September 2025 Crafting Check In
Sep. 21st, 2025 01:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yourlibrarian posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
everykindofcraft
Posting this late this month, because the day I was going to do so, we got a new post here \o/ Welcome to everyone new joining us since August!
This post is to prompt anyone who has been doing crafting lately to share about their projects. Plus there's a general question for everyone to chime in on.
This month I wanted to ask about crafting costs. A lot of us have experienced increased costs for all sorts of things, crafting material included.
How have you all dealt with this? Have you changed the kind of items you get, do exchanges with other crafters, stockpile stuff from clearances or store closures? Do tell!
no subject
Date: 2025-09-21 07:05 pm (UTC)Regarding costs, I have been tracking jewelry component costs for almost 30 years and there have been steady rises even during years when we supposedly had next to no inflation in the U.S.
Shrinkflation has definitely hit, as have overall costs. There are a lot of items that are still quite reasonably priced, but one way that companies have held prices down is to substitute plastic for metal or glass. It makes sense given shipping weight and material costs but it affects both what I can easily get as well as the variety of looks for projects.
I don't have a problem with using plastics, there are some quite nice beads available and I also appreciate keeping prices from escalating even quicker. But I do wonder what's going to happen with the tariff situation here. Certainly costs are never going to go back down.
I have always stocked up on sales and closings. I've never gotten stuff I didn't want, but I have definitely bought things because I could get a deal on them. I figure they'll get used sooner or later.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-21 07:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-09-21 08:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-09-21 07:18 pm (UTC)I'm lucky in that I already have a stockpile of crafting supplies brought years ago when I had more money than I've got now, but I also got quite a bit from a local arts and crafts supply store that was closing, and I pick up bits and pieces in charity shops all the time. There are bargains to be had, if you're in the right place at the right time.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-21 07:29 pm (UTC)Yes, I remember that someone tipped me off to the closing of a bead store online years ago. I got a lot of good stuff there that lasted me for years (it's the findings rather than the beads that tend to run out fastest).
One of my best buys was when I was just starting out. A friend had a wholesaler's license and she was a massive crafter, so went with me to a wholesale center. I bought so much beading wire that I still haven't run out decades later and I only ran out of gold crimp beads last year.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-21 08:17 pm (UTC)Sounds like you got some great deals that lasted a long time!
The arts and crafts store had been there for as long as I can remember, 50 years at least. I was going though a big box of peel-off stickers for card making in there, to see what I might be able to use, and the shop owner asked if I'd like the whole lot for £13. Sure! Worked out about 1p per sheet. Think I might try to sell some on ebay.
Most of my findings are for earrings because I used to make a lot of random dangly pairs. I do have a few for necklaces and stuff though. Got a few more in mixed bags at a charity shop recently, and reels of beading wire. Some thin, mostly thicker as I want to trey wrapping crystals for pendants. Never done anything like that before, but at £1 a reel, I can give it a try. See what happens. Not before Halloween though. I don't have time to spare.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-21 08:24 pm (UTC)Yes, being able to sell those on is a way of exchanging, because you can pick up other things you need that way 🙂
I have done a little bit of wrapping but on the whole just bought stuff already wrapped as I wasn't great at it and it was an extra item I needed to have. Do share what you make though!
no subject
Date: 2025-09-21 09:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-09-21 07:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-09-21 07:59 pm (UTC)I suspect that mailing costs make it prohibitive to doing much swapping online, but area exchanges would seem possible in some spots.
Thoughts
Date: 2025-09-21 09:44 pm (UTC)I've had more time this month, so I have done some crafts and also visited events with crafts for sale. Plus my hobby posts with links.
My Crafts
Candy Jar Terrarium Part 1: Setup
Photos: Fairy Garden Lantern Deconstruction
Events with Crafters
Autumn Fest 9/19
Broomcorn Festival 9/9
Cheese Festival 8/30
Hobbies
Hobbies: Knitting
Hobbies: Embroidery
Hobbies: Sewing
>> This month I wanted to ask about crafting costs. A lot of us have experienced increased costs for all sorts of things, crafting material included.
