Crafting is one of the most fun, challenging, rewarding, and sometimes infuriating journeys you can take. I have been on this amazing journey since I was four! Yep, you heard me right I was four when I started sewing. My mom wouldn’t let me use the scissors so she cut out the doll dress and gave me a blunt needle to hand sew it. I was so proud of that doll dress that I showed it to anyone who would look and my Cabbage Patch doll felt so pretty wearing it! Well, she never told me this but I know it to be true. With that first simple project, it sparked in me a love of all things crafty (not in the criminal sense).
Along the way of crafting I have learned some hard and sometimes very EXPENSIVE lessons! Many of the issues I’ve run into were due to the fact that no one ever told me how to avoid them. That’s why I want to share some crafting tips to hopefully help you avoid the same issues that I’ve had in my crafting journey.
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1. Start Cheap
The first in my tips for crafting is to start cheap! When starting a new project, especially if you’re not sure if you can do it, only buy what is absolutely necessary. This is a hard lesson to learn and one that I still struggle with. If you are about to stencil for the first time then just buy the stencil, one tube of paint, and one paintbrush. I get it, your excited and the value pack is a better deal per paintbrush than the three pack. My advice to you, put down the value pack! Step back and remind yourself that you’re not even sure that this is going to be a skill that you can do or even enjoy doing.
This is when it’s especially helpful to have an accountability partner with you who will say no! Also, make sure whatever you buy that you don’t open everything when you first start your project. This way you can return the unopened items if the project ends up not working out or you overbought.
2. Use Coupons
I get told all the time that crafting is too expensive and that I should just buy premade items from the store. This is actually very true, crafting can be very expensive. BUT if you work your cards right and use coupons or wait for sales your projects usually end up costing the same or slightly cheaper than a store bought item. For my reupholstered arm chair project it would have cost me hundreds of dollars to have it recovered but I did for around 75 dollars. Which means I got some major bragging rights all the while saving a lot of money.
Another way of saving money is to look for reward programs at the stores you normally purchase your supplies from. Joann Fabric has a reward program that will have “missions” that require you to do certain things such as make two purchases during a certain time frame. If you accomplish your mission they give you a reward certificate for free merchandise! Who doesn’t love free? Also, check out the craft department at Walmart. You would be surprised what you can find there and sometimes extremely cheap!
3. Don’t Be Over Critical
Too many times people are overly harsh on their own work (I’m pretty sure I just wrote that about myself). When people craft they are always saying “But mine’s not perfect”. Well I’m here to tell you the truth, NOTHING is perfect! Even store bought items from the box stores have defects, which is why their return lines are always so long. Many times people compare their crafting abilities or projects to others, which causes them to be self-conscious and over critical. You are unique! So in turn whatever you make will be completely unique and a reflection of your personality. Many times whatever you think looks SO bad nobody but you will even notice! I know when I have made a mistake on a project then I show someone else and ask them if it looks ok they don’t even see the mistake!
4. Don’t Let Setbacks Stop You
One of the most important tips for crafting that I can give you is to not let setbacks stop you! This is something that you will eventually have to face. It seems like almost every project that I have ever done has had something go wrong. It’s inevitable that you will run into some sort of snafu that will halt progress on your project. All you can do in these moments is breathe, take a step back, and decide how you can fix the problem. Just don’t stop!
Even if you put your project up for a season while you are figuring out or trying to reconcile yourself to your mistake don’t let it sit forever unfinished. I seriously had a table topper in my sewing drawer for at least four years before I forgave it for being such a total pain and figured out how to fix it. So, no matter if you run out of material, cut the wrong side of the zipper, sliced open your finger and need stitches, or ripped the pattern (all things I have personally done) don’t let it stop you from creating something amazing!
5. Know When to Throw in The Towel
The last of my tips for crafting is to know when to throw in the towel! Yes, I know this seems like a total contradiction to the above point but it’s not! There are times, hopefully only a few, where you find that the project that you are working on just doesn’t work. I’m not talking about a simple set back that you could fix or alter your design to accommodate. I’m talking flat out won’t work.
I experienced this when I was trying to make lava bead bracelets. Turns out that I can’t figure out how to tie the stretchy cord to save my life. After changing the cord to three different types and trying to use glue on the knot I decided that perhaps making stretchy bracelets was not really my forte. With that being said I REALLY tried to make them work before I waved my white flag. So even though I failed I know that I tried my best. With crafting you are not going to be good at everything you just need to recognize your strengths and be willing to admit your weaknesses.
No matter which of these crafting tips you use, the most important thing you can do when crafting is to START! I know it can be a daunting task to start a project, especially if it’s something you have never done before, but trust me crafting is ALWAYS worth it!
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