Do you design your own crafts?

I don't have the time to do many crafts anymore (not to mention the hands of my helpers aka children) but usually I like to make my own things. I might use something as inspiration but I like knowing that I made something on my own :)

i make my own patterns (for cross-stitching). if i see a beautiful picture that i want to display, then i make a pattern for it. if i get a chance, i'll start cross-stitching. but for now, i just make patterns. don't have time for cross-stitching! :(

It depends on what I'm making. Mostly I like to use a pattern as a guideline but add personal attachments along the way that make the craft unique en really 'me'. However, if I am going for something I would like to be exact than I'm not adding in my own personal style. For example when trying to make a plush of a cartoon character; I just want it to look as close to the real thing as possible :)

I take a pattern and change it up a notch. I think that it looks better that way. I also cover up my mistakes that way if I make any.

For 90% of my crafts I make up my own design. If I do follow a pattern from some where I'm not really happy until I've put my own spin on it.

If it's something I'm not familiar with ,then I like to start with a pattern. After doing that a few times, I'll start to branch out on my own. So, I guess it all depends on what I'm making and if it's new to me or not.

I have followed patterns however I have a tendency to do my own thing. Just like with recipes. I believe that patterns are a guideline and that one should put their own bit of creativity into the project. Sometimes I change colors or stitches. One craft I have been doing for more years that I can almost count is plastic canvas. And I do design my own patterns with plastic canvas.

When I first started petting together native American crafts, I would look at books to get an idea how to put them together. Now I just go by what I think will work, and it usually does. One of my original ideas was (and still is) to put together a dream catcher using sharks jaws as the outer "circle". When I go to Pow Wows as I usually go to the trade blanket and trade some of the things that I will probably never use for things that I think that I can use in my crafts. Some of these things have wound up in very novel items.

Most of my craft ideas are purely from my imagination and mind...I don't even bother drawing out designs but make it up as I go along...of course I have my "prototypes"--that is my early "editions" of designs that I improve on as time goes on...like my Native American themed teddy bear..He's gone through a lot of "reincarnations" until I came up with the final design...have a photo of him here.

Yea, sometimes when I feel that I am really creative, I would design my own craft and DIY. But most of the time I would feel that I am too tired to do that. Well, I admit that my creativity is diminishing! I guess I really have to stop work to be creative.

For my crochet projects, I use a pattern. But for my baby blankets and booties, I have my own "recipe" that I cooked up based on others. It's lots of fun and can be done with ease while I'm watching TV.

I usually use a pattern for knitting - now with things i make often i remember the pattern in y head. Quilting i prefer a pattern but I've designed a few of my own patterns as well.

I do some crossstitching and I have to say that I follow patterns to work on. I don't really modify it nor alter it, so the whole project is dependent on the pattern. Now that you've mentioned it, I think it would be good for me to modify it a bit just to let out my creativity. I also create my own bracelets from beads and for this, I let my creativity flow. When I was just beginning, I look for patterns from magazines or from the bracelets that I saw from the stores. I ended up altering the designs because I can't really copy what I've seen. Not to mention the fact that I only have my own beads and materials to work it. So far I am satisfied with my own products!