December/January 2019
December/January 2019
The Tool Issue
![December/January 2019 cover December/January 2019 cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_two_three_large/public/2018-11/December-January-2019-American-Craft-cover.png?itok=txCqK0HK)
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This issue is all about tools. You'll find tiny hammers, three-headed shovels, trowels with teeth, handmade paintbrushes, and more. Plus, we talk self-care with the force behind Wellness for Makers and explore the craft scene in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Find it on newsstands now or in your mailbox as an American Craft Council membership benefit.
Feature Articles
More from This Issue
![Deborah Kruger Cambodia Deborah Kruger Cambodia](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Deborah-Kruger-Cambodia_0.jpg?itok=HdIFAWgW)
A Different Feather
As textile artist Deborah Kruger turns to plastics, she’s finding new dimensions in her work.
![Charissa Brock Allegro Charissa Brock Allegro](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Charissa-Brock-Allegro-1.jpg?itok=joaXXaF4)
Big Bamboo
In bamboo, artist Charissa Brock has found passion, inspiration, and ongoing challenge.
![Camila Chiriboga helping fit Camila Chiriboga helping fit](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Camila-Chiriboga-helping-fit.jpg?itok=YE6NGJOa)
Camila Chiriboga
Clothing designer Camila Chiriboga on making fashion more inclusive.
![Marco Terenzi Square Marco Terenzi Square](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Marco-Terenzi-Square.jpg?itok=y4IrCfFI)
Economy of Scale
For craftsman Marco Terenzi, tiny tools are a big obsession.
![Tuli Fisher rake trowel hoe Tuli Fisher rake trowel hoe](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Tuli-Fisher-rake-trowel-hoe-tools.jpg?itok=B-8QGs97)
Fisher Blacksmithing
Tuli Fisher on finding his niche forging garden tools.
![Anni Albers book Anni Albers book](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-11/books-DJ19.png?itok=8Wg1Ydv2)
Forebears and the Future
New books, including a fresh take on fiber legend Anni Albers.
![Tom Joyce, Tenet Tom Joyce, Tenet](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-11/Tom-Joyce-Tenet.jpg?itok=oCLa8kDX)
Ghost in the Machine
Tom Joyce pays tribute to the instruments and equipment that were once indispensable in his daily practice.
![Stacey Lee Webber Joseph Leroux Stacey Lee Webber Joseph Leroux](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Stacey-Lee-Webber-Joseph-Leroux.jpg?itok=a0_w1w5r)
Home Makers
Stacey Lee Webber and Joseph Leroux’s Philadelphia abode is more than a place to live and work; it’s also a mini-neighborhood.
![Ruth Adler Schnee Fission Chips Ruth Adler Schnee Fission Chips](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Ruth-Adler-Schnee-Fission-Chips.jpg?itok=Odd4oU0I)
It’s All Design
Ruth Adler Schnee distilled the optimism of midcentury modernism in her textile designs. Now her work is getting a well-deserved second look.
![Percy Echols II, Illuminated Lady Percy Echols II, Illuminated Lady](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-11/Illuminated-Lady-Percy-Echols-Robert-Mickelsen.jpg?itok=_Z5wAjcB)
Plasma Fantastica
Glass artist Percy Echols II eagerly enters a dawning era.
![Andy Cooperman pliers Andy Cooperman pliers](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Andy-Cooperman-pliers.jpg?itok=CJYIkmoE)
Prisoners of Their Own Devices
Tools can be a big investment, but that doesn’t make them precious. Metalsmith Andy Cooperman argues for makers to use, rather than worship, their tools.
![Knotwork LA rattles Knotwork LA rattles](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Knotwork-LA-rattles.jpg?itok=DK3CH1-A)
Schlep, Rattle, and Roll
Goods that make fun gifts.
![Kim Fox work Kim Fox work](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Kim-Fox-work.jpg?itok=lIRUG4Ol)
Shows to See: December / January 2019
Top shows to check out this winter.
![Hiromi Takizawa Ultraviolet installation Hiromi Takizawa Ultraviolet installation](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Hiromi-Takizawa-Ultraviolet-installation.jpg?itok=BL2kOSSD)
Symbiotic Spheres
An up-close look at the intersection of art, science, and glass.
![Lancaster Amish Country Lancaster Amish Country](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Lancaster-Amish-Country.jpg?itok=EUEJXb2T)
The Heart of It: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a centuries-old making tradition meets modern life.
![Deborah Lozier, Hand-me-down tools Deborah Lozier, Hand-me-down tools](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-11/Deborah-Lozier-Hand-me-down-tools.jpg?itok=_6EkQ2Y0)
Tools, Retooled
A tool of beauty is a joy forever.
![Andy Cooperman’s Seattle studio Andy Cooperman’s Seattle studio](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-11/Andy-Cooperman-Seattle-studio.jpg?itok=G1ewyvDb)
Tools, Useful and Otherwise
If you’re human, you use tools all day, every day.
![Missy Graff Ballone floor stretch Missy Graff Ballone floor stretch](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_large_5_4/public/2018-12/Missy-Graff-Ballone-floor-stretch.jpg?itok=VlRwRSBi)
Zen and the Art of Maker Maintenance
An online resource helps artists take care of their most important tool.