CATEGORIES

ENCHANTING HERKIMER DIAMOND HUNTS

COLLECTING DOUBLY TERMINATED QUARTZ CRYSTALS AND MAKING MEMORIES

BUYING NATURAL GEMSTONE ROUGH FOR FACETING

TIPS FOR SAVING TIME AND MONEY AND AVOIDING AGGRAVATION

The Abiding Appeal of the Quilt Retreat

Here are some tips for planning a quilt retreat. Taking time to research your options ensures that you and the other participants will enjoy the retreat you have planned.

Stories From the Farm

Everyone down on the farm has a story to tell, including all the animals.

Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkins, leaves and lots of fall-color fabrics make this a fun runner for your table.

Churn Dash Wreath

Classic and easy, this quilt adds just the right touch of simple beauty as the holiday approaches.

Christmas Star Wreath

Create a Christmas wreath with holiday fabrics and some not-so-hard piecing just in time for the holiday season.

Christmas Hot Pads

What a fun project! With just four fat quarters, small amounts of batting and backing fabric, a pair of striking hot pads can be made in an afternoon.

Bundle of Scraps Table Topper

Though the pieces are small, construction of this table topper is very easy and you can use up a lot of small scraps if you have a mind to.

Blue Jeans & Country Dreams

Use your worn-out jeans and plaid shirts to create a country quilt with lots of memories.

Auditioning Designs on Quilts

Here is a way to make the task of auditioning quilting possibilities a pleasure not a pain.

A-Mazed

You’ll be amazed by this showstopper. Your fabric choices make all the difference in the finished quilt.

Shop Made Arts & Crafts Knobs

All it takes is a router and a bandsaw.

Quick-Change Turning Tools

Beginner’s Set

Feeds & Speeds for CNC Routers

Understanding the importance of chip load calculations.

Tricked Out Router Table

Professional Router Table

Plywood Office Suite

Build a modern workspace with just a single sheet of plywood.

Textured Jewelry Box

Turn a single board into a heirloom.

Flocking

Take that special drawer or box to the next level.

Destroy to Create

When needs change, there’s no shame in repurposing.

Bow Arm Rocker

This modified design builds off a classic Morris chair.

Block Plane Basics

This versatile hand tool should be every woodworker's first plane purchase.

Fueling a Passion for Paleontology

Getting to Know Father-Daughter Duo Paleo Joe and Paleo Jen

Spectacular Silver Boulder TREASURES

An Exhilarating New Arizona Find

Mineral County: WANDERINGS

Chance Encounter Creates Opportunity to Mine for Variscite in Nevada

HOT ROCKS

A Rockhound’s Guide to Radioactivity

TIPS FOR ACTIVITIES: Maximize Tumbling Results for Kids' Prizes and Projects

Tumble-polished stones are an honored, time-tested stock-in-trade at the kids’ booths of local gem club shows all around the world.

METEORS AND METEORITES: HISTORY AND MYSTERY

The earliest meteorite with a documented place and date of fall came to Earth in France’s Alsace region in 1492. With a lack of understanding of meteors and meteorites at the time, townsfolk chained the two-foot-diameter piece of stone and iron to a tree to prevent it from escaping.

PART II Summer in the San Juan Mountains

Gold, Quartz, and a Cast of Characters

New Mexico: The Tyrannosaur State

Fossils of the Tyrannosaurus Rex and his relatives have been discovered in several places around New Mexico. The rich fossil record there spans about 500 million years, with some very unique fossil vertebrates that include fishes, amphibians, reptiles (turtles, dinosaurs, and birds) and mammals.