33+ types of handicrafts, modern, classic and unusual new DIY folk art options

We are all human and we have the ability to fantasize and create beautiful things. This article talks about all types of classical and modern needlework and will open up the possibilities of making your imagination come true. All you need is to be patient, prepare different materials and supplies for creativity, and also use the knowledge acquired in our master classes. Do you want to explore the main species with your own hands or learn something new?

You can discover the talent of a master, test yourself in different types of folk art and simply create unique masterpieces that can become a gift for a loved one or a fashionable element of the interior.

Master classes on our site will help beginning needlewomen and folk art professionals discover the magical and unique world of DIY crafts. An accessible description of various techniques and incredible images that will awaken your desire to create. “

Modern popular handicraft

DIY embroidery with crochet and needle

Embroidery, as a lifelong hobby , is a very multifaceted type of needlework. This is a method of embroidering a design on canvas, using a needle and, mainly, floss threads. Yes, this is a very ancient type of folk art, but its diversity is amazing. Everyone is buzzing about the incredible collections of the most famous fashion houses. But most of the items on dress shows have magical prints, which, of course, are embroidered by craftswomen.

Luneville embroidery is a special type of embroidery, since it is probably the most unknown for our Slavic peoples. Mainly, it is used to decorate clothes and all kinds of jewelry. This beauty is embroidered using a special Luneville crochet hook. I will tell you that even a beginner can cope with this technique, because all you need to do is be careful in doing the work and have good tension on the stitches.

Cross stitch is perhaps the most popular needlework. For it you will need floss threads, any canvas, patience and perseverance. Yes, it's patience. But on the other hand, psychologists have proven that embroidery helps normalize a person’s mental background.

Satin embroidery is a special type of embroidery in which the fabric is completely filled with satin stitches. This technique does not require special skills, so it is considered one of the simplest. But it is worth paying attention to the fact that there are also a variety of satin stitch embroidery techniques, such as: knots, satin stitch in attachments, satin stitch on the floor, flat satin stitch, chain stitch, stem stitch, satin roller. Also, there are special types of embroidery, which are characterized by the predominance of certain techniques and color shades. For example, satin stitch, white stitch and shadow stitch.

A type of artistic needlework that is created using different types of ribbons and creates volume is called ribbon embroidery. Ribbons are used to decorate: clothing, wedding accessories, bed linen, souvenirs, and jewelry. This technique produces excellent paintings, boxes, sofa cushions, tablecloths, bags, and bedspreads.

Bead embroidery is a type of embroidery discovered for us by Russian needlewomen of the 17th century. They embroidered pictures and embroidered their dresses, first with pearls, and then, already known to us, with beads. Today, bead embroidery is interpreted in almost all types of decoration.

Handicrafts for the soul – knitting

Knitting is the process of making fabric or garments, which is carried out using machine and hand knitting. Of course, time passes, and such a type as knitting, naturally, does not stand still. And now craftswomen are experimenting with materials, patterns, and methods. Knitting has become a fashionable art of decoration and decoration. They are tied to interior items, toys and even cars. Read street knitting “Yarnbombing”

Lace and Irish lace

Lace is a decorative component made from fabric and thread. Irish lace MK read more.

Drawing is the oldest craft

Drawing is the most accurate way to convey whatever your imagination desires. Drawing is a way of personal expression. And it requires little - a blank sheet of paper or canvas, a pencil or brush, oil paints or watercolors. Tools may vary.

Drawing on porcelain is an activity that is carried out using the usual felt-tip pens, markers, and paints. For ease of design, the porcelain product with the applied pattern is sent to the oven. After the oven, the design is fixed and becomes waterproof. This creates an amazing decorative element.

Drawing on glass is an incredibly beautiful form of art, to which fashion and its new trends are in no way subject. This technique is used when painting lampshades, windows and various home decorations.

DIY weaving

Weaving is a way of combining flexible material (threads, stems, bast fibers, etc.). The process is as follows: each of the strips passes alternating, either above or below the others, at a straight angle or oblique.

