Learn to make a soft sculpture with both hand and machine stitching. Tamar provides a template but encourages you to develop your own projects according to your personality and style. She also encourages you to emphasize the character of your creations with sweetly stitched features for an organic, dreamy aesthetic.

For this daily challenge, fine artist, illustrator and author Lisa Congdon embraces all things ink-y! Whether you like to create detailed drawings with Micron pens or paint lush washes with India inks, Lisa shows you how to explore a variety of themes and mediums every day for a whole month. Lisa’s teaching style will help you simplify shapes and objects, distilling their most graphic elements with your unique marks and strokes. As you work your way through the challenge, Lisa provides fun daily prompts, focusing on nature, silhouettes, flowers and faces, building more techniques. Be sure to post your creations on social media using #creativebug #CBinktober and #inktober!

Homemade pies are beloved by all, but they can be particularly challenging to do well. Whether you're baking for a holiday, a barbecue, or just because, Devlin Mannle will show you how to make a killer pie you'll be proud to share on Instagram. Devlin shares his mother’s recipe for perfectly flaky pie crust, walking you through every step just like he’s in the kitchen beside you. You’ll learn tips and tricks for handling and rolling out the dough, as well as several traditional and decorative pie crust designs that will impress your guests, like lattice crust, cut outs and pretty crimped edges. 

Learn how to turn sentimental or special fabric into custom book cloth for your handmade books. Jody explains which fabrics work best, and shows the traditional Japanese technique of backing fabric with washi paper to create a durable book cloth that can be used to create hardcover books and personalize your book projects.

 

Connect to the natural world while you craft by using dried botanicals in your embroidery. Colorado artist Anna Hultin of OlanderCO Embroidery takes inspiration from plants, flowers, and the landscapes around her. In this class, she teaches you how to select and press plants, then use the back stitch and tulle netting to secure dried blooms and leaves to embroidery projects. These unique botanical studies are simple to stitch, make beautiful gifts, and provide a unique way to preserve special memories.

Easy to make and simple to toss into your car on the way to the grocery store, the park, or the beach, these reusable mesh bags are crochet projects you will undoubtedly use in your everyday life. Twinkie Chan, crochet designer and author, teaches you how to use a triangular or delta mesh stitch that allows your bag to be stretchy and light weight, and a solid panel of single crochet stitches and half double crochet stitches to make the bottom of the bag nice and strong. Make a smaller bag with a drawstring for organizing and separating your fruits and vegetables. Both bags are easy to wash and can be used around the house as stylish and earth-friendly storage options.

Whip up a set of crocheted frogs and lily pads with crocheter of all things cute, Megan Kreiner. These froggies and lily pads come together in a flash with a combination of single, half-double, and double crochet stitches. Once you’ve made your pieces, Megan shows you how to whipstitch them together and fill them with beans. The finished frogs and lily pads are the perfect gift for an amphibian-loving child, and Megan shows you how to use them to play a beanbag toss game for the whole family.

Granny squares are a must for any crochet repertoire. Whether you choose to make your grannies multi-colored for a vintage look or a solid for a more modern take, Cal shows you how to crochet these classics. She also teaches different ways to join the squares for different projects so you’ll be a granny square evangelist in no time.

 

Allie uses dried flowers to make an evergreen terrarium that can survive even the blackest of thumbs. This is a recording of a Facebook Live event held on September 12, 2017.

There's plenty of evidence that regularly drinking herbal tea can have a lasting impact on your wellness. In this class, Arina of BellaCreme teaches you her favorite recipe and also how to make your own custom blend. Herbal tea is such a healthy beverage and has been associated with a variety of benefits due to the powerful plant compounds they contain. Arina's tea blend is composed of flower petals and dried berries, and once you see how easy it is to make, you'll be well on your way to making your new favorite beverage. Besides being hydrating and nutritious, it can help you unwind and become a vital part of a nourishing routine.

Courtney uses a lightweight modeling clay to create decorative bells that don't have to be fired in a kiln or baked in an oven. This video originally appeared live on March 1, 2018.

Ceramic spoons are a great beginning clay project. With just a few materials you can make spoons of any shape or size — perfect for entertaining, home decor, or gifts of any occasion.

