I was in the midst of brainstorming up a follow-up post from December about the craft projects I did in the latter half of 2020, in terms of the approach to some of the things I did. But after some mulling I think what’s more important is about the lessons learned that actually helped me adjust my approach as I worked on the next project, and so on. So here they are, for future posterity…
General Lessons Learned
- Read all the instructions. I mean…all the instructions before starting.
Specific to Sewing:
- Fabric is deceptive. When folded, it doesn’t seem like there’s much to use. Once you unfold, iron out and cut what you need, you’ve made a dent, but not as big a dent as you think
- Don’t get fancy fussy cutting or cutting into a zillion small pieces for the above reason. Use the biggest pieces to make an easy project (i.e. tote bag, quilt block, zipper bag, etc.)
- Making masks with elastics – avoid ironing over the elastics…if they’ve got rubber or latex it’ll melt or warp
Specific to Crocheting:
- Stitch markers are your friend – they’ll save you heartache in the long run trying to find out where you dropped a stitch
- For all of my gripes about Youtube, it’s helped me find tutorials on learning new stitches and techniques and has really helped me learn more quickly than if I stuck to books
- Invest in ergonomic crochet hooks or ergonomic adapters you can use with straight hooks. Failing that, take lots of breaks to rest the hands
- Buy yarn ONLY for projects, not because they’re on sale
- Have 2-3 projects on the go, and switch between them often to avoid getting burned out focusing on one…and have them varied in size/scope
