Crafters Cove lives in a section of Orange Bay.
We have responsibility for several small sub-sections housed elsewhere. Basically - specialty tools or tools that need to remain clean and good condition for crafting or art needs. Some items that you would have at home and items that don't quite fit into the other shop areas - but makers of all kinds find that they need once in a while.
This is where you find a wide variety of tools and equipment to support your creative maker needs. We also support a semi-weekly meetup of artists and crafters called Makers Circle & Art Lab, which also acts as our Open Office Hours. Crafters Cove is accessible to all Associates & Key members of Nova Labs, Attendees and Guests may use tools with supervision. We do have a few tools that require sign offs, and if you are unsure about HOW to use a tool - please ask. Otherwise many fine tools are considered GREEN, so feel free to explore.
Steward: Carrie Hafer
Assistant: Jeff Chanesman
Sign Off Instructors:
Embroidery Machines (Jeff Chanesman & Erickson Foster)
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Heat Press (Zach Borschuk, Patrick Thompson, Susie Parsons)
US Cutter - LG vinyl cutter - (Zach Borschuk, Patrick Thompson)
Stained Glass Cabinet (Margie Foster, Shane Smith, Carrie H)
Jewelry Soldering Tools (Margie Foster)
Other Instructors & Generally Helpful People:
General Sewing Machines - Sally Bayers, Kathy McCabe, Jeff C, Carrie H, Lieselot Whitbeck, Joshua Capehart, Amanda Walker and various people at Open Fri hours.
Jewelry Stuff - Carrie H, Steve M, Margie F
Silhouette Cameo - Laura Y, Jeff C, Carrie, Susie P, Patrick T
Stained Glass - Shane Smith, Lauren Capehart, Margie Foster
Airbrush tools - Rachel Berkhahn
Silk Screen - Lauren C, Dana Yang
Crafters Cove hosts / supports:
Makers Circle & Art Lab (MC&AL), an open hours Friday event designed to allow lots of "low tech" making and art happen - bring your UFOs, your dinner and hang out. It's very social.
Beyond the sign off classes our classes in the Past & Present have included:
Sewing Machine Basics, Hand Sewing, T-Shirt design (vinyl cutter & heat press), Machine Embroidery, Ukranian Egg decorating, Polymer Clay, Soap Making, Drop Spindle spinning, Video editing, Paper flowers, Sewing an Apron, Wire Wrapping Basics, Junk to Jewelry, Costume clinic, Leather Tooling, Glass ornaments & suncatchers, Introduction to Lapidary & Rock hounding, Lapidary Slab Cutting and Cab making, Rock tumbling & polishing, Intro to Stained Glass, Pour & Dump Painting, Crochet Critters, Quilted Drink Coasters, Image Transfer, Glass Etching, LED clothing
Classes in the Future are determined by what people are interested in teaching, sign off needs, and what we hear our community asking for.
If you have a class idea - let us know and we will do our best to support you. But if you want to go it alone that's cool too, we love independent thinkers.
Because making spans many skill sets, frequently makers in one area need a wide variety of tools or skills in order to complete their projects.
Also creative makers may not find tools they need in the bigger / dedicated shop areas. Sometimes they need the same tools - but cleaner, or more accesible.
So in Crafters Cove we have tools that fit into different areas of need - some of these tools are listed below - and we are working on a more comprehensive list.
If you find a need for tools that crafters, craftsmen, and artists can use that are not covered by the woodshop, metalshop,blacksmiths, laser cutter, green way , composites, 3-d printing, electronic, CAD groups maybe we can help. Just let us know and we'll see if it is something we can fit in or make room for.
We have a wooden cabinet called the "MC & AL Tools Center" that was created by Makers Circle & Art Lab participants who modified / re-purposed a large entertainment center. This kicked off the Crafters Cove area, along with our Supply Cabinet, Industrial embroidery machine and two sewing machines.
Our Supply and Fodder Cabinet holds some commonly used supplies and a bunch of Fodder for making things, Fodder is generally donated or found items, materials or other one off supplies which anyone may use. If it's obviously a purchased supplies - please let us know if it's been use it up. We go by fair use rules, it's there for anyone - but if you need to use up all of the purchased supplies - perhaps you should buy more since you should have bought it for your project anyway.