How have you all dealt with this? <<
I really regret the loss of Joanne's Fabrics. We had a Michael's move in nearby, which is nice for craft supplies, but they don't carry much fabric and everything there is a lot more expensive. :/
It doesn't have a big impact on me because I don't buy large amounts of new craft supplies. I get things at thrift stores, bargain stores, street fairs, rummage sales, and so on. If it's a thing my yard can make, very often the item will simply be dropped at my feet or left in one of my workspaces. The stick I plant to use in the lantern terrarium for holding the air plants was helpfully left on the old picnic table garden. :D I only buy new if I have a specific project in mind and don't have everything I need for it.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2025-09-21 10:06 pm (UTC)We still have a Michael's and Hobby Lobby in town. Michael's has reduced their jewelry stock and also gotten quite pricey. Hobby Lobby still has its rotating sales, though now they are often 40% off instead of half off and the prices went up anyway. They also used to have a coupon you could use each week and that was discontinued.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2025-09-22 02:54 am (UTC)If you look at the individual event reports, I list some of the ones that caught my eye and where we bought things. In general though, common examples include:
* Ceramics
Containers (vases, boxes, etc.)
Dishware
Fine art sculptures
Housewares (spoon rests, napkin rings, etc.)
Jewelry
Knickknacks (cute animals, pen holders, etc.)
Tiles (art tiles, hotplates, etc.)
* Fibercrafts
Crochet, knitting
Embroidery
Sewing, quilting
T-shirts, sweatshirts: tye-dye, airbrush, iron-on, rhinestones
* Historic crafts
Blacksmithing
Leather / fur work
Spinning
Weaving
Woodcarving
* Jewelry
Beaded
Metalwork
Upcycled silverware
* Personal supplies
Essential oils
Fragrance sprays
Herbal goods (body butters, lip balms, etc.)
Soap
* Stained glass
Decor (butterflies, beetles, etc.)
Jewelry
Suncatchers
Windows
* Stone work
Boxes
Figurines
Jewelry
Knapping (flint, but also agate or glass)
* Upcycling
Decor
Figurines
Lawn art
Suncatchers
Windchimes
* Visual arts
Digital art prints
Drawing (pen, pencil)
Painting (mostly acrylic or watercolor)
Photography
* Wax crafts
Beeswax (as a raw material)
Candles
Wax melts
* Woodworking
Chip carving
Games
Furniture
Kitchenware like cutting boards
Toys
Check out A Day Away. It lists events and attractions all around central Illinois. Some of these include local crafters or places that sell crafts. The cover has a ropemaker!
>>We still have a Michael's and Hobby Lobby in town. Michael's has reduced their jewelry stock and also gotten quite pricey. Hobby Lobby still has its rotating sales, though now they are often 40% off instead of half off and the prices went up anyway. They also used to have a coupon you could use each week and that was discontinued. <<
Michael's caters to the Martha Stewart types. Hobby Lobby leans even more conservative. Joann's was for teachers to buy school craft supplies, parents panicking because their kid told them about needing a costume for the school play in 3 days, senior knitters and quilters, bored teens -- everyone who wanted to do something creative without paying an arm and a leg.
The problem with capitalism is that now everything is about making money, and they've forgotten that businesses used to be about making sure people could buy what they needed and get services done. It's a problem. And in the case of losing Joanne's, that makes it much harder to, say, boycott fast fashion by making your own clothes.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2025-09-22 05:33 pm (UTC)Re: clothes making, my mother used to make most of my clothes when I was growing up. Back then it was an advantage over store prices in terms of costs, plus, of course, personalization. She had learned some basics growing up as her father was a tailor.
However by the time I was a teen it wasn't worth her time or the expense and I was clearly not going to follow in her footsteps, given my early training. For jewelry making, it depends on the item. Some things can still be made for less or about the same, but many others are cheaper to buy at a low cost store than to make.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2025-09-22 06:26 pm (UTC)We used to have a big, beautiful festival that including both fine arts and crafts, but it is far smaller than it used to be. However, that is where we found the fine art ceramic artist this spring.
We also stumbled across a couple of local art galleries this summer. One does shows with a theme. The other just has tons and tons of stuff for sale -- jewelry, ceramics, fibercrafts, paintings, photos -- and it spans the range from affordable crafts to very expensive fine art, which is awesome.
