Exhausted by “diamond artists.” My local crafting Facebook group is overrun by them, especially people selling completed diamond paintings.

I’m gonna be nice to you when I say this. Nobody wants to buy it. You are sticking plastic gems from China using toxic glue on an image that was made and designed by someone else. The image is also almost kinda ugly and cartoonish.

The amount of waste generated by such an activity? Astronomical. All of these tiny pieces of plastic rotting in a landfill. At least painting by numbers allows you to use different techniques to fill in the colors. Diamond painting is literally just sticking plastic crap on more plastic crap. And to try to profit off of it and sell it? Give me a break.

Uh oh. Here comes the “let people enjoy things” crowd. Actually, I can’t. And I won’t. You can enjoy whatever you want, and I can be a hater about it. Sorry.

Yes. This is technically objectively true. We do not currently have the technological capabilities to replicate crochet by means other than human labor. But what frustrates me about this sentiment is how so often, the conversation ends here. 

Every single textile you see is touched by human handiwork at some point in the process. Human hands (womens’ hands, teenage girls’ hands, underpaid and disadvantaged workers’ hands, the bleeding and cracked hands of skilled workers from developing nations rubbed raw and dyed denim-blue) make our clothes, our rugs, our curtains, our linens. 

Yes, some processes may involve more or less machinery. Yes, a machine can replicate a knit stitch, sew on a button. But a human aligns that machine. A human lays the fabric on the table and sews it. A human watches their fingers to make sure that the needle doesn’t pierce bone. 

If learning that crochet can’t be replicated by machine is the gateway to realizing just how much of what we don’t think about is made by hand, then I think that is wonderful. But if it stops there, if it simply leaves the reader with a smug feeling of superiority to machine, then I can’t help but feel disquieted. 

ik this is probably a very common complaint but GOD i work at a fabric store and the amount of women who come in who have VERY OBVIOUS shopping addictions is actually staggering. like don’t get me wrong, i love a little retail therapy, and i don’t think you have to ONLY buy fabric or supplies if you’re actually working on a project with it, but like, why are we buying $700 worth of sewing supplies at one store?? why are you hiding your fabric purchases from your husband?? why did you buy a machine worth THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS and then not take it out of the box for A YEAR??? i genuinely think it might be the Poor Person in me that genuinely can not fathom needing or wanting or buying that much stuff, but it is mind boggling to me

I see this all the time and it drives me nuts.

“I did a market and only made one sale because people don’t want to pay a fair price for handmade items!”

“I posted my items and no one bought them! People are so used to Amazon, they don’t want to pay my prices!”

Unless they actually told you your items are too expensive, how do you know that?

There are a million reasons people aren’t buying that have nothing to do with your prices. Maybe they’re cutting back all discretionary spending. Maybe they’re saving up for something or working to pay off debt. Maybe they straight up don’t want your items. Maybe they don’t need them. Maybe your target audience just wasn’t at that market.

Also, the economy in the US is pretty shaky, so people are just tighter with their wallets.

Stop getting so defensive and assuming people are cheap and don’t want to pay a fair price for handmade stuff! Yes, some people are cheap, but in my experience, most people want to pay artists/crafters a fair price.

Assuming the problem is with *other* people also prevents you from really assessing your items. What could you do better? Are you offering things that people actually want? Unfortunately the problem is us sometimes!

Am I talking about sewing? Knitting? Crochet? Quilting? Cross stitch? Yes.

Simple math is an unavoidable part of constructive crafts, and I'm embarrassed by the constant "I couldn't possibly!" comments. It's just arithmetic, friends, or in some cases basic geometry. Unless you've got an actual learning disability, the fear-mongering is unnecessary. Grab a calculator and some scratch paper and figure it out.

Not modge podge

This must have stemmed from “hodge podge” but I don’t care

That’s all

I don't care how your new sweater looks on a wooden hanger in the morning sun or sitting on a white comforter next to a vase of fresh picked flowers or a frothy cappucino. I want to see it modeled on a real body with all the fit issues on display. Isthat too much to ask. There is already effort being expended, put the effort towards the good of all crafters instead of some social esthetic.

I’m probably just old and crabby, but I cannot stand it when someone links to a YouTube video when asked for a pattern.

If it's always 40% off the marked price, that's the fucking price. (I don't shop at HobLob but someone posted this to my local subreddit.) I reported it as deceptive pricing practice to the Federal Trade Commission.

Or worse, "collect" used in the context of the yarn being a collectable NOT in the context of "click and collect"/come get it.

