What you wish someone had told you...

[Aegidia]

Since there is a huge variety of crafts represented here on the forums, I thought it would be fun to learn a bit from each other! I always find it very interesting to hear from experienced crafters what they wish someone had told them before they got started. What would have really saved you time, stress, or confusion if only someone had come up to you in the craft store and gone 'hey, if you're gonna try that, you should X'?

For me, the following things would have been great to know roughly 2-3 years earlier:
Sewing: you can set in a simple 1-seam sleeve before sewing the side seam of the garment or the sleeve and you can sew in a zipper before sewing up the rest of the garment. Really. The universe won't implode because you did not follow the step-by-step instructions in the right order. HOWEVER when they say 'copy all markings' they definitely mean ALL markings!
Knitting: you really, really should learn about fiber properties before making yarn substitutions (and NO, alpaca is NOT 'practically the same as wool').

We make these mistakes so that others don't have to

[Eliste]

This is a great idea.

Sewing: I wish someone had taught me how to do a French seam early on so I would not have run around with unfinished edges bemoaning my lack of serger for years. Its so easy to do, and makes a huge difference to the finish and lasting power of pieces.
Also- I think people fear sewing because they feel the machine will "do something" to their fabrics. The fact that sewing machines WANT to sew in a straight line is a good thing to know and keep in your mind, I find.

Embroidery: Anchoring on the front. I went for years without doing this. Man, does this make a difference in how the finished product looks, getting rid of all the bumps at the back.

Quilting: No, you can't cut as straight a line with scissors as you can with a rotary cutter. Get one, get a ruler. Doesn't have to be big, but you will instantly see better results.

[RMDC]

Cross stitch:

• Railroading is easy, easy, easy, and the improved results far outweigh the minimal time and effort investment.
• Doubling a single strand is much simpler than using two separate strands in the long run.
• It's worth it to wash your fabric first.
• Always photograph your finished work. If it's a gift, you'll regret not having something to commemorate your effort once you've given it away. If it's a piece you're keeping, you'll be upset if flood, fire, or ferret destroys it, leaving you with no record of it looking its best.
• By the same token, sign and date it - in the traditional initials-in-the-corner way, by attaching an index card with the details to the back of the frame, or by keeping a log (preferably with pictures attached). There will come a day when you don't remember exactly when you did a project. As a bonus, if you keep a log or use index cards, you can write additional details about the difficulty you had with all those confetti stitches or how this was your first project on linen. Eighty years from now, when you're dead and all the things you love are going into a dumpster or an estate sale, those details might be the thing that turns "dad's goofy sewing thing" into an indelible memorial to your love for Kuribo's Shoe, saving it from the trash heap.

Papermodeling:

• The time required to complete a build rises exponentially - not linearly - with the complexity of the build. Cubees and Keicraft builds take no time at all. Greebly things like spaceships and builds with moving parts take disproportionately longer.
• Large builds need reinforcement to prevent sagging in on themselves.
• Have a display destination picked out before you click "print".
• Take pictures of the build process and your final product and mark the date. All the reasons for doing this with your cross stitch apply to paper models.

[Eliste]

Generally:

The Planning Fallacy- this is how we humans suck at estimated how much time something will take. I still struggle with it, but I would've missed fewer deadlines if I had known about this before.

[LinkIsMyHomeboy]

Scrapbooking:
-Less is more. The ultimate goal of scrapbooking is to preserve photos in a fun way. Too much on a page not only takes away from the photos, it also uses up more supplies and scrapbooking supplies ain't cheap.
-Have a plan before you start cutting, sticking, gluing, etc... It is very hard to remove most things from scrapbook paper and you can't un-cut a photo.
-Keep any scrap you think could be usable. Again, scrapbook supplies ain't cheap.

Cross-stitch
-Most often, one or two misplaced stitches won't affect the overall look of a piece. Don't stress too much. You're probably the only one who will notice.
-Seam-rippers are a godsend when you have a large area to unpick. Just be careful not to cut your cloth, too.
-Using a tablet instead of printing patterns saves tons of paper and ink.
-Just learned about railroading. Literally. From RMDC's post. Definitely wish I had learned that one a long time ago.

