Handmade: 3 Examples Of Crafts As A Means Of Expression

1. Knit in company

Many women and men today declare themselves hooked on the pleasure of weaving garments and objects with their personal stamp by hand. “In many cities there are many centers and cafes where you can knit and sew making friends. Tensions are released to the beat of the needles and you get out of isolation,” says Pilar Parras, marketing director of DMC, a well-known yarn and wool company.

At IFil anyone can learn how to knit or crochet in 15 minutes. “We were a group of friends who met to knit in a horchatería and we saw that there was no place to start. In our free initiation workshops, garter stitch (the base of the tricot) or crochet is taught to make a first garment, normally square and cheerful, with balls that change color “, says Nuria Castelló, who learned with her grandmother.

” This hobby unites generations. It does not require a special talent and almost without investment you feel like a craftsman. Many people find in knitting and crochet a means to focus and calm the mind”, says Nuria.

In the workshops of initiation -of hour and a half he taught the point of jersey, the point of rice, increase and decrease. In the advanced ones, patterns, complicated finishes and the jacquard stitch are made. Acquiring a kit, with material and instructions, also allows you to create original scarves, bags, collars and amigurumis , some endearing crocheted dolls that, according to Japanese tradition, have a soul that supports their owner for life.

The MyBoshy kits have spawned a new urban tribe of over 65,000 Facebook followers. They contain three balls of wool and a book with 15 options to knit your own hat in three hours.

Social Club Sewing

Inspired by those in England, Irune Quevedo and her mother, Mayte Regué, opened Costuretas, a sewing café where sewing machines are rented by the hour.

“In the club you sew better than at home because you have material, advice and company. We also give initiation workshops, in which each person creates a unique garment, impregnated with the love with which they have sewn it,” says Irune.

The art of weaving on the net

In forums, blogs and social networks today you will find all kinds of inspiration, instructions and material. Pinterest, a social network for sharing images based on specific topics, is a great source of inspiration when gathering all kinds of creations.

Not only is it woven with wool, t- shirt yarn is in fashion , a very thick waste thread that is used for bags, baskets, rugs … Patchwork makes or decorates all kinds of garments and objects with scraps. “The original is sewn by hand and requires patience, but by machine it is easier,” says Carme Prat of La Tieta Patch.

2. New life for wood

An industrial coil can be turned into a sturdy round table, or six pallets with mattresses on top of it into a funky casual sofa. A new form of ecological and imaginative decoration proliferates , which generates the satisfaction not only of having made it yourself, but also of giving new life to discarded materials.

“Transforming something worthless into an attractive object is very rewarding. It does not require being a great handyman, just look around for materials, open your mind and play. I think I have never stopped being a girl who finds a way to replace what that she lacks, but as an adult this activity arises from my need to take care of the planet. On a practical level I also get exclusive furniture at a good price, with an effort that is minimal if I take into account that it is a hobby “, says Carmela Rubio, creator of Objectbis, the web from which motivates to give objects a second life in a thousand different ways.

Pallets meet the ideal conditions to get started in these ecological crafts. Attractive, easy to find for free or very cheap, without varnish … simply stack and screw them together to create structures that do not require a perfect finish.

“You can do a lot with just four tools that are in every house. You just need the will and a little time. The furniture is usually designed taking advantage of the geometric shape of the pallet, which is very versatile. With only two pallets in place one on top of the other, a glass and some wheels, you have a coffee table. It can be complicated by disassembling the pallets to reuse the wood, for example to cover the floor, a wall, build a bookcase or a kennel for the dog. In some cases, the fastest way is to saw the part connected to the blocks; you lose wood, but you save a lot of time “, explains José Farré Teixidor, technical architect.

José is the creator of Mueblesdepalets and Diypalletfurniture, two reference blogs where you can find instructions and ideas to build furniture with pallets. He advises disinfecting the pallets using pressure steam, soap and water, or by sanding them, especially if we are going to give them a use in which we will be constantly in contact with them.

Discover the ‘Chalk Paint’

To give an original finish to these recycled wood furniture or to update old furniture, nothing better than a few layers of chalk paint . This chalk paint is ideal for lovers of shabby chic , the decoration style that combines antique and modern elements, as it adheres to most surfaces without sanding and provides a special satin finish.

Thanks to its texture, the worn finish typical of that style is easily achieved , in which white and pastel tones prevail. If the furniture is painted with another color before white, an attractive color game is enjoyed when stripping.

A whole world of ideas

Self-taught students have a free treasure trove of inspiration and advice on Pinterest and YouTube to learn how to personalize a piece of furniture or restore youth.

• www.thehobbymaker.com: This Spanish website gathers the courses that can be done in different cities, either alone, with children, escaping to a rural house or practicing a language.
• www.restaurarmuebles.es: From Córdoba, José Manuel Martín offers face-to-face and online courses to get started in furniture restoration. “Patience is the great secret. Techniques are not difficult: you just need a good teacher and respect the times.”
• www.anniesloan.com: The website of the creator of chalk paint, the paint that is applied as is on furniture, floors, walls … Her YouTube channels show countless applications, whether on wood, leather or fabrics.
• www.chalkpaint.es : Neus Iserte offers many ideas on his blog and authentic chalk paint outlets.

3. New trends

Who wants to be up to date practices scrapbooking. In the United States alone there are more than 25 million fans. It is very gratifying to personalize all kinds of objects: albums, letters, invitations, poems, notebooks, diaries … by cutting and pasting photographs and other elements on them.

” The American style is more ornate, the photo is not cropped, but adorned. It is easy to start with a kit that includes matching papers, decorations and ribbons. In the more minimalist European style, it is usual to use between three and five Photographs cut out using templates. These are pasted looking for the most elegant composition; then the other elements are scarce “, says Carolina Caluori from Azzaworld, a community that sells products to create with scrapbooking, always through a monitor who introduces the domain of this technique, at home or in a workshop.

Three techniques on the rise

The scrapart combines any type of material (felt, paper, paint, cardboard …) for compositions. In this area, washi tape is experiencing an unprecedented heyday. This rice paper adhesive tape invented in Japan is used to decorate glass, wood, paper, metal … It is sold in all colors, patterns and even with lace. Its versatility allows you to tune your laptop, mobile phone case, envelopes, packages, diaries, plugs, candles and even walls.

Chris Bravo in his book ‘Washi Tape Manía’ (Calamar Ediciones) exposes step by step 25 projects of different difficulty to work with this tape.

The stamp carving is carving a figure on an eraser. The drawing is transferred to the rubber with carbon paper and the bas-relief is formed with gouges. The rubber stamp obtained allows you to print cards and other objects.

Again from Japan, kumihimo is imposed to create bracelets, necklaces and belts by braiding plastics and threads with a disc. This allows for an infinity of braiding, between which beads are inserted.