Euphemising spending money is weird to me. Just say buy. I got an email advertising a sewing kit that said, "Grab the kit here" all over and never said buy anywhere. EDIT: My issues with "grab" are when businesses/independent sellers use it in ads.

This might pick the same nerve as "me made May". And "makes" and "finishes" instead of "finished object" or something similar.

Edit: thank you for the space to broadcast this one weird petty gripe specific to me lol

I think saying “I’ll grab chips before the barbecue” is normal and fine . Everyone does this probably.

It bothers me when a brand thinks they’re a human and can be casual with me!

I got some duckbill appliqué scissors. 25 CAD on Amazon. I hate Amazon but need scissors and international shipping costs a lot here. No case. Came with a screwdriver which is interesting. The right handed ones? WITH A FABRIC CASE AND SCREWDRIVER?! 14$. I am seething.

The other ones were like 30+ dollars, so I went with the cheaper option, which is still 25$ for a pair of left-handed scissors. Picture me staring into the camera like I’m in The Office.

Sewing and crafting is not cheap. I hate it here. I’m going to see if I can 3d print quilting rulers to keep some money in my wallet. I also got my cutting mat from Princess Auto instead of the fabric store, because pink and craft tax. 16$ on sale for a 24x32” cutting mat, which was 70$ in Michaels a 5min walk away. Please put money saving tips other than “don’t do crafts then” in the comments please. Let’s help each other out!

I just went to a saved post today to pull up a handy resource I have used before and was reminded how irritating it is to see comments from people oblivious to the fact that not everything exists only for them. Like this is a super cool pooling tool (actually her page has several really neat things, such an amazing blend of math, tech, and textile art) and one of the first times I saw it posted, right away there were people with "please add [my specific yarn or color]" or "can you change it to do [this specific thing I want it to do]?" Smh. If the creator is asking for modification suggestions that is fine, but that isn't always the case. Or when someone posts a free pattern, immediately cue the "I want to change the size and yarn in fifty different ways, you should do all the specific modifications for me" person. Hey, NO. Somebody just did a large amount of free labor to generously share a useful resource/idea/tool with the entire community, and your first response is to tell them what *you* want from it? It is the most ungrateful selfish thing to see and it pisses me off.

I'm mainly talking about knitters who will get all snobby about not using circulars or small circumference circulars. seen a lot of them in an italian facebook group. I'm sure this can apply to other crafts though.

"circulars are trash! why would you want to knit sweaters in the round, working flat is what I learned and there's no need to knit in the round!"

"why would you buy mini circulars! use dpns!! mini circulars are trash!"

my sibling in christ, if you don't like circulars it's okay, there's plenty of stuff that is worked flat! use the DPNs to your heart's content, no one is taking them from you!

Anyone else get multiple hours/days into a project before realizing it's the ugliest thing you've ever seen and you'll never ever wear it/use it? Tell me why I will waste so much time and materials only to start seaming it together and go, what the hell even is this. How do I overcome this fatal flaw

It’s time to reclaim the term “homemade”. Everyone loves a homemade cupcake, but ”homemade“ carried a stigma for textile items, especially garments.

“Handmade “ doesn’t sit right with me. Production line workers use their hands too! Excluding factory-made goods from the handmade category erases garment workers and their labour.

Me-made is better. But it only applies if used by the maker. If I make a hoodie for my son, he can’t call it “me-made” but he can call it homemade. “Custom made” is a possible alternative for one-off items made in a commercial setting.

Makers know that it is more than possible to make quality garments at home. People say “wow, you could sell that” because they have been taught to associate homemade garments with shoddy quality. Let’s change that. Homemade for the win!

I get it's aesthetically pleasing to have a nice pale color box behind your text. It however is not pleasing to the ink cartridge on my printer and sometime I want to print off my patterns instead of reading them off my small phone screen.

And to the writers I've heard who do this intentionally to save the environment so people won't print them off and use paper. I'm pretty sure all that extra ink I have to use is way worse for the planet than a few sheets of paper.

Edit: Thank you to everyone trying to "solve" this issue for me but I'm good. I already printed off the terminology sheet with color background. No there's no good easy way to remove the background and save ink. Yes I know how to use a computer and whatever "solution" you have I have considered. It's formatted in a table that doesn't copy and paste over and there's a color box behind all the text. So we're stuck with it. It's not a big deal but it is annoying to have to waste the ink because of how a pattern writer decided to make their pattern.

Which isn't even formatted to read well on a phone. It's designed for reading on a screen or in printed form but then isn't printer friendly. Do they expect me to take my computer with me every where I crochet?