>>Re: clothes making, my mother used to make most of my clothes when I was growing up. Back then it was an advantage over store prices in terms of costs, plus, of course, personalization. <<
My mother and grandmother did that when I was little. I still have a few things my mother made as late as high school. It's getting so hard to find new clothes in fabric I can wear, let alone a cut that fits or a color that looks decent, that I've gotten reluctant to part with older clothes that don't fit because I'm aware that I may need to cut them down for the cloth to make something else. Most modern fabric feels like plastic to me. >_<
>>For jewelry making, it depends on the item. Some things can still be made for less or about the same, but many others are cheaper to buy at a low cost store than to make.<<
I look for things I couldn't make. If it's just generic "I need orange earrings," I can make them or buy them cheap. It's the dragons or Celtic knotwork or Indian-beaded dangles that grab my attention. Dichroic glass is a favorite; I'll buy that because it's so hard to find, especially if it's got an actual design rather than just color.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2025-09-22 06:33 pm (UTC)Ooh, good example about dichroic designs! Those are definitely a pleasant find.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2025-09-23 04:21 am (UTC)>_< It's especially bad when a whole category of clothes becomes unusable. Sometimes I find sportswear or leisurewear at thrift stores that is cotton or soft synthetics. But touching new stuff makes me wipe my hands on my pants.
>> On the one hand, I know that some plastics are being recycled into clothes which is great in theory, but less so in wearing. I imagine the higher plastic content keeps costs down but it's not pleasant.<<
You have to suit the material to the product use. Coarse recycled plastic "cloth" is fine for things like reusable grocery bags, backpacks, shoe outsides, etc. But it's not good next to skin.
>> Ooh, good example about dichroic designs! Those are definitely a pleasant find. <<
I think I've got earrings with Celtic knotwork. I've got a pendant or pin with a whole tiny forest scene of a piper dancing under a crescent moon.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2025-09-23 06:19 pm (UTC)It's probably been a year since I was there getting beading items and it's almost shocking how little is left and how the prices have gone up again. You'd think with less competition they'd stock more, but nope.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2025-09-24 04:23 am (UTC)That sucks. :( We're losing so much access to raw materials for making things. Sure, it's possible to buy online if you already know exactly what you want. But you can't browse for inspiration the way you can in person, plus it's hard to tell the size or color of things.
>>You'd think with less competition they'd stock more, but nope.<<
If they have no competition, they have no reason to treat customers well because there's little or no alternative. So they can do things like jack up prices.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2025-09-24 04:31 pm (UTC)This exactly. I've bought both beads and findings online, and the bead color or tone is hard to judge. I can see it just in terms of the photos I take of finished work.
And sizing is an issue even when it's clearly stated, especially when one is talking about the difference between 2 and 4 millimeters.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2025-09-24 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-09-22 03:01 am (UTC)I live in Japan and buy most of my yarn from the U.K. (Wool Warehouse) because it's hard to find the kind of in-between quality acrylic I like here: not too cheap, like the tiny skeins at the ¥100 ($1) store (and those add up fast if you're making anything bigger than a hat!) but not too fancy (and, therefore, expensive). I do a big order every now and then to get the most out of the flat rate shipping.
I haven't had to worry about the U.S. tariff situation [in the crafting context] but I know it's causing my auntie (who makes baby blankets for her church's Moses baskets) a lot of grief so I gave her a lot of my old stash while I was home this summer.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-22 05:09 pm (UTC)What pretty colors for that blanket, that looks so nice. And that sort of bulk buying makes sense, especially if you want variety.
Oh that's interesting, did you usually import items from the U.S.? Speaking as a beader, about 95% of what I use comes from China, with a bit from India or Europe. I know Japan is a great source for beads that are woven because of their precision cut, but I don't use looms so I've rarely bought any.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-23 12:41 am (UTC)Sometimes when I visit home, I'd stock up at Joann's (RIP) or bring back yarn from my stash (which I gave away most of this summer) but when I order online, it's always been from Wool Warehouse because they have the most reasonable international shipping prices that I've found so far.