Spin off the Hobby Collectors Unite

Becca Bonneville

Becca Bonneville

Sweet Shoppe Designer
Reading through the hobby collectors thread made me think about how I want to try all of the hobbies but just can't seem to find the time to learn them (crochet, embroidery, etc.). I want to do all of the things!

Which made me think...If you could master any skill instantly, what would it be?

I think out of all of the things I would like to master woodworking! So many projects I see on Ana White that I would love to make for inside my house and outside. I even joined a beginner woodworking group on Facebook to try to learn more about it haha!
 
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I wish I was an expert food canner. Or even a beginner one. lol
I bought a pressure canner (or whatever it's called) at the beginning of 2020. Along with several Ball canning books and various supplies. I'm scared, though. :crying: I think the canner is in it's box in the basement. I wish I had a neighbor who cans so I could watch the process in person. I did watch a bunch of YouTube videos when I bought the supplies. But the fear of contamination and such has left me not actually trying it.
 
And... I used to follow Ana White (was it YouTube?) years ago. 15 years ago? I wanted to do all that woodworking stuff, too! Never did, though. I don't have the tools. I've always, secretly, wanted a nail gun. :D
 
SweetChar said:
I wish I was an expert food canner. Or even a beginner one. lol
I bought a pressure canner (or whatever it's called) at the beginning of 2020. Along with several Ball canning books and various supplies. I'm scared, though. :crying: I think the canner is in it's box in the basement. I wish I had a neighbor who cans so I could watch the process in person. I did watch a bunch of YouTube videos when I bought the supplies. But the fear of contamination and such has left me not actually trying it.
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This is something I want to work on as well! My sister does a lot of canning and I keep saying I need to take my stuff up to her house so she can help me with it. I did refrigerator stuff with my garden last season but I really want to do shelf stable, long canning with it all. I can only eat so many jars of jalapenos at a time haha. Stocking the pantry would be so awesome!
 
SweetChar said:
And... I used to follow Ana White (was it YouTube?) years ago. 15 years ago? I wanted to do all that woodworking stuff, too! Never did, though. I don't have the tools. I've always, secretly, wanted a nail gun. :D
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haha! Yes! A nail gun would be awesome! haha My husband has a circular saw but we would really need to add more tools to do a lot of the projects. I would love to be more self-sufficient and, honestly, make better quality things than things that are in the stores these days.
 
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SweetChar said:
And... I used to follow Ana White (was it YouTube?) years ago. 15 years ago? I wanted to do all that woodworking stuff, too! Never did, though. I don't have the tools. I've always, secretly, wanted a nail gun. :D
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my husband made 2 headboards from those plans!!
 
I think Ana had/has plans for kids' raised bed. Well, twin size mattress. I don't recall now if the bottom had drawers or it was open below. I wanted to make it, whatever it was. Hmmm. Was that for my older boys at the time? Can't recall. If it was, I wound up buying boring, metal loft beds for them. lol
 
SweetChar said:
I wish I was an expert food canner. Or even a beginner one. lol
I bought a pressure canner (or whatever it's called) at the beginning of 2020. Along with several Ball canning books and various supplies. I'm scared, though. :crying: I think the canner is in it's box in the basement. I wish I had a neighbor who cans so I could watch the process in person. I did watch a bunch of YouTube videos when I bought the supplies. But the fear of contamination and such has left me not actually trying it.
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Same here! I have the pressure canner that I’m too scared to use, too! We need to do a canning workshop or something! I have a cousin who has promised to walk me through it , but so far the canner is in the basement
 
That loft bed is super awesome KCB!

That is how it is here Char, I am like I want to make this thing and then buy something not as awesome haha!

Yes, a canning workshop would be awesome! My sister does both pressure and water bath. I am like Char, in worried about the head space, it sealing right and not contaminating things.
 
allyanne said:
Same here! I have the pressure canner that I’m too scared to use, too! We need to do a canning workshop or something! I have a cousin who has promised to walk me through it , but so far the canner is in the basement
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What?! I was thinking of you when I was typing about my canning dreams. :D I thought for sure that you canned things. Do you do the refrigerated things? Aren't their some things (pickles?) that people do that don't actually get heat canned? Look at me and my lack of knowledge along with my bad memory.
 
