Carol Duvall, TV's Crafting Queen, Dead At 97

DIY trailblazer Carol Duvall, who for decades shared her crafting mastery locally on Michigan TV and nationally on ABC and HGTV, died July 31 in Traverse City, Mich, reports the New York Times. She was 97.

Dubbed the "Queen of Crafts," Duvall made a name for herself on myriad Detroit affiliate stations before graduating in 1988 to ABC's Home Show, where she served as the daytime program's resident craft expert. After Home Show's cancellation in 1994, she moved to HGTV where she launched The Carol Duvall Show. Using her "self-effacing humor and practical knowledge," Duvall demonstrated "clever craft projects ranging from rubber stamping to jewelry making to scrapbooking," HGTV described at the time.  

The Carol Duvall Show ended its HGTV run in 2005, before it jumped to the DIY Network from 2005-2009.

Duvall also made appearances on Lifetime's Our Home and Handmade by Design. She authored the how-to books Wanna Make Something Out of It? and Paper Crafting with Carol Duvall.

In 2003, on the occasion of The Carol Duvall Show's 1,000th episode, Hobby Industry Association rep Don Meyer credited Duvall with bringing "crafting into the realm of the mainstream," per the Times.

She is survived by a son, Jack, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.