Bamboo weaving is a product that carries a piece of environmentally friendly comfort. It is used for weaving baskets, handbags, various crafts and decor.

Beading is the formation of two-dimensional and three-dimensional compositions using beads and iron wire. Beads are tiny decorative objects with holes on both sides, they are needed so that a thread can be threaded.

Macrame is a technique of weaving threads with knots. Most often, two types of threads are used in macrame: for the base and for the working one. Of course, the work requires high-quality threads, so I advise experienced craftsmen to take silk cords, and for beginners, cotton ropes.

Modeling for needlewomen

Modeling is a method of giving a plastic material any shape. You can sculpt from anything: clay, salt dough, mastic, plaster, plasticine.

Making toys with your own hands

Making toys is always a pleasure, and if you have someone to give them to, then double the pleasure is guaranteed. Many handicraft techniques are used to make toys, but we would like to recommend that beginners master making coffee pots.

Coffee toys are also called loft toys . The technique involves the use of artificially aged textiles using a flavored coffee solution. Inside there is a padding polyester. The outside of the coffee shops is decorated with humorous inscriptions and wishes.

Making motanka dolls is an ancient craft that conceals a deep meaning. With the help of folk dolls, people used to be treated, make wishes come true, and get rid of depression. Today, cute dolls are kept at home, carried with them and given to those whom they wish well.

Very beautiful toys are made from socks. In a simple way they create funny dolls, bunnies, and dogs. Eyes and other parts of the face can be purchased at craft stores. The work drags on, but there will always be people willing to do crafts—they certainly don’t show up.

New and unusual versions of folk crafts

Street knitting Yarnbombing in all its beauty

Don't want to limit yourself to creating knitted clothes and home items. Jarnbombing is trending! knit decor for your own summer cottages.

DIY diamond embroidery

This fascinating and very beautiful hobby comes from China. In it, the Chinese women combined two ancient techniques at once - mosaic and embroidery with beads and stones. Unlike conventional diamond embroidery, it occurs without the use of needles and threads.

Parchment craft (pergamano)

Using the parchment technique, create elements for scrapbooking and DIY decor. This type of handicraft is just beginning to gain momentum, so there are not so many educational materials on it in Russian.

Unusual handicraft Encaustic

Pictures that are drawn using an iron and wax crayons. It works as follows: wax crayons of different colors are applied to a well-heated iron, and they begin to draw. In this case, all sides of the iron are used.

Patchwork from denim scraps

Surely, every girl, and maybe even a guy, has jeans in their wardrobe that they either no longer like or are worn out. But don’t rush to say goodbye to them, but rather give it to them. You can make anything from scraps: from a fashionable skirt to soft toys for children.

Isothread

Isothread is a special type of decorative and applied art, where embroidery is applied, most often, to a cardboard surface. Now notebooks and postcards with embroidery are very popular.

The creativity of Kumi Yamashita is a new breath in needlework

A master who uses nails to create his paintings, as a rule, uses black thread and a white wooden base. The threads going from nail to nail act as lines going from point to point that form the image.

Painting from fabric folds

As it turned out, any fold in the fabric can become, downright, a masterpiece. We see this in the pictures below.

Pencil sculptures

Pencil sculptures are, so to speak, jewelry work on a pencil lead. But not only the rod is used as a working material, but also the remnants of what we used to call “shavings”.

Coffee bean paintings

It is more common for perception to hear that paintings are images painted with paints. But coffee (either beans or ground) can serve as an excellent apprentice for creating a high-quality painting. This technique is accessible even to ordinary people. Do-it-yourself decor will bring much more pleasure than store-bought. Panels and paintings made from aromatic grains will charge you with cheerfulness, optimism and energy.

Decoupage with printout

Decoupage is a technique for decorating various objects using napkins with certain patterns, which can be transferred to any surface.

