Artisan Crafts Week
That's great! Maybe you heard about the great benefits crafting can have for your mental health, or maybe you want to get on the zero waste train and start making some items yourself instead of buying. Or maybe you want to give handmade gifts for your loved ones next Christmas? Whatever your reasons, I promise there is a craft out there that is right for you (and your budget). In the following, I'm going to introduce you to some easy beginner crafts you don't need much to start with. In fact, I'm going to start with a few 'no budget' crafts that you might be able to dive right into with things you already have at home, going on to those that need some minimal to moderate purchases to start. For the sake of this article, I consider 'low budget' to be < $5, 'high budget' > $25, and 'mid budget' everything in-between.
Mind that my budget recommendations can vary widely depending on your personal circumstances - you can always choose to spend more money and start with higher-quality tools and supplies. On the other hand, you could also cut costs by striking a deal at a thrift store or the like, or by borrowing tools from a friend to try out a new craft. That being said, all crafts tend to spiral out of control once you get into them - there are always so many more shiny projects you will want to try out - and SABLE (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy) is a thing! You have been warned.
Below each section, you will see some examples both of beginner friendly projects that you should be able to make after a couple hours of practice, and more advanced projects that will need more experience to make.
No to High Budget - Upcycling & Sewing
Upcycling, generally speaking, describes the process of taking something you don't need anymore, and turning it into something new that is useful and/or pretty. This can involve the use of tools or other crafting supplies. Examples of Upcycling are making decorative vases from old glass bottles, making furniture from palettes, or turning old books into 3D paper cutting sculptures.
This concept can be especially useful when it comes to sewing. For a beginner sewing project, all you need is needle, thread, and some pretty fabrics - and what are old cloths, towels, bed sheets and curtains if not a bunch of fabric? Old t-shirts can become doll's clothing. A pair of old trousers can be turned into a handbag, and all kinds of fabric can be used to make beautiful, creative decorations or quilts. Even the filling of old pillows could be re-purposed in making plushies! And even if your goal is making clothes yourself, it might be easier to start altering clothes you have - adding some lace or buttons, shortening or attaching length, turning an oversized shirt into a pretty dress. The possibilities are endless, so before you spend a lot of money at the fabric store, it might be wise to pay a visit to your own wardrobe first.
By the way, you might notice I haven't mentioned a sewing machine before - that is because, generally speaking, everything you can do with a machine, you can do by hand with a little more patience. That being said, if you already own a sewing machine, can get one cheaply or maybe use a friend's, that might speed up your progress considerably, depending on the project, and they aren't that hard to use, either. So don't be deterred giving it a try!
No/Low Budget - Papercrafts
Chances are high you've already done some type of papercraft as a kid. Papercrafts are incredibly popular and easy to get into, and the possibilities are infinite! I am going to introduce you to three main types of paper crafts you could try out, and chances are you already have everything at home that you need to do so.
First up are paper folding techniques like origami. Starting with a square or rectangular piece of paper, you fold, unfold and re-fold it to create all kinds of shapes! You can make flat objects (like stars) to put on your window or on a card, you can make all kinds of animals that will stand up on their own, or you can create boxes and other containers. All you really need is some pretty, not-too-thick paper. Special origami paper in all kinds of sizes, colours or patterns is sold at craft stores, but coloured printer paper or gift wrapping will be perfect for your first tries. Some folding techniques will require some scissors to cut the paper, but traditional origami usually goes without. There are also 3D techniques where you will be sticking lots of smaller folded shapes together using some glue.
Next, there is paper cutting. Remember folding a piece of paper into triangles as a kid and cutting into it to create snowflakes? Ever had your silhouette done by a street artist? Both of these things fall into this category. In fact, there are a ton of patterns out there to make intricate snowflakes - both traditional and more nerdy ones. Or you could trace the outlines of imagery you like to create beautiful silhouettes of your own that you can put in your window or decorate other paper goods, like cards, notebooks, or wrapped gifts. For simple designs, an ordinary pair of scissors will do, but for more intricate work you might want to use a scalpel and cutting board.
The last type of paper craft I'm going to talk about (there are many more though) is 3D models. To make those, you use templates that you cut out, fold along pre-specified lines, and glue them together. There are ready-made kits to buy, but also lots of templates online, both free and to buy, that you can print yourself. This way, you can create buildings, animals, everyday objects or even beloved popculture characters using nothing but paper, scissors, and glue! For smaller models, using regular printer paper might be fine, but in general you'll want to use slightly thicker paper to give your model some stability. Once you get a feeling for how certain shapes are created, you might even attempt to make your own templates.