 

Courtney explains how to recreate the look of Kintsugi, meaning "golden joinery", the Japanese art of decoratively repairing broken pottery. This video originally appeared live on January 23, 2018.

Make a boxy tee for all-weather wear using any type of light to medium weight fabric. Ideal for anyone ready to dip their toe into the drafting process, expert sewist and draftsman Cal Patch demonstrates tips and tricks for taking measurements, drafting a pattern on paper, and sewing a finished shirt with tidy French seams. She’ll show you how a favorite scrap of material, bit of piecing, or other interesting fabric element can take the forefront as a design choice to make a totally wearable, unique-to-you garment.

With so many to choose from, picking out a houseplant from a nursery can be overwhelming. Luckily, The Tender Gardener is here to thoughtfully guide you through selecting plants that best suit your life. No matter your space or lighting situation, the perfect plant can be found. Avid plant enthusist and gardener Lana Williams encourages you to ask yourself important questions such as the available light in your home, the time you're able to give to plant care, and whether you share your place with pets or small children, then suggests the best plants for a positive outcome. 

Discover the talented oil painter within yourself as you learn to paint a bucolic landscape with professional artist Christopher Clark. In this class he demonstrates his entire painting process, from selecting his favorite materials to the thought behind each brush stroke. Inspired by the Impressionist movement and 19th century artists who are known for capturing the beauty of light, Christopher teaches how to bring this luminous quality to your painting. You'll begin with a charcoal study to determine shape and value, then make an underpainting. Add a few layers detailing and fine-tuning texture as you illuminate your clouds, flower fields, and farm buildings by painting with light. Whether you're new to painting or experienced, this class will give you the techniques needed to infuse your paintings with texture and vibrancy.

This stocking strikes a balance between earthy and sophisticated. Maya Donenfeld shows you how to create a lined Christmas stocking using a rescued coffee sack, highlighting its decorative motif. The contrast between the natural texture of burlap and the minimalism of the stocking design won’t ever look dated – even after years of love and use. 

Learn this ancient, elegant hardcover binding that originated in the Copt Monasteries of Ethiopia around the 4th century. This binding joins all of the signatures and the covers with a beautiful chain stitch that lays completely flat when open – making it ideal for journals, photo albums and art projects. Jody shows you how to work evenly and methodically to accomplish this two-needle coptic binding, as well as how to customize your own book covers.

 

Learn four different stitches for this historical Japanese bookbinding structure: Four-hole, Noble, Hemp Leaf and Tortoise Shell. Single sheets are stacked and bound to create this simple and elegant binding. These are great books to use for sketchbooks, journals, photo albums and artists' books.

Get pictures off of your phone or computer and turn them into a beautiful handmade album. Jody shows you how to create an accordion album that is as unique as your photo collection and can be customized with different ways to attach photos and text. This entry-level bookmaking project turns photos into a work of art that can be displayed, given as a gift, or tucked away for posterity.

 

Faith uses thrifted teacups and environmentally-friendly soy wax to make quick and cute candles. This video originally appeared live on January 9, 2018.

Faith uses a five-hole pamphlet stitch and decorative cording to make this single-signature leather journal. This video originally appeared live on September 11, 2018.

Check out Faith's DIY Traveler's Journal class! 

This beaded “ribbon” necklace builds on basic bead-weaving skills. You’ll learn an even count peyote stitch and several embellishment designs that you can use to create this necklace or apply to other beading projects. You’ll learn all of these techniques, plus how to make a bead “soup” and anchor your threads so all your precious work stays secure.

In honor of Pi Day, Liana shows how to assemble three versions of hand-held pies. This is a recording of a Facebook Live event held on March 15, 2017. 

In this quick class, Emily teaches three easy ways to ice a cake with buttercream: using an icing comb, a fork, and a spoon. Each of these techniques creates gorgeous, textured effects. Use them to decorate any cake, creating a unique, stunning presentation.

These vintage-inspired tap pants will become a sleeping or lounging staple. Expert seamstress Gretchen shows you how to draft a pattern based on your own measurement for a customized fit. She shares her tips and tricks for how to sew with slinky fabric and how to add two different kinds of lace to the waist and hem. You'll finish off this boudoir essential with a darling little bow - then get ready to get cozy.