Digital scrapbooking from classic to new crafts

Scrapbooking – author's design of photographs and memorabilia. This type requires your imagination. And it is she who will tell you what available materials are needed. Often, clippings from newspapers, magazines, buttons, lace, and fabric are used. Digital scrapbooking has grown out of the ordinary thanks to modern technology. Allows you to create chic photo books from ordinary photo albums.

Digital scrapbooking or how to make your photo album fabulous.

Carving

Carving fruits and vegetables generally implies decorative decoration of the festive table. A very ancient oriental craft that is only gaining interest in Europe.

Quilling

A very ancient, favorite pastime of the European nobility. Used to create paintings, decorate albums, postcards, souvenirs and jewelry.

Decorative handicrafts Topiary

Small decorative trees that are used to decorate various events, as well as to create home comfort. They are called European trees. The most popular shape for creating them is a circle and a cone. They are in no way similar to the trees that are familiar to the eye. What they will be like depends only on the imagination of the creator.

Ceramic floristry or modeling jewelry from polymer clay

An elegant type of needlework, which is carried out thanks to modeling from polymer clay with the finest elaboration of details. Products made from poly-clay are increasingly gaining interest among the younger generation. Children look through the workshops, try to repeat the crafts and brag about it among their friends. A hobby may well become a hobby that fills all your free time, but it’s worth it and you will see for yourself what amazing opportunities polymer clay opens up for crafts.

Iris fielding

This is a three-dimensional folding of paper with a spiral image. Often, ready-made templates are used to make these types of postcards. But the possibility of developing them ourselves is not excluded. Internet sources will be a good help for you in this regard. Iris folding technology is based on carefully gluing multi-colored stripes in accordance with a stencil.

Oshibana (osibana)

For all of us, since childhood, it has been customary in the fall to collect leaves and plants and dry them. And how many crafts were made from the herbarium. So, in the modern world this technique is called oshibana or oshibana. It is based on press-dried natural materials: flower petals, green and yellow leaves, stems and grass seeds.

Tilda dolls unusual needlework

These dolls, made from textiles, scraps of fabric using buttons and ribbons, are often made independently and given not only to children, but also, even more often, to adults as an unusual souvenir and interior element. The first tilde dolls were hand-made works by the young Norwegian designer Tone Finager The first store under the Tilda brand was opened in 1999. In this store one could purchase educational books and master classes on handicrafts, materials for embroidery and sewing, patterns for Tilda dolls, and ready-made dolls were not sold in the store.

Interesting weaving from newspaper tubes

A very popular type of needlework, since this technique has practically replaced the usual wickerwork. In addition, paper is a publicly available material. The main consumable material is paper, which is rolled into thin tubes using glue. For work, use ready-made dried tubes. Using different weaving techniques, you get wonderful baskets for things, boxes and just home decor.

Wickerwork as interior elements.

Toys made from nylon socks

Not so long ago, housewives found a use for old nylon socks/tights. They began to make incredibly beautiful toys from them. This creation method is very simple, so even children are happy to start making the toy that suits their taste.

Crafts from jeans tips

There are many ideas that require exactly those old jeans that you and your family have. They just don’t come up with anything. They can serve as material for accessories, home organizers, furniture upholstery, and even for creating denim shoes.

Knitting of polyethylene bags

If you are a housewife and you have plastic bags available, then pick up a hook or knitting needles. All kinds of carpets, handbags, covers - all this can be made from such, at first glance, useless material as a plastic bag. Crafts made from this material will delight not only you, but also nature. After all, by not throwing away polyethylene, we save nature from pollution.

Origami

Origami is the art of folding various paper crafts. Compositions made from origami crafts can serve as both a wonderful gift and an excellent hanging decor for your room.

Hallway

Even the simplest entrance area can be made functional and stylish. Wood paneling will bring a fresh touch to the interior. Not only is it simply beautiful, it is also convenient. On the panel you can screw hooks for bags and jackets. You can also make a small shelf on top for useful little things.

There is also an interesting solution for small apartments. Shoe rack, hooks and cabinets can be combined into one organizer.

An ordinary front door can also be made into a stylish element with the help of wooden trims.

