Creating a craft space

Creating a craft space

By Wendy Armstrong

19th Aug 2022

More and more of us are getting into crafting. Whether it’s a way to de-stress after a long day, a hobby to while away the long winter nights or even a possible new business venture, crafting is creative, fun and something you can easily do at home. We caught up with some top crafters to find out their craft secrets:

1) Finding the perfect spot

Mand from Woolfull.com says: “Having your own dedicated craft space at home is beneficial for actually doing your crafts, and also keeps all your materials from spilling over into other areas of your home. To set up a craft space you don’t need a massive area, even a space as part of a room is enough. With most crafts you can start small and add additional tools or materials as you get more experienced and know what’s worth splashing out on.” Victoria runs a craft business called Little Letter and worked from “any room in the house that would allow me to” whilst renovating her home before building a garden office and advises: “Pick a room where you can shut the door free from distractions and work in the evening, ideally with natural light. A set of drawers on wheels and a portable shelving unit are all essentials.” For portable shelving try this Chrome Wire Shelving Unit with Wheels!

2) Organisation, organisation, organisation

Amanda of Gift Frippery operates her bespoke wrapping service from home: “I have so many different items it makes organisation quite tricky, I have to store paper ribbons, embellishments, twinkly stuff, gift tags, hole punches, rubber stamps and a million other things that I feel will be handy one day!” These organisers could definitely help! Lisa, founder of Less Stuff and a keen knitter says: “If moths get into your yarn supply it can mean disaster. Vacuum storage bags protect your craft supplies really well, and if you have lots of yarn to store they can save you space too. You can organise them by colour, yarn type or weight, which is my favourite way. I have lots of socks made from the scraps of other projects. It’s really important to choose Clear Storage Boxes for yarn, otherwise you will find yourself opening everything up to find just one thing.”

3) Vertical space

Annie McGee is an illustrator and designer at Northern Bird Designs: “I make use of under bed storage for materials and equipment that I don’t use daily. An open bookcase is home to my record player, printer and art supplies that I use on a daily basis. I’ve also found that making use of the vertical space with wall grids and pegboards that I’ve customised with rose gold spray paint (one of my favourite colours) helps to keep items like brushes, pens, scissors and inks tidy and organised.” This Grid Mesh Shelving with Hooks is a good choice! Fibre Artist Meagan Condon of Luthvarian says: “I lined the walls of the guest bedroom with cubical storage and made use of vertical space by adding shelves and hanging baskets.” Try the Chrome Wire Shelving Unit with Storage Boxes.

4) Creative advice

With so many awesome crafts on offer, it can be tricky to know which to choose. Lisa at Less Stuff offered: “Working with yarn is a great winter pastime, it keeps you warm as you do it, you can watch a film at the same time and you end up with something that will make you feel even cosier.” And as for tips and advice, Mand from Woolfull suggests: “Start with YouTube, an online class, or better still your local yarn store. You’ll learn so much more and progress faster by watching someone else make the stitches first, and will know whether yours looks good from the outset.” Whilst fibre artist Meagan Condon says: “Be patient with yourself, especially if you are the perfectionist type.  If your hand-spun yarn looks just like commercial yarn, what’s the point?  Ask questions, experiment and be prepared for imperfections.” With all this brilliant craft advice, we for one can’t wait to get setting up our craft spaces!