Crafts: What have you tried so far?

Dear users, dear authors,
What crafts have you already tried, and which ones would you still like to try?

Hi everyone,
crocheting, knitting, and sewing... I’ve already tried them and really enjoy them.

I’d absolutely love to try Tunisian crochet—but I’m still a little hesitant to give it a go :-(

Hi,

I’ve tried crocheting, knitting, and sewing, though knitting and sewing just don’t come naturally to me, so I’ve stuck with crocheting.

I’m in the same boat as creativissimo. I’d love to try Tunisian crochet, but for some reason I don’t feel confident enough to give it a go. But I already have the hooks.......

I’ve tried a lot of things—I like crocheting and knitting best. I also did a lot of sewing when my son was little. Maybe I’ll get back into it someday.

Embroidery used to be one of my favorite hobbies, too. Right now, though, I don’t have the time or patience for it.

I did try Tunisian crochet, but I realized it’s not really my thing.

One more thing comes to mind. When my son was little, more than 30 years ago, I also enjoyed sculpting figures out of Fimo. Crafting was all the rage back then, too. 

The question should probably be: What haven’t I tried yet?

When our children were little, I did a lot of sewing, knitting, crocheting, and crafting. I made a lot of toys myself: hand puppets, marionettes, doll clothes, doll furniture, board and card games, carnival costumes, children’s clothes, a Christmas nativity scene...

The homemade items were always especially popular in our family because no one else had them, and because the children could share their ideas and often helped make them.

And today, this tradition continues with the grandchildren...

In addition to crocheting and knitting, I’ve also tried Tunisian crochet, crafting with lots of different materials, painting and drawing, concrete casting, ceramic painting, silk painting, and loom weaving.
I gave sewing a try but decided it wasn’t for me :)

So far, I’ve tried crocheting, knitting, sewing, Tunisian crochet, silk painting, embroidery, making jewelry out of Fimo, braiding cords with a Mobidai (a braiding disc), macramé, and rug weaving.

For creative people, one thing always leads to another. And there are always more exciting things you want to try.

Let me see if I can remember what I’ve already done:

• knitting (taught myself at age 10 with the help of the magazine "Modische Maschen")
  
• crocheting (just sort of happened)
  
• knotting (lots of pillows and rugs, based on patterns and my own designs)
  
• embroidery (same here: pillows, wall hangings, based on patterns and freehand)
  
• felting (I once accidentally washed wool too hot = my first felting experiment)
  
• crafting in general (you can make something out of anything)
  
• macramé (hanging planters and bags)
  
• silk painting (well, it wasn’t really my thing, but I had to try it)
• Window Color (oh dear, that was one of those things you just couldn’t escape)
  
• basket weaving with willow branches (it really works your neck and shoulder muscles)
  
• French knitting (it’s fun, but you do have to make something out of the cords)
  
• painting pictures (on canvas with acrylic paints)
  
• making cards (stamping, embossing, scrapbooking, etc.)
• Fimo (making jewelry)
• making jewelry from beads (beaded stars, necklaces, earrings)
  
• woodworking (doll furniture)
• crafting with raffia (when I was a child, we made raffia bowls and vases with it)
  

What I’d still like to do:

• learn how to sew properly using sewing patterns
  
• I’m open to anything new that comes my way and calls out to me :-)
  

I’ve tried quite a few things myself.

• Knitting
• Crocheting
• Tunisian crochet

• Machine knitting
• Sewing—but that’s not really my thing. I just hem my pants.
• Tying rugs
• Macramé—hanging flower baskets, lamps 
• Windowcolor
• Concrete
• Wooden figurines 
• Crafts

I’d like to try double-faced knitting and fork crochet 

Since I started knitting and embroidering as a child, and I’m also very curious, I’ve tried quite a few techniques:

- Knitting, from scarves to socks and gloves to sweaters, lace doilies, and double-face
  potholders. I do like Fair Isle patterns, but I find them rather a bit difficult.
- Crochet: amigurumi, baby shoes, doilies, filet curtains, shopping nets in many variations, and in the past  
  even a dress and a costume.
- Embroidery: mostly cross-stitch, and in the past also drawn-thread work.
- Weaving. I picked up double-sided weaving from the Mapuche women in southern Chile, but I
   haven’t tried it again for a very long time.
- Macramé, when it was in fashion (but that was only a short phase, thankfully!)
- Tunisian crochet: I like it, but for time reasons it has to take a back seat.
- Sewing: When the children were little, I sewed a lot, and even dared to make a
  coat in a class, which was my favorite piece for a long time. I also took a class in sewing pattern drafting.
- With paper: origami and folding Froebel stars. I also once rode the wave of napkin decoupage!

For now, I’m not (yet) thinking about trying anything new; I still have enough projects in mind!
 

I also did Window Color for a while.
I still like origami today—I even have a Japanese book on it.
However, I work from the diagrams because I can only make out a tiny fraction of the text.

CreatOwl—that sounds exciting: a Japanese origami book! I actually own several books, including two in French… Our ten-year-old grandson also likes folding paper and shows a lot of skill at it—sometimes he’s even faster than his mom or grandma!

Oh my, there’s quite a lot here... I’ve tried a great many things, though some of them only once.
It feels like I’ve tried almost everything that has come along over the years...

