Do you partake of other crafts?

I do. I will admit I do a lot of crocheting (or yarning as my boys call it – are you having fun with your yarning mom?). However, it is not the only other craft I dabble in.

I also enjoy photography. This summer I took advantage of our time together to take my children on some photography journeys so we could all learn how to take better pictures. This resulted in them each having a wonderful collage poster that is now framed in their rooms.

Recently I stumbled upon some YouTube videos pertaining to the first craft I enjoyed – cross-stitch. Oh mylanta! I fell down a rabbit hole from which I have not yet found my way back.

I’ll be honest, YouTube has been providing me a lot of entertainment and I have been using it to mainly learn more things. Like running an Etsy store (don’t forget to check out ours! https://www.etsy.com/shop/QuiltingByYou), how to take better pictures, exercise motivation, and now cross-stitch. I am so close to pulling out my old supplies and seeing what I have but I think I am going to need some new patterns. This rabbit hole is seriously deep! Plus they have some tools that I was never aware of and different methods and people dyeing linens and aida for stitching in super fun colors. Don’t even get me started on the stitch-a-longs. Wow.

Well, I won’t drag you along with me unless you would like to come along. If you do, I suggest you search for flosstube on YouTube and while the videos are often long there are some interesting gadgets and patterns and fabric (oh my!) that look like a whole lot of fun!

This all got me to thinking about crafting in general. It seems like if you do one craft you may also enjoy more. I have had some ladies come in that are also into weaving, making clothing, scrap booking, knitting, and crochet. Quilling has been making a comeback as well.

I suppose as a crafter I have a different view on the role that crafts play in my life. It is most certainly a way to express my creativity. It also provides endless gifting options for those I care about. Crafting also gives me a way to relieve stress, an escape if you will. By enjoying my craft I can put away my worries for a while and just enjoy being busy or creating. I feel it also enriches my children. They get to see me taking time for myself to do something that I enjoy. Sometimes they join me and ask questions or help me play with color placements. They are watching someone create a quilt or scarf from what seems to be nothing into something that can be used. Sometimes it inspires them to get our their craft kits and do their own creating. Sometimes they are learning about my craft along side me and can create something themselves. More often they are dreaming up color combinations for things that they want me to create for them, be it quilts, or afghans, or a new scarf. Regardless of the above, I have found that my children seem to be proud of the things that I make for them and not only use and enjoy them, but also speak of the things I make with pride. Sometimes that is what we all need to hear, that our work is beautiful and meaningful and appreciated.

So, how about you? Do you partake in other crafts? Do you find it to be an escape or a way for you to recharge your batteries? Leave us a comment about what kinds of crafting you do aside from quilting! Who knows – maybe I’ll find another rabbit hole to distract me from the one I currently can’t seem to escape from!