1. The temperature begins to rise and we can finally unpack our summer clothes

2. The announcement of Summer Fridays

3. CrafterNoon!

Every year, Potter Craft hosts a special lunchtime event for magazine editors, newspaper writers, and TV and radio producers to give them a sneak preview of our coming titles, as well as an opportunity to see finished projects from our books.

As in years before, guests were invited to our Make and Take table to create a project from one of our current titles. This year, we were thrilled to share the feather earrings from I Spy DIY Style by Jenni Radosevich. This project has been very popular since the book’s publication, and it was wonderful to see so many variations of the original earrings. After all, DIY is all about showing off your own personal style!

Another treat at this year’s CrafterNoon was our in-house Style Astrologist (and editor), Camaren, who provided Shoestrology readings to our guests.The coming Potter Style gift book, Shoestrology, reveals what your birthday shoe says about you. For example, according to Shoestrology, I am a muted metallic ballet flat, and am “calm, cool, and crisp” and “all business.” Sounds fairly accurate to me. . .

We also had fabulous prizes graciously donated by Fiskars, Lion Brand, Noni Designs, and more! And what would CrafterNoon be without a goody bag? Each guest received a parting gift filled with crafters’ favorite things!

Check out the slideshow from CrafterNoon below.

My mother is a wonderful and generous soul, but also the most stubborn, aggravating woman on the planet. She would and often does offer me the shoes off her feet and all the food in her pantry. But then I have to listen to endless complaints, like how the line dance teacher at the senior center snubbed and insulted her last week. This is the reality of moms, and the price this daughter has to pay for leaving Mom’s house with huge supplies of coffee and chocolate.

Mom’s stubbornness is evident when the subject of my crochet comes around. It’s 2006. I rush to her house to present her with a copy of my first book, Amazing Crochet Lace. I explain that I am a professional crochet designer. But Mom still doesn’t quite get what I do.

“Oh, I like this, beautiful” she coos, pointing at a book image. “You can make for my friend?”

“No, Mom, I don’t make things for people. I sell designs.”

“That’s okay, she can pay for it,” cajoles Mom.

“No, Mom, I don’t sell crochet stuff. I only make it once as a sample for the pictures. Then I show how you can make it for yourself from the pattern.”

Her face falls. “I can’t do that, it’s too hard.”

I know very well that she wouldn’t, couldn’t crochet anything from my patterns because she doesn’t understand or read English well enough to follow along. I know this because of how I learned to crochet from her when I was a girl, by example, by rote, in the same way she learned from her mother. Mom stitched, I copied. There were no patterns, diagrams, stitch dictionaries, or schematics in her crochet world. Her hands simply remembered how to make what she wished. Beginning with granny squares, moving on to scarves, flowers, and pineapple doilies, Mom stitched, I copied.

The roles reversed as I picked up techniques and skills she had never experienced. It became my turn to stitch while Mom copied. She was completely taken by the new novelty yarns at the time, and as soon as I showed her how to work with them and gave her a few original samples, she obsessively cranked out furry, glittery, or wildly colored hats, scarves, and ponchos for herself, family, and friends. Without exaggeration, Mom has crocheted enough of these objects so that she could wear a different one every day for a year.

I had stumbled onto the perfect way to broaden my mom’s crochet horizon and get out of having to crochet things for her friends. Each visit I try to bring a new project, sometimes a prototype of a design that eventually had to be remade for publication, sometimes a piece that’s still in the R&D stage. I know that if she sees it she can crochet it. The tactic has worked well, up to a point. In my new book, Crochet Lace Innovations, I explore alternate crochet techniques, broomstick, Tunisian, and hairpin lace and nuances of seamless garment shaping that she won’t be able to master by copying samples. Here we go again.

“Oh, this one is really, really beautiful! I bet my friends will go crazy if I wear it.”

When I started designing, neither of us could fit into the tiny-sized garment samples required for publication. But since then we’ve both dropped a few pounds. In Mom’s case, she has gradually lost weight as she balances her diabetes. In my case, since she avoids stockpiling candy, there’s no more Mom chocolate to take home. It’s a strange win-win situation. The point is, both of us can now squeeze into quite a number of design prototypes and original samples, and it’s a happy little battle to see which one of us gets which garments. So look closely under the jacket and you’ll see that Mom is wearing a pink prototype of the Isabeau top that graces the cover of my new book.

Her friends did go crazy!

You might be wondering, what’s the difference between embroidery and cross stitch?

What tools do you need to create crewelwork?

And where does chicken scratch fit in?

