The Crafter's Box is a monthly maker subscription box:
As a member of The Crafter's Box, we'll send a lovingly kitted box of tools and materials to your doorstep on a monthly basis. Each month we feature a new expert maker and that maker has built for us a unique, grown-up, on-trend project that reflects their artistic style. In addition to the monthly box, our featured maker has created an educational, digital workshop to teach their crafting medium and to offer their tips and tricks.
The best part of this model is the ability to revisit workshops in the future to create again and again. Happy making!
This review is of the Crafter’s Box subscription at $65.00 for a month-to-month subscription with free shipping.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About The Crafter's Box
The Subscription Box: The Crafter's Box
The Cost: $65.00 per month + free U.S. shipping (save with longer subscriptions)
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 25% off your first box!
CODE: GETCREATIVE
The Products: A shipped kit of curated tools and materials + a new digital workshop by the featured maker of the month
Ships to: The U.S. for free and internationally for varying rates
Good to Know: The featured project for the month is announced on the 1st and subscribers have until the 8th to pause, skip, or swap that month. Projects are designed to be for ages 18+.
The Crafter's Box 'Woodland Botanical Embroidery' Review
The Crafter's Box is an artisan craft subscription box that features a different, unique craft each month that is designed with the crafty adult in mind. The boxes are thoughtfully curated with high-end materials so that your finished products are modern and luxe. There's also an accompanying video workshop led by the featured artist that introduces you to the craft and provides you with detailed instructions to complete the project.
Let's take a look inside February's box -- the craft this month is Woodland Botanical Embroidery!
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We received two info cards this month detailing information on what's included in the box, as well as a short bio on the featured maker this month, Katie Martin of Harvest Goods Co. Katie turned to embroidery during a difficult pregnancy and the idea for Harvest Goods came about as a way to help families in the adoption process. We also received a frame from Modern Hoopla to display this month's craft.
Now, onto the items!
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Modern Hoopla 7" Circle Frame – Retail Value $32.00
So excited that we received this frame from maker Kate Latham to go with our larger hoop art! This Birchwood circle frame has a white stain finish and perfectly frames our 7" hoop. The frame is 10" in diameter and has an interior opening of 6.75". I know it's not always possible for The Crafter's Box to include a frame but it's extra motivating when you know you have an easy way to display your work when you're done.
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7" Wood Embroidery Hoop – Retail Value $4.75
4" Wood Embroidery Hoop – Retail Value $3.48
We received these high-quality beechwood embroidery hoops. Even though we have a frame for our larger hoop, the hoops themselves are pretty enough to work as a frame. Both the wood and screw top feel really sturdy and I found that once I tightened the screw, it stayed in place as I was working and continuously tightening my fabric.
Embroidery Needle, Size 5 – Estimated Value $0.10 (Buy a set of 12 here for $1.24)
The embroidery needle we received measured approximately 1.7 inches. I found other embroidery needles online but I'm not sure they're the same since the ones linked might be a bit shorter.
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9x9" Kona Cotton Fabric in Natural – Estimated Value $0.35 (Buy a yard here for $6.99)
6x6" Kona Cotton Fabric in Navy – Estimated Value $0.15 (Buy a yard here for $6.99)
6x6" Kona Cotton Fabric in Sage – Estimated Value $0.15 (Buy a yard here for $6.99)
We were given two pieces of natural color cotton fabric pieces for our larger hoop and two pieces of both navy and sage fabric for the smaller hoop.
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Embroidery Snips – Estimated Value $0.83 (Buy a 12-pack here for $13.99)
I mentioned this in my last review but I love how the Crafter's Box provides almost every tool you'll need for your project, which is perfect for a non-crafty person like me who didn't previously own this basic tool. I've been using these now to cut off clothing tags.
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DMC 6-Strand Embroidery Floss – $11.88 (Buy here for $0.99 each)
How pretty are these colors? We received a winter palette of 11 colors. There's probably going to be plenty of floss leftover, especially since you're separating out just a strand or two to work with at a time.
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Harvest Goods Co Original Pattern – Estimated Value $10.00
Harvest Goods Co Juniper Embroidery Pattern – Retail Value $7.00
Harvest Goods Co Hellebore Pattern – Estimated Value $7.00
Our main project this month is a custom pattern from Katie's company, Harvest Goods Co. There are also two additional smaller patterns. We got printouts of the patterns in our box but could also download the PDFs online.
Image via The Crafter's Box.
In addition to the tools and materials in this kit, our workshop also includes a digital workshop valued at $25.00 (this is the video access only price) and a live Q&A with the featured maker.
Now, let's get to stitching!
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The first step is to trace the pattern onto the fabric. You can use a tracing app and lay your fabric over an iPad to do this or use a window as a lightbox. After you've loaded up your fabric, the first stitch we learned was the split stitch for the fir stems. We used a single strand of the dark brown floss for the stems. Next, we used two strands of the light blue floss for the fir sprigs. Then we learned how to do seed stitches to help fill in any pattern. We used two strands of the cream floss for the seed stitch. I think it's best not to overthink the seed stitches, and just go with what looks good to you.
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For the winterberries, we used split stitches for the stems, light green and dark green satin stitches for the leaves, and long and short stitches for the berries themselves. We finished the berries with tiny stitches at the top. You can also use satin stitch for the berries but I agree with Katie that the long and short stitch adds a more interesting texture.
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My favorite stitch so far was the stem stitch we used for the eucalyptus. It's so fast and flows really nicely. We used satin stitch again for the eucalyptus leaves. It was then that I realized that I didn't do the first set of leaves with satin stitch correctly. I didn't think they looked right but couldn't figure out what was wrong at first. I was just trying to fill in the space and wasn't thinking about the direction the stitches should be.
Here is my work in progress. Katie says you should take your time with this project and that it will probably take 3 or 4 sessions to finish. I think it'll take me a lot longer than that but I've enjoyed learning these stitches and I think once you've mastered them, you'll have a lot of leftover floss to embroider on other fabric.
Verdict: The Crafter's Box is really great at introducing a new craft to beginners without making it too simple. I think this box would be perfect for intermediate levels because you have this beautifully curated kit and you'll probably be able to finish the main project over several sessions. As a beginner, it's definitely a challenge but if you follow the detailed, step-by-step instructions, I think you'll end up with a gorgeous finished piece, and advance very quickly thanks to the expert tips and tricks you learn on the way.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, but you can purchase past workshops as a single box for $75.00 in the Crafter's Box marketplace. You can see which workshop you'll receive before you sign up.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 25% off your first box!
CODE: GETCREATIVE
Value Breakdown: I calculated a value of $102.69 for all the items, PDF patterns, and the video tutorial. I think the inclusion of the custom frame really added a lot of extra value to this box and I can't wait to finish my project so I can display it in the frame.
Check out our other reviews of The Crafter's Box and the top-rated craft subscription boxes!
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What did you think of The Crafter's Box 'Woodland Botanical Embroidery? Let us know in the comments!
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