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Nylon binding is like the cherry on top of a project – a nice finishing touch. It's used to hide seams and add finishing touches to projects. There are several ways to finish the edges on a garment or sewing project, and it's very important to help protect projects from wear and tear. Half the fun of homemade projects is using them, and you don't want to be holding back on using your creations for fear of unraveling them. Binding is one of the best ways to make sure your seam edges don't end up raveling or fraying. There are several great guides available to choose which method works best for your project, and binding is one of the best.

The days of grandmothers passing on sewing skills to their progeny may be mostly in the past, but the quality of thread and the type of sewing stitches used still matters. Quality thread and properly performed stitches make the difference between a strong product that holds together in the long run and can take heavy use and one that falls apart when the going gets rough. First we’ll examine the type of stitching that is best for durability.

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way and more than a dozen other books in the genre of creativity and self-help, advises, "Do not call the inability to start laziness. Call it what it is: fear." The Internet offers a plethora of ways to overcome the fear to begin creating. Inspiration specifically for creative people who wish to be more so, and even for people who only suspect they might be creative, abounds online.

"The Web has changed the world." My good friend Kent says this often, usually when he’s able to use his master-level internet shopping skills to find the car part I need quickly, easily, and at a fraction of retail.

The Web makes so much possible, and one of the most helpful aspects of a connected life is the access to real inspiration. Here are some of the very best places to turn online for daily inspiration. Some – like these Twitter feeds – can follow you all day by being sent to your phone via text message each time they update, infusing inspiration into your day.

Get professional photo results using everyday items you're likely to have on hand for props and backdrops. Our do-it-yourself advice from a professional photographer about lighting, staging and editing will help your craft products sell themselves!

Bulk buying reduces your carbon footprint. When you buy in bulk, you place fewer orders. That means fewer resources expended on packing, shipping, and delivering your orders. In the case of local items, it’s fewer car trips to the store to pick up items, and less energy, electricity, and fuel expended to provide.

In 1941, Georges de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, invented the hook-and-loop fastener that would become known as VELCRO®. There are other variations on hook-and-loop fastening systems, but the VELCRO® brand has resulted in a genericized term, like the way we use Kleenex® as a synonym for "tissue." He got the idea from the burrs that kept sticking to his clothing and his dog’s fur after he took his canine buddy on hunting trips in the Alps. The burrs were such an annoyance to remove that he got the idea for a strong but reversible fastening system.

Photos, videos, software applications, and websites – all of them can appear very different from monitor to monitor. Why is there no universal standard? Color quality has evolved with monitors. Monitors haven’t evolved and changed at the quicker-than-lightning speed of computers, but there’s still a wide spectrum.

Sublimation, if you were to check the dictionary, is the process of transforming a solid directly into a gas. You may remember from science class in school that there are three stages of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. As you apply heat to matter, it switches from one stage to another. A great example is water. Drop the temperature below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and the water becomes a solid: ice. Raise the temperature some and it passes into the next phase: liquid. Raise the temperature further to 212 degrees Fahrenheit and you get steam, a gas.

Superstorm Sandy left terrible devastation across the northeastern seaboard and has caused billions of dollars in damages. Dozens have died and hundreds are displaces and homeless. We hope it goes without saying that our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone that this storm has touched.

There are a number of relief organizations answering the call and providing relief in the form of food, shelter, and counseling. Country Brook Design is proud of every one of these responders as they help clean up and bring a sense of peace and comfort to our fellow countrymen.

When selecting materials to construct a great dog collar, you must consider the suitability and durability of the product. Many dogs play hard, even in the elements. Those dogs require a collar that is rugged and can stand up to the abuse. Polyester is a much better fit under these conditions than cotton.