Feelings can seem really big and hard to express sometimes. What if you could draw them out and fit them in your pocket? In this zine class, take inspiration from Japanese calligraphy and give it your own twist by creating imagery and text that captures the essence of your feelings and highlights your favorite moments. Risa Iwasaki Culbertson is a multi-media artist based in San Francisco, and she has created large bodies of work with bold black and white line drawings words to express her own feelings. She guides you through processing your emotions, brainstorming ideas, folding a tiny 8-paged zine with one piece of paper, and using big markers to condense your big ideas into a small space. By the end, you'’ll have seemingly simple drawings and minimal texts that share your stories and are ready for you to revisit again and again.

 

Risa Iwasaki Culbertson is a San Francisco-based multimedia artist with a particular passion for fiber art. Needle felting is the language she uses to tell her stories. She uses barbed needles to condense and sculpt wool fibers into fuzzy, three-dimensional objects. Her art is big, bold, colorful, silly, whimsical, and unforgettable. In this class, she shows you how to needle felt jumbo-sized tinned fish. Begin by building a cardboard foundation using Risa’s template, then learn three needle felting techniques: wool on wool, wool on fabric, and felting onto a form. You’ll sculpt a three-dimensional piece while also “painting” with wool to create shading and depth. Needle felting allows for so much freedom of design and expression, and you’ll have all the skills you need to tell your own stories in felt.

Learn to crochet the most adorable duo: a happy frog and its cheerful friend. Crochet artist Twinkie Chan has taught several amigurumi – or crocheted toy – classes here on Creativebug, and this is the first time she’ll be showing you how to make a toy with an optional wire structure, so that you can pose your frogs for perfect photos on your adventures or have them seated on your bookshelf, little legs dangling. You'll learn single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet stitches, and you'll be working in rows instead of in rounds, which makes crocheting limbs a bit easier and also gives you better access to add the wire structure. Frog is a bit taller and Friend is a bit shorter with some bumpy bobbles on its back, but they are assembled exactly the same way. To accessorise your new best friends, Twinkie will also show you how to crochet a sweet little wildflower so that your frogs and friends will always feel at home.

Bring the playful spirit of the Surrealist game Exquisite Corpse to embroidery with artist Rebecca Ringquist. Inspired by the collaborative drawing game invented in 1925, this class reimagines the process by transferring a folded figure design onto fabric using water-soluble stabilizer. Stitch each section with variegated thread and your favorite embroidery stitches to create a whimsical, one-of-a-kind piece that celebrates surprise, creativity, and collaboration. Rebecca also includes a set of mix-and-match Exquisite Corpse cards, making it easy to create your own imaginative characters using her playful designs.

 

Learn more about the origins of Exquisite Corpse from MoMA.

It's delightful to discover a love note from the past and find it full of wishes for the future. In this sweet project by Dawn M. Cardona, she shares her design for a little paper envelope in the shape of a house that can be gifted on a special occasion, such as a baby shower, wedding, or New Year's, to open at a later date. The paper houses can be personalized with small details in a way that means something to you or your recipient. Frame these envelopes filled with a not-so-secret hidden message to yourself to read in the future, or to give to a friend as a time capsule message.

Whether you’re new to making or have been at it for years, creative habits can quietly settle into routine, and sometimes those routines start to limit what’s possible. Join artist and instructor e bond for 15 days of expanding how you see, think, and create. Through 15 inventive drawing prompts, e focuses on the “how” of making as much as the “what,” gently disrupting familiar patterns and opening new pathways into your process. You’ll experiment with disappearing drawings, asemic writing, drawing with two hands, and unexpected materials. Instead of chasing a polished result, e invites you to ask: How can we look differently? How can we pay closer attention? Some experiments may surprise you, some may feel a little uncomfortable, but all are designed to get you out of your head and onto the page. 

Dear Craft Friends and Trinket Enthusiasts: This is your invitation to Twinkie Chan's Bag Charm Party, a colorful and playful place to learn how to make 25 adorable bag charms with a gigantic assortment of materials. Charms are a whimsical way to express your personality, feel a little bit fancy, and celebrate the stuff you love, for people all ages and all styles. They're fun to trade, a blast to make with friends, and your everyday bag or purse will truly become one-of-a-kind. This multifaceted class is both a bag charm bonanza and an adventure through many crafts. Twinkie - a longtime treasure-collector and designer of imaginative accessories - shows you how to make bag charms out of beads, paracord, chain, tiny toys, Shrinky Dinks, Perler beads, polymer clay, hot glue, and more. If you're already experienced in a particular craft, this is your moment to shine and make an amazing charm with it. If you're trying one of these crafts for the first time, it's a no-pressure opportunity to experiment and play, because even the weirdest charms are fabulous. What kinds of textures, colors, and tiny knickknacks are you drawn to right now, and what will your bag charms look like?

Find the crochet Teddy Bear Bag Charm Pattern here. 

Learn to breathe into your stitches and approach each row with curiosity as author and yogi Liza Laird immerses you in the art of mindful knitting. This uniquely asymmetrical design blends lusciously squishy brioche with smooth garter stitches, resulting in a cozy mat with a mitered knit edge perfect for meditation or yoga practice. The pattern includes both a meditation mat size and full yoga mat size which can also be used as a chunky wrap scarf or small blanket. Practice knitting techniques like garter stitch, purling, brioche stitch with increases and decreases, and incorporating breathing techniques to enhance focus and relaxation.

Note: Liza makes a small sample size in class that is 8" x 6". The meditation mat size is about 25" x 29" and the yoga mat size is about 25" x 58". Work the yoga mat size by doing more rows. 

Check out Liza's other classes for more yoga and yarn!

A well-fitting jumpsuit is a wardrobe staple, and it's even better when it’s made just for you. In this class, designer and sewist Sanae Ishida builds on her foundational pattern drafting series to show you how to draft and sew a button-down jumpsuit using your own measurements. The result is a custom-fit garment that fits like a dream. Jumpsuits are effortlessly stylish and versatile, making them one of the easiest all-in-one outfits you can wear. Use this class to create a truly personalized wardrobe.

Please watch Sanae's torso and lower body slopers classes before making this awesome jumpsuit!

Julia Child famously said, "With enough butter, anything is good”, and we couldn’t agree more. In this class, Cobrina makes it easy to create homemade sweet cream butter without the tiring “shake-it-in-a-jar” method. She’ll show you a quick, foolproof technique using a machine to churn heavy cream into rich butterfat and fresh buttermilk. From there, you’ll learn how to customize your butter with just the right amount of salt, or experiment with fun, unexpected flavors. While it may not be faster or cheaper than store-bought, the taste and wow factor are unmatched. Whether you’re spreading it on fresh bread or adding it to your favorite dishes, this butter is sure to steal the show.

For more creative ways to flavor and serve butter check out Days 8-10 of Cobrina's From My Kitchen To Yours Daily Practice class.