If you’re interested in starting a craft hobby, then there are a few things you can do to prepare to make sure you have the best time possible. Today we’re looking at the foundations you can lay to improve your crafting time!
Try Out Different Crafts
Taking on a craft is quite a commitment as well as a hobby – there are lots of skills to learn, materials to stock up on and tools to master and keep to hand. Before you make that commitment, you should try a few different crafts to make sure the one you settle on provides you with what you really want, from the sorts of things you can make, to how it feels moment to moment in your hand.
To avoid having to outfit yourself with a fresh set of tools and materials every time you want to try a new craft, you could order the sort of monthly craft box uk companies are beginning to specialise in. This gives you the chance to sample different crafts, appreciate their similarities and difference, and make an informed choice about where you want to commit your efforts in the long term.
Stock Up
There’s nothing more frustrating than having to give up on your craft hobby for the evening because you’ve run out of materials or are lacking an important tool. Crafts make it easier to get into the rewarding psychological state of ‘flow’ – when you’re wholly immersed in what you’re doing, achievement is easy and time seems to disappear. You don’t want to crash out of that feeling for want of the right weight of thread, or paper or coloured wool.
Stay organised, and when you start a project, work out how which materials and tools you’ll need to work on it – from thread and wool to the right sized embroidery frames, specialised needles (like circular or double ended knitting needles), and essentials like pencils or chalk, scissors and measuring tape and make sure you’ve ordered or bought everything you need.
A Place to Work
Finding a good place to work is as important as having the right materials. If you don’t have clear light to work by, and support for your back, you’ll end up aching, squinting and suffering a headache.
If you can set up a corner (if not a whole a room), with a supportive, comfortable chair near a window for work in the daytime and a lamp for work in the evening, with easy access to your stores of material and tools. These preparations will help you enjoy long hours immersed in your chosen craft.