When do you - if ever - let go of a craft?

[KayLR]

In the past several years I rediscovered my love of surface embroidery. Then I decided I was only going to do that for my hobbycraft since I'm good at it, enjoy it as a meditative practice, joined a guild where I can learn more techniques and make friends.

I boxed up ALL my yarn I'd collected over the years and put it on the local FB Marketplace. A lady met me, paid, and took it ALL. I never felt so unburdened! I crocheted off and on for oh, 10 years. Tried to teach myself to knit several times. Like others have said, I have memories of my grandma and the beautiful things she used to knit and crochet and thought I could do as well if I tried. Well, no.

So all I have now are lots of embroidery books and patterns and threads and hoops. I have a few small stashes of fat quarters I make small gifts with on occasion. That's all I really use my sewing machine for anymore. No more quilting or dressmaking for me anymore either.

[JaneV2.0]

If you like embroidery, you might like boro, a Japanese craft that uses decorative stitches for mending and creating.

"Boro (Japanese: ぼろ) are a class of Japanese textiles that have been mended or patched together. The term is derived from Japanese boroboro, meaning something tattered or repaired. As hemp was more widely available in Japan than cotton, they were often woven together for warmth."

[JaneV2.0]

I have read that sometimes the reason we hang onto things is because we have the fantasy of being that person....like that big tub of knitting supplies I hang onto, cuz I want to be that person who's an accomplished knitter.

I've read that, too--and it resonates with me. I have Egyptian Burial Syndrome, wherein I want all the items I might possibly desire or need in the afterlife to surround me and be interred with me. Similar idea.

[happystuff]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm not sorry to have let go of some of the beads, and I actually think I will be okay letting them go entirely. I don't "see" myself sitting and doing it any longer. When I sit to craft, I still have other things that I am genuinely preferring.

[jp1]

Personally I cannot answer the OP's question because up to this point I have not let go of the one craft thing I've ever really adopted in my life, brewing beer. When I lived in a tiny NYC apartment I brewed beer for years on a regular basis. Had parties where I invited a bunch of people over and I'd have a couple cases worth of beer from different batches waiting for them. It was lots of fun when doing it myself or with friends coming over to help out with either the brewing part or the bottling part. Since moving to California 11+ years ago I have not brewed a single batch. Yet I still have all the equipment and even some of the ingredients (the bottom door tray in our freezer has an assortment of hop pellets that are surely totally stale and flavorless by now.) Perhaps I will let go of this the next time we move. We've now moved all this stuff twice since the last time I actually used any of it.

[catherine]

If you like embroidery, you might like boro, a Japanese craft that uses decorative stitches for mending and creating.

"Boro (Japanese: ぼろ) are a class of Japanese textiles that have been mended or patched together. The term is derived from Japanese boroboro, meaning something tattered or repaired. As hemp was more widely available in Japan than cotton, they were often woven together for warmth."

Wow, that's awesome! I used to do crewel work when I was a teen, which I liked because of the variety of stitches you use. I also really appreciate many elements of Japanese culture, so this looks like something I might actually enjoy! It's not as labor intensive as quilting, but I might be able to parlay my embroidery skills into something pretty.

I found this blog post on it. https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blo...othes-mending/

[razz]

Interesting embroidery link. Thanks.. I gave up tole painting, cake decorating but still have watercolour, acrylic and oil paints, too much yarn and fabric but not ready to release them yet as I keep going back to them and make simple things.

[Tybee]

I became obsessed with looking at Boro years ago, Jane--my one attempt was short lived, but I find it so beautiful.

[JaneV2.0]

I became obsessed with looking at Boro years ago, Jane--my one attempt was short lived, but I find it so beautiful.

I belong to a FB group, just for the visuals. I see a lot of small, pieced blocks with boro stitching. Sashiko is a related craft with prescribed patterns, so not as interesting to me.

[Tybee]

I belong to a FB group, just for the visuals. I see a lot of small, pieced blocks with boro stitching. Sashiko is a related craft with prescribed patterns, so not as interesting to me.

You know, I think I had it wrong--it was sashiko, as i remembered it started with an s. But the pictures looked very similar. They used it historically for fire protection clothing! It was so beautiful.