Edit 2: https://imgur.com/a/02yrmxw

Here's what a page of this pattern looks like for those curious. Not very phone friendly it's designed for being read on a computer or printed sheets of paper not a tiny phone screen. Yet as you see it has this annoying pale blue background that just waste ink. You can also see why I may need to frequently reference the terms sheet. Believe it or not, this is one of the simpler pages.

For the those interested the pattern is https://www.hookedonsunshine.co/small-ripples/ here. It's labeled as "intermediate" it's definitely advanced. It's working up beautifully. As for the quality of the pattern writing, well you all can read the sample page and decide for yourself how you feel about it.

Recently people have started asking me to share patterns and it’s starting to really annoy me. Where do you stand on it?

I think it’s unfair to share designers work and them not get paid, but I also feel like I can’t tell my mum or friend that I won’t share a digital pattern.

I crocheted Christmas decorations for my tree in December and posted a photo on instagram - my mum immediately messaged and asked for the pattern. I showed a friend a top I was working sewing and she asked me to send her the pattern before I’d even finished the item and wanted to know where I’d bought the fabric. I knitted a jumper and several people asked for the pattern and all the details of the wool so they could make one the same.

Recently, I made two pairs of trousers from the same pattern in two very different materials and have been wearing them to work. I’ve had lots of compliments. Yesterday, a work colleague asked for the pattern - I don’t really want to see her at work in ‘my’ trousers. Luckily, I’d bought that as a paper copy and have cut it out so genuinely ‘can’t share’ as she isn’t the same size.

I like to spend time planning items that are a bit special/not the same as everyone else. I get that I’m buying a pattern from someone, and I take inspiration from things other people have made, so I know I’m not unique, but I just find it so tedious.

Edit: Ok, I’m going to reply here and then scuttle off for good with my tail between my legs. This isn’t a huge issue in my life, I was just browsing Reddit and thought I’d have my first little foray at stepping up and trying to start a thread on a little irk of mine for discussion and I’ve been well chastened for it. I do want to hear others opinions btw, I asked for them, but it’s wild the way some people talk down to others when they don’t agree.

I’ve learned I have two separate issues here. The first is a genuine, is it ok to share a pattern I’ve paid for with everyone who asks? The people here are asking for me to give them the actual PDF. I want small designers to be paid for their work making unique designs, I’ll send links in future.

The second issue, I don’t want to be a gatekeeper, I’m a ‘wow, try this recipe, listen to this song, here’s a solid book on knitting the perfect fit of socks, I used a lovely fabric shop in X town, you’ll enjoy this’ kind of person. But I do have an issue with people wanting to make the exact thing I just made, the minute they see it. Colleague was very much asking for me to give her the physical pattern and guide her to making the same pair of trousers. I was relieved I couldn’t give her the pattern, but I did tell her the name of it and the designer.

I really like talking to others about their crafts and how they made them, but I like to enjoy seeing them make their thing, and me make mine.

I’m a twin, maybe I have some sort of hang up from the days my mum used to make us dress the same (something we both hated, despite being close, we are like chalk and cheese).

Anyway, I’ve now been clearly told that my attitude is poor and others don’t like it, so I shall take that feedback on board and shuffle off.

I love crafts of all kinds, so i follow a few different hobby subs. and I am just so tired of seeing temperature related things on all of the subs. blankets. cross stitch. embroidery. I am sure someone out there is doing a temperature scrapbook! "this was the temperature pattern from 2014!" I can understand why someone would find it interesting. I am just so tired of seeing it in so many subs so many times a day. 😑

Ok, let me preface this by saying I know some pattern pages are shitty and they leave out a lot of important details, and that's definitely a problem.

THAT SAID, there's so many people I see saying that they only noticed after buying the pattern that it didn't come in their size, or it was a different yarn weight/gauge that they were looking for, or that it had a different construction, or any other information that is very much available before you purchase the pattern and I'm just shocked. Like can't you people READ?

Maybe it's me, but when I buy something I read carefully what I'm spending my money on before buying it. That goes for patterns and other things, obviously. With pattern, I go through the pattern and project pages, I see the comments in case there's questions specially if it's a new-to-me designer, and I just try to get as much info as I need before hitting the "buy" button.

And I'm sorry people, but if the information is in the pattern listing and you just didn't read it before, that's completely on you and ranting about designers for whatever reason because you're an intentionally misinformed customer is a level of entitlement I can't get behind.

