Quick Crafting Projects For The Home

This is an affiliated post. All opinions expressed are in agreement with my own. 

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As a crafty person, the chances are that you love wearing or displaying your homemade pieces. After all, these are entirely unique to you. Plus, nothing quite beats the satisfaction of being able to say ‘I made it’ when someone compliments you on that new bag, sweater, or pair of gloves. 

Yet, when it comes to our homes, too many of us crafty folks prefer to fall back on shop-bought pieces. In part, this is because of an imagined difficulty in making home décor that’s always on display and will typically receive heavy usage. 

In this article, we consider just a few of the quick crafting projects that your home could benefit from. 

Crochet Pot Covers

If you understand even just a few basic crochet stitches, then crochet pot covers are a great way to add little pops of creativity into your home space. Best of all is the fact that you can probably whip these up in as little as an hour depending on their size. All you’ll need is – 

• The crochet hook size recommended for your chosen yarn

• One 100g ball of your choice of yarn

• A tape measure

Method: Measure the length and width of the pot of your choosing (this could be a plant pot, a small storage container, a tea caddy, etc.). Make a crochet chain that measures slightly less than the width of your pot. Crochet back and forth in a stitch of your choosing until your cover is the desired length. Join your ends using your chosen crochet stitch. 

Sewn Bunting

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Bunting can be a great addition to plain walls and as window hangings. If you have a sewing machine and some rudimentary skills, it’s also surprisingly easy to make your own. You’ll need – 

• A sewing machine

• A bag of scrap or quilting materials

• Bias binding

• Trim materials (optional)

Method: Cut two triangles out of each fabric pattern of your choosing. Place both triangles together with the right sides down. If you’re using a trim, feed this between the triangles, making sure to leave a 1 cm gap at the top. Stitch along both diagonal edges, making sure to catch the trim. Turn your triangle the right way and pin to your bias binding using the 1 cm allowance at the top. Do this for all triangles, leaving a 5 cm gap between each triangle. Carefully sew your bias binding, and hang it in a position of your choosing. 

Alternately, you could hot glue the triangles to the bias binding or ribbon.

Knit Tea Towels

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While you’ll want to avoid making tea towels out of wool, it’s entirely possible to create stunning tea towels out of cotton or bamboo yarns and simple stitches. By choosing funky colors, or even self-striping yarn, homemade kitchen towels are sure to be a lot more attractive than plain, shop-bought alternatives. You’ll need – 

• Straight knitting needles of the size specified on your yarn band

• A 100g ball of bamboo or cotton yarn

• A darning needle

Method: Cast on an even number of stitches. This will vary depending on the size you would like your tea towel to be, but bear in mind that knitting does tend to come out larger than your initial cast-on might seem. Knit straight in garter stitch (knitting on both sides) until your tea towel is the desired length. Cast off using your preferred method, and use your darning needle to sew in your ends. 

Origami Wall Decorations

Origami is an ancient Japanese art that can create stunning additions to your home with little more than a sheet of paper and some basic knowledge. If you already know a few origami techniques, then making these work in the home is as simple as framing them and finding somewhere to hang them. Even if you’ve never tried origami before, you can create some stunning home decor using simple techniques. You’ll need – 

• A pack of card, preferably colored

• An origami tutorial

• A frame of your choosing

Method: Decide which origami shape you would like to make out of options that include an origami heart, origami boats, and origami lotus flowers amongst others. Find a tutorial that works for you, and practice a few times using paper. Create enough origami items using your card to fill your chosen frame. Cover the frame’s backing with a spare sheet of card in a complementary color to your origami figures. Position your figures according to your preferences, and then hang your frame in pride of place. 

A Crochet Throw

Of all the lengthy home projects that you’re avoiding, a throw of any kind is probably top of the list. After all, a sizable throw could take months or even years of work. But, if you scale things down, you can end up with a pretty attractive throw out of little more than scraps from your yarn stash. All you’ll need is – 

• Several 50ish gram balls of yarn scraps in colors that work well together

• A crochet hook suitable for your yarn (e.g. a US G-6 hook for double knit, or a US L-11 for chunky)

• A darning needle to knit in your ends

Method: Chain 4 and begin a basic granny square. Keep growing your granny square, changing the color with each new row, and alternating your yarn choices. Keep going until your granny square is large enough to fit, folded over, on the bottom of a small chair, or across the arm of your couch. 

Conclusion

None of these projects should take you much more than a few evenings of work to complete, and yet they can all become affordable, but striking, decor for your home. Even if you’ve never knitted, crocheted, or any of the other crafts mentioned before, none of these projects should be out of your reach after watching a few basic tutorials. 

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to turn your crafting hand to your home at long last.