How to Find a Craft Kit You'll Love (+ My Personal Kit List to Get You Started!)

A year ago today, I left my CEO position to reconnect with the arts. Step 1 on that journey - buy kits!!

It’s hands-down one of the best ways to try a craft on for size! Art and craft kits have become beacons of creative inspiration and education - integrating materials, tools, image-rich instruction, and even video resources and direct artist-to-buyer communication… there is SO MUCH to be gained from picking The Right Kit [insert heavenly chorus and halo of light!] But how do you do that?

How to Pick a Craft Kit You’ll Love

Art is strongly tied to emotion, and one of the strongest motivators to actually FINISH a kit is to LOVE it. This is an activity in which it can be ok to splurge! Enthusiasm for your kit will help give you wings over the most common hurdles, including getting started, cresting the mid-project hump, and then making that final push to the finish line.

Before you even begin...

Start with a Google image or Pinterest search for the craft type you’re interested in. Check out what’s possible, and jot down any search terms, styles, and subject matter that especially appeal to you. Pro videos can be great, too - just be aware that these can sometimes intimidate OR give a false sense of simplicity.

If your search sidetracks you down a different rabbit hole - amazing! Follow it like the adventurer you are! Just be sure to set a 5 minute alarm, so that you don’t explore your way into doing nothing at all.

Define what you want.

Dumb luck aside, I’ve never found anything meaningful in my life without at least a basic working knowledge of what on earth I’m looking for! The same applies to craft kits.

Why do you want a kit in the first place? To try something new? To improve your technique? To impress someone? Maybe you’re on a mission to push yourself outside your comfort zone, or just want a fun way to relax or socialize. You might be filling an empty wall, making a gift, or possibly even creating to sell.

Your answer to this will weigh in heavily on the complexity, quality, type and style, cost, size, shape and color, and even the support you’ll want out of any craft kit you select.

Narrow your search.

Here’s where you get to combine your Google Image/Pinterest meanderings with your craft kit introspection to hone in on the best places for you to search. The 7 avenues below — coupled with the search terms you came up with earlier — will set you off on the right path. You’ll find further inspiration in my personal kit list (available below):

AMAZON
Amazon offers a decent craft kit selection for crafters wanting simple ordering, fast shipping, and novice-intermediate projects. Tracking kits down here can be a bit catch-as-catch can, and not always intuitive; non-mainstream craft options are also limited.
BIG BOX CRAFT STORES (e.g. Michaels, JoAnn, Hobby Lobby)
Big box craft stores are also good resources for popular, beginner-friendly kits, but with a more targeted, more intuitively organized, and less overwhelming kit selection, along with perfectly paired materials, tools, resources, and even classes.
CRAFT-SPECIFIC PRODUCT SITES (e.g. Etsy, Artfire)
This is hyper-friendly searching for curious crafters, and one of my favorite resources! Craft-specific product sites list kits and patterns for all types and styles of craft (including non-mainstream!), all skill levels, and provide direct connections to artists worldwide. Shipping can be slow and return policies vary widely, so plan accordingly.
INDEPENDENT ARTISTS’ SITES
Support the arts first-hand! Some of the most beautiful kits and patterns come directly from artists’ sites. Although higher priced, you’ll see and FEEL the difference in quality of material, tools, instructions, artist access, and end result. Unless they have their own retail shop, you’ll probably need other venues to source extra materials and supplies. Look up favorite artists in your preferred craft, and see what they offer. Don’t be afraid to contact them if they don’t have a kit but you wish they did - at the very least they’ll be flattered and — who knows? — they may just come up with something one-of-a-kind for you!
“BEST OF…” CRAFT KIT SEARCHES
You can also run a generic “Best of…” craft kit Google search to find what’s hot, what’s new, and what’s trending.
CRAFT KIT SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
If you don’t know where to start, subscription services take the kit hunt off your plate, so you can focus on crafting itself! For a handy list of the best art and craft kit subscriptions for adults, check out this article from The Spruce Craft.
ASK YOUR PEERS!
There’s no replacement for connecting with friends, family, and fellow crafters for their favorite kit and pattern recommendations. They may just inspire you to try something new!

Last, but not least... choose a craft, and don’t look back!

The final phase of a perfect craft kit pick is to choose the one that most floats your proverbial creative boat, and then buy without regrets or second guessing. You’ll come out of each project more skilled, more knowledgable, and primed for your next creative adventure. Every. Single. Time. Take the leap, my friend - take the leap.

My Personal Kit List

If you’re looking for a little inspiration on your craft kit hunt, here’s a behind-the-curtain look at 15 kits and patterns that I personally selected for my own creative adventure. (Tip: If a kit you like is currently unavailable, check out other kits by that artist!) Right now, I’m heavy into the needlecraft and textiles; give it another 6 months and this list will look completely different. That’s the joy of exploring!

1) Basketry

Basket Weaving Kit “The Feathered Cat” by Baskets by Mona

I was enchanted the moment I spotted this basket, and she has SO many more that I want to try. Mona has also been a delight to communicate with!