These embroidered napkins serve as a sentimental record of everyone who has gathered around your table for special meals and holidays. Rebecca shows you what kind of tools to use to gather signatures, and how to embroider those signatures or drawings onto napkins so they can be washed and used and cherished for years to come. 
 

Using pretty wallpaper of your choice and just a few special lamp-making supplies, Amanda Brown of Spruce Upholstery teaches you how to make a high-style custom lampshade. She shares expert tips and tricks for snuggly wrapping the paper around the lampshade rings and finishing the edges of the shade with velvet trim for an extra luxe effect. Made up in a metallic print wallpaper, it pairs perfectly with a vintage lamp base.

Have you ever wondered how a professional artist begins a piece of work? For Rebecca Ringquist, expert visual artist and designer of Dropcloth Samplers, it begins in the sketchbook. Known for her samplers as well as her textured, stitched drawings on fabric, her sketchbook serve as a collecting tool - a place to write down ideas and gather pictures and patterns - as she nurtures the layered imagery to create abstract autobiographical artworks. In this class, Rebecca cracks open her sketchbooks to show us her process and walks us through three exercises to dive deep into thoughtfully layered and textured creativity.

Create a textural piece of fabric art while you also learn the mechanics of machine quilting. This project covers all the aspects of machine quilting but on a smaller scale. Amy talks you through what prints work well for this project and how to emphasize different elements and motifs in your fabric through your design decisions. She even covers how to refinish vintage frames. The finished project showcases beautiful print fabrics while refining your quilting skills.

Make your own lip balm, facial oil, deodorant, and more, by looking no further than your pantry or local health food store. Amy expertly demystifies the ingredients you need and offers recipes and ratios that result in delicious smelling, high-quality beauty products that will leave your skin and body radiant.

 

This project appeals to a range of personalities, since you can be loose with creating the watercolor effect and then add structure with a crisp silhouette. Christine shows you different watercolor techniques to build texture and dimension, from layered washes to dry brushing and splattering. The result is a fresh update on the classically Victorian way to capture the likeness of someone you adore.

Making an artful image doesn't have to be difficult. With just a few unique materials, you can create a beautiful illustration without any drawing experience at all. Artist Extraordinaire Courntey Cerruti is excited to expand one of her most popular Creativebug classes into a daily practice exploring monoprinting. First made popular by Andy Warhol, these monoprints use a blotted line technique made by using a process that combines tracing with basic printmaking. The result is dotted, broken, and delicate lines that can then be colored in. There is a lot of freedom inherent in this technique - the quality of your line expresses your own style - with each inking and impression of the original image producing a unique illustration.

Learn how to make mitered corners on a single piece of fabric from sewing and quilting instructor Ashley Nickels. Starting with a square piece of fabric and a home sewing machine, you will learn how to press the edges, mark corners, stitch the miters in place and trim away excess fabric. This easy technique is great for creating cloth napkins and table runners or finishing the edges of any sewing project that has a corner.

The Double Star Quilt top features a striking combination of light and dark fabrics, with a star-within-a-star motif radiating from the center. Using a mix of special prints and half-square triangles, Amber from Fancy Tiger Crafts shows you how to use free-form patchwork to grow the quilt from the center out. In the class, Amber shows how to make a 54” quilt top, but instructions are included for making a larger 90” queen-size quilt top.

Susan Beal puts a fresh spin on the very traditional craft of log cabin quilting. Each week, you’ll explore a different block style, from easy, graphic square-within-a-square blocks to minimalist, modern crosses and even improvised quartered wonky blocks. The course is perfectly suited to both seasoned quilters and newbies, with ample hand-holding on core techniques, expert tips on block settings, and lessons on how to play with color and print to make your designs pop. At the end of each class, Susan shares a fabulous project to make with what you learned, including baby quilts, bags, pillows and table runners.

Now that you have machine or hand quilted your quilt, it’s time to finish it. Sue shows you how to block and trim your quilt so you are working with a quilt that is square and lays perfectly flat. Then she shows you how to add straight double binding with mitered corners and join the binding for a clean join. Finish with a sleeve if you are going to hang your work, and add a label to document the date of your masterpiece.