My husband has made so many things from Ana White plans and some others he's found! he's gotten pretty good. He made a massive shelf for our homeschool materials, a pull-out extra pantry that fits between our fridge and cabinets, a king-size headboard and bed frame for us, bunk beds for the boys, a loft bed for our daughter, and a beautiful farmhouse-style long table. He's slowed down a little the last couple of years since wood has gotten so expensive but he's still got a list of several projects he plans to work on.
 
I wish I could just do sourdough... and do brush writing.... maybe I should wish for patiences... hahaha
 
SweetChar said:
What?! I was thinking of you when I was typing about my canning dreams. :D I thought for sure that you canned things. Do you do the refrigerated things? Aren't their some things (pickles?) that people do that don't actually get heat canned? Look at me and my lack of knowledge along with my bad memory.
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I can water bath can and make refrigerator pickles and freezer jam! But I really want to can my own broth and maybe do some other things too. I'm mostly worried about the canner blowing up! And you know, botulism.
 
Hmmm...a skill I could learn instantly....

is how to make a million so I can retire a skill????
 
Tracie that is amazing! I have seen some tables I would love, too! Materials are expensive but I love it all so much!

Rebecca yes! Sourdough! I see so many yummy, pretty loaves and want to do it so bad but I suck at trying to keep my starter alive haha. I should try it again.

Kiana that would be a pretty amazing skill haha! I would totally do that!
 
Does learning a language count? I speak English (obviously) and Spanish fluently, and just a teeny bit of French but I am fascinated by languages. I just never can seem to commit enough time or attention these days to continue learning and improving!
 
Mari a musical instrument would be fab! I used to play piano but it has been eons since I have played.

Cassie YES that totally counts! I would love to be able to speak different languages like that!
 
Playing the piano. It's my dream to play the piano and master it. The lovely music it plays are just a melody to my heart.
 
Canning is a good one!
I'd love to be a better gardener, but I don't know if my problem is skill or just losing interest in between when the seeds start to sprout and the veggies grow, LOL.

We got a pontoon boat last year and I would like to instantly be an expert at driving it without any pointers from my husband, hahahaha
(I do have a friend who has been boating since she was 12 lined up to give me some tutorials this spring/summer!!)
 
Cherry I love the piano, too! That is a wonderful dream!

Rebecca totally understand about the gardening! It is a lot of work and waiting haha. I do love the payoff, though.

Laughing at driving w/o your husband's pointers hehe. Totally understand that one, too. Yay for having upcoming lessons! A pontoon is so fun!
 
My father and brother are the woodworkers in our family, and I've helped them with projects - sort of the woodworking equivalent of a soux chef - but I'd love to be confident enough to attempt some larger projects around my house.

My Mom did canning for years and years when I was little ... Allie, I'm still laughing over your "botulism" comment! :D

And I would LOVE to learn to play the piano. I have a piano-weighted keyboard in my bedroom, but it's currently being used to hold folded laundry <cringe>.

The past couple years, I've been focused on increasing my skill at sewing challenging types of garments. I've tackled blue jeans and swimsuits and at the end of the year, I did an instensive 8-week online course in custom bra-making and fitting. So I'm now sewing bras and panties, and I get better with each set I make.

This year, I invested in a 1st level course on couture pattern-making and sewing that focuses on skirts. It's all about starting from a person's individual body, rather than a pattern, and drafting their custom block and then creating custom clothing patterns for it. I'm hoping to save up to take the 2nd level course on pants in October.

And honestly, though it might be nice to instantly know everything and have that skill, I am really enjoying the learning process and the discovery moments of "aha!" as I go step-by-step. :)
 
angiekey said:
And honestly, though it might be nice to instantly know everything and have that skill, I am really enjoying the learning process and the discovery moments of "aha!" as I go step-by-step. :)
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THIS is the skill I wish i had/could learn. I give up easy and have little patience and I am the type of person who wants to go from beginning to knowing in the same day.. It really is a great character trait to be willing to sit in the middle to to speak.
 
