Craft Gossip

Independent craft blog since 2007

TLC’S Craft Wars is Top Gossip

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Craft Wars is the new competition series hosted and executive produced by Tori Spelling  and it is gossiping up a storm in the crafting world. If you haven’t already heard of it then we have put some of the actual press details below so you can catch up on what the rest of us already know.

But let me just say this: We saw a sneak peek of the  first episode and you are NOT going to want to miss it. The show will not only inspire you, it will have you shouting out ideas at the screen to encourage the contestants to sew faster and glue quicker.

This show is perfect for anyone who is crafty and anyone who loves to craft under-pressure.  I challenge any of you to grab some obscure supplies and make something in 1 hour. It’s certainly a challenge I wouldn’t par-take in so credit goes to all the contestants.

More Hype about the show on CraftGossip. Tori is also having an influence on the crafting world with her range of crafting products which you can check out on her blog.

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Here’s how it works: first, the contestants face off in the Pop Craft challenge, where they must create one of the craft world’s most popular items in just one hour, using surprise materials and just about any crafting supply they could dream of from the “Michaels Craft Closet,” supplied by Michaels, North America’s largest arts and crafts retailer. Judges Erica Domesek (author of the DIY book, PS I Made This), Stephen Brown (author and founder of the multi-million dollar gift wear company Glitterville Studios) and Jo Pearson (author and creative expert for Michaels) will evaluate their crafts and eliminate one contestant. Then, the final two must wow the judges in the challenge of a lifetime, the Master Craft challenge. With their team, they’ll have to use all of their creative prowess, and push themselves to the limit, because when time is up, only one can win the WAR.

In the premiere episode, “Summer School” – airing June 26 at 10/9c, the contestants must create a fashion-forward duffle bag out of sports equipment for the Pop Craft challenge. Then, the final two must wow the judges in their crafting challenge of a lifetime, The Master Craft, where they must create a playhouse out of school supplies. With the use of the Michaels Craft Closet and a well-stocked woodshop, the contestants do everything they can to build, glue, and sew an unbeatable $10,000 craft.

CRAFT WARS is produced for TLC by Super Delicious. Executive producers are Adam Cohen, Cara Tapper and Joanna Vernetti.

Comments

  4. i don’t like the idea of a craft’s war. crafting means creativity, inspiration, calming not time fighting or showing off on the t.v. i totally disagree with the whole idea. i hope this show will fail… sory guys….

  5. I agree, I have to wait to see the show to decide if I like the concept of the show. It does sound interesting, but I agree with Charisia in the above comment, regarding creativity, inspiration, calming and ect…..
    It would be nice to have a crafting show whereby, contestants are taught various skills, techniques, and conducting friendly completition. Something similar to idol…mayne crafting idol…..and the public can cast votes. ……

  6. I am excited that a new craft show is coming back! Maybe for some the name should be different,but I am excited that there is an interest in crafting again from the networks. Since Carol Duvall nothing new or old for that fact has been on tv in our area. I am excited,and maybe this will spark interest in crafting from another generation and the tv networks.

  7. TLC had something like this a couple/few years ago, called Craft Shakedown or something — was presented like the Worldwide Wrestling Federation — hilarious and so much fun. This sounds like the exact same set-up, only it reads that the contestants have teams, now. I loved it. Can’t wait to see this!

  8. I’m a little torn. I see the benefit of showing the world the amazing things that crafters can do, but then I think, how amazing is something going to be when it’s thrown together in an hour? But I did set my DVR. 🙂

  9. I remember the show that Sandy mentioned. I thought it was on HGTV, but can’t remember the name. Loved it. They did all kinds of wild challenges. Watched this show tonight & it was ok, but didn’t seem as much fun as the previous incarnation.

  10. Very disappointed. What the crafters had to make was more like building, not crafts that are home decor or useful as a gift to give. Why can’t they do something like give those who compete say like shells, tell them to make a gift or home decor craft item. There are plenty of things to do that with, felt, ribbon, buttons, shaped wood pieces, flowers, craft foam, wreaths, lace, pipe cleaners. Then add a theme to each like sea scene, animal theme, wall decor theme, pillow theme, and so on. i won’t be watching it any more.

Have you read?

How to Cross Stitch on Paper

I’ve done embroidery on paper before and it’s a lot of fun. You can use a needle to punch out a particular shape to stitch, or my favorite thing is to take a copy of an old photograph or a page from a magazine and add stitched details to the original picture. 

One thing I haven’t tried but would also be fun to do is cross stitching on paper. 

This is a technique that requires a fair amount of preparation because you need to find a pattern you can easily transfer and print it at actual size, then use the pattern itself to help you decide where to put the holes in your paper. And then after all that you can do your stitching. 

It’s a pretty straightforward process, but Crewel Ghoul has a great tutorial that walks you through how to do it step by step. It even includes a sample pattern you can print out and try for practice. 

The post also has tips for starting and finishing your threads so that the back looks as neat as it can, if that’s something that’s important to you. (When I have done embroidery on paper I usually just tape the thread end to the back. If the back were going to show I’d probably just cover it with more paper.)

Stitching on paper is a fun way to make bookmarks or greeting cards, but you also need to make sure your paper is thick enough to support the holes you’ll be making in it. This post has a good rundown of materials you’ll need and what kind of paper is best. She used watercolor paper but I’ve used card stock and scrapbook paper that was a little thicker than the average printer paper. 

You can always test a little on the paper you’re considering to make sure it will stand up to the project. 

Check out the post, which includes a video, over at Crewel Ghoul for more tips for cross stitching on paper. Is this something you’ve tried before? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Crewel Ghoul]