7 things Saturday - Crafts I have dabbled in

Like many of us crafty peeps I'm a bit of a dabbler.
Are you?

I've always been interested in making stuff - my mum was a great maker of things as I wrote here and I grew up in a hands-on environment.

We knitted from an early age, made clothes for our dolls as well as all sorts of paper bits and bobs (as you do when you are little)

So in no particular order here are some of the crafts I have dabbled in.

1. Pottery

I spent many years potting here and in England. I even had my own wheel and almost a kiln (it was a kit thing that I never finished building)
Our house has many useful and not-so-useful bits of pottery everywhere.

2. Sewing

As I said I learned to sew at a young age.I had a little toy sewing machine that actually worked - it was also good at getting your finger stuck under the needle!
I learned "properly" on my mother Singer treadle machine - how I wish I still had that!
For years I made most of my own clothes and my kids clothes. I have made tailored men's shirts and a tailored coat and jackets for myself.
I still sew a bit, producing Boos Tees tshirts, but I'd be lucky to even make a handerchief for myself these days.

3. Knitting

Also something I learned at a young ages. I knit now in fits and starts. I enjoy knitting - but hate the sewing up and I really am hopeless at picking up stitches around a neckline - so have a few UFOs around the place.
Also I have mitts and headbands in Boos Tees shop.

4. Jewellery making

This has been my passion and by business for the last 18 years.
Mostly what I do is bead stringing but over that time I have dabbled in polymer clay, friendly plastic, stamping, beadweaving, decorating all sorts of things with beads etc etc.
But what I really love is getting a whole bunch of gorgeous beads and making something fabulous out of them.

5. Lampwork glass bead making

I could have lumped this in with the previous category but it is so darned hard I think it deserves it's own dot point!
It involves holding a metal rod (which you have previously prepared with stuff to prevent the glass sticking, hopefully) in one hand and rod of expensive glass in the other hand and while moving both your hands independently produce a perfect round globe of awesomeness. Did I mention that there is also an incredibly hot noisy flame and gas involved?!
Then you have to wrangle the beautiful globe into a heat-retaining environment (eg vermiculite) or an hideously expensive glass kiln to prevent the little beauties from cracking.
Then you hold your tongue the right way and hope and pray that the metal rod does allow to remove the bead from it!
Arghhhh!
But why is it so addictive?

6. Woodwork
I made a coffee table once - it fell apart.

7. Watercolour painting
I was always an admirer of the gentle art of watercolours.
As a child I thought I was quite an artist - but actually I was wrong.