Benefits of Trying New Crafts

I am not a person who loves change. I am a person who can adapt to change better than most. That sounds like a contradiction, but it’s the truth. Regarding crafts, I tend to stick to those I find easiest to do. For me that is crochet. But I love to try other media, other crafts, just to see if I can do them.

Sometimes I find that I am all thumbs with a certain craft. Like embroidery. I make my fabric pucker because I pull too tightly. I am not good at latch hooking. I do not pull the knot tightly enough. These are some of the crafts that I’ve crossed off my list.

However, there are some that I’ve tried with small success. Small success, to me, is something I’ve tried and found at least one design or pattern I can do and do well. Never mind that I might never do anything else in that medium. That one project becomes a staple in my repertoire of gifts or projects, and I am happy I tried the craft and discovered the one thing I can do with those materials.

Take plastic canvas. I am not good at it. However, I have found that I am really good at making satin ribbon crosses with it. I have made thousands. But I will not make anything else of plastic canvas. Another example is origami. I’ve tried it but the only thing that people rave over is the little shirts I make out of dollar bills. I’ve tried the dollar bill rings and they look funny. I’ve tried a swan and a frog out of special paper. No go. But I am happy that I tried because of the money-shirt.

The moral of this story is that we should never be afraid to try something new. Something wonderful may come of it. At the worst, we can scratch that craft off of our wish list for the future.

Thank you, Dear Lord, for blessing me with a sense of adventure and curiosity so that I am always willing to try something new when you place it in my path.