Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

are we all "experts" in?
I can spin, sew, crochet, embroider, among other stuff...
How do we all spend our rare free time?

Free time, if only! I cross stitch, make soap etc (obviously) have been known to do the odd tapestry, paint (badly), sew, card making, jewellery making and have tried enamelling.

enamelling sounds fun...

I don't know about being an expert, I have had various hobbys in the past.

Let's see it started with jewellery making, then beaded ornaments, then cards, then silver clay jewellery, then beaded flowers, then machine knitting (old before my time maybe?), cake decorating, then sweets and chocolates, M&P soap and now CP soap and all things bath & body. In my spare time, of which there is little I have a bath  :mwaha: :mwaha: :mwaha:

Hel x

hel i used to do a lot of machine knitting still got my brother machine and ribber in the loft ;D
ive done all sorts of crafts over the years hand knitting crossstitch salt dough craft polymer clay sculpting
 hand painting dolls, and now soaping  probably a few more  too that  i cant remember :P
xx

Well besides the obvious (soaps & stuff) I knit, sew, crochet, wood burn, wood carve, landscape oil painting (I am thinking of changing over to acrylics because it is so less messy), jewellery, gardening & I'm sure there is something else but for the life of me I can't remember what it is. :mwaha:

Now in all fairness I've not had the time to do a lot of those things, other than knit, in a really long time.  I used to teach wood carving and burning so I might know what I'm doing there...  :mwaha:

Soap, candles, sewing, had a go at card making by I was abysmal at it, scrapbooking (ditto).  I think that's about it!

Aside from soap and B&B products, I do a pretty terrible job of sewing, knitting, cross stitching, drawing, and water color.

When I knitted a sweater in college, my mom tried to hide it when I visited home so that I wouldn't make a fool of myself going around in it...she's not a person who cares about appearances, but it was SO SO SO bad.  You really can't imagine.  Just to explain just how terrible I am :).  But I love doing crafty things, even if I'm no good.

love the avatar.
does she have a name?
I have 8 chickens and 2 ducks :)

Thanks! She actually isn't my chicken, but my friend's.  The chicken has a name, but I can't remember what it is (all 13 chickens have names but I can't remember them for the life of me).  Right now all I have at home is a massive rabbit named Genepy!

If I could, I'd have a farm full of animals, but I don't see it in the cards.

Hi Nell,
As well as my soaping & stuff, I spin, weave and knit - I have two Ashford Wheels and an Ashford Rigid Heddle loom.
I do sew (mostly clothes) and when asked, I make traditional teddy bears. I used to do a lot of cross stitch too!

I'd love to keep chickens - husband is violently allergic to them in their feathered form, though - and goats appeal too! Maybe one day!

perhaps you could pluck them and knit them some coats ;)
I'd love to see your teddy bears. MY OH and I were discussing bears last night. He thinks it is unforgivable that my Ex hubby threw away my childhood bear. (so do I)

That is a dreadful thing to do! I soooo would not want his karma!

I don't really do any other crafts. I can't paint, draw or sow. If I have any spare time Im usually on here or reading/ researching bath and body things x

Not an expert, but I like sewing, made my daughters 3 bridesmaids dresses (never again I hasten to add) I sew doorstops too, would love to make a quilt, and I want to learn to knit properly ie understand a pattern and crochet.  Used to make cards, but my hobby got too expensive as I wasn't working at the time and people weren't buying, can't compete with card factory selling 10 for a £1 lol

i make cards and scrapbook, i also love baking and make the odd bit of jewellry, i used to sew a lot but my machine went to sewing machine heaven, and i've also done a bit of marquetry because its a hobby of my dads and he insisted i had a go, I also get a good bit of "hobby guilt" when I havent done a certain thing for a while  :mwaha:

where are you? i could teach you to crochet.
Or if you are a million miles away, try the knit witch tutorials on youtube...

I can sew & knit, I've made cards and jewelry. I garden (fruit & veg & non-edibles), make wine jam & pickles, I've painted 2 acrylic canvases, 1 was on the wall for about 10 years until I redecorated. I had a painting thing years ago, then, nothing more came of it! I've also made easter eggs before, no time the last couple of years and I love baking. there'sprobably  more, but I've bragged enough now, sorry! :mwaha:

PICKLES i forgot pickles  :mwaha: :mwaha: :mwaha:
I'm mainly my dads pickling assistant though

Too many to list as I've been taking up crafts over the past 60 years (could knit, sew and crochet before I started school).

