When Good Crafts Die

Mighty Distractible isn't just a clever name. Call it what you will - ADD, short-attention-span, etc. - but there's a reason that Cassandra and I never stick with one thing for too terribly long.

Now, that's not to say that we don't work on things for a long time (or, at least, until we feel a satisfying skill level with the craft), but both of us tend to get tired of doing the same thing over, and over, and over, and over... you get the picture.

I'm always impressed with, and a little jealous of, people with a clear, singular passion. We follow a number of crafters who are dedicated to one thing (for the most part) and are head and shoulders above our skill set as a result. I'll never achieve "master" status with any of my crafts because, once I'm satisfied that I can suss out all but the most difficult patterns, I stop immersing myself in it.

One craft that I'm particularly sad to have ditched was jewelry making. And, when I say "jewelry making", I mean bead work. I never welded anything or pounded metal into a shape that I needed. I bought the bits - beads, wire, silk, notions, etc - and put the elements together in a (somewhat) pleasing manner to make a wearable item.

The first necklace I ever made. Moonstone & silver.

Beyond my normal "I'm really sick of this craft" issue, my biggest problem with jewelry making was that I don't really WEAR a lot of jewelry. So, I'd make all this stuff (that I actually liked a lot) and then it would just sit in a drawer. So, I started giving tons of it away as gifts - expensive gifts, I might add, since I'm sort of a jewelry snob and would only use sterling silver and semi-precious stones. Eventually, all my jewelry gift-giving opportunities were overwhelmed and I had to stop.

To this day, one of my faves. Freshwater pearl & pineapple jade. I designed the flower.

On the flip side, the thing I liked best about making jewelry was that it was relatively mindless and sort of soothing to do. Much like I'm finding embroidery to be. And I think the finished products were always pretty beautiful.

I stole this turquoise lariat design from a magazine cover.

This was from my Swarovski Crystal phase

So, I still have a big box of supplies and an itch to not let it go to waste. I may have to resurrect this particular "dead" craft from my arsenal and see if I still have some skill. I think the key is to push the craft beyond what I'd been doing before and come up with something new... If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears (and idle-ish hands).

- Alex

One of three boxes of supplies - waiting patiently for me to renew interest.