by Narnie

Created on: June 10, 2010

Arts & crafts or hobbies as it is more often than not labeled, is one of the greatest ways to help people relax and dissociate the day’s events. Many people have adopted the theory that hobbies are an expensive commodity, there is little expense in for example; “nature watching”. It  might cost at the most a little human energy to walk a short distance or a bit of fuel in the car to drive to a “restful” site where equilibrium can be found and nature observed.

There are more inexpensive and creative hobbies than many people realize. Some of the products produced from these hobbies can even be converted to cash! Since I am a female writer I will concern myself with only hobbies for women, (I am not sexist, but I’m afraid I don’t know much about hobbies for males). Many of the hobbies I will suggest are quite inexpensive and yet yield high quality produce of one kind or another and provide fantastic mental stimulus of the mind.

Patchworking would have to be one of the most inexpensive hobbies I know of that produce the most beautiful results. I see so many people running to the shop to buy ¾ fats, (fabric bundles), that are quite expensive but also quite unnecessary. Patchwork and quilting fabric was normally created with “off-cuts” of fabric, scraps of material or old clothes recycled by cutting up the fabric. Besides fabric, all that really is required is a needle, thread and maybe a thimble! Of course, for us modern girls, a sewing machine would add some really cool touches and speed up the process immensely. However, in saying this, women of the past have made some truly beautiful and dazzling quilts, table runners, shirts etc., without the use of technology.

Scrapbooking would probably be the “paper” equivalent of “patchworking” (with fabric). Scrapbooking is also a very inexpensive hobby for the budding photo enthusiast! Even locks of curl cut from baby’s hair or a cut from baby’s first leggings can be applied to a scrapbooking page to enhance and add realism to the photo. Patches of “fancy” paper and small embellishments found around the home are a welcomed commodity to scrapbooking. The two crafts so far I have mentioned can almost entirely be made from recycling old-wares around the home of friends, family, opt-shops etc.

Needlework is also an inexpensive hobby requiring a bit of aider (inexpensive special cross-stitch fabric), some embroidery

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>