Christmas Gift Picks for Mixed Media Artists

I was recently reminded of a post that I made while taking an online paper-crafting course with Craftsy®. I posted about two tools that I had “wished” for last Christmas and purchased by “Santa” from Lee Valley Tools here in Canada. For those of us lucky enough to live in a city with a Lee Valley store it’s a great place to go – they have the most interesting tools, gizmos and gadgets. I also have several favourite tools that my quilting alter ego likes to use and I will post about another time. For those of you in the USA or abroad, don’t despair - Lee Valley does mail order, though perhaps not in time for Christmas 2013!

Now to the tools!

Spiral Screw Punch

The first is a Spiral Screw Punch® AKA a Japanese Screw Punch and is a great tool for fibre, mixed media and book arts. At $39.50 it comes with 6 different sizes of cutters. It is a well made product and robust enough to put holes in layers of fabric, through a hardcover book cover or a stack of paper. It’s great to be able to punch holes wherever you need to on your project when a conventional hand held punch will not reach. It is made in Japan.

  

Speedy Stitcher Sewing Awl

The second tool is a Speedy Stitcher® Sewing Kit. It is a type of awl and used primarily to stitch canvas and leather. It is easy to use and you can do simple, stitched spines to make journals and books. At $13.95 it’s one heck of a deal and comes complete with bobbin, needles and waxed threads all of which can be purchased separately when replacements are needed. This item is made in the USA.

PS No kickbacks were received from Lee Valley. I’m just pleased with the price and quality of their products.