Lark Crafts

We’re so, so (SO!) excited to announce the release of Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters! If you’ve been inspired by this amazing e-magazine (and we have!), you’ll love the book. And some of our favorite bloggers have agreed to help us celebrate with a blog tour! Follow along for reviews and interviews with the Fat Quarterly team, as well as book giveaways and free block patterns sprinkled in along the way – but you’ll have to tag along to find them!

5/18 Kickoff at FatQuarterly.com and LarkCrafts.com – you’ve arrived!!
5/21 Lily Quilts
5/24 Handmade by Alissa
5/29 In Color Order
5/31 Comfort Stitching
6/4 Generation Q
6/7 Sew Mama Sew
6/12 Pat Sloan
6/14 WhipUp
6/18 Sarah Fielke’s The Last Piece
6/22 Fat Quarter Shop
6/26 Diary of a Quilter
6/28 Amy’s Creative Side
7/3 A La Mode Fabric
7/6 It’s Sew Kiki!
7/10 Craft Buds!
7/12 Craft Foxes
7/16 {sew} Allegorical
7/18 Wrap-up Party at Fat Quarterly.com!

Have you had a chance to peruse the book yet? Take a sneak peek here: Shape Workshop for Quilters sneak peek!

April showers brought many May flowers to the Etsy marketplace. Created from yarn, beads, leather, paper, fabric, and wool, I found flowers that had been beaded, felted, molded, stitched, printed, and painted. And come on, who isn‘t inspired by nature’s bounty of blooms? I plucked a bouquet of images that caught my eye.

Visual Philosophy                            Sweet Crocheterie                              Tinker Girls

Caught RED Handed                     My Craft Garden                                    KainKain

Heartfelt Yarn Wreaths                   Jane Foster                                          Belinda Saville

When I was young, I absolutely loved spending time with my mom in the kitchen. Whether it was being tasked with the important responsibility of mixing up the cake, brownie, or cookie batter in the bowl (and licking the spoon afterward!) or simply watching her cooking process while soaking up any worthwhile wisdom, I was fascinated by it all and felt great comfort in those special moments together. As an adult, that mother-daughter kitchen time is usually relegated to holidays and happens much less frequently than I would like (and is therefore all the more precious).

As you take time to celebrate the importance of moms this weekend, I suggest creating some kitchen memories of your own. Make something together that can be shared together.

Cake Ladies celebrates the importance of women’s stories, the power of baking within families and communities, and the simple joy of sharing something sweet with those you love. So grab an apron and a mixing bowl, enlist your mom or your own child, and bake up something wonderful.

We offer here a free recipe for Applesauce Spice Cake, one of my personal favorites from the book since it reminds me of my own grandmother’s cake I savored as a child. Enjoy with someone you love!

DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE HERE: Applesauce Spice Cake

Do your weekend plans include flowers? Whether you’re working in the garden, heading out for a hike, or spending your weekend in craft mode, we hope the lovely early summer blooms inspire you in some way! And if you do happen to be in craft mode, enjoy a free project from Suzann Thompson’s Crochet Garden.

Download the instructions here: Pasque Flower

Happy weekend stitching!

Mother’s Day always seems to sneak up on me. Today while packing school lunches it suddenly dawned on me that Mom’s Day is this Sunday. Does this sound familiar to you? If so, rather than make a mad dash to the drug or grocery store (where the card selection is by now no doubt a sad and picked over collection) how about making an engineering marvel that will be sure to impress?

To make the bouquet on front, you can use flower punches if you have them, or just cut out some simple flower shapes by hand. I guarantee that mom will adore your bouquet either way. While the outside of the card is cheerful and pretty, the inside packs a fun surprise because when opened, whimsical hearts pop up and dangle from thread (check it out here). Put yourself in mom’s shoes—wouldn’t you love to get a handmade card like this? This is just one of 25 designs that you’ll find in Pop-Up Cards: And other Greetings that Slide, Dangle & Move.

It’s almost summertime! School’s about to be out! It’s time for summer vacation, days unbound by the school bus and homework, and a kid’s-eye-view of weeks and weeks of fun.

Whether you’re inside or outside, in the shade or in the sun, below is a list of summer craft ideas to capture the interest of big and little kids alike. In fact, when it comes to some of these ideas (see the Tree Fort Pinterest boards), you don’t need to be a kid at all to feel that summer vacation excitement.

 Happy summertime crafting!

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You’ll WANT life to give you lemons so you can make these cool, refreshing treats. Hello, hot weather awesomeness.

Creamy Lemon Popsicles :: from gimme some oven

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Sidewalk chalk: it makes hopscotch possible, it brings traced silhouettes to life, and it offers endless opportunities for driveway/walkway poems (try jumping rope around a sidewalk chalk poem—it’s a whole new meaning for beat poetry!). Use powdered tempera to make your own vibrant colors.

Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk :: from Instructables

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Don’t have a sunny day to go backyard camping? Never fear! This Fabric Pup Tent will have your littles singing songs around the campfire in your living room. Git along, little doggies.

Fabric Pup Tent :: from ReadyMade

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I’ve been a jojoba bean picker in the Sonoran desert, copy chief for a busy magazine in New York City, college writing instructor, and managing editor, editor, and author for Lark Crafts. But the hardest and most rewarding job I’ve ever attempted was teaching third graders.

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! Looking for a teacher gift idea you can stitch up easily in an evening? Grab some felt and make Lisa Jordan’s sweet Apple for Teacher Brooch from our follow-up to Fa la la la Felt, Heart-Felt Holidays (now available for under $10 on amazon and B&N.com).

My nine-year-old niece Oona sewed one for her teacher last night between dessert and bath time.

Look how great hers turned out!

Download a free PDF with instructions and printable templates: Apple for Teacher Brooch.

What is the perfect way to show mom that you care, especially on Mother’s Day? Well, we’ve got some opinions on the matter. We think the proper gift involves one part handmade, one part help-mom-relax, a pinch of make-her-every-day-brighter, and a touch of creativity. These Lavender Tea Bag Sachets by Laura Howard (from Heart-Felt Holidays) fit the bill perfectly. Oh, and did we mention they’re made with felt – our favorite.

Download the project here: Lavender Tea Bag Sachets

Happy weekend crafting….for mom!