Craft Workshop Ideas – from a pro!
By Momtazbh
Creative playtime is crucial for adults, try these creative craft workshop ideas with friends or in a community setting
Getting together and crafting in a social setting is one of life’s simple pleasures and there are so many craft workshop ideas to try, so as cliched as it may sound, there really is something for everyone!
I’ve been running craft workshops across London for over a decade. Making crafts affordable and accessible for everyone is something I’m extremely passionate about.
Crafting is fun but it’s also good for us. It boosts our mood, gives us a sense of purpose and gives us permission to take time out. That’s what drew me to attending and running craft workshops; I equally enjoy being the participant and the tutor.
What to expect at a craft workshop
Craft workshops are practical so can look forward making something you can keep and take home, but that’s only one side of them. They also provide a safe space where everyone is in it together. You don’t need to know anyone to go to a craft workshop but you will find connections with other participants through a shared passion for simply being there. The compliments, encouragement and positive energy you get from crafting with others is a special feeling that will boost your confidence. Speaking to warm friendly teachers and fellow participants can completely transform your day from feeling ordinary into one that’s memorable and uplifts you. Crafting with others is an instant mental health remedy and I highly recommend it!
How I began running adult craft workshops
My journey to running craft workshop was very organic and unplanned. I’ve been designing ‘how to craft projects’ since the early days of my career as a journalist writing for adults and children’s magazines. After writing my first crafts book Bollywood Crafts in 2006 I was asked to run a craft workshop, something I never expected. Once I’d run workshop, the offers came flooding in and before I knew it, running workshops because one of my main income streams alongside writing. I’ve tried different models on how to run them but I’ve not settled on two types. Firstly I only accept commissions where I am paid a set fee, for examples at festivals and events, in libraries and community spaces.
Secondly I run my own craft workshops on a voluntary basis where I don’t charge, this is my form of giving back, which I’ll go into more details below.
The Make Escape Craft Night
Back in May 2012 I launched one of the London’s first regular adult’s craft nights The Make Escape. I had previously been to Craft Guerrilla and Notting Hill Arts Club who both ran creative evening activities for adults but I felt drawn to setting up my own, and doing it my way.
For over eight years The Make Escape was a a huge part of my life and of the regulars that came to it. Each month they could try different craft activities. I made the event free as one of my values is that I want to to make crafts accessible for all; whatever someone’s experience and financial situation; these should not be a barrier to experiencing the wellbeing benefits of crafting. When I started it I used my own craft supplies but within a couple of months I received donations from people that attended, and before I knew it I had everything I needed to make the event sustainable without needing to spend any money.
Volunteering to run a craft event
This voluntary model of setting up a craft event isn’t for everyone and I want to caveat it by saying that craft tutors needs to paid a fair price for their time so when I get booked to run workshops for other people I do charge. This initiative is a personal commitment of mine, my way of giving back. I don’t want to get paid to run it, I want to give my time just as anyone can for a cause they believe in.
Sunday Craft and Chill – Craft workshops in London
Since July 2022 I’ve been running a similar event to The Make Escape, but on a smaller scale with a community focus at the Well Bean Co cafe in the Royal Docks, East London. The cafe kindly gives me the space to run the event and I don’t charge a fee; but I do ask that people donate what they can for charity. In 2024 wee raised over £850 which is donated to mental health initiatives.
I hold these crafternoons on the last Sunday of the month as it feels like the time of the week and month when our bodies would like us to slow down, unwind and re-set before we start a new week/new month. All the craft workshops have a ‘mindful’ focus to them; it’s about taking a couple of hours out and enjoying being in the present.
Book to attend a future session.
Craft workshop ideas to try yourself
In this blog post I’m sharing some of the craft workshop ideas I’ve run over the years that I can recommend if you’re looking for an activity for adults that has a ‘mindful’ theme. In other words: these projects are not complicated, they don’t require any experience, they allow people to get on at their own pace, they have a pleasing outcome and they can all be made from low-cost materials. How many people attend should be a consideration. I’ve run one-to-one craft workshops, small groups and even public sessions for over 100 people but I always pick what would work in each capacity.
1. Craft workshop ideas: themes
At The Make Escape we loved having a different theme every month and the theme determined what the projects would be. An easy way to think of a theme is to look at the date your event is taking place and what could be tied for it. Themes I’ve created craft workshops for include Lunar New Year, Ancient Egypt, Olympics, Summer Festival, James Bond and recently a three in one theme as Halloween, Diwali and Day of The Dead were all around the same date.
