Crafty Boot Camp:
Make Time to Craft in Your Busy Life by
Nancy Flynn
As a dilettante it is not necessary to be hyper-organized or regimented. However, in order to pack everything in, sometimes a bit of a shape-up is in order. Whenever I feel I’ve lost the plot in one way or another—gotten out of shape, feel tired, unproductive, bored or boring, I put myself through a topic-specific “boot camp” to get back in good form. Now that fall is upon us, the lazy days of summer have started to turn into busy days, which may mean less time and energy for crafting for many of us. The perfect time for Crafty Boot Camp!
Step 1: Prioritize If you are a one-craft person, this means picking a particular project to focus on. If you are a multi-craft person, it means picking one craft at a time—preferably one that conforms well to working in short bursts. If you are a knitter, this is a great way to get more complicated holiday gifts done in time, or a layette for a baby due in the next few months. Pick a project that will keep you interested, whether that means it is something new that will challenge you, or something you’re particularly excited about (a new fall bag or a necklace to go with the dress for that party). While I am generally a proponent of having many projects going at once, if you are pressed for time it is more satisfying to achieve one goal before going on to the next—no matter how little time you have in the day, if you stick with one project you’ll eventually get it finished. As my grandmother (the one who taught me how to drink coffee) used to say, “With patience and a slow fire you can roast an ox.”
Step 2: Organize If you are like me, sometimes organization becomes a craft project of its own. Make sure you don’t cross the line from making time to craft to using all of your free time getting things organized! That said, it often saves time to spend some making sure that you can easily get all of the right tools and materials quickly to hand, and put them quickly away as well.
Portable projects like knitting, embroidery and crochet (even some types of beading) should have a project-specific tote with everything you need to get started at a moment’s notice, and also for quick stowing when you’re called away. For example, a knitter needs the right amount of the chosen yarn, the right needles, a gauge swatch for the project, any other tools (a cable needle etc), and reference material handy. Knitters and crocheters also do well to have a note card or mini notebook and pen or pencil with each project in order to jot down where you were if you need to put it down and pick it up again later. There are great organizational tools in the supplies and knitting sections of Etsy, and I also love the needle rolls over at thimble. If you’d like to make your own bag, I like this simple tutorial at super eggplant, and this one over at Craftster is very popular too.
Sewing projects can be a little more complicated, but the basic principles are the same—I have an old-fashioned sewing box just like my mother’s—it is a little stool that opens out to show three different trays just the depth of a spool of thread:
As you can see, I don’t keep it particularly well-organized, but it is easy to know what colors of thread I have just by opening it up and peeking inside. It is also a handy place to put bits of ribbon or other odds and ends that might be useful later. Before getting started on a sewing project, getting organized basically means making sure that when you head to the fabric store for your pattern and material, you pick up extra sewing machine needles (so you aren’t utterly foiled when one breaks mid-project), empty bobbins, the right color thread for your project etc. If you’re making up your own pattern, it is even more important to think about and provision your notion needs before getting started—there are few things more frustrating than realizing you don’t have just the right button, or the right length zipper to finish something off!
For beading and jewelry-making, a fishing tackle box is an excellent organizer. Like my sewing kit, I don’t keep my tackle box in terrific order, but everything I need is in there—including my tiny jewelry pliers:
Step 3: Discipline When you’re busy and over-scheduled, it is easy to just collapse on the couch the second you have any time to yourself. So make sure you’re motivated. Once you’ve chosen your project and gotten organized, it is time to set yourself a schedule. Choose a deadline that seems realistic, but isn’t so far away that you’ll feel like you’ve got years—this is when a set deadline like a birthday, baby shower or holiday can be helpful. Based on how far your deadline is from the day you begin, commit to working on your project for a set number of days per week—just like anything else, give yourself a day off when you won’t feel guilty for just vegging out in your rare free time.
Step 4: Make time!
Sometimes it feels like every day is scheduled, from the moment you open your eyes until you hit the pillow at night, but just about everyone can squeeze a bit of time out of their day for crafting. If you break down the project into manageable steps, it makes it easier to work in snatches. For example, if you are sewing from a pattern, try breaking it down like this:
*Cut out pattern (10 mins)
*Pin pattern to fabric (5 mins)
*Cut fabric (10-15 mins)
*Pin first pieces to be sewn together (10 mins)
*and so on, until you have your sewn garment/bag/plush toy!
When you can see the project broken down into small time segments, it becomes easier to see where you might make the time for a little bit every day. Here are a few suggestions for making that time:
*Public Transport: If you have a portable project, bring your tote with you on your commute in the morning.
*Tube Time: Most of us spend some time in the day watching TV—whether it is a morning show before work, or the news in the evening. Sometimes TV time seems like the only way we get to relax, but if you add a bit of crafting in while you watch, you’ll feel relaxed AND productive.
*Crafting While Cooking: It may sound crazy, but sometimes there are long enough lags between steps in making a meal that you can get some crafting in—while you wait for your pasta water to boil, or your oven to pre-heat, break out your project and get a little bit done!
*Boring meetings: They say that mentally putting yourself through certain physical exercises can actually build muscles! I believe the same is true of creativity. Not to say that I have ever done this (y’know, my boss could be reading this) but if you find yourself on a conference call or in a meeting that doesn’t require your full attention, think about your project and plan your next steps. If you are design-minded, you can also use this time to sketch ideas for your next project.
*Work breaks: The only time I’ve been jealous of the smokers in my office is when I notice that the smoking rules mean that they have to leave their desks and go outside for a break several times a day. If you work in a public cube, perhaps your office has a small conference room for a quick daily “craft break” if things slow down in the afternoon. Take a crafty coworker with you, and maybe you can do some business brainstorming at the same time.
*Waiting Rooms: The best argument for keeping your project portable, and with you as often as possible, is the amount of unexpected waiting we all end up doing, sometimes daily: for the doctor, for the bus, for the Starbucks barista to make that latte, for the friend we’re meeting for coffee, for the beginning of the movie. Fill waiting time with crafting time.
Crafting, like cooking healthy food and getting exercise, is something that we do for ourselves, to stay balanced, sane and happy. If your day job deals in the abstract, all the more reason to need the unique feeling of accomplishment that comes from creating something from start to finish. While daily life sometimes leaves time only for bare essentials, making your craft part of your routine will make it seem less like an indulgence, and more like the necessity it is. If you choose to put yourself through a crafty boot camp, sharing your progress on a getcrafty blog is an excellent way to keep up your momentum, and get friendly encouragement from fellow crafters!
Nancy Flynn is a dilettante crafter living in San Francisco with her fiance. She spends her free time sewing, knitting, crocheting, goccoing and thinking about all the other things she wants to learn how to do!
I found this really inspiring to read- thank you! I often feel like I am floundering around in crafts when I start to work on holiday projects- I will try breaking things down and giving myself deadlines to keep on track. And I love the bit about roasting an ox!
comment by Toni500 Thursday September 15th, 2005 06:38 PM
Thank you for the motivation and ideas...now to prioritize my wish list of projects!
comment by julieflomom Monday September 19th, 2005 10:32 AM
I really needed this. I'm going to start my own boot camp this week.
Thanks so much for the ideas!
comment by hellparadiso Thursday October 06th, 2005 05:02 PM
These are fantastic ideas! I was already preparing for a full season of crafting, and this only inspired me more! Thanks so much!
Something else that I do is work on my smaller projects (knitting, etc.) while I'm sitting online at home. Typically all I'm doing is reading stories or browsing forums, so it doesn't require much use of my hands.
