If there’s one thing that we really know here at ABM, it’s crafts! When you are doing multiple DIY projects a week, you quickly start to know your favorite and must-have tools for your crafty arsenal. Since it’s our goal to encourage you to do more DIYs in your homes as well, we thought we’d share our most used tools for those of you building up your craft room supplies!
1. The Crop-A-Dile! This multipurpose tool is great for setting eyelets, washers, and grommets, but to be honest, it’s the hole punching capabilities that we use it for the most. It has a few hole sizes and will punch through just about anything!
2. Always having a set of paintbrushes in multiple sizes and shapes comes in sooo handy! Whatever you need to paint, you’ll have the right brush for the job!
3. You don’t have to be an expert woodworker to reap the benefits of a cordless drill—whether you are hanging a DIY shelf or making a simple plant stand, you’ll be so glad you have one!
4. The X-Acto knife may hold the title of “most used tool” in our toolbox. Cutting paper? Photos? Balsa wood? Cardboard? This baby does it all.
5. Even if you never make it past “beginner sewer” you’ll still have a whole new world of pillows and curtain DIYs available to you if you own a sewing machine—it’s so worth it!
6. We use painter’s tape for everything from marking where things should be hung on walls to taping off parts of your project you don’t want to paint. Since it comes off easily and without a mark, it comes in really handy.
7. A cordless drill will come with a screwdriver end attachment for screws, etc., but you’ll also want a multi-size drill bit kit for drilling holes as needed. You can even use them to drill into acrylic, particle board, and other materials besides wood!
8. Remember how much we love X-Acto knives? Well, if you also love your dining room table, you’ll want to cut things on a self-healing craft mat instead of your favorite dinner spot to save your flat surfaces from harm.
9. Glue guns foreveeeeer! These babies make attaching one thing to another a snap, and a glue gun like this one has a high and low temperature setting so you can switch back and forth as needed.
10. These small jewelry pliers and cutters are essential for jewelry making but also get used for lots of other projects that involve wire or metal accents. Definitely multipurpose tools for sure!
11. This rotary cutter is basically an X-Acto knife for cutting fabrics and leather. When you need a long or straight cut, this tool is the one for you (and it’s another reason you’ll want to have a cutting mat around).
12. Worried you can’t make a straight cut with the X-Acto knife or rotary cutter? No worries, a metal ruler is just what you need. It has a cork backing so it won’t slip around while you cut on your mat, and they come in lots of lengths so you can have a 3′ long one for big projects and a 6″ one for small jobs (like cutting out photos for scrapbooking).
13. While a glue gun will hold some fabrics together, it’s not something that you can use to adhere things you may want to wash in the future (like pillow cases or fashion DIYs), so it’s a good idea to have some fabric glue nearby. You can use it to attach trim to fabrics, glue a quick hem in place, or attach embellishments like jewels or rhinestones too.
14. This is probably only the millionth time we’ve said it, but get a jig saw. They are so inexpensive and easy to use, and the list of projects you can now tackle will multiply like crazy. FOR REALS!
15. So, I know we have a lot of cutting tools on this list, but we are going to also add a good pair of fabric scissors to the list. Cutting felt, fabric, leather, vinyl, or any similar product with dull paper scissors is going to make you want to pull your hair out. So make sure to have a pair of sharp tailor scissors in your stash (and don’t forget to have them sharpened when needed!).
As you can see, most of these are smaller ticket items (with a sewing machine being a bigger investment but SO useful), so it won’t break the bank to add a few at a time to your DIY storehouse. Think of all you can make and do with these tools at your fingertips (check out our crafts section for more inspiration)! What are you waiting for? Get out there and start creating!
16 Comments
^^YEP! I had everything on this list from studio! I always said I majored in crafting, not architecture. My recommendation: get an Irwin snap knife to supplement (or in my case replace) your xacto knife. WAY easier to cut through thicker material, the handle is easier on your hands, and when your blade gets dull you just snap it off with a pair of pliers and keep on truckin. It’s my holy grail crafting/living tool.
I sew need a new sewing machine! (See what I did there 😉
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Good suggestion!
Laura 🙂
NICE!
Laura 🙂
Yay!! So excited for all you can make now!
Laura 🙂
I almost have them all! I think I’m all set 😉 x
Jessica — NinetyCo
As a previous architecture student, YES to all of these things! Also, that pink cutting mat? So goals.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I have the same paint brushes.
Deffffff saving this post for our next crafting day. Thanks for this, y’all!!
xoxo,
Jenna
Another thing I can’t live without is my roll trimmer – the modern version of a guillotine. I make a lot of greeting cards and it enables me to cut perfect right angles and cut within 1mm accuracy. Jude, one of your interested followers from New Zealand.
judenuttall@gmail.com
Great list! Can you please add a space between each one? It was a bit hard to read 🙂
I had an exacto knife for decades. It was part of my trade, along with a pica pole. And then, both of them disappeared. I am tempted to buy a new exacto, just as a kind of security blanket. So powerful! So precise!
Oh geez. I have the whole list. Haha.
Thanks so much for the list. Looks like I need to get a few things http://www.likehanna.com
I definitely still need a new glue gun, they’re so versatile!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
How funny, I actually JUST bought a jigsaw this week (because of ABM’s recommendation)! I’m hoping to use it this weekend on a few DIY projects that have been sitting around my house for ages. I always feel like I’m not very creative or crafty, but this seems decently simple to use, so I’m hoping I can make something great with it! I feel like ABM actually gives me the confidence to try some things that I normally would be too scared to do. Thanks for the recs. – A fan from Kansas City