by Mary Elizabeth O'Toole | Jan 12, 2017 | Design, Quilting, Scrap Quilts, Work In Progress
Today’s post is written by Mary Elizabeth O’Toole This summer, I designed a Japanese-inspired quilt as a wedding gift for a good friend. I chose a focal fabric with a large floral print (peonies – one of her favs) in the pinks and purples that I...
by Mary Elizabeth O'Toole | Jan 10, 2017 | Inspiration, Tools and Equipment, Woodworking, Work In Progress
Today’s post is written by Stephen Parsons. During the Holidays, the subject of acquiring a laser cutting/ engraving system came up several times and it has me thinking about technology usage in artisan work. As a woodworker, I work wood. But to make wood into...
by Mary Elizabeth O'Toole | Jan 8, 2017 | Art Quilts, Design
Today’s post written by Mary Elizabeth O’Toole Have you ever finished an art project and realized that you would like to investigate a different angle, use another colour combination or apply new techniques? All of these reflections are good reasons to...
by Mary Elizabeth O'Toole | Jan 5, 2017 | Design, Turning, Woodworking
Today’s post is written by Stephen Parsons. My most recent commission is for a portable chess set for the son of a colleague. I have been hoping for a chance to design and create chess sets for awhile and this contract presents the opportunity to explore what may...
by Mary Elizabeth O'Toole | Jan 13, 2016 | Tools and Equipment, Woodworking
This article is written by Stephen Parsons. Carrying on with a tour through my favorite jigs, I’d like to introduce one that is not fully built from scratch by me (unlike the box joint jig and table saw sled which I wrote about previously). My tenoning jig...
by Mary Elizabeth O'Toole | Jan 1, 2016 | Repurposing, Turning, Woodworking
Happy New Year! As we begin 2016, we’re excited about some ideas that we have been developing. Stay tuned for more soon. The past couple of months have been busy with work away from Chez Craft so haven’t had nearly as much production time as we would have...
by Mary Elizabeth O'Toole | Nov 10, 2015 | Design, Tools and Equipment, Woodworking
In the last post in this series on jigs, I described my favorite jig – the screw advance box joint jig based on Mathias Wandel’s woodgears.ca plan – my favorite to use, but not the one I use most often. Most woodworkers would agree that THE fundamental jig for the...
by Mary Elizabeth O'Toole | Oct 30, 2015 | Art Quilts, Design, Quilting
This has been a busy week with most of my creating art time spent working on several birthday and Christmas gifts (pictures later but don’t want to spoil the surprise for recipients). Last weekend, however, I had a chance to take a really fun workshop AND get in...
by Mary Elizabeth O'Toole | Oct 24, 2015 | Inspiration
Make a Difference Day is a national day of community service that challenges people to volunteer in big and small ways to improve the lives of others. It was started by USA Today magazine in 1980 and continues to grow. This year, 24 million volunteers are expected...
by Mary Elizabeth O'Toole | Oct 21, 2015 | Woodworking
This article is written by Stephen Parsons. In part I of this series I explained why jigs are so important to me as a woodworker. In this article I’d like to introduce you to my favourite jig, and if you’ve been paying attention to any of my recent posts,...
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