To keep your shoes out of the way and not dirty anything, you can make an unusual stand from a wooden box and stones. So even after a walk in the rain, your hallway will remain clean.

By the way, instead of pebbles, you can use an artificial mat made of plastic grass.

An old ladder can be used as a shoe rack. Now all the shoes will be at hand.

For a couple of years now, it has been fashionable to make all sorts of household items from wooden pallets. In the hallway you can use them as shoe stands. You can make a shelf on top for small items or just put flowers, and attach hooks for umbrellas on the sides.

There is a small life hack for pet owners. To keep dog or cat bowls out of the way, mount them on a separate shelf in a closet or under a countertop.

Surprise your guests with a non-standard approach to such an ordinary thing as coat hooks. Wooden slats, branches, screws, a little imagination and voila! The unusual hanger is ready.

Classic ancient types of needlework

Sewing and flower making

Patchwork and applique in needlework

The patchwork technique is a type of folk art in which pieces of different objects are sewn together in a mosaic pattern to form a finished product. Most often, blankets and rugs are made using this technique. So, in order to create a beautiful blanket, you need to prepare the fragments, then start sewing them into blocks, and then join the finished blocks together and sew the lining to the fabric.

Applique is a method of connecting various parts, be it fabric or paper. You can sew and glue your ideas. You can also combine applique with embroidery. The main task is to turn on your imagination and create.

Quilts are creations made from pieces of fabric that are filled with cotton wool when stitched. This method produces wonderful toys, potholders, blankets, and can also serve as decoration for clothing.

Artistic processing of leather

Artistic processing of leather - we immediately remember the good old Nikita Kozhemyaka. And this is true, because already in those distant times, leather goods were very popular. We also know that even primitive people wore the skin of killed prey. It turns out that this craft is one of the most ancient. But working with leather, and even more so, its artistic processing, is not an easy task, because it is very important to know about all the intricacies of the preparatory operation for processing leather.

Weaving

Weaving is a craft that arose in the late Neolithic, and is therefore considered one of the most ancient. Fabric or linens are produced on weaving machines.

Carpet weaving

Carpet weaving – carpets whose purpose is to decorate walls and floors. A carpet is a textile product that is decorated with patterns of many colors. Carpets can be hand-made or machine-made .

Matting is a technique for weaving carpets or rugs from environmentally friendly fibers.

Burnout

Burning (pyrography) – among the many types of wood finishing, decorative burning occupies a special place. Pyrography is used in the manufacture of various souvenirs and furniture decor. The most suitable material for burning is plywood. And most importantly, the composition is an electric burner.

Fabric burning (guilloche) is a type of needlework that involves finishing products with openwork lace and making appliqués by burning using a guilloche machine.

Hot stamping is a printing process of burning onto leather, wood, cardboard.

Type of needlework made from wool Felting

Felting is a technique in which wool is soaked in a hot soap solution, then ironed and rubbed in different directions, gradually increasing the pressure.

Wet felting is when unspun wool fibers are felted due to sliding and repeated uniform influence on them.

Dry felting is the process of repeatedly piercing wool with a needle. At the end, the wool should unite into a dense, homogeneous structure, from which various products are then formed.

Khokhloma

Khokhloma - Folk art craft of painting wooden parts. The main colors of the painting are scarlet-red, black and vine. Basically, masters depict rowan berries and strawberries.

Handmade Batik

Batik is hand-painted fabric. An unconventional method of applying patterns and ornaments appeared in distant Indonesia. And in Europe, this method was discovered already in the 19th century. It became widespread thanks to the discovery of aniline dyes.

Cold batik - drawing is carried out using a contour stroke of a special composition. Artistic expressiveness is given by color stretches that are located inside separate closed planes.

Hot batik is a type of batik in which paraffin or molten wax plays a key role. When the wax is removed from the dyed fabric, then a multi-colored pattern is obtained on the colored fabric. Due to the fact that contour lines are not necessary here, soft transitions of tones are possible in the form.

