Research > Topics > Crafts / Textile Arts / DIY

Crafts / Textile Arts / DIY

General Crafts
DIY
Knitting/Crocheting/Spinning
Needlework

Paper Arts/Scrapbooking
Quilting
Sewing
Textiles/Costume/Fashion

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General Crafts

Crafts, Hobbies and Needlework: About.com: http://home.about.com/hobbies/index.htm?PM=59_0209_T

Crafts, Hobbies & Needlework sites collected on About.com: the leading network of niche vertical sites. Each site is devoted to a single topic, overseen by an expert Guide dedicated to helping the users find what they want quickly and easily. There are many sites for Arts/Crafts, Collecting and Pastimes gathered here.
Craftplace: http://www.craftplace.org/

Consumer site for the Hobby Industry Assoc. Provides ideas for craft lovers of every stripe and skill level. It also provides help for teachers using crafts in education.
Craftster.org: http://craftster.org/

Craftster.org is a repository for hip, crafty, diy (do it yourself) projects. It's for people who have crafty urges, but who are not excited by cross stitched bunnies and crocheted toilet paper cozies. They can show off their current craft projects, ask advice on future projects and get inspiration for new endeavors. This forum focuses on archiving actual projects with pictures and step-by-step instructions. Very Cool!
Craftypod Blog: http://www.craftypod.com/

The podcast and blog all about making stuff. Sometimes it’s about project tutorials. Sometimes it’s an interview with someone craftily fascinating. Sometimes it’s the history behind your favorite craft supplies. Always, it’s a big, crafty geekfest.
DIY Alert: http://www.diyalert.com/

All the crafty stuff in PDX delivered right to your in-box! DIY Alert is your one-stop calendar for craft events, craft classes, and craft groups in Portland, Oregon and surrounding areas. "Portland, Oregon has an incredible crafty culture. If you know where to look, you can find a sewing class, craft fair, knitting circle, or beadwork exhibit just about every day of the week. We created DIY Alert! to put all crafty events into one place, so that creative people would easily be able to find interesting things to do."
FreePatterns.com: http://www.freepatterns.com/

Over 1500 free craft patterns for crochet, cross-stitch, quilting, crafts, plastic canvas, and knitting. Free registration required. Images and diagrams may be available. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF).
getcrafty.com: http://www.getcrafty.com/

"Home of the craftistas. getcrafty is about inspiration. getcrafty, as the hub of the new domesticity, is about combining careers and cooking and crafts and family and going out and staying in and fashion and home decorating...It's about using powertools, people. It's about messing things up. Not playing by the rules. Making home ec hip."
HGTV Crafts: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/crafting/0,1788,HGTV_3352,00.html

Home & Garden Television is the only network devoted to providing comprehensive information to inspire the home enthusiast. Here you'll get top tips from some of America's best decorators, interior designers, and craft experts. There are complete projects, articles about individual aspects of a craft and resources.
Instructables: Craft: http://www.instructables.com/home?category=craft

Instructables is a web-based documentation platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others. The seeds of Instructables germinated at the MIT Media Lab as the future founders of Squid Labs built places to share their projects and help others.
Jo-ann Fabrics and Crafts: Project Center: http://www.joann.com/catalog.jhtml?CATID=2

This site provides a wide assortment of projects for various crafts including decorating, quilting, yarn and stitchery, and even some for kids of all ages. The instructions are clear and easy to understand. Despite the commercial slant, the projects can be accomplished using generic supplies. An at-a-glance index, by craft is available.
Martha Stewart Living Crafts: http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=learn-cat&id=cat242&navLevel=2&navHistory=cat2

This is the Crafts section of Martha Stewart Living website. It has craft projects divided into the areas of Gifts & Wraps; Cards & Paper; Wreaths; Needlework; Decorating Projects; "Good Things" and a lessons in crafting in "Crafts 101". The projects are constantly changing.
PDX Super Crafty: http://www.pdxsupercrafty.com

Portland's own Crafty Place. Four creative women have put together this great collection of ideas for crafting for profit, and social crafting, lists locating ongoing craft meeting nights in Portland, and a short history of craft in Portland. They have now written a book showcasing craft projects.

DIY Do-It-Yourself

DIY: Do It Yourself Network: http://www.diynet.com/

"A television and Web network with thousands of do-it-yourself projects ranging from crafts to car care." Projects, browsable by type and searchable, contain step-by-step, easily followed directions along with materials lists. Included are chat rooms and bulletin boards.
IKEA Hacker: http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/

Take IKEA items and turn them into something new! Run by IKEA Fans as a non-official website.
Index To How To Do It Information, 1963-1999: http://www.nleindex.com/index.php?pID=HTDI&sID=Introduction

The HTDI Index is a guide to locating magazine articles that contain how-to information, instructions, plans, suggestions and tips on how to solve and prevent problems, construct projects, pursue an art, craft, hobby, etc.
Major subject areas covered in the HTDI Index include Aircraft, Amateur Radio, Arts & Crafts, Astronomy, Boating, Clothing, Computers, Cycling, Drawing & Painting, Electronics, Fiber Arts, Furniture, Gardening, House & Home, Lapidary, Models & Miniatures, Photography, Science, Tools and Woodworking. This is a continuation of the original Index to handicrafts, modelmaking, and workshop projects set which began in 1936. Both of these are great magazine indexing tools for finding vintage projects and instructions for your crafts and hobbies.