Feel free to explore the supplies and the tools.
However you are asked to:
leave things in good clean working order
report problems as they occur
make note of where you pulled something from so that you can put it back in it's correct place please
if you don't know how something works ask or read the manual or tip sheet
respect sign - off requirements
RED Tools:
YELLOW Tools:
Industrial Embroidery Machine
Pfaff Embroidery Machines
Brother Embroidery Machine
Heat Press
US Cutter - Lg Vinyl Cutter
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Stained Glass Cabinet
Jewelry Soldering Tools
GREEN Tools:
There are more tools than we can readily list here - however broad categories and a several specifics will be listed.
SCISSORS * Rotary Cutters: Note - please read markings for correct use : General / Paper / Fabric & use accordingly
General Use:
hand tools (pliers, screw drivers, utility knives)
X-Acto knife, swivel blade, multi blade kits
micrometer
wig head
cutting mats & waste boards
parts trays, and sorters
paint can key
rulers, measuring tapes, eye protection
maginfiers
task lamps (floor, table top and bench clamp)
non-stick craft mats, reusable teflon sheets
glue guns
mixing bowels and measuring cups - various kitchen/crafting tools that are not food safe anymore
electric carving knife for upholstery foam carving
but Wait there's more…
Textiles:
Several General use Sewing machines (2 basic newbie, 2 intermediate skills, 2 fancier machines for more advanced sewers)
Sergers (2) & 1 that needs work (volunteer?)
Knitting & Crochet tools (looms, hooks, needles, tape reader machine)
Iron, Ironing pad, ironing board
Cutting Templates & Ruler guides for rotary cutting- think quilting
mini iron, tack iron & heat crystal application tool
various sewing notions
Artists - drawing / painting:
Paint brushes & pallets
desk top easels
lap board for sketching
paint sets (watercolor & acrylic)
Large floor easel (stored behind the sewing machines)
drawing / art supplies (pens, color pencils, crayons, pastels)
calligraphy pen set
Chinese calligraphy drawing set
mini positional / articulated drawing figure
Stained Glass - Lg Black Cabinet in Green Way
Glass cutters, nippers, breakers and pliers
Soldering irons, foiling tools
waffle grids & Stained Glass Studio cutting jigs
Grinder & bits
lay up boards
circle cutter
some solder, foil, canes & glass
Leather tools - mostly in leather tools cart
Misc Cool Tools
Logan Simplex Classic 40 inch Mat Cutter
45 degree free hand bevel mat cutter
glass grinder
teflon craft sheets (good for messy work - cleanable / re-usable)
2 ft x 2 ft pop up desk top photo studio - includes lights & various color backgrounds
Egg Bot
Hot wire foam cutter
Silk screening tools
microscopes (home hobby or grade school use)
polymer clay tools
silicon molds for soap & acrylic pours
wood burning tools
hot marks for leather, paper, stencil cutting
rotary tool - cordless / charging, and bits set
magnifiers (free standing, and head/glasses styles)
bottle cutter
label maker - raised letter - old school
GBC - punch and comb binding machine
Laminators
Light Box - tracing, checking photos, negatives etc
Toaster Ovens - poly clay & shrinky dinks
Paper Crafts
Paper trimers
scoring board
Sizzex & one set of alphabet dies
cutting mats
embossing tools - various
inking brayer
decorative edging scissors
rubber stamps - various
stencils - various
hole punches - various
corner rounders - various
bone folders
stapler
Jewelry Making:
Tiny Bench forming anvil
jewelers saw & some blades
Wire Coiling jigs
forming blocks and mandrels
jewelry pliers
one step loopers (1.5 & 3 mm)
pearl knotting tool
Alphabet metal stamps
pick punch
plastic ring mandrel & ring sizer set
texture hammers
chasing hammer
rubber mallet
dead blow hammer (small)
various hammers
soldering tool
heat embossing tool
magnifying visor (set of lenses)
bench pins
ring clamps
small bench clamp / vise
magnetic parts tray
pickle pot
dapping blocks
