4 Homemaking Hobbies I Wish I Knew

1. I’m a good cook, but I really wish I knew how to can!

I know that my great grandmother was a canning queen. I can still remember the shelves filled with canned delicacies lining the walls of her basement. Her fig preserves, lime sticks, and pepper jelly were completely amazing!

I’ve looked into canning, but I’m afraid of what my husband would say if I bought all the necessary supplies and failed. Canning can save lots of money in your food budget, but only if you’re actually successful.

2. I also wish I baked my own bread.

I’ve tried this a few times, but the resulting bread still needs improvement. The taste is usually good, but the consistency isn’t right yet. Sometimes the bread is too soft and we can’t use it for things like sandwiches or toast. It just falls apart when we cut it! Sometimes the outside gets too hard and it is difficult to eat.  Crusty bread just doesn’t fly in this house.

Unlike canning, I am confident that with some practice I’ll figure the bread thing out eventually.

3. Sewing, more than just repairs.

My grandmother did teach me to sew by hand. I can mend things when they need mending. I can fix a loose seam or replace missing buttons. I can even add a zipper! However, my stitches are not straight enough or tight enough to do any more than mending. I have no idea how to manage an actual sewing machine.

I’d love to buy a sewing machine and teach myself, but I’m pretty sure my husband wouldn’t be a fan of the upfront cost. Especially considering that the fruits of my labors would probably be a long time coming. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

It would be so nice to learn how to sew my own clothes! I have a hard time finding things in the stores sometimes and making my own would ensure that they matched my style and fit my body.

4. Quilting sounds so romantic to me!

Do I sound totally crazy yet? I really wish I knew how to quilt. I just love the beautiful old quilts that have been passed down in my family!

Maybe it’s just me, but it sounds so romantic to sit around with friends and sew a quilt together or spend some quiet time sewing together fabric from my son’s baby clothes for a special memory quilt.

So far my attempts at quilting don’t get very far, mostly due to the fact that I don’t know how to use a sewing machine. It takes an awful long time to sew squares by hand!

Are there any lost homemaking arts that sound romantic to you? Is there anything you wish you knew how to do? I can’t be the only one that loves wearing frilly aprons and cooking pies in my kitchen. What do you wish you knew how to do, just for fun?

Written by: Sara Parise