Hello!

I’m a life-long maker of things. I grew up surrounded by friends and family who made things ‘from scratch’ – woodwork projects, quilts, dolls, sweaters, jam, pickles, hooked rugs, bread, blankets, clothes, paintings, watercolors, socks, and more...

I knew there was an alternative to living with someone else’s products and design choices. So, If I had a vision for bedroom curtains that didn’t match what was on offer (and in the affordable range) at a store, I could find some fabric and sew up my own. If I couldn’t find the right fabric that was affordable, I could transform what I had on hand by dyeing, batiking, patchworking, or embellishing.

Growing up with this mindset was freeing, and has served me well. Making things – let’s call it crafting –allows you to hatch projects that combine any number of cultural and traditional styles. Add to that free-to-create attitude with a layer of MacGyver-ing where needed, and you can have lots of fun.

I started The Brooklyn Refinery because I love the Making process, and I want to share with you the many ways you can express yourself. So, here you can find articles and videos about traditional craft-making processes, learn about new craft-making trends, follow tutorials, and discover some free resources.

Historically, crafting has meant making things via sewing, quilting, weaving, print-making, book-making, rug-making, puppetry, paper-crafting, woodworking, carving, pottery-making, knitting, and crocheting.

Now crafting also includes designing, movie-making, GIF-making, animation and moviemaking, 3D-crafting, and incorporating Arduino and other software into 2D and 3D projects.

Crafters can explore any number of traditional ways to make things, or blend tradition with innovation. We're working to showcase it all so that you can have maximum fun with crafting.

Best wishes from a fellow Maker,

Clare