I don't do it often, but I love crafting. However, I am not a huge fan of crafting things just for the sake of it and accumulating a bunch of decorative items. I've thought about getting some of those watercolor boxes, but I would have to love it to frame it or it would just sit in a closet somewhere. What does that leave me? I'd like something I can just pick up here and there when I have the time. Very little set up and clean up. Something I could do while watching a movie in the evenings. I thought about embroidery...any other suggestions?
-
Yes! What about knitting or crochet? You could do socks, a sweater if you're ambitious! Google knitting with Marley and you can find some really helpful tutorials if you're interested!
Macrame hangings if you have plants? You could also do cross stitch?
-
My first thought was knitting too. I sew, which is pretty useful, but it comes with a lot of items to purchase and set up.
-
@winter_wonder: I was thinking cross stitch! Like making monogrammed tea towels?
-
@LemonJack: I tried either knitting or crocheting once...didn't get very far.
I would love to do some sewing. I used to make pajama pants is all. What kinds of things do you sew?
-
@crazydoglady: yes! That would be so cute! Or maybe gifts if you have any moms to be in your life? https://www.dmc.com/us/free-patterns-5041/free-patterns-5042/free-cross-stitch-patterns-5044,by-theme-alphabet-and-letters-434.html#null
-
I love knitting simple things while watching tv - mostly just scarves and hats, anything else requires me to pay more attention. But those make great gifts, so it still feels productive. I do some cross stitching and while I find it enjoyable, I donāt really know what to do with the finished product.
I have recently started sewing (I am not very good yet!) but I canāt watch tv while doing it. I do occasionally listen to podcasts. I think it will be a useful hobby and I am excited to make things for our house and gifts. My first project was making cloth napkins, they are not perfectly square and I wouldnāt give them as gifts but they are perfectly usable!
-
@crazydoglady: I love to sew, but donāt have much time to at the moment. But, Iāve sewn clothes for my nieces and my girls, baby quilts for my kids, and am making face masks at the moment. The last few years most of what I make are skirts for my girls because theyāre super fast and easy to make. Itās literally a rectangle of fabric with elastic placed into the waistband.
-
@crazydoglady: what about using watercolor to make cards or gifts for other people? If you end up loving it, just keep it
If by box you mean a kit with instructions, my mom does one and loves it.
-
I vote for cross-stitch! Iāve done it since I as a kid. I like it because I can hang out with DH while he watches tv and work on it. Iām not that big of a tv watcher but it gives me something to do that I like doing while he watches. I stick to pictures that I frame but I have friends that do baby blankets and tea towels and give them as gifts.
-
Brush lettering has been a useful hobby because then I can make pretty cards for people. Bonus points if the kids help with the art and then I add lettering.
Sewing- rag rugs, gift bags, kids costumes, pretty much anything else you need. I'm not great at sewing but I whipped up some costumes today and fixed a bunch of clothes last week.
-
@MrsJBeeG: Any suggestions for tea towels? I don't know where to get started.
-
I love cross stitching because itās so portable and easy to start and stop at a momentās notice. However itās not really a āpracticalā hobby. The only non-wall hanging Iāve made are stockings.
Sewing has a lot more set up, but I love how useful it is. Iāve made curtains, bags, clothes, quilts, car seat covers, all sorts of things for around the house. And of course repair is super useful too!
-
@MountainBaby: @catgirl: @ilovepie: I think I am leaning toward sewing... I know the general ends and outs (I took a sewing class in high school,) and have attempted to sew again and always got frustrated with the bobbin and gave up. Do you have a special room you keep everything in? How do you even get started? I am SO rusty.
-
@crazydoglady: I have a small desk in our bedroom that my sewing machine sits on. I use an ikea three tier rolling cart for all my supplies - it lives in my closet but is so easy to roll out when I am sewing. I have a plastic under bed storage container that I keep my fabric in.
I watched a lot of youtube videos to learn how to use my machine and still watch them a lot. I use pinterest to find easy patterns/tutorials for projects.
-
@crazydoglady: We have a guest room where I store most of my stuff. When I was first starting, Pinterest was a huge help. I found so many great step-by-step tutorials with pictures, and it really helped me figure out what I was doing.
What kind of problems are you having with your bobbin?
-
@LemonJack: Every time I wind the bobbin, it is SO loose!
-
@catgirl: @LemonJack: Thank you! I don't have a dedicated room...but I could possibly take some space in a closet and pull it out when I am working.
-
@LemonJack: Also, do you think it would be ok to start with an old sewing machine? I'm pretty sure my MIL has one from the 80s.
-
@crazydoglady: I think itās totally fine to start with an older machine. If youāre having problems with the bobbin, I would google that machine and see if you can find any tips or tutorials. Iāve had to do that multiple times with mine. My machine is newer so itās probably easier to find information, but itās worth a shot!
-
@crazydoglady: As long as you have a place to store it, you can work anywhere. Right now our guest room is 100% being used as an office, so currently my machine is set up on the dining room table.
-
I set up on a table in the corner of the playroom actually. I got a stand alone cabinet so I can lock the supplies away from little hands and then I bring the machine out after bedtime.
Iād pick a project thatās all straight lines and give it a go! My first one was a small curtain for our master bath, but maybe you could do a kids pillowcase in a fun fabric, or a nice table runner. Look up tutorials or YouTube videos and just give it a try!
-
@crazydoglady: I have a desk in a walk in closet so in theory I could see in there but I just set up on our extra dining room table when I have a project I am working on. Everything else is in the closet and I just pull out what I need. I was having issues with tension and my bobbin and never sewed out of frustration. But I needed to make masks so I googled fixes, tried some and now it works fine. My machine is my mom's old machine and still going. YouTube has everything for trouble shooting these days.
Today I looked on Pinterest, searched for knights tunic pattern, found a few and copied them. I sewed with fleece (what we had) so I didn't even have to hem it!
-
I sew a little and I currently have my sewing machine on top of my ironing board and use a folding chair. and I keep all my sewing/crafting/art supplies in a large chest in my bedroom (my kid's call it my toy chest, lol). So you can have a minimalist setup that can be fully deconstructed and put away when you want to. I also love to buy used bedsheets for fabric/muslin for mockups.
And I do a lot of handicrafts (sewing, knitting, crochet, felting, tatting, spinning, embroidery, watercolors) and there's a way to do almost all hobbies very practically/frugally and a way to do them very expensively and impractically. It sounds like I must have a ton of supplies but besides my sewing machine and my cutting mat, I can fit everything into a chest that's maybe 2.5'x4' across. And that includes all my fabrics. I think with handicrafts there's definitely a line between people who only buy what they need for a specific project, and people who buy supplies they find inspirational and want to spend time thinking of a project later. It just depends on what kind of creator you are.
Honestly I feel like the most practical of my hobbies has to be the watercolors because I make cards/gift tags/wrapping paper with it. Sewing and knitting are useful for sure, but it's sort of a struggle to make them frugal because yarn, needles, thread, notions and patterns aren't the cheapest thing in the world. It's very rewarding and you end up with something unique that's exactly yours, but it's not cheaper or faster than just buying a garment. I still love them but it's definitely something I struggle with!
-
How about making bravery blankets for the local children's hospital? Just get some fleece and yarn and do a blanket stitch around the border. You could embroider them, too, if you want to get fancy.
If by box you mean a kit with instructions, my mom does one and loves it.
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
24 comments