View more kits by Mona (Etsy)

2) Beadwork

Bead Embroidery Kit - “Be Still My Heart” by Lisa Binkley Fiber Art

Although not the exact beadwork project I created (sadly no longer available), here’s a similar charmer from Lisa’s beadwork kit collection!

View more kits by Lisa (Etsy)

3) Colored Pencil

Prismacolor Colored Pencils

I am infatuated with this brand of colored pencils - the variety, the texture, the richness of their color, the way they glide across paper. Even though my colored pencil projects will be kit-less, Prismacolor itself deserves a mention!

View more products from Prismacolor (product site)

4) Crochet - Amigurumi

Crochet Characters Soft & Snuggly Cacti by Jana Whitley

Sometimes, it’s fun to step away from “beautiful” and create CUTE! Each cactus takes only a few hours to complete, so this kit is ideal for instant gratification.

View more kits by Jana Whitley (Amazon)

5) Crochet - Flowers

Crochet Rose Pattern by Happy Patty Crochet

I love flowers, but have a very black thumb! Here’s a beautiful bouquet I can make to brighten our home that will be glad when I forget to water it!

View more kits by Happy Patty Crochet (Etsy/Ravelry)

6) Crochet - Tree Skirt

Snow Flurry Tree Skirt Crochet Pattern by Cozy Nooks Designs

It’s easy-peasy, plush, bubbly, sweet, and chunky. I whisked out a quick tree skirt for our new home with this simple pattern, and my mom crocheted herself a lap robe. This is a satisfyingly swift pattern for beginners.

View more kits by Cozy Nooks Designs (Etsy)

7) Locker Hooking

Winter Bouquet Locker Hooking Kit by Go Color Crazy

I stumbled across this sweet locker hooking kit while prowling for rug hooking ideas. Rich warm tones and lots of glorious texture. A fun intro to a neat craft!

View more kits by Go Color Crazy (Etsy)

8) Miniatures

Cathy’s Miniature Flower House Craft Kit by Hands Craft

WOW does this kit ever require strong eyes and a steady hand! If you enjoy honing your fine motor skills, here’s your grail. A charming and challenging kit!

View more kits by Hands Craft (Amazon)

9) Needlepoint - Counted

Tilemania Counted Needlepoint Kit in “Cypress” by Kathy Rees, Needle Delights

“Tilemania” is not for the faint of heart - many techniques to learn, but all well explained. You will not get bored! Completing each little square acts as its own reward, and incentivizes you to hop right into the next one.

View more kits by Kathy (independent artist’s website)

10) Needlepoint - Plastic Canvas

Vintage Plastic Canvas Victorian Houses Patterns from eBookCraftPattern

My dad doesn’t know it yet, but I bought this pattern set for him and I to create together, as mutual admirers of colorful character homes. There’s bonus charm in the vintage nature of these patterns.

View more kits from eBookCraftPattern (Etsy)

11) Petit Point / Gobelin

Horse & Dog Tapestry Needlepoint Gobelin Kit from mega-embroidery

This was one of the easiest kit decisions I ever made - I was in love with the design from the moment I spotted it. In practice, however, it’s one of the most challenging and s-l-o-w pieces I’m working on - precision is everything here!

View more kits from mega-embroidery (ArtFire)

12) Ribbon Embroidery

Floral Ribbon Embroidery Kit from Egoshop

I found this kit fascinating! Manipulating ribbons to create realistic petals was exhilarating and easier than I expected. And the way they just blossomed off the painted backdrop with each stitch… stunning!

View more kits from Egoshop (Amazon)

13) Rug Hooking - Small

“Lilies” Hand-Dyed Wool Rug Hooking Kit by Darci Spilman of WoolenFolkArt

And so began my love affair with rug hooking! This lovely 8”x"8” piece inspired a whole Dawn B Creative blog series on the art of rug hooking. Fast and beginner-friendly.

View more kits by Darci (Etsy)

14) Rug Hooking - Large

“Filly” Rug Hooking Pattern by Sharon Smith of W. Cushing & Co.

This is a pattern I fell head-over-heels in love with on Pinterest and traced all the way back to W. Cushing & Co., where the owner was generous with her advice and time, and even custom dyed wool to help match it to my home decor. I’m both terrified and impatient to get started!

View more kits by Sharon (W. Cushing & Co. website)

15) Wool Felt Appliqué

“One of a Snowy Kind” Wool Felt Appliqué Kit by Karen Hahn of Horse & Buggy Country

“One of a Snowy Kind” holds a very dear place in my heart, not only because it was SUCH an enjoyable kit, but because my mom and I laughed and gabbed our way through sewing our respective snowflakes. Additionally, I made a friend in artist Karen Hahn, who is the type of human being you feel blessed to have met.

View more kits by Karen (Etsy)

What’s your favorite craft kit? Inspire me and your fellow creatives in the comments section below!

Note: I have no affiliation with, and am not receiving compensation from, any of the above artists or sites. These are my personal recommendations.

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Hi, I'm Dawn B.

I am a recovering CEO, reconnecting with my love of arts and crafts. My mission is to educate and inspire fellow creative explorers who, like me, want to try it all!