30 Crafting Hobbies Inspiring You to Make Something New

Looking for a new hobby that gives you something you can hold while allowing you to explore your interests?

Try a crafting hobby.

What Are Crafting Hobbies?

Crafting hobbies span a broad spectrum of activities where you work with your hands to create something tangible.

Because such a wide range of pastimes fit that definition, we’ve broken them down into smaller categories to help you find a hobby you’ll love.  

Subsets of Crafting Hobbies

•         Needlework hobbies
•         Arts & crafts
•         Paper crafts
•         Building and Making
•         Decorative crafts
•         Specialty Crafts

Ready to get to crafting? Explore the best crafting hobbies in each realm.

Needlework

Needlework hobbies include all the wonderful things you can create with needle and thread.  They’re cozy hobbies, allowing us to stay home and work with our hands while watching television, listening to music, or engaging with friends.

Knitting

Grandma’s favorite hobby is making a comeback, as people remember how cool it is to have hand-knit scarves, hats, and blankets.

As a bonus, it’s one of the cheapest hobbies to try. All you need is a pair of knitting needles and some yarn, which you can get for under $10 at any crafting store.

Of course, people who get into it maintain that it doesn’t stay cheap, as they’re constantly buying new patterns and new yarn colors, but if you’re having fun, it’s not a waste of money.

Crochet

Crochet has swiftly become the younger generations’ favorite needlework hobby. Once we discovered we could make cool crochet monsters, figures, and other toys, it was game over.

Every craft fair bursts with booths of crocheters showcasing their unique designs, and you can join them!

Sewing

Nothing beats good old-fashioned needle and thread – wait, that’s not true! A sewing machine does!

Whether you sew by hand or use a machine, sewing is a fantastic hobby for making anything from clothing to costumes. As a bonus, learning the craft will help you keep and repair old items rather than buy new ones every time something gets torn.

Needle Point

Decorative arts meet needle crafts with needlepoint, a hobby where you create beautiful images with needle and thread.

With this hobby, you can make wonderful decorations by pulling different colored threads through small grids in a canvas.  

Embroidery

Embroidery may be a subset of sewing, but we think it’s so cool that it deserves a special call-out. You can embroider all sorts of designs and slogans on a variety of textiles.

Try making fun designs in jeans, or embroidering a cloth canvas for an interesting work of art.

Art Hobbies

While there’s a vast range of artistic hobbies that don’t result in something tangible (like singing or dancing), some artsy hobbies do fall under the broad spectrum of crafting hobbies.

Express yourself with one of these engaging hobbies. 

Painting

I love painting, not only for the freedom of expression it allows, but also because it’s one of the cheapest hobbies to try. All you need is canvas and paint.

Once you have those two things, you can create something spectacular. Check out our beginner painters guide for tips on getting started. 

Mixed Media Art

We’re kind of stretching the definition of “crafting hobbies” with basic painting, but mixed media art really fits the bill.

Here, you combine the old-fashioned paint and canvas painting with other materials, like fabric, ephemera, feathers, buttons, or anything else you have lying around the house that you can stick to your canvas.

Of course, unless you’re making a “junk” piece, you shouldn’t use everything at once, but the idea is you can layer items to create unique textures in your piece.

Collage

Collage is similar to mixed media art, but usually you’d stick to magazine cuttings, stickers, and other ephemera rather than household items like buttons.

My favorite use of collage is creating a vision board. It combines basically all of my favorite things: arts & crafts, life goals, plus achieving your dreams.

What could be more fun?

At the end, you have something tangible you can hang on the wall, a constant reminder to focus on your goals.

Pottery

Pottery is one of mankind’s earliest art forms, and it’s useful too!

You get to craft clay into useful items like mugs and bowls or interesting sculptures. At the end, you can decorate your piece with glaze and paint, or leave it unfinished for a rugged look.

The biggest limitation with starting a pottery hobby is the cost. You can get really cheap clay that cooks in a regular oven, but the poor quality limits what you can do. To make the most of it, you should start with a class.

Print Making

The Japanese perfected the art of printmaking (See Hokusai’s The Wave, one of the most famous paintings of all time, which is actually a print), a hobby that combines carving things by hand with the wonderful aesthetics of painting.

To make a print, you’ll need to carve your design on a block, then dip the block in ink and print it on the paper. For intricate, multi-colored designs, you will have to carve a set of blocks, each with different highlights.

It’s an intensive hobby, but so satisfying when you get it right and create a gorgeous print. The advantage is that once you carve the blocks, you can make as many prints out of them as you’d like.

Paper Crafts

A lot of us are so spoiled with the easy accessibility to paper that we don’t realize how versatile the material is for hobbies.

There’s so much fun to be had with paper crafts!

Quilling

Quilling involves rolling thin strips of paper into coils, then gluing them together to make intricate patterns or designs.

I lack physical intelligence, so my “rolls” never look right, but it’s fun to try.

Papier-Mâché

People sleep on papier-mâché, but it’s a versatile hobby allowing you to create so many things. And, it’s one of the cheapest hobbies, as you can make papier-mâché paste with stuff you likely already have around the house.

Create holiday decorations, figurines, fake weapons, and more with this fun, easy hobby.