KristinCB said:
THIS is the skill I wish i had/could learn. I give up easy and have little patience and I am the type of person who wants to go from beginning to knowing in the same day.. It really is a great character trait to be willing to sit in the middle to to speak.
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That's incredibly kind of you to say, Kristin! But definitely don't get me wrong - I get crazy frustrated and have to walk away from the class work for a day or two before I can come back to it with a clear head - I just figure that's part of the process, too. :)
 
Becca Bonneville said:
I think out of all of the things I would like to master wood working! So many projects I see on Ana White that I would love to make for inside my house and outside. I even joined a beginner wood working group on Facebook to try to learn more about it haha!
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Woodworking was one of my pandemic hobbies! I did a couple larger projects like a mud kitchen for my boys, but I really enjoyed making wooden toys- especially painting peg dolls and carving animals. It is such a satisfying hobby. I gave up a lot of hobbies over the years, but this is one I wish I’d kept up with, especially because of the investments I made into equipment and supplies. I didn’t really have a reason to give it up, my brain just decided one day that I’d gotten what I needed from it and walked away.

Untitled-design.jpg
 
Becca Bonneville said:
Reading through the hobby collectors thread made me think about how I want to try all of the hobbies but just can't seem to find the time to learn them (crochet, embroidery, etc.). I want to do all of the things!

Which made me think...If you could master any skill instantly, what would it be?
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This is sooooo hard! My first thought was being able to master drawing. It’s something I’ve slowly been working on for many years but I’m totally inconsistent so it’s taken my ages to make any real progress.

My second thought would be to play guitar or piano. I have picked both of the them up over the years but it requires so much consistency that I’ve continued to fall short.

Writing might be a third choice. But I think most of my joy comes from the learning, not necessarily the mastery so I’m not sure that I’d actually be happy with my skill if it did magically materialize!
 
I'd love to instantly be good at camping/setting up the campsite. My husband does pretty much everything while I photograph but I want to be more helpful. (I do prep the campfire meals at home, run through the packing checklist, unpack and put everything away when we get home... I'm useful but want to be more competent.)

I'd also love to be able to do deep space astrophotography with my 500mm lens. It took me a little while to feel confident in my Milky Way photos (with a 14mm lens) and those are a much bigger target than far-away nebulae.
 
I was really struggling to answer this question... I really like Cassie's instantly be able to speak more languages idea though. That's an awesome one and a skill that while I'd LOOOVE to have (to make travel more comfy and immersive mostly), it's one I know I don't have the patience, or memory at this point, to actually accomplish on my own.

I also wish I could pick a handwriting and have my handwriting magically transform into that.
 
KristinCB said:
THIS is the skill I wish i had/could learn. I give up easy and have little patience and I am the type of person who wants to go from beginning to knowing in the same day.. It really is a great character trait to be willing to sit in the middle to to speak.
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That is my problem as well! I want to do it and do it well now. Due to that, I just don't try as I have already defeated myself before beginning.
 
I'm with Mari. I wanted to play electric guitar since I was around nine, but I can't even read music.
 
I bought a class in acrylic painting back on Black Friday. This year I've had a huge urge to make bright crazy paintings. There are a lot of artists in my family but I have my very own vision that I'd love to do. I guess I should look at said class so I can at least get the supplies needed!
 
jaye said:
That is my problem as well! I want to do it and do it well now. Due to that, I just don't try as I have already defeated myself before beginning.
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I always want to go from A to Z and miss all the middle letters. Patience is not always my virtue.
 
Angie, I think your sewing is so cool. So many took up knitting a crocheting and there are only so many sweaters and throws a person needs. My daughter has been teaching herself more and more about sewing as she sews many of her own cosplay outfits.


angiekey said:
My father and brother are the woodworkers in our family, and I've helped them with projects - sort of the woodworking equivalent of a soux chef - but I'd love to be confident enough to attempt some larger projects around my house.

My Mom did canning for years and years when I was little ... Allie, I'm still laughing over your "botulism" comment! :D

And I would LOVE to learn to play the piano. I have a piano-weighted keyboard in my bedroom, but it's currently being used to hold folded laundry <cringe>.

The past couple years, I've been focused on increasing my skill at sewing challenging types of garments. I've tackled blue jeans and swimsuits and at the end of the year, I did an instensive 8-week online course in custom bra-making and fitting. So I'm now sewing bras and panties, and I get better with each set I make.

This year, I invested in a 1st level course on couture pattern-making and sewing that focuses on skirts. It's all about starting from a person's individual body, rather than a pattern, and drafting their custom block and then creating custom clothing patterns for it. I'm hoping to save up to take the 2nd level course on pants in October.

And honestly, though it might be nice to instantly know everything and have that skill, I am really enjoying the learning process and the discovery moments of "aha!" as I go step-by-step. :)
Click to expand...
 
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