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Is Handcrafting for Me?

Does handcrafting interest you? If so, what kind? To decide whether handcrafting could be a worthwhile pursuit, you must evaluate your own situation. The time element must be considered. Would it be a distraction from more important things?

 

On the positive side, the benefits are many. Handcrafting can bring a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of being productive in the use of one's hands. Many need such an outlet, since their everyday work may be routine, not giving opportunity to express creative ability. Handcrafting can be of value also in providing items that are both practical and decorative for family and friends. A handcrafted gift tailored to the personality or needs of the receiver can reflect much love and concern on the part of the giver. Since it is a form of recreation, handcrafting can also serve for refreshment of body and mind, which is needed by all. Many prefer using some time in constructive crafts instead of sitting passively in front of a television set.

 

In determining what kind of handcraft would be suitable for you, give attention to your personal circumstances. For example, if you live in a small flat, it would be foolish to choose tanning skins and hides as your craft. This requires large drums and tubs, as well as copious amounts of running water. If you select something that makes a mess, give consideration to the person who does the housekeeping.

It is ideal, of course, for a whole family to be involved together. Apart from benefits to children, engaging in activities of this kind strengthens bonds between individual family members.

 

The economics of handcrafting also must be analyzed. By using items around the home, there are many kinds of handcrafts that can be pursued without much expense. Patchwork is in this category. Where specialized equipment is required, several interested friends might choose to get together and share such things as looms, spinning wheels, pottery wheels, and so forth. Some crafts, such as macrame, require no more tools than one's own fingers. As for instruction books, most libraries have a good selection about handcrafts.

Some Popular Crafts

Here are a few details about some popular crafts that you may find interesting:

POTTERY is an age-old favorite. Much can be done at home even without a wheel by methods such as pinching, the use of coils for shaping the product, the use of flat slabs, or even casting in a mold made from plaster. Of as much interest as the making of pottery is the glazing of it. In fact, many prefer glazing to pottery making itself. Glazes are composed of powdered chemicals and minerals colored by metallic oxides. A seemingly endless variety of finishes can be achieved.

BATIK is a method of dyeing cloth by using wax to resist the dye and produce a pattern. This affords much latitude for experimentation, and enjoyment often comes from surprise at the end result. TYE-DYEING is batik's cousin. The variation in dye pattern is achieved, as the name suggests, by tying the cloth in various ways.

MACRAME is a fascinating craft. With it a wide variety of useful and decorative articles can be made from any type of string or twine by using just two basic knots. They can be mastered in a couple of hours, and from then on you are limited only by your imagination. Macrame can be "dressed up" very inexpensively by adding "beads" made from pieces of potato, carrot, and so forth, cut into basic shapes and dried very slowly in a warm oven. When completely dried, they can be painted.

SPINNING has regained much popularity during recent years. A spinning wheel ready to assemble can be purchased inexpensively. Handcraft stores make fleece available. Country graziers and shearing demonstrations at schools are other sources of fleece. If one is not interested in doing one's own dyeing, a variety of colored fleeces can be obtained. However, dyeing in itself is another interesting project, and much information is available on using natural vegetable dyes, onion skins, walnut shells, and so forth. Spinning, of course, is not limited to fleeces, but can include many fibers. One individual spun some yarn even from the hair of a Pekingese dog at the request of the dog's owner!

Indeed, there are handcrafts for all ages, tastes and abilities. Further examples are jewelry-making, leatherwork, weaving, lacemaking, etching, making bark pictures, making designs with nails and threads, tatting, needlework, knitting, crocheting, carving, tole painting (folk art), stained-glass work, basket weaving and netmaking

Is handcrafting for you? That is for you to decide. Keep in mind, though, that developing such a skill can heighten your own pleasure in life and also benefit others.

 




TheFreesite.biz has arts and craft ideas for the whole family including seasonal arts and crafts, indoor crafts and wedding decorations, sewing, and outdoor crafts.