Totally Smitten With The Crafty Gentleman
As rockin’ refashionistERs are few & far between in the wonderful world of sustainable DIY style bloggers it is my incredibly great pleasure to introduce you to marvelous makerman Mike of The Crafty Gentleman:
“This is a really simple, but very rewarding, project. If you aren’t too keen on the ’50s atomic print, just use your imagination (or Google images!) to come up with your own designs – there is literally no limit to what you can create!”
This vintage addicted charity shop loving upcycler is definitely a groovy guy after my own heart so let’s get to know this dapper DIY dude and discover his top maker tips!
“What is more timeless and classic than a leather-bound journal?! Perfect for business, as a gift or even just as a scribble pad to keep at home, they’re a really useful way to organise your life in true gentlemanly style!”
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a very creative side. I remember spending loads of time as a child covered in glue and paper, cutting things up and making anything and everything I could!
“Grandad collars are great. Smart, but not too formal. Classic, but a little bit quirky. They can be dressed up or down as necessary. In short, they’re awesome.”
A few years ago, with the boom of social media and web DIY tutorials, I began to notice a real lack of craft blogs aimed at men. After some fruitless searching across the internet, I realised it was a relatively untapped market – so I decided to start own blog to address this! Hence, The Crafty Gentleman was created.
“The good thing about this cushion is that it makes use of fabric offcuts. If you’re anything like me, you probably have drawers full of offcuts that you’ve collected over the years. Might as well make use of them, hey?!”
A year and a half later, my blog has grown significantly. I’ve worked with some great companies and fellow bloggers, still pursuing the same mission of sharing craft and DIY tutorials aimed at the modern gentleman.
“I seem to be developing a bit of a love for sweater vests (yes, I am a closet grandpa… but let’s call it retro). So, when my mustard yellow jumper started to get a tad short in the arms (sob), I jumped on the chance to chop the arms off and make another sweater vest to add to my collection!”
Mike’s Top 5 DIY & Crafting Tips:
1. Persevere. Learning new craft techniques is not always easy. For example, I’ve recently challenged myself to knit a jumper with no prior knitting know-how… despite being a proficient sewer, my first knitting attempts were dreadful. However, I kept trying and now I’ve finally got the hang of it! No one is an expert to begin with, so don’t give up if you can’t do it immediately.
2. Accept failure. I might have just told you to keep persevering, but it’s also important to know when to stop. If you can’t get the hang of something after a million and one attempts, it’s perfectly acceptable to admit that you just aren’t made for it. You’ve given it a go, learnt about your personal strengths and weaknesses, so now you can try something else. Don’t limit yourself; you’ll soon find something you’ll be amazing at!
3. Experiment. Don’t follow craft or DIY tutorials to the letter – instead, experiment and make them personal to your own individual style. Don’t like the colour/shape/size/pattern? Then change it to one you do like! This is the great thing about crafting; it’s supposed to enable the creation of unique, one-off pieces! Let your imagination go wild and have fun.
4. Make time. It’s all too easy to let “real life” come in the way of hobbies, particularly creative hobbies like crafting. This is absolutely not acceptable. Creative people need creative outlets, or the rest of your life will directly suffer. Learn to make time to indulge your creativity. It could be a few hours a month, or every weekend – just find a rhythm that works for you. And DO NOT feel guilty about it.
5. Just do it! Crafting doesn’t need to take up a lot of time, cost a lot of money, or require exceptional skill. All you need to get going is some basic supplies, a creative itch and a bit of personal motivation. Put aside a few hours and you’d be amazed at what you could create with things lying around your house, or cheaply available online/in craft shops/second hand shops etc. Just do it!
“…I say “Christmas” jumper, but the tree design I’ve created would be great to wear through the autumn too (meaning I can get a few more months of wear out of it, yes!). This is a really fun project that’s perfect for a chilly winter night; just grab a mug of chai tea and let your imagination go wild!”
A massive cheers to Mike for sharing his story and crafty advice!
Take a scroll through The Crafty Gentleman and snag some delightful DIY inspiration!
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