Artistic carving

Artistic carving is a type of artistic application of a design on a workpiece using a chisel, chisel, ax, or chisel.

Stone carving is one with the types of art of sculpture. This type of creativity requires mental persistence and special perseverance, due to the fact that pebble is an unexpected material and it is quite difficult to give it the correct configuration due to its density.

Bone carving is, one might say, a type of art that has been preserved and reached our time since the times of primitive people. For this carving, tusks, whale teeth, fangs, skeletal bones, and horns are mainly used.

Wood carving is the processing of materials using various cutting and turning techniques. The work is very delicate and requires maximum concentration. Also, you will need quality tools.

Mosaic is a pattern or image laid out from small parts of any material.

Stained glass is a picture or pattern made of colored glass.

Sculpture is the art of creating three-dimensional works of art by carving, sculpting or casting.

Birch bark is a folk craft in which the outer layer is removed from the birch bark, usually it is golden in color. Birch bark is a very plastic natural material. Treated birch bark is woven in two directions: obliquely and straight.

Wine weaving is a handicraft in which the main material is a vine. Having mastered this technique, you can make a variety of baskets, chairs, unusual vases and chests, thereby decorating your home life.

Painting is another ancient type of needlework.

Painting is the art of decorating any surface with paints.

Gorodets painting is a very bright and plot-rich painting. The designs are dominated by a variety of animals, most often roosters and horses, and the products are also painted with various floral arrangements.

Polkhov-Maidan painting is a subject ornamental painting. Among the painting motifs, the most common are landscapes and households.

Mezen wood painting is a type of painting of spinning wheels and ladles. The most widely used ornaments are schematically depicted figures of deer and horses, which break off at the borders of the product.

Zhostovo painting is a type of painting for which metal is the main material. This is probably the most difficult and time-consuming painting, as it requires thorough preparation of the base for painting, and after painting there are many stages of drying.

Semenovskaya painting - originates from the entire famous Semenovskaya spoon with a special ornament. But already in 1970, a factory appeared that produced a matryoshka doll that holds a flower arrangement in its hands - this is precisely the main element in this painting.

Gzhel is painting on a white background of a porcelain product with blue paints, it is also called “covering”. Gzhel painting is divided into three: main, ornamental and narrative. The main one is plant painting, the ornamental one is geometric shapes along the edges of the product, the subject one is the seasons and nature.

Stained glass painting is an independent decoration of glass surfaces. For painting, acrylic or silicate fabrics are required.

Arts and crafts

Quite a large section of fine arts. It contains various branches of difficult creative and mental activity, which is aimed at inventing incredible creations with practical and aesthetic functions.

Living room

Getting a stylish shelving unit quickly and inexpensively is no problem. Use wooden boxes. They can be arranged as you need, making shelves of various sizes. There is another plus - you can put together such a cabinet with your whole family and have a lot of fun.

Using the same principle, you can make a desktop. You will need modular shelving from Ikea, a table top, slats, screws and some paint. The number of shelves and the shape of the entire table depends on your needs.

In general, the use of wood in the interior is one of this year’s highlights. Wooden pallets, parts from old furniture, ladders, branches, etc. are used.

Hanging shelves will help make your living room more interesting. You can use both ropes of different diameters and belts.

A cornice is always a very expensive pleasure. But if you have a non-standard window and only need to order the appropriate size, then it turns into a complete pain. The simple solution is to use small-diameter plastic water pipes. You just need to paint them in a color that suits your interior.

Another life hack on the topic of curtains. How to decorate a window without using a cornice at all? You will need a wooden lath and a lot of hooks for clothes. Don't forget to sew the loops to the curtain.

You can zone the space in different ways: walls, screens, curtains. There is another way - jute cords. You can use any other materials like ribbons or colored fishing line.

Textile

There are also different types of needlework using this material. Their list is as follows:

• sewing (clothing, accessories, souvenirs);
• textile dolls;

These handicraft options are suitable for those who have a lot of unnecessary scraps, for example, one of the family members sews clothes to order.

