does anyone have "arts and crafts" obsessions?

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(Men can answer too...)

I have had different "arts and crafts" (i.e. sewing, doll-making, stenciling, embroidery, etc) obsessions my whole life. This all ground to a halt when my wrist was injured in 2000 and I could not do "crafty" things without pain. Well recently I found a craft I am able to do that requires less-than-perfect desxterity-- making dolls with embroidery floss and wire. I also have improved the dexterity of my left hand to compensate for the right.

In the past my craft obsessions have been:

stenciling (I designed and cut hundreds of my own patterns in mylar)
sewing (I sewed all my children's clothes and some of my clothes until my injury)
embroidery (I had begun an "embroidered bible" a couple of months before my injury, where I planned to embroider every story from the bible-- I only finished the snake in the tree, though )

Right now I am making the dolls I described. I will fixate on this so much that it keeps me awake and I can't think of anything else. I amt hinking of it now!! !

Yes.

Past and continuing obsessions:
Sewing
Dollmaking
Crewel embroidery
Stencilling (yes I make my own stencils)
Block printing
wire-and-papier-mache sculpture
beadwork
crochet
weaving
knitting
rug-braiding
piecework
smocking
Furniture salvage/refinishing

Probably there are a few I've left out.

(ALERT: man answering)

I have the classic male and AS craft obsession: model railways.

I've found various special niches within that field, putting trains in my garden, building them in the style of my favourite cartoonist, and making odd display trains for Christmas and other themes.
I also built one for my local Chldren's hospital. Some pictures (the bottom two folders) at:

http://www.picturetrail.com/emettplus

Wow emettman, those are amazing!

Dandelion I was obsessed, obsessed, obsessed with crewel embroidery, but once I lost the dexterity of my right hand I had to stop. My dream is to be able to do crewel again, by improving my left hand.

I wonder if certain crafts/activites are similar for women the way things like trains are a common interest for males with AS?

I am currently making an afgan using a square loom. I don't know but there is something about yarn that is appealing although I am not much of a traditional knitter. I also made alot of my daughter's clothes when she was a little girl. She loved them and her teachers admired them so I kind of felt some sort of accomplishment from doing that vesus ordinary household chores. I really like doing creative things - even drawing and painting also.

En_una_isla: of all that list, crewel is my most persistent obsession. I've been doing it since I was seven or eight. It's my goal to master all the stitches in all my stitch dictionaries. I'm not there yet.

I am on creative subatical right now because my obsession is AS and my computer and previously was loading my ipod(I have over come my technophobia...yeah)


but use to be in the process of creating "something" all the time

refinishing and collaging furniture
building and decorating bookshelves and bunny homes
beading leather
clay sculpture
doll making (they are scary looking, tribal and shamins)
collaging over photos of my cats(they are eatin super models...lol)
painting sculpturesreally fun and relaxing)


I have a huge collection of cloth and some day I plan on sewing wall hangings and incorporating old "rescued" fur coats and leather pieces that I have beaded or painted...

I like looking at the American Country collections that appear in Family Circle Magazine, every Fourth of July.

I used to make all kinds of things, and sometimes I would sell them. I miss having time and space to do that. I'm hoping to try again someday.

Sewing
Kumihino braiding-an ancient Japanese form of cord making, for trim.
blackwork embroidery
leatherworking
calligraphy

ADoyle....what kind of leather work do you do?I am interested in working more with leather and suede....do you hand sew or use a machine?Do you have any web sites you visit that talk about techniques?I also want to start useing some of the fur coats I pick up at garage sales, and advice about this?

Thank you. It's good to get feedback, as I'm rarely sure whether what I'm doing is good stuff.
Nothing I build is ever quite what I have imagined in my head.

Making models for a living would be nice, an' it provide a sufficient income.

For as long as I can remember! I've jumped around alot as opportunity arose.
Paint by numbers
wooden Christmas ornaments
calligraphy
cross stitch
drawing & painting
oil pastels
doll houses & barns (did a really cool quarter scale model cowbarn from plans in a book )
beads

I go nuts in a craft or hardware store Once built a Viking tent using hand tools. Now Ido most of my creating on computer (I love printmaster!)

My mom was a craft nut too. She sewed all our clothes (6 kids!) and belonged to the "fad of the month club" She's 78 and still at it!

Now I get to share my passions with my girls

i'm an artist, so i've had plenty of those obsessions! when i was little i went through a phase of making all this beaded jewelry. it was pretty cool.

now i'm sewing stuff, like making clothes and altering everything... i've gotten quite good at it and i've made some pretty cool stuff

When I was younger I loved embroidery and making beaded jewellery, especially unique designs. Now I mostly just paint. I couldn't imagine my life without some kind of arty hobby.

I've been into some craft pretty much all my life. Now it's jewelry making. I'm still trying to sell my work. I’ll be selling at a flea market in October.