Follow the Major Steps of All My DIY Projects

I was all ready to describe my next project…crocheting some dishcloths for Christmas gifts…but instead I thought I’d focus this post on how ALL my do-it-yourself (DIY) projects get going.

There are five major steps that seem to be common to every project I start. These five steps include:

1. I’m intrigued with a new project. I may need something but think I could make it myself; or someone else asks if I could make something for them. I find ideas everywhere…at craft shows, bake sales, advertisements, or in gifts from others. Even the fiction books I’m reading will often have a “craft” focus like quilting, baking or holiday activities. (I’m easily bored, so I’m always looking for something new to try!)

2. I start researching how something is made, how it is used, what kind of tools are necessary to make it, etc. This is where websites like Pinterest and YouTube help…if anyone has made it, surely someone has posted about how to do it. I have found classes that will teach me how to make something, from baking to crafting. Of course, books and illustrations will often show the most elaborate finished product that could eventually be made (like a beautiful sweater crocheted with a complex design) when all I wanted to learn was how to make a simple product (like a crocheted dishcloth)!

3. Next, I begin collecting the tools I’ll need. For my soap projects, I needed soap molds, blocks of melt-and-pour soap and 4-cup heat-proof glass measuring cups to melt the soap. For my beading projects I found the best elastic to string the beads and the design board to hold the beads as I worked.

4. Practicing making the product takes the longest and is the most fun for me! When I’m baking, the family and neighbors have been my taste-testers while I figure out the recipe. I’ve learned that my baking mistakes will sometimes make good croutons…or will feed the birds…or at least will compost well!

When I made batches of soap, I started making small sample size bars and my high school friends graciously took them off my hands. I learned the sample size soap bars made good gifts…or could be melted down and poured again!

When I made my gemstone bracelets, if the elastic knot came apart or made an ugly lump, I could cut the string and try again! Right now, I have about 60 bracelets left over that I made for the Craft show in July. If I decide to change the design of the bracelets, I can always cut the elastic and use the beads in another design.

5. Finally, I begin collecting the supplies to continue making the products. Usually, I buy just enough to make/finish the one project I’m working on. However, I am optimistic and end up with enough supplies to make more than one! The trick is to buy enough to keep me going…until I lose interest in making the item. This might mean I’ve baked enough that I need to move on…having all those yummy things around every day is too much for my diet! It might mean I’ve given away enough soaps that no one wants more. Mostly…I’m the one that is ready to move on…to learn something new!!

When you explore the posts in this blog you might wonder how I do it all! Haha! Remember…I’m 78 years old! I’ve been “crafting” as long as I can remember. I got bored easily as a kid so my mom always had pencil and paper ready for times when I had needed to sit quietly…like church or a long car ride.

Mom always had bits and pieces of her projects (like yarn, fabric, buttons) that I could work with. Every Christmas Eve I would open a gift that was a project I could make that night that would keep me busy. I remember making ornaments with felt and glue and buttons.

As I grew up, mom included me in her projects. She let me choose the fabric for the dresses she made for me. By the time I was 14 I was making myself a straight skirt and jacket in Home Economics class. Not sure I ever wore it…but I tried! You can see I had to learn to read instructions on patterns early and I’m still learning and even making my own patterns for little things.

The majority of this website has been inspired by my DIY projects. While my academic career focused on teaching elementary school, I ended up teaching Vocational teachers at Penn State who were coming back to school for additional degrees. These folks were my kindred spirits…they made stuff every day! I tried to help them focus on all the reading, writing and math skills they found naturally in their subject areas. All the DIY projects I’ve done and written about have incorporated reading, following instructions and essential math skills.

So, in accordance with the goals of this blog…think about what you do every day. How do you go about learning new things? Is it fun? Do you share these new things with your family and friends? No matter how old you are, every day is an opportunity to learn something new! Share your new knowledge or projects with others. Enjoy!