When I became a mum, like all new mums before me, I had no idea what lay in store.
The endless nappy changes, the random newborn sleep patterns, the constant waking for feeds, the realisation that I had no idea what the fuck I was doing – you know – the stuff that breaks all new mums at some point.
The inability to leave the house was the worst part. I felt enslaved to the whims of a newborn’s nap and had no time for creativity. My sewing machine mocked me daily. I had pushed it aside in the crazy fog of new parenthood, and as time marched on it called almost as loudly as my baby’s cry at 3am. To put it bluntly, it sucked balls.
I’m a firm believer that a stitch a day keeps the crazy away, so it’s fairly honest to say that after a few months of almost minimal sewing (and even less sleep) I was starting to go a little crazy.
Then I found Craftsy.
Oh Craftsy – how you make my heart sing!
I could explore the amazing crafty world outside my door while cradling a sleeping baby, or washing the dishes, or just because I had a brief spare moment and a cold, half-finished cuppa waiting. Committing to in-person workshops, classes or anything that required me to be washed and dressed by dinner-time really wasn’t achievable for me in those early days. So Craftsy filled my need in a way I never imagined. It challenged me, I learnt cool techniques, I could ask questions directly of the teacher, and watch it at 2 am if I so wished (not that I recommend this – sleep is important, after all!).
I’ve learnt how to design and sew an A-line skirt, I’ve learnt how to get the best out of my DSLR, I’ve learnt how to sew with knits and I have even started learning how to crochet. For a stuck-at-home mum, all of this was a dream come true. Sure, I couldn’t craft all the time, but most days I could spare a few minutes to watch a bit of my latest class – easy!
Our girl’s newborn days are well and truly behind us now. It’s easier to get out of the house now but I still find Craftsy just as fun now as I did when I first discovered it. So, in the spirit of sharing, I’m telling you about it and maybe you’ll like Craftsy too. Or maybe not – that’s ok!
Because I’m a total Craftsy addict and will be sharing the cool things I’ve made or techniques I’m learning, I’ve decided to sign up to their affiliate marketing program. That means if you click on a link to a class I’ve written about and you decide to join the class too, then I will earn a small commission.
I hope you enjoy Craftsy too.
*This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you click on the link and purchase a class. Thank you for supporting Make + Do!
I love Craftsy! “A stitch a day keeps the crazy away” = genius!
Thanks But it tasted good! I’d love to claim it as my own, but sadly it isn’t so. I saw it somewhere on Etsy, I think 😀
Ooooh, thank you for this introduction to Crafty. I have been so inspired by all the crafty types in our blogging class….so inspired in fact, that I would love to learn to crochet but for somebody like me who hasn’t handled knitting needles for at least a few decades, I didn’t know where to start. It appears that Crafty is the answer ! Thank you (-:
Oh yay! I LOVE inspiring and empowering people to try something new! Craftsy is so awesome! Craftsy is a great place to start, and I reckon Pip Lincolne’s Hook With Pip would be fantastic too! Let me know how you go!
Yay Lisa! It looks amazing and I love your disclosure policy. did you write it yourself? I had never heard of craftsy. It looks awesome. Jo xx
Hi Jo – yes I wrote my disclosure policy myself 😉 I read lots of different policies on lots of different blogs and decided to go with short and simple, and upfront 😀
I love Craftsy too, Lisa! Most amazing courses to chose from, eh? I read somewhere recently that crocheting/knitting has been scientifically proven as EXCELLENT at reducing stress 🙂 Could’t agree more with “keeps the crazy away” xoxox
Oh gosh, Anya! Craftsy keeps on inspiring me! I have waaaaay too many classes in my wish list, and they just keep bringing out more! 🙂 And I can totally attest that crocheting is excellent at reducing stress. I’m not very good at it, but whenever I can’t sleep I ‘practice’ the stitches in my head and it calms me down enough that I can drift off easily! I thoroughly recommend it 🙂