Looking for a simple craft

[wheelockhunter]

I need some suggestions for something I can make that doesn't take up a lot of space in my small apartment that me and my wife share with a very inquisitive 15 month old.

She does some bead work and sewing and I would love to do something I just have no space to work with.

I hate asking a such a general question but any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[R.M.]

What about bags. You make the bags, and the Missus can bead them up. The two sort of go hand in hand.

 

[hotsparks]

And to go with the bags, how about strap weaving? And you can work the beading into that too..I thick there would be a pretty good little niche/hobby market for bag staps, horn straps and the like also.
John

 

[Rod Lassey]

There was a very good article in the last On The Trail magazine on strap weaving--looked pretty easy, with lots of room for variation, different colored yarns or cordage, etc. And the best part--it takes up NO room. The strap being made just hangs from a nail in the wall.
http://www.ottmagazine.com/index.shtml

Rod

 

[bwhoffman]

Strap weaving would work!
I do mine on a 1x6 thats 8' long and hides under the couch when not in use. I can do this off a door knob IF I want to.

you can do a search in this forum for "card weaving", I put a lot of info into the links in those posts that will point a fellow in the right direction!

 

[bucktales]

Good suggestions.
Also, how bout loading blocks made from various materials , short starters and powder measures made from antler.

 

[omarick1948]

Learn card or finger weaving.....forget about Inkle weaving, seems that everyone is doing it and not the most PC, if PC is what your looking for!

 

[Short Arm]

Excuse me,
To say Inkle weave straps are not PC is not accurate. Inkle looms have been around since the 1500’s; Read Shakespeare’s stories.

An Inkle weave is a ”˜pattern’ and can be produced on many types of looms. Also I can do a basket weave on an Inkle loom. These are just weaving patterns.

To have an Inkle weave strap produced now in the 2000’s using an Inkle loom and saying this is not PC is the same as saying any rondy shirts that have been made in the 2000’s are not PC. ALL fabric you buy in a store or online is produced using today’s modern machinery. You can use a ”˜pattern’ of 1700’s but the fabric was made today.Card weaving is low cost fun and you can do many patterns.Also doesn't take up much space.What every you decide just have fun.Enjoy

 

[BrownBear]

I'll toss in a recommendation for leatherworking, too. All my tools and supplies fit into a small tackle box, and it's something I do mostly in my lap while watching TV or avoiding chores. Projects can run small or large using scraps or big chunks of leather, but the tool kit stays pretty much the same. Lots of advice here and elsewhere online, as well as some great books. Mostly though, the only limitation is your imagination. You can build pretty much anything you can think of.

 

[qtrhrs7]

OH OH, Horner! I think you got Taffeys' Irish up! :shocked2:

 

[crockett]

It depends on whether you have any space for stuff that gets your hands dirty- like making a knife or dying leather. Some apartments have little balconies that maybe you could work on. If that is not an option then I would consider making your own clothing- it is a pretty neat and clean thing to do. You can make a shirt, some drop front pantaloons, a capote, a wolf ear cap, suspenders, moccasins, etc. The idea of hand sewn clothing is good and you'll save a lot of money. If you are good at it- maybe make clothing for others and swap for other gear, etc.

 

[omarick1948]

SHAKESPEAR!!!!....'Ol Willy did weaving too? :rotf:

 

[JamesG]

Makeing bags would be my first choice. Then beadwork there serveral diffrent type to keep you learning .

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

In the Bookskinner series (nr. 7), there is a very nice article about art and writing on the Frontier. There was also an interesting article in the latest Muzzleloader magazine on that... With one or a few pens,perhaps a feather quill, some ink and paper you could start 18th century caligraphy ... make a map of your environment, try your hand on some ooficial documents of the time, even start a journal! Not so easy to do but a lot of fun, and cheap, and you can make a lot of nice stuff... Some years back, I got my hands on some original 18th century bills ... had them framed one day, and they made beautifull Christmas gifts!

 

[dyemaker]

Why not make ramrods? Simple enough... well maybe not. Just a thought.

 

[rich pierce]

There was a very good article in the last On The Trail magazine on strap weaving--looked pretty easy, with lots of room for variation, different colored yarns or cordage, etc. And the best part--it takes up NO room. The strap being made just hangs from a nail in the wall.
http://www.ottmagazine.com/index.shtml

volume and issue, please?
thanks

Rod

 

[Goldhunter]

There was a very good article in the last On The Trail magazine on strap weaving--looked pretty easy, with lots of room for variation, different colored yarns or cordage, etc. And the best part--it takes up NO room. The strap being made just hangs from a nail in the wall.
http://www.ottmagazine.com/index.shtml

volume and issue, please?
thanks

Rod

Vol. 16 No. 4 - August/September, 2009

 

[FishDFly]

You might look at the below for ideas of what different folks make, it may give you and your wife some ideas that you have not thought of:

http://www.longrifle.ws/forsale/?categoryID=all&age=Contemporary

RDE

 

[DBox]

Leather work doesn't take up much room. I built a saddle one time with tools that would fit in a shoe box in a shed that was REAL small.

 

[trent/OH]

While not exactly a craft to make somthing, consider learning Indian Sign Language (or an Indian language), or take up story telling. Everybody loves a good tale.