General Craft Resources

 

• American Craft Council - The American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to fostering an environment in which craft is understood and valued. The Council is today the leading voice for the crafts in America, celebrating the remarkable achievement of the many gifted artists working in the media of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood and other materials.

 

• Aunt Annie's Crafts - A virtual craft book, focuses on all kinds of crafts, for adults, childrens, and teens.

 

• Craft In America - This site is a companion to the PBS television documentary. It focuses on the American craftsperson, from Eastern shipwrights to Navajo weavers; from those who work with needles to those who work with sledgehammers, to saddlemakers and banjo builders.

 

• Craft Site Directory - A searchable craft site where all sites have been reviewed for quality before being added to the directory. Go here for ClubMom.com, a wonderful resource for Moms. Whether your children are babies, teens, or grown with their own children, you will find this site to be an excellent resource for crafts where all of you can work together on your projects.

 

• Craft Solutions - Their goal is to help you find the best craft resources on the web. This site is a comprehensive directory of craft resources. Craft Solutions does the searching and sorting through the web to provide you with all the best in craft sites and resources available, including specific craft sites, patterns, kits, supplies, books, videos, crafts for kids, articles, etc.

 

• Crafter's Community - A Crafter's Community! A place for crafters from around the world to come together and learn, create and share with each other. You will find a wealth of craft projects, crafts instruction, and crafting resources.

 

• I-Craft - Attention crafts lovers: you've got lots of company. People all over the country share your interests, and pursue the rewards of crafting through a wide range of activities and projects. I-Craft contains projects for every age, from children to Seniors.

 

Beadwork

 

• African Beadwork - Contains beadcode of the Zulus, Beaded Splendor: Migration of Beadmaking and Beadwork Throughout Africa and other links to African beads and culture.

 

• The Bead Site - A wonderful site containing lots of information and tips for beaders. Go here for info on ancient beads, trade beads, beading & beadwork, small bead businesses, beadmaking & materials, bead uses researching beads, beads and people, and bead names.

 

• Beadwrangler's - A non-commercial site for beading and fiber arts. Contains information for crochet beaders, glass beaders, bead workshops, bead tips and techniques.

 

• International Society of Glass Beadmakers - ISB is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the art of making hand-crafted glass beads.

 

• Native American Beadwork - A non-profit site dedicated to the art the beadwork of Native Americans. Bead weaving techniques and analysis are found here and an extensicve list of other Internet resources for beadwork.

 

Bookbinding and Papermaking

 

• American Academy of Bookbinding - This non-profit site offers intensive summer programs and provides professional binders an opportunity to receive top level instruction without having to study abroad.

 

• Artists Books Information Source - this site maintained by Yale University contains email discussion lists, bookmaking tutorials, organizations, and links to other bookmaking sites.

 

• Arts of  the Book Collection Yale University Library - This non-circulating collection includes both examples of and material relating to the book and its attendant arts: binding, typography, illustration, alligraphy, book design and architecture, paper making and decorative papers, and the history of the book.

 

• The Book Arts Web - Information and links for book arts.

 

• Bookarts - All kinds of book artists are found at this site, literary people playing with images, visual people playing with words. They are, for instance, printmakers who also write poetry, calligraphers who also bind books, printers who also make paper.

 

• The Center for Book Arts - The Center for Book Arts is dedicated to preserving the traditional crafts of book-making, as well as exploring and encouraging contemporary interpretations of the book as an art object.

 

• Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts - Offers classes and studios for book artists. Information and links on the letterpress, papermaking, and bookmaking arts are provided.

 

• The Guild of Book Workers - The Guild of Book Workers is the national non-profit organization for all the book arts. It was founded in 1906 and since that time, especially the last 15 years, has grown immensely in scope. The Guild currently has over 900 members worldwide. Areas of interest include bookbinding, printing, conservation, marbling, calligraphy, and papermaking

 

• Minnesota Center for Book Arts - The Minnesota Center for Book Arts' mission is to advance the book as a vital contemporary art form, preserving the traditional crafts of bookmaking and engaging people in learning, production, interpretive and collaborative experiences.