[Hellfire]

Not to look at the new patterns people are posting on here, because they then get added to the to do pile. Which is growing at an exponential rate.
Also to hide the pile from yourself. I have a bad habit of getting bored with what I'm doing so start something else. Means nothing gets finished in a timeframe. Unless it's for someone else ( that gets finished before some else gets started).

[Aegidia]

Ha, I do with supplies what you do with patterns. Note to self: Do not stockpile supplies like the Apocalypse is coming. You will get frustrated with the amount of storage you need, will feel guilty when you buy something new because you still have so much in stock, and by the time you finally get around to making something with it, you will have fallen out of love with it. It really is much better to buy with a project in mind. You wouldn't buy a dozen shirts you don't need just because it's half price or because the line is being discontinued, so why do you feel the urge to do this with yarn or fabric?

[concraftidor]

Cross Stitch -
-use compression gloves when stitching. They keep your fabric clean from hand oils and help you stitch way longer, even if you dont have any hand pain normally.
-If you are working on a ton of stuff at once, use hoops instead of frames. That way you can switch from project to project really easily and without all this bulky clutter. I use the same hoop for every single project, so only one project is taught at a time. Take the hoop off when you are not working, even for breaks.
-Use an interlocking hoop. These are sometimes listed as quilting hoops. They will keep your project drum tight for hours.
-Buy fabric the same color as your background stitch to save thread.

Chain Maille
-Buying rings instead of making them is waaaay easier, but waaay more expensive. Choose your battles.
-Buy thin gardening gloves since you WILL get plier blisters
-The most beautiful project in the world can be ruined by an ugly clasp. Come up with unique designs that fit each project, don't buy them.
-You will always need more rings than you think
-AR of the rings matters ALOT! If a pattern calls for a certain AR, USE THAT AR!

[Livingdeadgirl]

this thread is awesome thanks to some answers i am on google learning new tricks right now :)


mixed media art (aka trash art):
ALWAYS wear gloves when using the box cutter.....you may not need gloves to cut down boxes at work...but when cutting open a NES its easier to wear gloves then get 5 stitches in your thumb from a lovely doctor
plan before .... but do not be sad or afraid to switch it up as you go....
remember these are not craft materials and will not respond exactly as you wish

painting:
DRAW IT ON PAPER FIRST - how many times have i skipped this step and ruined a painting
never use a coffee mug as your "paint water cup" - you will mix the two up... you will drink painty coffee...

cross stitch:
don't fret over one wrong stitch...no one will see it but you...and maybe you won't
be proud of what you have done. even if it isn't perfect.

always date you work. doesn't matter what it is ... sign and date it

[Mishatu]

Concraftidor, how are you making your maille rings? My bf and I make our own rings (galvanized steel, not the dainty pretties), and it's pretty easy imo. Of course, I haven't really tried with other materials.

Bobbin lace: I really wish I had understood how to make (and noticeably pair) the bobbins before starting the project. It was quite difficult, since I was using small pieces of dowel instead of purchasing fancy bobbins. I ended up coloring the bottoms with different colors, but it's still a little hard to tell the pairs sometimes! Also, make bobbin lace with thread you can manage with in large quantities. Strands of embroidery floss are way too much work xD

Maille: The first few rows are the hardest. After that point, you can see which way the rings need to go and just keep on it, but until then, I know I made a couple of jangly messes!

Crochet: Yarn size gets exponentially more difficult to work with the smaller it gets. Going from worsted weight to doily weight (I can't remember what the name of it is, just that it's a cross between thin yarn and thick thread) was only a little hard, but going from the doily weight to thread was much more difficult! Also, trying to find crochet hooks that tiny are rather difficult. For anyone else looking to try, I'd recommend investigating the groups that sell things at Civil War reenactments, or other such period items. They're a lot cheaper than the only brand JoAnn's carries that small! (I think I got about 15 for $20? Can't quite remember, but it was such a lovely deal)