Bookbinder, Faith Hale, demonstrates how to create pamphlet-stitch booklets to insert in your notebook, and how to work with thick leather to create a durable cover. You’ll also learn how to add an elastic closure and give the leather cover a professional finish without the investment of leatherworking tools. Best of all, when you fill up your journal pages, you can easily add new booklets to your leather cover and keep on journaling.