Alicia Paulson, author of Embroidery Companion, guides us through this sewn, stitched, and embellished terrain with a handy guide to identifying three of the most popular types of embroidery, with tips on what type of fabrics, threads, and needles to choose for each category of craft.

For even more embroidery inspiration, plus 30 charming projects, pick up Embroidery Companion by Alicia Paulson, and follow her adventures at Posie Gets Cozy.

Decorative Embroidery
Broadly speaking, “decorative” embroidery includes stitches and techniques from a plethora of traditions, and requires transferring a line-art template to the fabric, then stitching either on or within the lines to create a design.

Fabrics: Detailed, delicate designs will show best on high-thread-count, finely woven fabrics; more loosely woven cloths work best with simple, rustic designs. Chicken scratch, known more prettily as snowflaking or Amish lace, is worked on gingham.

Threads: Inexpensive six-strand cotton floss, often just called “embroidery floss,” is widely available in hundreds of beautiful, colorfast shades.

Needles: I almost always find myself happiest with a size 6 crewel needle—you’ll probably find that you’re happy somewhere between 5 and 7, too.

Cross-stitch
As its name suggests, counted cross stitch embroidery uses groups of two straight stitches crossed at right angles and worked over a grid of perfect squares, stitch by stitch, while following a chart that indicates where to place each one.

Fabrics: Evenweave fabrics have an equal number of threads running lengthwise and crosswise, and are available in different “counts.” The count refers to the number of stitches you will get across the space either vertically or horizontally.

Threads: Cross-stitch can be worked in cotton, wool, or silk thread. The number of strands you use is, for the most part, dictated by the fabric thread count.

Needles: Stitching on evenweave fabric calls for large-eyed, blunt-tipped tapestry needles.

Bonus: This tutorial on Posie Gets Cozy will show you exactly how to get started cross-stitching.

Crewelwork
Both charmingly old-fashion, yet modern, crewelwork generally refers to decorative embroidery done using woolen yarn to outline and fill in shapes and designs that have been transferred to linen or wool fabric.

Fabrics: Though crewelwork can be done on any type of fabric, close-woven, heavier fabrics, like linen or woven wools work (and look) best. Wool felt can also work well.

Threads: Crewel wool, a soft, two-ply wool yarn, is widely available in hundreds of gorgeous colors and many subtle shades.

Needles: Sharp-medium-length crewel needles are the best type for crewelwork. I recommend a size 5.

To be entered to win, tell us a crafting memory you share with your mother (or grandmother, or daughter) below. Also, be sure to indicate which item you think she’d like most!

Soakwash and Yarn Kit:
Sure to please any knitter or crocheter, the Soakbox includes one skein of Lorna’s Laces sock yarn to keep crafty moms happily busy as well as soak foot cream to pamper her tootsies. Give to mom—or keep for yourself (We won’t tell)!

Ottlite Lamps:
What better way to tell mom she lights up your life than with an Ottlite Lamp? Ottlites allow crafters to better distinguish colors, reduce glare and eyestrain, and see knitting, sewing, beadwork, reading, or scrapbooking projects much more clearly. It also comes with a special bulb which is built to last for more than 10,000 hours. We have two fabulous Ottlite desk lamps to give away!

A Collection of Fiskars Products:
We love Fiskars scissors, paper punches, and stampers, so we put together a selection of our favorite items that we know will delight any scrapbooker. Snap some photos this Mother’s Day and you’ll make memories that you can preserve beautifully.

Martha Stewart Extravaganza:
Martha can always be counted on for great crafting, decorating, and cooking ideas. Whether your mom loves to craft, cook, or both, we have something for you! We will be giving away a copy of Martha Stewart’s Handmade Holiday Crafts and a copy of her brand new cookbook, Martha’s American Food, to one lucky winner!

Make Mom’s Life Easier!
Let’s face it, moms can always use a little help. Well, we have two items that can do just that! Mommy Money: 60 We O.U. Checks from Your Family will allow you to pay for everything you really want to give mom—a clean house, dinner on the table, clean laundry, and breakfast in bed!

We’re also giving away Mom’s Five-Second Memory Journal, the ideal gift for moms with frantic schedules who don’t want to forget those surprising, wonderful moments that come with being a mother.

To ease your stress, we’ve rounded up our top picks for Mother’s Day gift-giving.

Whether she’s a new mom, a green mom, a super craft mom, or a knitting fanatic, we’ve provided you with a selection of books for all the crafty moms on your list.

For more crafty Mother’s Day gift ideas, be sure to also check out our Mother’s Day giveaway. You can be entered to win awesome gifts from brands such as Soakwash, Ottlite, Fiskars, and more. With all of these crafty ideas, you’ll be sure to keep mom delighted and inspired all year long!