2. Craft workshop idea: slow stitching
Tune out distractions and find solace in the present moment by stitching. Sewing and yarn crafts encourage mindfulness. They require giving an activity your full attention, which prevents outside distractions from creeping in. It’s comforting getting into the rhythm of doing the repetitive actions associated with these popular crafts.
So, whether it’s embroidery where you’re stitching in and out of a fabric and witnessing a design forming before your eyes, growing a crochet chain for a blanket, following a knitting pattern to make a garment, weaving in and out of a loom or using a tufting gun to make a rug, the movements can start to feel like a meditation. When you’re in a meditative state, your mind and heart rate slow down and you become more conscious of your breath and your body, calmness sets in, so you relax and experience a sense of pleasure.
3. Craft workshop idea: Nature crafts
I try and take a sustainable approach to my craft workshops, using up supplies I already have to reduce waste. Autumn however is an ideal time to make use of free craft supplies from nature like leaves and twigs. Gather the up in your local park, they can be transformed into wreaths, hanging displays and even table centres and wallhangings.
4. Craft workshop idea: block printing
Though blocks are a pain to wash up, they are extremely satisying because it’s a technique that most participants won’t otherwise get a chance to try. There is a small investment of getting a set of blocks but they can be used for years for multiple sessions like cardmaking, picturemaking, wrapping paper and even printing on fabric.
5. Craft workshop idea: Colouring in an object
Just like we need our daily intake of vitamins and veggies, it’s beneficial to have a daily dose of colour therapy. Colouring in is a great way to incorporate more colour into your life. Colour impacts our feelings, moods and emotions so it can instantly lift our spirits and make us feel happier. When we’re colouring in we have to make choices about which colours to use and this in itself can be highly theraputic.
Considering colours, creating palettes, designing mood boards or playing with paints and crayons has mental and physical benefits. This is because colours can correct any imbalances we’re feeling. If you’ve spent a day working in a specific environment you’re only exposed to the energy in that room – if it has minimalist décor and neutral colours you aren’t being exposed to the full spectrum of different colour energies. For example, yellow uplifts and boosts positivity while pink encourages relaxation. When we come away from that space our bodies are craving something different, which is why it’s essential to surrender to different colours throughout the day.
Colouring in doesn’t need to just be the classic colouring in sheet of paper, think about what else you could colour in? Surfaces like clay can easily be coloured with marker pens or paint pens. For Diwali I ran a workshop where I purchased cheap clay diyas (Indian candle holders typically used during the Festival of Lights) and provided acrylic paint pens and gems to decorate them. Participants also received a tea light to op inside.
Things to consider before you run a public crafts workshop
Marketing
How will you publicise the event? There’s no point investing time into something if you don’t know how you intend to promote it. For my events I send the details to local listings websites, and email newsletters, put a physical printed poster in the venue and do social media reminders. Also as my workshops are booked through the website Eventbrite which site is a search engine and people can find your sessions if they are searching by date or type. Sharing details in local WhatsApp community groups isn’t something I do but I’ve seen it be very successful for friends who use this method of communication.
Materials
There are different types of craft materials and tool that you’ll need to run a craft workshop
Reusable tools
These are things you may need to purchase one but can continue to use for years like scissors, a hole punch, glue gun, paint brushes and rulers.
Regular craft supplies
Every craft stash needs these basics, they’ll need topping up when they run out like felt tip pens, pencils, crayons and glue.
Specialist craft supplies
This will be determined by the activity for example, if it’s a painting class what surface will they be painting on? You may need to get hold of canvas boards or even a watercolour painting pad.
Costs
I’ve been booked to run workshops where the budget is less than £1 a person and sessions where is more than £25 a person and this dictates what is achieveable. However, I would stress that a little goes a long way. A packet of sequins for example can be used by many people without it running out.
Try and crowd-source what you can, friends and neighbours can often donate fabric and even paper to help you build a start to run craft workshops. If you’re running regular events and you have one near you, it’s worth signing up to a local scrapstore they are full of treasures, you never know what you can find and use.
Insurance
You will need to take our Public Liability Insurance in the UK if you’re running workshops. It will protect you if there are any accidents in your workshop like a member of the public tripping up and getting turn or even injuring themselves. Shop around there are many providers who specifically provide PLI to artists who run craft workshops.
Got questions about running a craft workshop? Let me know and I will do my best to answer!
Happy crafting,
