How to start a craft hobby

Learning to weave a wall hanging. Image credit: Belloftheballscarborough©

So you’ve decided you’d love to start a crafting hobby. You really fancy learning to knit, perhaps you’d love to be able to create your own quilt or embroider a gift but now what? Where do you start?

It’s either going to cost more of your time or money or a combination of both.

Here are the main options starting with those that are going to cost more of your money down to those costing more of your time. It isn’t linear but gives you a broad idea of the options depending on the time and budget available to you.

Attending a workshop

Attending a workshop is a great way to get started in a craft. You have dedicated time set aside, with an expert tutor on hand to show you how to do things and ask any questions. Often all the materials are provided. By the end of the workshop you’ll have either made something and/or learnt techniques to take home and practise.

This will probably be the most expensive of all of these options. Depending on where you live or other commitments you have you may struggle to find what you’re after in your area, when you’re available to attend.

Buying a kit or a course

Buying a kit can be a great option to help you get started. All your materials are provided with a set of instructions to make something specific.

The downside of kits compared to workshops is you don’t have the tutor on hand to show you what to do or ask any questions. You also need to make the time to work on it.

Attending an event

There are crafting themed events held all over the country, throughout the year. They can vary in size and cost. Some of the bigger, more corporate ones are held in convention centres. There are also smaller, more independent ones. Exhibitors can differ between events so it’s worth doing some research to see which events have the type of people you’re interested in. There will usually be an exhibitor list on event websites and/or shared on their social media.

These events can be a great way to immerse yourself in the creative world. You will find lots of different crafts and crafting products to browse as well as many knowledgeable people to ask advice from. Often there are also creative workshops available to book tickets for and exhibitions to see.

Using a book

Using a book, whether you purchase one or borrow one from a friend or your local library, can be a much cheaper way to get started with a craft. Often they’ll start with a list of recommended materials, include details on techniques and then have a selection of projects for you to make.

These will require more of your time to source and purchase supplies and figure out what you need to do compared to the previous two options.

Watching tutorials

Lots of accounts these days offer free video tutorials, whether these are for specific techniques or for certain patterns or projects themselves. This is a great low cost option to get started. Videos can be a great way to bring to life written instructions. They can be really helpful for you to get to grips with crafts and techniques you’re not used to.

I got really confused with a pattern for a blouse I wanted to make a few years ago. It was only after watching an online tutorial that I felt I was able to tackle the project.

As with the book, this will require more of your time than money. You’ll need to think about what you’d like to learn and find relevant videos to watch. Then look into sourcing relevant equipment and materials you need.

Asking likeminded people

In my experience crafters are incredibly friendly and generous. If you find a shop, or a local group of crafters you’re bound to find someone who is happy to help guide you in the right direction. It will require more work on your behalf to decide what you’d like to learn, find the group and source your equipment but it would cost less than attending a workshop.

Where will you start?

There are lots of ideas here to help you get started and it could be easy to get overwhelmed. Think about your life and what you feel you have to give.

• Is it more time or more money?

• Does it need to be a combination of both?

Pick one option to start with a give it a go and see how you get on. It may work really well for you. If it doesn’t, you can always try one of the other options.

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