For the New Mom:
Sew What You Love by Tanya Whelan	Baby Beanies by Amanda Keeys	Knitted Wild Animals by Sarah Keen	Baby’s First Year Deck by American Academy Of Pediatrics
For the Knitting Mom:
The Knitter’s Book of Socks by Clara Parkes	Lily Chin’s Knitting Tips and Tricks by Lily Chin	Wendy Knits Lace by Wendy D. Johnson	Knitting Block by Block by Nicky Epstein
For the Green Mom:
Jewelry Upcycled by Sherri Haab and Michelle Haab	Stashbuster Knits by Melissa Leapman	Noni Flowers by Nora Bellows	Craft Activism by Joan Tapper and Gale Zucker
For the Super Crafty Mom:
Martha Stewart’s Handmade Holiday Crafts by Editors of Martha Stewart Living	The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook by Nora Abousteit and Alison Kelly	Polymer Clay Color Inspirations by Lindly Haunani and Maggie Maggio	Crochet Master Class by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss

What better way to start off her morning than with breakfast in bed?

For culinary tips, we suggest you turn to our friends at The Recipe Club.

But if you’re looking for a crafty spin on breakfast in bed, we’ve got something for you!

Enter The Polymer Clay Cookbook by Jessica Partain, a fun guide to creating deliciously realistic miniature jewelry that celebrates your favorite foods!

This Mother’s Day, we’re offering an exclusive project from Jessica Partain that isn’t even featured in The Polymer Clay Cookbook! This polymer clay bagel with cream cheese is one treat your mom will be sure to remember.

String this charm to a necklace or bracelet, and mom can enjoy her bagel with cream cheese all day long!

Instructions:

1. Roll a ½” sphere of ecru smooth, then flatten into a thick pancake.

2. Punch a hole in the center using a medium-sized double ball stylus.

3. Smooth the edges of the hole on both sides using the edge of the stylus.

4. Insert a headpin into the center of the hole. Pull until the head is flush with the inside of the hole.

5. Dab a layer of powdered raw sienna pastel onto the surface to make it look toasty.

6. Make sure the pastel is an even layer on both sides of the bagel.

7. Use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to remove a small layer of pastel from the top.

8. Use a toothpick to spread warmed white clay onto the top of your bagel.

9. Bake your bagel for 15 minutes at 275F. Finish the headpin into a wrapped loop, and wear it as a charm!

While a freshly cut bouquet looks pretty while it lasts, this buttoned-up arrangement will bring a smile to her face all year-round. All you need are some pretty buttons from your stash and few sewing supplies to make this sweet keepsake. It’s a simple way to show your love and appreciation for a lady who deserves it.

For even more Mother’s Day gift ideas, check out Martha Stewart’s Handmade Holiday Crafts. From velvet-covered jewelry boxes to handmade botanical soaps, Martha Stewart has something special to help you express your love and gratitude to your mom this year.

Complete with a “make your own cocktail” bar as well as a Coolhaus ice cream sandwich station, no one left the party unsatisfied OR uninspired. As a special gift with book purchase, Jenni Radosevich hosted an exclusive DIY table to teach customers how to make a Coach-inspired leather bookmark.

Check out photos from the event!

But worry not! If you missed last week’s party, there are four additional events scheduled around the country, and even more to come!




Naperville, IL
Anderson’s Bookshop
Party and DIY
Wednesday, May 2nd – 7:00 p.m.

Wauwatosa, WI
Barnes and Noble
Book Signing and DIY
Saturday, May 5th – 2:00 p.m.

Los Angeles, CA
Soho House
Party and DIY demo
Thursday, May 10th
(invite only, e-mail Jenni at jenni.ispydiy@gmail.com for details)

San Francisco, CA
Wix Lounge
Skillshare DIY Workshop
Sunday, May 20th
(Sign up on Skillshare)

Well, the knitters have spoken!

More than 1,230 participants voted on five knitted animals. Although each animal received a significant number of votes, the winner was clear.

Drum roll, please. . .

With 43 percent of your votes, the star of the cover of Knitted Farm Animals is the chicken!

Since we at CrafterNews and Potter Craft trust your esteemed opinions, we have designed the cover to match your preference. We would like to thank everyone who participated in our poll.

Stay tuned for similar voting opportunities on CrafterNews.

Also, be sure to look out for Knitted Farm Animals when it hits bookstores in December. You did help design the book, after all!

Now, you will hear from the DIY darling herself as she discusses her personal style, the DIY movement, and what she loves most about finding fashion she loves and doing it herself!