Low to Mid Budget - Knotting and Braiding
Knotting and braiding are among this simplest - and, arguably oldest - crafts known to mankind. They might be a little less versatile than some of the other crafts I'm presenting here, but I've seen them used in some pretty amazing and creative ways! Technically, all you need is some string* (*materials may vary - cotton, silk, leather, plastic or even wire), but some simple tools can make your life way easier. There are many varieties, but I'll be talking about three - Kumihimo, Scoubidou, and Macrame.
Kumihimo is the Japanese art of cord making. Traditionally, it's done on a wooden stand called Murudai, but modern technology has blessed us with foam braiding disks that are much less expensive and easier to use. There is a central hole surrounded by a number of slots, in which you distribute your strings. Then it's just a matter of following distractions like 'take the string from slot A and insert it in slot D instead' and voilá, like magic your pretty rope/braid will start forming in the center! This sounds very basic, but using different colours, materials and patterns, even adding some beads, you can make some very pretty bracelets, necklaces or belts.
Scoubidou is a French knotting technique, very similar to what you might have used to make friendship bracelets when you were younger (or maybe you still make them, I won't judge!). In its latest iteration (it was last popular in the early 2000s), it used hollow PVC tubes, but other material like cotton can also be used. Two or more strings or tubes are braided using several different knots to create rectangular, round, or flat braids. You'll mostly see it used for key chains and bracelets, but they can also be used to make more complex shapes, animals, or even pretty pens (inserting a ballpen refill in the center)!
Macrame is probably the most well-known and also the most versatile of these techniques. Also, the oldest - macrame style knots can be traced as far back as old Babylon! It's usually done with cotton cords that are knotted in different ways to make things like wallhangings or hanging flower pots, but with different materials, incorporating beads or feathers, you can also create stunning jewelry, dreamcatchers, or even little animals.
Low to High Budget - Knitting & Crochet
Now, this is probably more what you expected for a beginners crafts article! Knitting and crochet are probably THE most well-known artisan crafts, and they are great for beginners as well. All you need to start is a crochet hook or a pair of knitting needles, some yarn, and you're good to go. Yarn can range from very cheap to extremely expensive, but for a beginners project, I'd recommend using either cotton, acrylic, or sock yarn (usually x % wool, x % acrylic), as they are cheap and easy to work with. Try to avoid fancy 'effect' yarn (like fluffy yarn, sequins or expensive fibres like mohair) until you've got a little more experience under your belt. As for a pattern, I recommend starting with something that doesn't need to 'fit' - making garments up for a certain clothing size can be a challenge, and might involve a bit of trial and error, which can be frustrating for beginners!
For crochet, you can pick any hook you want - there's metal, bamboo, or plastic. I personally prefer metallic hooks with a (soft) plastic handle, but basically you just want something that feels comfortable in your hand. The size of the hook needs to match the yarn you're working with - usually the label of the yarn will tell you what size to use. Depending on where you live, there are different systems to label hook sizes - the easiest one is the metric system, that is used in Europe and AUS/NZ and just gives you the diameter of the hook in millimetres. US sizes are numbers and/or letters, starting with B/1 for a 2.25mm hook. UK/Canadian sizes are also numbers, but start with 14 for a 2mm hook and count down. A good size for beginners would be anything between 3 and 5 mm (C to H/11 to 6), depending on what you want to make.
The most common beginner's project in crochet are probably pot holders, followed closely by scarves/hats and blankets. Use cotton for pot holders, as acrylic yarn can't stand the heat!
In knitting, the size chart for needles works much the same than in crochet: Metric size uses diameter, US counts up (no letters this time), UK/Canada counts down. It's easier to start with larger size needles (4mm/6/8+), so you can see your stitches better. Try to not work too tightly, or you'll have trouble getting into your stitches in upcoming rows! Just like with crochet hooks, you get to choose from different material (mostly metal/wood/plastic), but there are also different types of needles to choose from. There are straight or jacket needles, which are maybe the most 'typical' knitting needles - long and with a stopping 'knob' at the end. There are double pointed needles - usually sold in sets of five and used for socks and gloves. And there are circular needles, two shorter needles connected with a rope or wire. I'd recommend those to start with, as they offer the most flexibility and are easier to handle. You can get them with ropes in fixed sizes or with interchangeable ropes, but as long as you're not actually working in the round, the length doesn't matter too much, just go for the 80cm/24". Easy beginner projects in knitting are shawls/scarves or blankets made from thick wool; I'd recommend saving anything more intricate or involving several needles (like fingerless gloves or socks) for at least your second project.