Card Making

My mother-in-law loves making cards. She sends us a hand-crafted card for every special occasion, and I’m always impressed at the ingenuity.

It’s a fun hobby that brings lasting joy to all of your loved ones.

Origami

Origami shows you the versatility of paper by letting you fold it into fascinating shapes.

I’m always shocked at the intricate, yet fragile-looking shapes people create with nothing but diligent folds in paper. Again, my lack of physical intelligence prohibits me from doing the same, but that just makes it even more impressive.

Scrap Booking

Physical intelligence be damned, I love scrapbooking! Sure, my pages look like a five-year-old did them, but it comes from the heart.

Scrapbooking is a fantastic activity because you get to design pages based on your favorite memories, injecting a burst of nostalgia into your hobby day. And, when you’re done, you have a wonderful keepsake you can take with you through time, so you can always look back on those fond times you had.

Building and Making

Nothing beats working with your hands to build something spectacular. You can make really cool things with this subset of crafting hobbies.

Woodworking

Whether whittling figures with a knife or carving massive works with a chainsaw, woodworking leads to impressive creations.

Carpentry

Carpentry is a subset of woodworking where you build useful things like tables, chairs, bookcases, and cat trees.

If I had the skill to make things like this, my entire house would be filled with homemade furniture.

Furniture Restoration

You don’t have to work with power tools to create epic pieces at home. If you want to create unique furniture without risking the table saw, try furniture restoration.

Scour yard sales and flea markets for pieces with potential, then take them home to give them new life.

Kitbashing

My favorite “building stuff” hobby is kitbashing because it’s inexpensive and doesn’t require any dangerous tools.

Grab some cheap toys and crafting supplies from your local dollar store, release your inner Sid from Toy Story, and see what cool new figures you can create!

Lego

If all your building creativity is just for fun, why not invest in Lego (or maybe cheaper building blocks)?

Lego gives you all the satisfaction of building stuff with none of the scary work of cutting or using power tools.

Decorative Crafts

Sometimes, we just want to make something beautiful.

There’s a crafting hobby for that!

If you want to turn ugly things pretty or create lovely pieces for your home, consider one of these decorative hobbies.

Upcycling

Upcycling gives old objects fresh life and fresh meaning. Turn rubber tires into planters, jars into candle holders, bottles into bird feeders, and hangers into hooks.

Look for items around your house that you can repurpose or enjoy a day finding bargains at your local thrift store.

Flower Arrangements

Grab fresh flowers and make gorgeous arrangements for a wonderful centerpiece that looks and smells amazing.

You could also head to your craft store and buy a wide range of fake flowers, which allow you to switch up the arrangements again and again without having to buy new flowers.

Wreaths

Though most people think of Christmas when they think of wreaths, they are ideal decorations for nearly every season.

Weave fresh white flowers and clover for a spring wreath or fallen leaves for pretty autumn décor.

Terrarium Building

Building a terrarium allows you to nourish plant life while building something beautiful. Arrange mosses and hardy plants in your terrarium and watch them flourish.

Maintaining a terrarium will give your home that burst of freshness it needs, while allowing you to build and maintain something natural.

Shadow Boxes

A shadow box is basically a terrarium, but with man-made stuff rather than plants. Make a cool design with figures or decorative objects. Set up a scene in your box and put it on display.

Whenever you get bored with it, you can rearrange it into something different.

Specialty Crafts

Many crafting hobbies are either too niche or too involved to fit neatly into any subset. However, they’re some of our favorite activities!

Try one of these cool hobbies if you want something different.

Glass Blowing

Glass blowing could be a “making things” hobby or an “art hobby,” but it’s so unique that it doesn’t fit well into either.

You could make useful items like cups or bowls or lean towards the artistic by creating complex shapes or figurines.

Unfortunately, glass blowing isn’t very accessible, as far as hobbies go. If you want to try it, you’ll need to find a beginner’s class with access to a high-heat furnace.

Jewelry Making

Why buy costume jewelry when you can make your own?

Jewelry making is a wide-ranging hobby that includes everything from beading to wire wrapping. You can glue gems to rings, drill holes in seashells for earrings, or group interesting gems together for fun necklaces.

Head to your local craft store and get inspired with their wide range of beads, charms, and gems for jewelry making.

Cosplay

Cosplay combines some of the other crafting hobbies together for a fantastic spin on sewing, makeup, and building things.

The “crafting” part is in making the costume and accessories. You might need to knit, sew, or crochet for the actual clothes, but then turn to papier-mâché or even metalworking for the accessories.

Candle Making

Have you ever dipped your own candles? I did once, at the Renaissance Faire, and it was really cool! But you can also buy candle-making kits and accessories at any craft store.

You can also get a variety of fragrant oils to make your own scented candles.

Metal Working

Metalworking is probably the hardest crafting hobby to start. First, you need to find a place with a smith who’s open to students, then you need to learn how to work metal at high temperatures.

But if you learn it, you can create all sorts of cool things like tools, belt buckles, shields, swords, and more.

Get to Crafting!

I don’t think any list of crafting hobbies can be all-inclusive, but I hope we sparked your creativity by sharing the wide variety available.

Try a few out and see what you like. Report back and let us know your favorites (and share your cool creations!).