Quilting is a very popular craft. Today, there are many people who keep the tradition of it alive and well. There are groups that get together to discuss their craft and they work together to create new patterns and ideas. For some, this is a great thing. Others though, spend their time searching for alternative craft ideas.

Why We Like Alternatives to Quilting

Although many people feel it is the best thing you can do, quilting is often seen as something our older generations partake of doing. Not Us! By saying this, I remember quilting being something my grandma did. I still have a couple quilts that were passed down to me from my great-grandmother, a woman that I do not even remember. I’m sure that I am not the only one to be in this situation.

Admittedly, quilts can be beautiful. They can be solid colors, patterns, and even complex designs. However, our association with our elders serves to make the quilts more beautiful, while also making us feel that these quilts should be made by any one other than ourselves. We prefer to spend less time stitching and more time getting our hands a little dirty.

How We Prefer to Craft

Take a moment to search for “crafts” on YouTube or even a basic google search. Chances are good, quilting will not be one of the first things you see. You will find jewelry making, pottery crafts, re-purposing ideas for tin cans or soda bottles, and more. You may also see pottery, candle making, soap creations, and resin art. You may also see someone pour various paints into a bucket, send it spinning across a blank board, and call it art.

Since the beginning of time and humans, creating has been something we strive to do. The stuff that we are doing now is designed to turn old into new or unappealing into beautiful. It can be done with needles and thread and a few pieces of fabric, but most of us prefer that the process goes a little faster.

Have you ever watched someone use epoxy resin color pigment to turn clear epoxy into a beach picture or river table? This is one of the best examples of the types of projects we want to focus on in today’s world. Our goal seems to be, pushing the limits to see how dirty we can become.

Old School or New Rules?

We encourage kids and young adults to explore where their creativity will blossom the most. There may be some who feel that quilting is the way to go. It does ensure that keepsake quilts continue to be something we can pass down to future generations. If no one made a quilt ever again, life would be a little colder and less beautiful.

The new crafts that we are making now, can also be passed down to our future “mini-me’s”. Most of them are simple to create, once you know the basics, and outstandingly beautiful once they are complete. Even when making a river table or an epoxy tumbler, mistakes are still outstanding. They are even better because most can be done on the weekend when we have a little free time rather than months of stitching.