Felt products

Bright scraps are always useful in needlework. You can create crafts with children from fabric. Kids will be happy to take part in this exciting process. A convenient option is felt. It does not crumble, it does not need to be sheathed. All parts are easily connected using glue. Soft toys and appliques are made from felt.

This kind of work can be done by kids who can make a gift for their beloved grandmother or father with their own hands. There are many colors of this material on sale, which allows you to bring any idea to life.

Embroidery

Previously, in home economics classes, girls learned 2 types of embroidery - cross stitch and satin stitch. And today, inspired by examples from the Internet, every student can try herself in something new.

Brazilian embroidery

What types of embroidery are popular today:

• embroidery with satin ribbons is delicate work, but the resulting three-dimensional picture is impressive;
• beads - this hobby is not new, but the variety of materials allows you to make the work brighter and more elegant;
• Brazilian embroidery is a three-dimensional pattern created from threads twisted with a needle;
• soutache – a decorative cord is used to create a pattern;
• handarger - especially popular in northern countries, the direction combines a smooth stitch and a cross;
• diamond - more like a mosaic, because a needle is not used here;
• isothread – thread graphics on a solid base.

Handarger
Unusual floral embroidery breaks all records of popularity. Plants are embroidered with thick threads on natural fabric (a hoop is used) - from simple wildflowers to vegetables and fruits. It's comparable to painting with sewing, the plants are so cute and natural.

Paper creativity

Origami, the oriental art of paper folding, immediately comes to mind. But today a worthy competitor to it is quilling or paper rolling, an even more popular technique. Paintings, panels, and three-dimensional crafts are made from thin (or not so thin) paper strips.

In the description of paper art, we should also highlight the fashionable creation of flowers from crepe paper today. The most beautiful compositions were originally made with candy buds filled to make the gift original. Today this is a separate type of creativity - flowers can be miniature, but huge paper flowers as part of a festive installation are also popular.

The vytinanka (cut-out) is also coming back into fashion. Openwork images on a thin paper base are glued to a suitable background: they can be placed in a frame under glass, or, like traditional firanks, they can be fixed on an open surface - for example, to decorate bookshelves. The ornamental pattern remains the most popular.

How not to get confused as a beginner

If you decide for the first time to study what types of needlework there are, remember, the list is very large. To avoid getting lost in the abundance of new information, look through the different options by category. They are classified that way. This division is not generally accepted, but was made for ease of perception of the text. The same species can be classified into different groups depending on the classification parameter (material used, processing method, resulting object).

Here the grouping by type of material used is taken as a basis:

• textile;
• threads;
• paper;
• glass;
• masses for modeling;
• natural materials.

The most popular options are also considered. Be patient and learn all types of needlework. The list, of course, is quite large, but after learning the technology for making the thing you like, you may be interested in this particular method. Each of them is original and worth your time. Some are suitable even for children, others are only accessible to experienced people, although anyone can try to make an original thing on their own.

Potholders

Practical and beautiful things will make the kitchen interior unique. Do-it-yourself crafts made from fabric, which help the housewife in everyday life, are in great demand. For work, you should prepare the following materials and tools: plain fabric, non-woven fabric, threads, tape, iron. You will also need multi-colored scraps.

A circle is cut out of a plain material, always taking into account allowances. From the flaps you need to get triangles of the same size. The colored parts are applied tightly to each other.

A circle is sewn from the triangles, having previously duplicated each element with non-woven material. The product should be stitched, placing a ribbon along the edge. Then the circles are sewn together and the product is turned inside out. All that remains is to stitch up the hole.

Natural materials

Types of handicrafts (a list with photos is presented below), which use methods of processing objects of natural origin, can also become an interesting hobby. These include:

• wood painting;
• Woodburning;
• oshibana - creating paintings from flat dried leaves, flowers, seeds;

These types of needlework are the most affordable. All materials are easy to prepare yourself without investing money. Even for carving, cuts from old fallen trees that can be cut with a chainsaw are quite suitable.