Sunday, June 4, 2017

YouTube Favorites: Channels and Individual Videos - Part 1

Hello Fabric Art Crafters! Here is the post talking about my YouTube Favs. We have all scoured the internet for information at one time or another and especially when we are learning to do something for the first time. For instance, installing a zipper pocket inside a tote bag. When I learned how to do that I felt INVINCIBLE! Well, as I learned how to sew and quilt and craft anything for that matter, I found myself going more and more to YouTube. For some of you this isn't new but I have to say YouTube opened up an entirely new world for this vintagekindagirl!

Some of you know how I first began to sew. It was during a very difficult time in my life and I needed a distraction. I dusted off my sewing machine (used maybe once) and decided to make pillowcases. That's when I discovered The Crafty Gemini! This was before her Quilt Club, Retreats, Fabric Line, Sewing Coop, Endorsements, line of templates/Rulers.... I mean, the girl ROCKS! Needless to say I stumbled onto a gold mine in the making. Because of her excelent teaching style I made my first of many pillowcases. After that I checked around for easy quilts. I stumbled upon Jenny Doan from the Missouri Star Quilt Company's Jelly Roll Race. Well I had a jelly roll in my pile of misfit fabrics (I had not idea how to shop for, match up, coordinate any fabric and when I bought the strips I didn't even know what I would use them for!) So, I began my first quilt and finished it in two nights. I had no idea what to do with it after that so I looked around the internet for long arm quilters, a term I came across somewhere in my searching. I found one a couple states away and contacted her. We picked everything from thread color to design over the internet and I mailed my two quilt tops off to her for quilting. I didn't realize that I could quilt them myself! I remember thinking to myself "this could get expensive if I keep sewing up quilts and then have to send them off for quilting. And, to top it off, with more researh I would have found a quilter down the street from me. I thought there were only a few in the US. Stop laughing... its true. I was green!

Well a lot has changed in the last four years and I have learned a great deal more because I have emersed myself into sewing and quilting and I have never looked back. Along the way I have discovered some excellent tutorials and channels on Youtube and I want to share them with you now.

CHANNELS

The Crafty Gemini - Vanessa Vargas Wilson's own channel containing all of her tutorials from the very beginning through present.

Crafty Gemini Creates - Vanessa Vargas Wilson's collaboration with Missouri Star Quilt Company. A short series of tutorials that are quick and super fun.

The Midnight Quilt Show - Hosted by Angela Walters, Long Arm and Domestic Free Motion Quilting Expert and Teacher. You will love her down to earth style and philosophy about quilting. "Finished is better than Perfect!" She starts with her snacks and a pack of fabric pre-cuts from Craftsy.com and turns it into an amazing quilt from piecing to quilting in one tutorial. Obviously it will take longer than one sitting to do everything she is showing us, but the point is it can be done!

Missouri Star Quilt Company - Jenny Doan is the Teacher and she is sweet, funny and a wonderful teacher. She also has guests on from time to time.

Debbie Shore - She's from "over the pond" in England. She has written several books and teaches in a very layed-back style. Sometimes she has her big goofy dog in the tutorials as well. She's adoreable and unpretentious, not brand loyal, just loves to teach you how to make small and unique items. Totes, Coin purses, pillows, all with some kind of unique twist. You can learn a lot of great things from her tutorials. And I love to listen to her speak!

Pat Bravo - Quick, no words, tutorials. All visual learning with sub-titles. These are well done and you can watch and sew. Just hit pause. They also come complete with downloadable materials. I love the paper pieced heart!

Art Gallery Fabrics - They have great, quick tutorials on different blocks and also DIY tutorials on fabric things like flowers or quilted artwork. Two of my favorites are the Spiderweb Block and the Jackknife block. If you click on Chanels under Art Gallery Fabrics or just do a search look for Mister Domestic. My fav by him is the Improv Quilt Block. LOVE IT! And you will love him. He is a hoot.

Birdcage and Thread - I haven't watched it yet but she just did an 8 series tutorial on the Sew Together Bag! I cannot rate it yet but I will certainly be reviewing it very soon.

Mark Montano - This gentleman does almost everything. No patterns! Party dress, refurbish old furniture, lighting, lampshades, cards, jewelry... he's amazing. He also has a book. I have done the black party dress and plan to do his recent lampshade tutorial. But there are sooooooo many more.

Melanie Ham - Different style than Vanessa or Jenny but definitely excellent. Box Pouch, Pencil Tote, Quilting, etc.

Shabby Fabrics - She has adoreable projects. The videos tend to be a little long but the projects are really nice.

Man Sewing - Rob Appell teamed up with Missouri Star Quilt Company to teach his style of "man" quilting. He's funny and has different and fresh ideas.

Craftyattic.com - Silk Ribbon Embroidery. I enrolled in a silk ribbon embroidery class on Craftsy.com in order to learn this technique to embellish my art quilts. While doing more searching I came upon the Craftyattic.com site on youtube. Wonderful tutorials for Silk ribbon embroidery and also basic embroidery, materials and hand dying.

There are a few more that I promise to bring up in future postings but the above consists of my top choices and go to YouTube Tutorials. I hope you find them helpful and inspiring and I would love to know what your top three channels are too. Let's spread the knowledge.

Happy Sewing

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