Knitting/Crocheting/Spinning

Crochet! the magazine: http://www.crochetmagazine.com/

Welcome to the world's first and only Internet-ready, complete and unabridged online crochet magazine! You'll get free illustrated patterns, a handy stitch guide and crochet news.
FreePatterns.com: http://www.freepatterns.com/

Over 1500 free craft patterns for crochet, cross-stitch, quilting, crafts, plastic canvas, and knitting. Free registration required. Images and diagrams may be available. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF).
International Knitting Meet-Up Groups: http://knitting.meetup.com/

Join other Knitters in the Portland area on a regular basis. Meetup with other local knitters in your town to trade patterns and tips. (3rd Wednesday of every month.) This is one of many organized Meet-Ups for interest groups of all types.
The Knitting Page: http://weaving.about.com/hobbies/weaving/mbody.htm

About.com's Knitting Web page. It has knitting FAQ's, patterns, reviews, newsletters: all you could need for knitting!
Knitty.com: http://www.knitty.com/

"Little Purls of Wisdom" Knitty.com is an online magazine featuring free patterns, articles on techniques and lifestyle interests of knitters.
KnittingHelp.com: http://www.knittinghelp.com/

Learn to knit with free online videos! Beginners, can start here or browse the knitting videos in the Basic and Advanced Technique sections. If you have any questions, or just want to hang around with a fabulous bunch of knitters, visit the friendly Knitting Forum!
Knitter's Review: http://www.knittersreview.com/

Knitter's Review is a free weekly online magazine full of information for knitting and fiber enthusiasts. It has great book reviews.
Lion Brand Yarn: http://www.lionbrand.com/

"You'll find nearly 1,000 free knitting patterns, free crochet patterns and free craft patterns, with new ones published weekly. There is also free instruction to help you learn to knit or learn to crochet, free yarn-themed screen savers and other goodies, the Charity Connection where you can search for knitting and crochet-oriented charities, a free gallery where you can upload and share your projects with others and a free weekly e-mail newsletter that is packed with free patterns, tips, contests and features." This is a commercial website but does have a lot of free patterns and examples of yarns used which is helpful.
Spindlicity: http://www.spindlicity.com/

Quarterly online magazine for hand spinners. It has articles, projects and reviews.
Vintage Knitting Blog: http://www.vintageknitting.net

This blog chronicles the process of working from vintage knitting patterns. Our goal is to share and inspire!
Vintage Knitting and Crochet Patterns: http://vintagekal.kitchenerbitch.com/links-to-vintage-patterns/

This provides many links to sources of vintage patterns, some free and some for sale.

Needlework

Counted Cross Stitch, Needlework, and Stitchery Page: http://www.wco.com/~kdyer/xstitch.html/

This needlework site provides original content (the Needlework FAQs), archived material from the rec.crafts.textiles.needlework newsgroup, and an extensive list of needlework links.
Fiberlink: http://www.fibergypsy.com/

Dedicated to "connecting fiber enthusiasts with the Web and each other," this valuable site has annotated links to mostly knitting and a some useful needlework and other textile-related sites. Of special interest is a section on liturgical textiles, as well as one on which fiber artists can advertise their wares.
The Sophisticated Stitcher: http://www.thesophisticatedstitcher.com/

This is a Web magazine devoted to the discriminating needleworker. Here you'll find articles and discussion groups related to cross stitch, needlepoint, quilting and other fiber arts.
Sue's Cross Stitch Free Pattern Page: http://www.powerup.com.au/~sheal/freebies.htm

Included only those websites that offer ON-LINE freebies (i.e., those you can print off or save to your own computer, or which are available via e-mail). Not included are "mail-away, free with an order" or "get it at your local shop" charts, because they are not as readily accessible to stitchers outside the country of origin.

Paper Arts and Scrapbooking

Dragonhome's Place: http://www.littlebit.com/rubber1.htm/

"You can find all sorts of information here on rubberstamps, cigar boxes, scrapbooks, polymer clay, collage, altered books and so much more!" The site has ideas for projects, tips and tutorials.
Digital Scrapbooking Place: http://http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/

DSP's Digital Scrapbook University offers free tutorials for a variety of techniques and graphics software programs, as well as galleries, forums and freebies.
RubberStampMadness: http://www.rsmadness.com/

This is theWeb sitefor RubberStampMadness, the magazine for rubber stamp arts and crafts. There are articles and links geared to rubber stampers, mixed-media artists, collagists, scrapbook fans, mail artists, journalers, papercraft enthusiasts, teachers and the many others involved with this creative pastime.
Scrapbook.com: http://http://www.scrapbook.com/

One of the largest and fastest-growing scrapbooking websites features an online superstore, forums, a library of articles, a gallery of over 200,000 layouts, links to thousands of blogs, free email and online classes, and a customizable "My Place" area that allows scrapbookers to create their own personal web pages. It also includes Computerscrapbook.com
Scrapbooking.com: http://http://www.scrapbooking.com/

Featuring scrapbooking articles, bulleting boards, retail store directory, and other great features, this comprehensive monthly online magazine is "so big, only the Internet can hold it."

