by Lynne Jablonski

Created on: August 12, 2008   Last Updated: June 30, 2011

If your goal is to stretch your crafting horizons, then embrace the motto of "have no fear." With that mantra running through your head, do not limit your crafting to any one type of project. With good plans and good planning, you can jump into a new medium and have it turn out brilliantly.

Research: Read craft magazines and check books out from the library. Go to craft fairs and cruise the tables to see what other people are doing. When you find something that makes you think, "I wish I could do that," then you know you have found your project. The world has never been as craft friendly as it is today. The big art supply stores have books to explain it, materials to make it, and classes to teach it. If you are working from a magazine or a book, read through the instructions line by line to make sure that you understand them all. If the instructions do not make sense to you, go to a source that will be able to help you such as a related on-line chat room or ask an employee at your local craft store.

Materials: Always buy good materials for good results and jump in with both feet. For example, after finding a book about hand knit Christmas stockings, I went and consulted at a local yarn store about the best wool for the project. They set me up with the correct size knitting needles and accessories. They were also generous with advice about the project, inviting me to drop by if I got stuck mid-project. It was practically my first knitting project and by following the directions diligently, they turned out beautifully. If I had gone with the less expensive option of acrylic yarn, the stockings would not have had that "heirloom quality" that I was going for. If you are going to spend hours, weeks, or even months or hours on a project, make sure the materials are worthy of your effort.

Classes: When the muse strikes you, take a class. Learning a skill on your own can be intimidating. Daily life can keep you from making time for something new. Also, sometimes a craft involves expensive equipment that you may not want or need to invest in for a single project. In these cases, a class is just the thing to guide you and force you to set aside a time to learn your new skill. Take classes in pottery, glass blowing, stained glass, quilting, scrapbooking, card making, knitting or other needle work, woodworking, beading and jewelry making. I even saw a class for metal sculpture in our local arts newsletter once. Working with others can also inspire you in new, unexpected directions. You learn one thing and it can spark a completely original idea of how you could do it differently.

Time: Finding enough time to complete a project is always a big obstacle. Therefore, to really enjoy the process of creating something, it is important to be realistic about how much time you have. If you were to decoupage a frame or a box, you could complete your project in a single sitting (or two). However, a quilt can take weeks or months. Making a single card to send to a friend is a quick project, but making all of your holiday cards from scratch is a huge undertaking (I seem to forget this every year). If you pick a project that is outside of what you can make time for, you'll have another bag full of materials stuffed in a closet for the next ten years.

The satisfaction that comes from making something beautiful is worth all of the effort that you put into it. Looking at an object that you have made can bring you back to the time in your life that you made it. It is a time capsule as well as a craft. Try something new this year and remember to enjoy your creative time. It will show in your work.

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