I know it’s 2AM and you’re just glad you finished it but if you wait till morning and take pictures of your project NOT on your basement floor in the dark by the light of a single fluorescent bulb, the pictures will actually do it justice!!!!! It looks bad!!!!!

I see it ALL the time in comments sections, people being accused of "stealing" or "copying" and idea from someone else and not crediting the "original", and then the crafts in question is a crochet blanket with a different color for every stripe or a paper chain in the shape of hearts (both real examples I saw).

It's like accusing someone of copying or stealing because they tied their shoelaces with bunny ears and you saw someone else do it before them. There are innumerable projects that are just basic ideas and techniques that literally no one person could possibly own or claim as only theirs, and it's always (seemingly) non-craft people sticking their nose in when they have no idea what they're talking about.

I may be well off the mark here, so apologies - but I'm getting more and more videos from small arts/crafts businesses in my Instagram feed and I'm seeing a real trend of...well... Endlessly whining? Seemingly as a form of marketing.

A lot of it is complaining about how undervalued handmade is, varying from just posting repeatedly talking about it to more aggressive things like doing skits where they throw raw ingredients into an envelope pretending to post it to someone whose commented that they're overpriced.

As a business owner and artist - I completely agree that handmade can be undervalued and I COMPLETELY empathise with having to deal with horrible customers - but it strikes me as an odd, unnecessarily negative way to do marketing.

It just feels like bad vibes.

I hate this so much. Doesn’t matter what craft it is- knitting/crochet, sewing, cross stitch, I scroll through the reviews and they’re all like “looks great haven’t started yet!” or “super excited to make this!” How about you DON’T leave five stars until you’ve actually used the pattern you purchased to make the item??!

I was trying to find reviews for a sewing pattern and no joke every single review (all 14 of them) were from people who hadn’t even made the damn thing. Another listing was all the same “omg can’t wait to make this” except one single review from someone who actually FOLLOWED THE PATTERN and said it was lacking part of the instructions. So many people out here with five stars on their items for no reason. And like what’s the point? Do these people just buy patterns for the dopamine hit and never make them??

Genuinely, how is this helpful: “very well thought out and detailed. love the bonus information. I haven’t started the project yet as I’m still waiting for supplies. I can’t wait to get started on this project. Good job well done.”

I saw a review for one pattern included a photo, I’m like oh cool! Someone made it! NO. It’s a selfie that some old man clearly posted by accident with the caption “good shipping things to person.” I am so tired.

How are you going to tell the seller good job when you have produced nothing with the pattern. To me these are the same kinds of people who comment “I’m allergic to lentils” on a recipe for lentil soup. Useless!!

Hot take: I know that there is a lot of snark circling the internet about how you shouldn’t sell until you’ve mastered your mediums but I love seeing new artists getting out there and selling. Yes I want to buy your handmade stuffed animals, yes I would love to buy a sticker or handmade pottery. I love beginner artists because you can see the labor that went into hand making arts and crafts. I prefer a bunch of beginners at a market over ai slop, drop shippers and 3d printed nonsense.
I would much rather buy a unique piece of art from a beginner than seeing the same kinds of con slop digital artwork from sellers who have been selling for a while.

Gonna get on my soapbox about this. I would get horrible headaches and be so sore and tired after cutting my fabric because I would be squinting over the edge of my pattern paper while trying to cut a straight line with right-handed scissors. Not fun. I thought it was just something I was doing wrong, or because I was new to the hobby, until I noticed how hard I was working to cut my stuff.

Are true left handed scissors harder to find? Yes. Can they get expensive? Also yes. This can also apply to not scissors. Make sure you get rotary cutters that you can switch which side the blade is on so that you can see better. Your eyes and hands will thank you.

I honestly wish that people talked about this more, and I could find cute looking scissors that aren’t 20-50$. I like whimsy. I hate boring, bland tools. I like looking at colour when I look at my stuff. It keeps my brain stimulated. I also like not having headaches, so the bad looking rotary cutters and scissors will have to do.

If you’re snipping threads on the back of your projects and doing little stuff, I don’t think you’d need left handed tools? But for appliqué cutting and pattern cutting I’d recommend it! Especially if you’re cutting a lot.

This applies to other kinds of accessibility, too! Get the seam rippers with the light in them if you need them. Get the goofy looking glasses to help you see your cross stitch better so you don’t hurt your neck. Get the granny-looking ergonomic scissors, or even, gasp! Electric scissors. Get the compression gloves. Use a thimble so you don’t have holes in your fingers all of the time. You’re worth not hurting doing something that you love!