What are your craft skills and how did you learn them? Did you pick it up as you went along, did you learn from a friend relative or have you had any professional training?
I’m an Encaustic artist, I am self taught and have a passion for painting in hot wax …
This is a link to one of my Art In Wax Poppy pictures …
http://folksy.com/items/5549011-Poppy-Painting-Original-Art-In-Wax
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My mum taught me to knit and sew. I had a lovely teacher at junior school who taught embroidery. I learnt silk painting, felt making and dyeing skills at various workshops. The rest is self-taught.
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I started out papercrafting and dabbling in jewellery. Then I tried polymer clay. Now I do a bit of all three as well as knitting and crocheting for pleasure. Apart from the knitting which my Mum taught me, I am self taught with a lot of help from the internet, books and magazines - and a lot of experimenting and mistakes along the way!
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I started to use watercolours about 20 years ago, but have had long spells when I haven’t painted at all. I generally learn from books but have just recently started attending workshops which are fun!
I’ve been embroidering/cross stitching since my teens and find it very relaxing.
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Self taught with a little bit from books. I did have an advantage though, in my earlier life I was a theatrical set painter and props maker and both of those things require many different skills. The great thing is that once you’ve got a broad spectrum of making skills, new ones come easily. In fact, I do say (with my tongue firmly in my cheek!) that I can make anything… except money!
I’ve been doing a massive clear out recently and my daughter came across a sample piece of marbling, and didn’t realise that it was painted until she picked it up. Very gratifying!
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For this shop, I was given a flower loom set when I was a kid (40 years ago?) and I’ve had it ever since. Not really sure how the idea came about of making them into ‘proper’ flowers rather than crocheting them into blankets as was the traditional thing, but it has worked out well for me!
For my art, I’ve dabbled in textile art for years, doing the City&Guilds diploma, but it is due in part to the encouragement of the online community that I went off to do a degree and ended up specialising in glass (which wasn’t the intention!), graduated last summer. Thanks you guys xx
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Before I started making the things I sell in my shop, I used to make lots of beaded jewellery,it started about 9 years ago, when I saw a bracelet I wanted to buy but someone else beat me to it 
. I was so in love with it I wanted to to try and make my own, an it started from there, so Im self taught from books and lots of experimentation. I stared drilling my sea glass about 3 years ago, completely trial and error with that one 
Suzanne 
sorry about all the emoticons, as you can see I love em!!
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My gran taught me to knit - I knitted a dress for my Sindy doll, back in the early 60s. I found the same pattern in a charity shop a few years ago, so nostalgic!
I haven’t knitted non-stop since then however, and have taught myself many more techniques. I thought I’d invented several techniques till I found them in a book I was asked to review - sigh, nothing new under the sun!
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I’ve been sewing since I was a girl and I’ve made pretty much everything, from clothes to curtains and soft furnishings. I also learned to knit and crotchet many years ago. Before starting on bag making I did buy a book called ‘Making Vintage bags’ by Emma Brennan which I read and digested, though I’ve never used any of her patterns - I’ve always made the patterns for my own designs. With jewellery making, again I’ve read books and magazines and just dived in!
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My Mum did all the traditional crafts and I was taught to knit and crochet when I was 6. I was top of the art class in school and wanted to be an art teacher but was told to get a sensible job…apart from which you needed Maths O level to get into art school (why?) So I went the sensible route. But I always made something and sold it…knitting, crochet, salt dough, and I taught crafts at adult educations centres in the greater London area. When we moved to Wales, I started doing some Painting and then when my hands got arthritic I turned to painting to occupy my days. I now paint every day and I am self taught, with the help of dvd’s and art books…there is always something new to learn
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I did a Foundation course at my local art college, intending to eventually study graphics. I was introduced to the jewellery workshop and loved it, so I went on to do a jewellery degree at the Birmingham School of Jewellery.
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My grandmother taught me how to knit, crochet and cross stitch when I was a child. Most of my life I’ve been cross stitching as a hobby so I didn’t get into knitting again until 2005. One nice lady showed me a few lace knitting stithces and made a few scarves for me and my friends. Then other things got in the way and I didn’t do anything crafts-related for a few years. I was working in the corporate environment while studying too.
I seriously got into knitting in 2012 when I started thinking about becoming self-employed. I’ve taught myself about 95% of what I know now from experimenting, books, mistakes and internet. I’ve had so much ground to cover! It’s worth every minute and penny I’ve spent as I enjoy designing my work as well.
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Learnt from my own mistakes, but with lots of help through forums, folksy and friends!
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Looks like Grandmothers have a master plan! 
My Gran taught me to knit, crochet and sew as a small child. I remember she used to make dolls clothes for my dolls and knit cardigans for me! I had a small childs hand cranked sewing machine as well. Gran had an old foot trestle Singer that I was allowed to use only under supervision though.
I taught myself jewellery making from reading books (mainly in the library) as well as polymer clay bead making and resin casting. The only craft I’ve taken a formal course in is Lampworking (making glass beads). Thought it would be a good idea to be shown how to do it by someone who knows what they’re doing! Didn’t fancy burning the house down by setting up the gas torch incorrectly… <gulp…!>
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Hello all fellow crafty folk!
How did I get started?
I got a job in a high street jewellers when I left school and worked there for 12 years. I spent much time repairing customers’ jewellery, so actually making my own was just a small step forward. I’ve recently started working for that jewellers again… and I hate it! (but sadly I have bills to pay 
) Selling mass produced tat is nowhere near as satisfying as selling my own quality hand crafted jewellery. Wherever possible I now buy handmade and/or locally produced goods and love running craft stalls so I can have a mooch around all the other gorgeousness that my fellow crafters sell.
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It depends on which of the crafts I do. Knitting from my mother’s knee . Knitted my first baby vest thingie for my baby brother when I was three and I still have those knitting needles and use them to day.
I taught myself to crochet by deconstructing a granny square, over 40 years ago. I taught myself to embroidered, cross stitch, hardanger, cross stitch and blackwork via looking at stitch glossaries in needlework books, and patchwork from library books while still at school.
I trained as a seamstress It took me 3 years of evening classes at collage. Card making, and fabric painting I taught myself.
I had a couple of lesson on glass engraving and glass painting then went from there.
I learnt how to enamel when I was 9 years old in metal work classes in school.
I learnt to work in wood while working with my father then I joined a woodworking activity club at the age of 15. I was the only girl with a group of 20plus lads.
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I’ve always loved sewing since I was a little girl and used to hand sew lots of creations. I got side tracked by cross-stitch for a few years but did very little sewing of any kind while my children were very small. I decided to dig out my wedding present sewing machine a couple of years ago and haven’t looked back. I’m self taught (apart from what I remember from school Home Economics) and love learning new techniques and experimenting.
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My drawing and design skills are instinctive, but at school I learnt how to sew, pottery and lino-cutting. On Art Foundation I tried sculpture, etching, screen printing, more pottery,hand-drawn lithography, painting and fabric printing. I even made a metal sculpture using oxyacetaline welding (with a lot of help from the tutor- I was actually quite terrified!). Then I did a graphic design course. This was long ago though. I learnt pewtercraft by sending off for a book and a brooch-making kit from this lady…http://www.tamarsoft.co.uk/pewtercraft/
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