Could this new scan, print and cut machine give the Brother ScanNCut a run for its money?
Let’s tale a look…
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Category: General Chat
Craft News 13 October 2026: Cricut’s New AI Designer, the Return of Lacemaking and Glass Made from Waste
Every fortnight, I take a wander around the wider craft world to see what has been happening beyond my own particular collection of paper, card, cutting machines and things I really ought to have put away by now.
And this fortnight has produced a rather interesting contrast.
At one end of the creative spectrum, Cricut has introduced a new AI tool that allows people to design cutting-machine projects simply by describing what they want to make. At the other, one of Britain’s endangered textile crafts is attracting a new generation of makers who are discovering the pleasures of doing things very slowly indeed.
Elsewhere, an experimental glassmaker has won a substantial award for turning discarded materials into something beautiful, fashion companies are encouraging people to repair and make their own clothes, and there have been some interesting developments in sewing, papercraft and contemporary textile art.
So, let’s see what’s been happening.
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Craft News 7th October – Cricut Moves Beyond Cutting, Craft Courses Under Threat and Why Making Skills Still Matter
Every fortnight I take a wander around the wider craft world to see what has been happening beyond whichever particular materials happen to be covering my desk.
This time, two stories at opposite ends of the craft spectrum particularly caught my attention. One is about a major craft brand moving into an entirely new kind of machine; the other is about the possible disappearance of three places where people learn specialist making skills professionally.
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Craft News 14th September 2026 – Knitting the Air, Japanese Craft Meets Technology and a Fortnight Full of Making…
Every couple of weeks, I take a wander beyond my own corner of the craft world to see what else is happening — and this fortnight has produced a rather lovely collection of stories.
There is relatively little headline-grabbing product news this time around – probably because all of the trade shows are coming up soon!
Instead, much of the interesting activity has come from people using craft in unexpected ways: knitters turning air-pollution data into textiles, Japanese artisans working with international designers, heritage skills being demonstrated alongside contemporary craft in Wales, and a major London exhibition putting the work of independent makers directly in front of the public…
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Craft News 30th August 2026 – Denby Lives On, Cricut Expands, Creative Memories Change Direction and More …
Every couple of weeks, I’m going to take a look beyond my own immediate crafting world and see what has been happening across the wider hobbycraft industry.
The idea is not simply to repeat product launches or company announcements, but to pick out developments that might inform, educate or inspire — whether they come from papercraft, textiles, pottery, digital crafting or somewhere entirely unexpected.
And this fortnight there is a particularly interesting mixture…
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A Little Heads-Up: The Hatch Embroidery Back to School Sale Is On!
If you have been thinking about trying Hatch Embroidery software, upgrading your current setup or adding a few more fonts to your collection, there is a new promotion that may be worth knowing about.
The Hatch Embroidery Back to School Sale is running from 24 August to 6 September 2026, with savings across several products.
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Introducing the ALL NEW Paper Cutting Planner – Smarter, Simpler Cutting!
If you have ever stood at your paper trimmer or guillotine with a sheet of cardstock, a list of measurements and the quiet confidence that you can work it all out in your head, you probably already know where this is going.
A few minutes later, there are measurements scribbled on scraps of paper, a calculator open somewhere nearby, several increasingly questionable little diagrams and the uncomfortable suspicion that the very first cut you made has just ruined the entire plan.
We have all been there.
And that, really, is the problem that eventually led to the Paper Cutting Planner – if you cut card or paper regularly in your crafts, you need this!
(Ps, it’s free to use).
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Online Distress Ink Blending Tool Update – Version 2 – New Tools and Features!
A few weeks ago I launched a brand new online tool to help you experiment with Tim Holtz Distress Inks before committing anything to paper. Well, thanks to lots of excitable user feedback and a whole bunch of tinkering behind the scenes – Version 2 of this incredible tool is now available for you to play with!
New features include an updated interface, suggested blends, and the option to Print and Save your blends!
I am so excited to share this update with you!
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Brother CanvasWorkspace Update Explained: What ScanNCut Users Need to Know (June 2026)
Brother has released Version 2.7.0 of Canvas Workspace for PC (Windows and Mac) and, at first glance, much of the official announcement focuses on changes to account management and the relationship between Canvas Workspace and Artspira.
While those changes are important, the feature that will likely interest most ScanNCut users is something entirely different.
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Best Programs for Creating SVG Cut Files Compared and Rated – Which Is Right For You?
If you’ve spent any time in crafting groups, you’ll have seen the same question come up time and time again: “What’s the best software for creating SVG files?”
The answer is rarely as straightforward as people hope.
One person recommends Adobe Illustrator. Another swears by CorelDRAW. Somebody else insists that Sure Cuts A Lot is all you’ll ever need. Then someone jumps in to say that Inkscape is free and does everything.
So who’s right … ?
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Getting to Know Zack Buchman: A Journey Shaped by A Passion for Puppetry
A while back I did a series of posts with the catch-all title of “Worldwide Wednesday” where I interviewed folk from around the world and from a diverse range of create genres and whilst it fizzled out a while back, mostly due to “life” getting in the way, that spark to reignite this form of content literally dropped into my inbox with an email from Zack Buchman.
As the founder of Uncute™ and Furry Puppet Studio, Zack Buchman has spent years creating puppets, creatures and characters for television, music videos, brands and all sorts of projects in between. So when his email dropped into my inbox, I was curious so I popped together a list of questions and sent them over. What came back was a life story that I think you will agree is fairly unique.
Come with me on a journey as we get to know Zack, his beginnings, his influences, his achievements and his determination to live a creative life!
Trust me, you will be in awe.
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Ten Years Later – What Next…?
Ten years ago I set off on a journey around the United Kingdom without fully understanding where it would lead.
Looking back, it seems I’m still doing much the same thing. The vehicle may have changed, but the adventure continues…
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Brother Announces End of Canvas Workspace for Web — What ScanNCut Users Need to Know
If you use a Brother ScanNCut machine, there’s some important news you’ll want to be aware of. Brother has officially announced that the web version of Canvas Workspace will be discontinued in October 2026.
Before anyone panics though — this isn’t the end of Canvas Workspace itself, and your projects aren’t disappearing overnight. In fact, Brother appears to be shifting toward a more desktop-and-mobile focused ecosystem built around Canvas Workspace PC and Artspira.
Here’s a simple breakdown of what’s happening and what it means for ScanNCut users.
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New Online Distress Ink Blending Tool
With 73 available colours, the Distress Ink range from Ranger Industries and Tim Holtz has to be one of the biggest and most widely used range of inkpads out there but, how many times do you want to create a blended gradient but don’t want to waste that precious ink or cardstock?
Well, I’ve been coding away and have managed to put together a nifty little tool that will help you play, visualise and test out colour combinations before you ever commit blending tool to inkpad.
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Hatch Digitizing 4 Update: Creative Tools & Improvements You Can’t Miss
As you may have seen over the last few years I managed to send myself down a digitizing rabbit hole using the very impressive Hatch Digitizing software so when I saw that there was a new version released recently I just had to download and take a look.
Here’s a quick overview of what is new and how I plan to get back into it after a wee while away…
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