A very trendy and fun subject in both knitting and crochet are Amigurumi - little cute dolls, usually depicting animals or characters, but there are also objects, foods, and endless realm of possibilities really. They are usually knitted or crocheted in the round, so you can make hollow, round-ish shapes that can be stuffed with filling material, and often require you sewing together several pieces. Amigurumi come in all sizes and levels of difficulty and make for fun and quick projects. They usually only require very basic stitches, but you need to know how to decrease and increase the number of stitches in a row, and making small parts can get a little fiddly. Therefore, while many Amigurumi patterns are absolutely beginner friendly, I'd usually not recommend them for your very first project, but you should get to the required level of proficiency soon enough!
Low to High Budget - Quilting
When you think about quilts, you probably see huge, elaborate blankets with intricate designs. In fact, quilting just means sewing together small pieces of fabric in a way to create something greater, and there are many ways to do that! While the typical quilt is usually quite big and requires a big investment in both time and supplies, there are plenty of ways to do smaller quilting projects that even beginners can get into. Doll or baby sized quilts with easy designs can be done using a few simple blocks, and bags, table runners or wall hangings are a fun way to explore some new techniques. And while quilt-blocks are usually made with a sewing machine, there's also a technique called English Paper Piecing that works using small 'stencils' made from paper and creates beautiful patterns using shapes like hexagons, diamonds, or triangles connected by hand sewing! There is also crazy quilting, which combines quilting with surface embroidery and uses many different stitches to decorate a small square sewn together from different pieces of fabric.
Low to High Budget - Embroidery
Ah, embroidery, old friend - there are literally dozens, if not hundreds of different styles and techniques out there, and they are all fun to try out! Basically, they all fall into two categories, though: counted embroidery, where you work on a special fabric that allows you to 'count' the threads you're working on, and more free-form techniques that can be done on any kind of fabric, eyeballing the length of your stitches.
In free-form embroidery, you can jump right in. There are tutorials out there for hundred of different stitches, you can use whatever threads you fancy - from regular cotton embroidery yarn, over perlé to silks or metallics. You can work on pretty much any material as well - creating beautiful patterns or landscapes on a clean fabric, adding little characters to your bag, or enhance your cloths with some pretty edges, maybe adding beads or sequins? The possibilities are endless! If you're working on fabric that's not specifically made for embroidery, you'll probably want to use a sharp needle (whereas in many other forms of embroidery, you'll use a needle that's a little more blunt).
Cross stitching is probably the most common form of counted embroidery. Basically, you are creating pictures out of little crosses, similar to pixel art. If you feel more comfortable following strict instructions than experimenting for your first projects, this is probably the way for you to go. You can buy fabric, pattern and floss separately (or even make your own pattern, if you want to), or you can buy a complete kit that has everything you need to begin. They come in all sizes, and bigger cross stitch projects can easily take a couple hundred hours, so I recommend starting with something small! Finished cross stitch pictures can be frames, turned into small ornaments or wall hangings, or incoperated into sewing projects. You can also use soluble canvas to stitch directly unto shirts and other textiles.
Mid to High Budget - Beading
Beads are a wonderful and extremely versatile medium. You've already read about how they can be used in many other arts and crafts, but they can also beautifully stand on their own! There is a multitude of techniques using beads, from bead crochet to jewellery making to 3D animals or miniature dresses. Most beading artists won't stick to just one style, and who can blame them if there are so many to chose from! Usually, for any beaded technique, what you need are beads - of course - and some type of thread or wire. You might want to get a beading kit for something you like, and start designing your own projects from there - it's very easy to make a beading project your own by using your favourite colours, changing some small detail of a 3D pattern, or maybe add some crystals or charms to your jewellery. Beads come in all kinds of shapes and materials, so don't be scared to experiment - if things don't work out, you can always restart and use your beads in something new.
The Tip of the Iceberg
I've talked about a fair number of crafts in this article, but obviously, there are countless more. And even as a beginner, there aren't a lot of limitations on what you can try. After all, but counts as a 'beginner' and 'low budget' craft will be highly dependent on what skills you start out with and what equipment you have access to. Maybe you've got a friend who's into weaving, or someone is holding a tutorial course in pottery and providing the equipment? In any case, I highly recommend trying out all different kind of arts. Some of the most fun projects and techniques result from people combining different crafts, are people from different crafts cooperating. So whether you are a total newbie to the world of artisan crafts, or already an expert in one or more crafts, I hope I was successful in making you curious for what else is out there! In any case, have fun, and never stop exploring your creativity.