 

• Personal Visions : Artists' Books at the Millennium - University of Delaware Library Exhibit of artists' books.

 

• University of Iowa Center for the Book - The University of Iowa Center for the Book represents a community of faculty, staff, students, and local book specialists with diverse interests in all facets of book production, distribution, and use viewed as artifacts.

 

• Women's Studio Workshop - The Women's Studio Workshop is a non-profit organization located in the Mid-Hudson River Valley of New York State. They offer special grants and fellowships to those interested in the art of book creation.

 

Candle and Soapmaking

 

• The Candle Cauldron - Find here everything for you candlemaking needs, supplies, projects, and decorating.

 

• The Soap Teacher - A good site for the beginning soapmaker.

 

• Soapmaking:  Old and New Ways - A little history of soap and soapmaking; links to how you can make it in your own kitchen.

 

• Sun Feather - Soap books, supplies, equipment and more can be found here.

 

Crocheting and Knitting

 

• Knitting Universe - This site includes a tips, tricks, and techniques database and an interactive community forum to exchange crocheting ideas.

 

• The Knitting Guild of America - Find the latest knitting fashions as well as improving the quality and creativity of your hand or machine knitting.

 

• Rochester Knitting Guild - An organization dedicated to promoting interest, appreciation and skill in knitting.

 

Fiber Arts

 

• Black Sheep Handweavers Guild - The purpose of the Blacksheep Handweavers Guild is to promote the exchange of ideas and knowledge in the textile arts, and to encourage efforts and activities in all fields of textiles.

 

• Handweavers Guild of America - The Handweavers Guild of America, Inc., is dedicated to encouraging excellence, inspiring creativity, and preserving fiber traditions through education." You will also find here, links to the publication Shuttle, Spindle,& Dye Pot, and links to conferences and correspondence study groups.

 

• Weavers'  Guild of Rochester, Inc. - The Weavers' Guild of Rochester is an educational organization formed to foster interest in weaving and related fiber arts and to encourage the exchange of information and inspiration among members.

 

Lacemaking and Tatting

 

• Basic Tatting Instructions - Well illustrated with photographs and instructions for tatting.

 

• The Lace Guild - This is a British site and their mission is to educate the public in the craft of lacemaking, its history and use; to promote a high standard of lacemaking; and through education to encourage design, development and professional presentation of lace.

 

• Lacemaker's Guilds - A list of guilds worldwide.

 

• Lacemaking and its History - The evolution and history of lacemaking.

 

Embroidery, Needlework, & Samplers

 

• Cross Stitch Patterns - Find free cross stitch patterns and instructions here.

 

• Elizabethan Blackwork - Instructions and free patterns for Elizabethan Blackwork.

 

• Embroiderer's Guild of America - A non-profit site that offers patterns and educational information for embroiderers.

 

• National Academy of Needle Arts - This is a non-profit site, devoted to the advancement of embroidery as an art form. Its goal is to uphold the highest standards in the needle arts by providing excellence in education to all those interested in furthering their embroidery skills as teachers, judges, artists, designers, authors, and technically proficient embroiderers.

 

• Stitch Dictionary - An embroidery dictionary explaining different stitches. Illustrated with photographs showing the stitch with instructions to create the stitch.

 

Quilting

 

• America Quilts - A PBS site, America Quilts, explores the art and personal stories of quilt-making in America.

 

• American Quilter's Society - Provides information on quilts and their value.

 

• The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum - A non-profit site provides access to their changing quilt exhibits. You can discover modern quilts and quilts over a century old and understand the thought and time that went into the colors, design and size. Learn about the art and history of quilts and quilt making in the reference library.

 

• Quilt Guilds Worldwide - This site is a directory of quilting guilds around the world.

 

• The Quilter Magazine - Offers quilting basics, a free project archive and articles of interest to quilters.

 

Craft Fairs and Craft Organizations

 

• Crafts America - Crafts America shows are designed for both knowledgeable collectors and discriminating shoppers who appreciate high quality and original design in crafts. Their shows feature contemporary American craft artists.