 

Learn traditional cabling on this oversize scarf, with large needles and three strands of yarn held together. The scale of the scarf knits up quickly and allows you to really see what you’re knitting. Jill teaches you how to cable to the front or back. The result is new knitting knowledge, as well as a sculptural scarf that can be a solid color, or ombre through different colors of yarn. Pattern included - a $6 value!

Join designer, author, and modern quilter Blair Stocker of Wise Craft Handmade for a month of exploring the art of chicken scratch embroidery. Chicken scratch is a charming form of cross stitch that is worked on gingham fabric and creates an optical illusion of a beautiful lace overlay. Blair teaches you the foundations of chicken scratch, such as selecting your gingham fabric and using a paper template to mark your fabric, plus essential stitches like the smyrna cross and the snowflake stitch. Throughout the month, play with different designs, various combinations of stitches, and multiple colors. As you stitch inside your gingham squares, discover how much freedom you have to get creative. At the end of month, Blair shows you how to sew together your chicken scratch fabric pages and assemble a sample book that you can use as a record of all the new techniques you learned as well as a reference for future projects like aprons, tea towels, quilts, pillows, and whatever else you can imagine.

Learn how to create beautiful ceramic vessels at home without a potter's wheel. California ceramicist and designer Linda Fahey shows you every step of setting up a studio at home, and then demonstrates three methods for hand-building pottery. Along the way, she covers creating and attaching handles and even provides an introduction to glazing and firing. This three-part course covers all of the essential information you need to know to play with clay in your home studio.

 

This porcelain driftwood mobile catches the breeze beautifully. Concentric circle and square shapes rolled on cotton results in a soft, organic quality. Diana shows you how to create the charms and the mobile after you fire the clay to its required temperature.

Sewist Ashley Nickels demonstrates how to make her very favorite studio accessory - the infinity apron. This stylish and versatile wrap apron is easy to pull on and off and looks both fantastic and functional on a variety of body types. Ashley guides you through this beginner level pattern that is comprised of a series of rectangles to customize the apron to your size. Get a classic look with a solid woven cotton or linen or use a printed fabric for a vibrant look.

Filled with care, consciousness, and consideration in every ounce, tinctures are concentrated liquid herbal extracts made from plants and used as herbal remedies. Incorporating such beneficial flora as elderberry, echinacea, and calendula, Arina from BellaCreme demystifies the magic of making herbal tinctures at home. With just two simple ingredients - high proof alcohol and organic herbs - tinctures are taken orally to relieve a wide range of health issues and generally boost your wellbeing.

Are you unsure of what plants will thrive in your space? Do you know what kind of light you have? Do you know what plants will fit your lifestyle? The Tender Gardener is here to answer those questions and more with Plant Talk. Having plants in your space brings so many benefits: not only do they beautify a room, but they can lower anxiety and fatigue and improve mood and focus. The first of this series of Plant Talks with Lana Williams, aka The Tender Gardener, covers the basics of care for common houseplants so that you can experience the joys of happy plants and new growth. 

Pro furniture refinisher Barb Blair teaches you how to create a sweet accessory rack out of found wood and drawer knobs. This project only takes a few minutes to make, but the resulting rack will hang on your wall for years and years to come. It’s perfect for hanging scarves and necklaces, and it’s easy to customize the size and style with your choice of materials.
 

Learn how to make a whole gang of farm animal finger puppets with Alison of Kata Golda. Templates are included to make a dog, cat, pig, chick, and bunny, and each finger puppet is made the same way – with two pieces of felt and a few simple stitches. But the cute hand-stitched faces and little details are what give each farm animal their distinctive traits. Alison shares tips for free-hand stitching the features, and demonstrates how to sew the front to the back with blanket stitch.

In this class, quilting expert Sue Nickels and her daughter Ashley present two fun projects in their preferred styles—Sue is a traditional quilter and Ashley is a modern quilter. Though they each used the same fabrics, their finished quilts have totally different aesthetics. Sue’s traditional quilt has a scrappier motif, which is covered in lush, machine-quilted feathers, while Ashley’s modern quilt is made up of clean, geometric shapes and criss-crossed diagonal quilting lines. No matter what your style, you will surely learn a lot about quilting from this mother-daughter team.