Quilting

Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters (APNQ): http://www.apnq.org/

The purpose of this nonprofit, public benefit corporation is "to promote the art of quiltmaking and to encourage and reward quiltmakers in the geographical Pacific Northwest." The Web site features pictures of award-winning quilts, slideshows, links, and membership information. Membership is open to all, however only members who are residents of Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Northwest Territories, Oregon, Washington State, and The Yukon are eligible to compete in APNQ's biennial juried and judged quiltfest.
Clark County Quilters: http://clarkcountyquilters.org/

Introduces this Vancouver, Washington state, group that contributes "to the growth and knowledge of quilting techniques, patterns, and history." Features a general information brochure, announcements of quilting programs and events in the Northwest, and quilt facts and figures (including quilt size measurements, standard batting sizes, and yardage charts). Includes photographs of members' quilts and links to member websites.
FreePatterns.com: http://www.freepatterns.com/

Over 1500 free craft patterns for crochet, cross-stitch, quilting, crafts, plastic canvas, and knitting. Free registration required. Images and diagrams may be available. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF).
Northwest Quilters: http://www.northwestquilters.org/

Quilting Guild located in Portland, Oregon. Information about the guild, its charitable activities, and the annual Quilt Show. "Honoring the past, Embracing the present, Guiding the future." Features a general information brochure, announcements of quilting programs and events in the Northwest and includes photos of past raffle quilts and many quilting links.
Quilting: http://quilting.about.com/

Site features include free patterns, clip art, techniques, reviews, humor, many links, and a glossary. Subjects covered include computer design, appliqué, foundation piecing, equipment, related media, software, fabric, communities and personalities, and international quilting, and collecting, history, care, conservation, and appraisal of quilts.
Quilts and Quiltmaking in America 1978-1996: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/qlthtml/

This site "showcases materials from two American Folklife Center collections, the Blue Ridge Parkway Folklife Project Collection (1978) and the All-American Quilt Contest." The collection includes nearly 200 segments from recorded interviews with quiltmakers and over 400 images. Also provides a glossary and selected bibliography. Searchable. From the Library of Congress American Memory Project.
World Wide Quilting Page: http://quilt.com/Quilt

This site for quilters includes patterns and instructions, many users pages, trading post, quilting hints, quilter biographies and Web sites, quilt shows, shops, and regional events.

Sewing

Home Sewing Association: http://www.sewing.org/

The Association brings together fabric, pattern, notions, fiber, craft, home decorating, publishing and sewing machine companies with manufacturers, retailers, educators, wholesalers and buying offices.
ISMACS International: http://www.ismacs.net/

The official website of the International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society. ISMACS is recognised as the leading authority on early sewing machine history.
Threads Online: http://www.taunton.com/threads/

This site is from the popular Threads magazine, with articles on materials, machines, tools, patterns, design, fitting, and working with fabric. Discussion forums allow questions to be posted and answered and there is an annotated list of Web sites for sewers. Most of the information is geared toward garment construction, but there is also information on quilting and a collection of machine-embroidery design downloads.
Vintage Pattern Lending Library: http://www.vpll.org/

Do you love the wonderful clothing styles of past eras? Looking for that perfect garment to wear to a historical event? Always trying to track down vintage needlework patterns? This site also contains articles, fashion timelines, a fashion glossary, and other interesting items of period research. If you have a question regarding the clothing and hair styles, and techniques of bygone days, look here.

Textiles/Costume/Fashion

The Costume Page: http://members.aol.com/nebula5/costume.html

Index of costume and costuming-related links, including how to make costumes as well as fashion, textile art and costume history.
Fashion-Era: http://www.fashion-era.com/

A well-maintained site that focuses on fashion history, costume, clothing textiles, and social history. Searchable, and browsable by major category, such as body adornment, royal fashion, undergarments, Victorian fashion, image and wardrobe planning, fashion design tutorials and tips, and more.
The Latimer Quilt and Textile Center: http://www.oregoncoast.com/latimertextile/

Oregon's own Textile Museum in Tillamook. Their mission is to preserve, promote, display and facilitate the creation of and provide education about the textile arts. Located on the Oregon Coast, the non-profit museum has a research library, consignment shop, workroom and a quilting & basting service.
The Textile Museum: http://www.textilemuseum.org/

The Textile Museum in Washington D.C. is dedicated to furthering the study, preservation and interpretation of over 5000 years of the textile arts of non-Western cultures. ItsWeb siteprovides a taste of the museum's collection including online versions of the current exhibitions , an overview of its Textile Learning Center and annotated links. Also included is "Care and display" section for care, restoration and preservation of textiles.

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