Flower arrangements and wreaths made from artificial flowers
Those dip-varnish wire flowers
Macramé
Weaving with a loom
I’ve embroidered pre-printed tablecloths
Knotted rugs
Painted with Windowcolor
Straw stars and gold-foil angels made from metal foil
Pyrography
Carved bookends from Ytong
Bead stringing - stringing jewelry pendants, little figures and gemstone trees -
Fretsaw work (and later a few simple pieces of furniture for my first apartment, a garden bench and lamps - all in my dad’s wonderful hobby basement... only I wasn’t allowed to use the electric planer myself; he thought that was too dangerous... lovely memories are coming back right now!)
Crochet / Tunisian crochet / felted crochet
Knitting (it was adventurous, crooked and lopsided...)
Sewing, which I’m just picking up again after many years
All sorts of things made from paper (cards / gluing together and decorating scrapbook albums / folding stars / paper cutouts / window pictures made from transparent paper, etc.)
Papier-mâché figures on wire frames
Casting and painting plaster figures for board games
Salt dough / modeling clay
Fimo (jewelry pendants, crochet hook and cake server handles, soap dishes and figures, canes...)
Concrete casting
Batik
Painting with acrylics and pencil sketches
Gluing stone pictures
Collages made from various found objects

There was quite a bit more... even today, nothing that falls into my hands is safe from my creative outbursts - even if by no means everything turns out well.
But I have to try it...
By the way, on my last vacation I found quite a bit of driftwood that’s still waiting for me...

I just thought of enameling, and that phase with the pom-pom animals... and I’ve done pottery, too. And tablecloths and dish towels with potato printing... I was totally into that for a while! I also had glass paints—I thought that was great, too. And glass engraving...

The list goes on and on...

The more I read about all the things you’ve already tried, the more I remember various other techniques:
Dip-paint flowers
Flowers made from old sheer tights
Glass engraving
Drawing and painting—preferably perspective
Glass painting
Bead crochet
Weaving

If we could see all our creative works gathered here in one place, it would be incredibly diverse and interesting. Just imagine it in a huge exhibition hall—we’d need days and nights to look at them, study them, marvel at them, reminisce, and try to recreate them. What a wealth of talent we have here at CP...

I wish all readers a wonderful and creative weekend.
Best regards, Ina

It’s been a few years. Have you had a chance to try out any new techniques in the meantime?

I’ve recently discovered diamond painting.

Well, I’ve tried quite a few things myself.

The usual crafts you learn at school


and also:

• making thread-bound books and binding them with bookbinding linen
• Sewing a leather bag with thin leather straps—without a needle
• Sewing moccasins
• Sewing fabric intarsia
• Window Color
• Napkin technique
• Tunisian crochet
• Making flowers with dip lacquer
• Carving a larger figure from a stone

Things I’d still like to try:

• Hairpin lace crochet
• Tatting
• Bobbin lace
• Crocheting mandalas
• Sew another dirndl
• Make my own lampshade using the Tiffany technique

Let's see how many of these I can actually get done......😎🤩

With that in mind, let's get those hands to work!🖐🖐🖐🖐🖐✂🧷🧵

I used to experiment and do crafts more often, but not so much lately.
So far, it’s been:

Knitting
Crocheting
Sewing
Embroidery
Macramé
Weaving
Window Color
Dip lacquer
Salt dough
Fimo
Pottery
Woodcarving
Fretwork
Origami
I’ve also tried painting and drawing many times, with all kinds of paints and media, charcoal, watercolor, oil, etc., but I have absolutely no talent for it.

Oh, and enamel was also included.

I haven’t tried as many crafts as some of the girls here, but it’s still quite a lot.
Knitting,
crocheting,
weaving
When it comes to sewing, I’ve tried various things, such as sewing lingerie, e.g. bras and swimsuits.
Then I’ve done English paper piecing and patchwork.
I’ve designed and sewn teddy bears and other cuddly little critters; that’s more than enough for me, because I don’t have the space for any more projects :-) ;-)

Best regards, Inge

For me, it’s been quite a lot over the past few years too.

So far I’ve done the following crafts at least once:

Knitting
Crocheting
Sewing - quilt, patchwork, appliqué, 
Embroidery 
Macramé - over 40 years ago
Weaving - at school
Window Color - about 30 years ago with the kids. Lots of window pictures
Salt dough and Fimo about 30–40 years ago
Pottery - at school - a one-time attempt; unfortunately, I have no talent for it
Origami - tried it with the kids about 35 years ago, but I didn’t like it
Window pictures made of colored cardstock
Silk painting - I even took a course
Wet felting - Easter eggs 2 years ago
Napkin technique
Latch hooking - I made rugs - over 40 years ago
Bead embroidery 

I have absolutely no talent for painting and drawing.

I also do machine embroidery and design embroidery patterns.

Best regards, Inge

I started as a child with knitting,
embroidery (cross-stitch)
crochet
sewing
Later I added:
artistic knitting
weaving (which I learned in South America)
origami
macramé (that was a very long time ago!)
Tunisian crochet
decoupage
Fröbel stars
folding small boxes, making bags.

Before I got my embroidery machine, I did a lot of hand embroidery, tablecloths in every size

Best regards, Inge