As an older adult on a budget, you don't have to give up making things if you enjoy it. Here are a few ideas for using low-cost items and things around your home in Youngtown, AZ, to fuel various hobbies.
You can convert plastic grocery bags into "plarn," which can be used in needlework projects. Plarn is especially conducive to certain crochet projects, including bag and basket patterns.
To convert a plastic grocery bag into a length of plarn, cut off the handles and the very bottom seam of the bag. You should be left with a large tube. Start cutting in a spiral pattern around the tube, creating a strip of plarn that's up to 1 inch thick. Roll up the plarn and use it as you would a small skein of yarn, making another ball of plarn from a new bag as needed.
You can do the same thing with old T-shirts and other clothing. The yarn you create from fabric is softer and more pliant than plarn, making it appropriate for scarf, hat and other accessory projects as well as home decor patterns.
One way to convert a T-shirt into yarn is to follow the same principle used in creating plarn. Cut off the very top of the shirt, including the sleeves and collar. Cut off the hem at the bottom so you're left with a large tube of fabric. Cut in a spiral pattern around the tube, creating a long length of fabric that's up to 1 inch wide. Roll it up and use it like yarn in crochet or knit projects.
Have a bunch of plastic grocery bags on hand but no desire to crochet with them? You can use grocery bags and a few other inexpensive and easy-to-source supplies to make DIY recycled wreaths. You can find ideas for making wreaths for specific holidays or make a cute everyday wreath for your independent living apartment door. Start with a simple DIY wreath project.
If you sew, you can turn old but clean socks into adorable plushies to give away to grandchildren or others. Get ideas for sock plushies you might try, and when you find a single sock separated from its match after you do laundry, you'll have a purpose for it. Sock plushies are a fun, quick sewing project ideal for using up random scraps you might have from other sewing work.
Another easy sewing project you might try is converting an old pair of pants into a cute bag with pockets. All you have to do is cut the legs off a pair of pants and sew up the bottom to create the body of the bag. If your pants have pockets, the bag will have cute pockets on the outside. Use bits of the leg fabric to create handles and the project is done.
You can get as complex or creative as you want with this project. You might create a liner for your bag, add zippers or snaps or sew interior pockets.
You don't need special equipment or skills to make collage and scrap art. Simply gather bits of paper, old magazines, greeting cards or even scraps of fabric. You'll need scissors, glue and a base for your art. You can glue items to a piece of paper, a canvas, scrap wood or even the front of a notebook or journal. Spend time playing with patterns and creating images that make you happy.
You can also turn scrap paper into new paper for art or other projects. You will need some equipment to support a paper-making hobby, including a blender. Tools such as a deckle come in handy, especially if you advance with this hobby, but you can start with basic tools like towels and a dollar-store strainer.
If you like the idea of sculpting but are a beginner and want to keep your clay costs down, consider supporting sculptures with other items. Use aluminum foil, old jars, bottles and other things you find around the house to create the basic shape before you cover it with air-dry clay. Here's an example of someone creating fairy houses starting with jars, foil and other items.
Whatever type of hobby you're interested in, it probably doesn't cost as much as you imagine to get started. Consider how you can reduce costs by using items around the house, shopping for supplies at thrift stores and making the most of sales at stores like Hobby Lobby — there are several within a short drive from LifeStream at Youngtown.