I'd love to have a go at lampwork with glass - but no chance of doing it at home.

Elaine that is one I would like to try to.

I make rosaries and other bits like bag charms and such like.  I wouldn't say I'm an expert though.  You can see them here:

www.facebook.com/faithloveanddaisychains

Done a few over the years, I can knit (well, I can start, but don't know how to finish anything, and I can only knit scarves :mwaha:), I have done a fair amount of cross stitch (really enjoy samplers and 'decorating' square pieces of aida). I have a small sewing machine and would love to use it a bit more to make tablecloths and hankies, other stuff seems to take over though!

I've done some watercolour before, scrapbooking, I do a LOT of baking (cakes, cookies, pies, all the things that a bad for me), all the B&B stuff (always looking for new things to try, I like a challenge), some wax melts/candles (would definitely like to learn about chandlery some more).
I would LOVE to learn how to crochet. My nan was awesome back in the day, I would sit and watch her for hours. Sadly she is too arthritic to do any now, and I wish I had asked her to show me how to do it. I am no good at following online/book tutorials.
I used to do a lot of drawing but not so much anymore, lots of still life. Jewellery making/charm making has been an interest for a long time, and I have read a LOT, it's just finding the time/money to buy supplies and make stuff.
I made jam once when I was younger, strawberry I think.

I'm in Essex, my Nana and my Aunts mothers tried to teach me but I just can't get my head round it, I've tried youtube too!

Oh yeah, done tons of cross stitch!

I started with sewing - my sisters and I danced (ballet, tap, jazz, highland etc) and required costumes, so we all sew!  I made my first tutu by myself when I was 14 (this was before the days of lycra, it was lined and boned etc).  Had to learn how to make patterns etc.
I've made 1 wedding dress and lots of bridesmaids and flower girls dresses
I learnt calligraphy when I was in my early 20's, designed and made all of our wedding stationary (before all the cool card making stuff was around), which were finished by hand (could only afford one colour).  I continued to make my own cards until about 10yrs ago - the arrival of all the cool stuff made me feel like I was cheating when I used it :mwaha:

I did C&G embroidery which led me to a degree  - in  Art I specialised in printed textiles, but also did some printmaking and ceramics, with lots of drawing and painting of course.  In Design I specialized in jewellery (silversmithing), but also did some furniture design.
I love drawing - but haven't had much time for it recently.  I love using coloured pencils or pastels (I can control those), but quite like to dabble with acrylics. 
I've done a bit with metal clay (I have a tiny kiln for that)
I qualified as a Milliner a few years ago and was in the process of setting up a millinery/jewellery business when the world of soap entered our lives.
I rarely take something and repeat what someone else has done - I usually look at things and see how I can develop them and stretch some boundaries.
I love creative things - I think creativity is a great way to express yourself and find it really therapeutic to be absorbed in something I'm creating.
It's great to hear all the lovely things you all do

Wow Denice, what a list :) I've tried my hand at calligraphy too, my dad encouraged me. There is something beautiful about the written word in old books that I just love.

My bless us!!! There are an awful lot of incredibly creative people on here - well, I cannot draw, I cannot paint, I cannot to pottery or anything to do with sculpting and that includes play dough!!!! :mwaha:  My handwriting is brutal so wouldnt even go near caligraphy!!! I can knit, crochet, embroider, cross stich but they do not give me fire in my belly!!! I love singing and yoga and dancing!!But cos I am not at my best these few years i had to find something a little less physical!! So, now I love plants and gardening, (I always have but didnt spend enough time learning the ins ans outs of gardening) - and now soaping etc. I am very grateful for finding something that gives me that fire inside - cos its been a struggle to find that something!!!  :-* :buttrf:

forgot to mention the headdresses which I make for brides and also bridesmaids!

Calligraphy really is interesting Kelly and you really do have to focus when you're doing it.  I think I'm probably a bit rusty at it now, but it is what helped me realise that I was actually ok at art!
I was advised in school not to take art as a subject - there's been many times I'd love to go back and see those 3 art teachers!!