Name: Rebecca Dagmar
Age: 23 years old
Country: Canada
Instagram: @shopdaisyanddime
Etsy: @shopdaisyanddime
Twitter & TikTok: @daisyanddime
About the series
The Healing Craft Series features creators sharing their thoughts and feelings on crafting and healing through crafting.
“Crocheting bikinis for myself became a way to love, appreciate, and feel confident in my body again, since I was making something that would fit my body, not trying to fit my body into something else. It really was empowering!”
Rebecca Dagmar, @shopdaisyanddime
What kind of craft do you do and how long have you been doing it for?
I crochet, mostly! I learned when I was around 6 years old, so I’ve spent most of my life crocheting, but I officially opened up my shop and started sharing my work in 2017. I also have picked up knitting recently and hope to share some of those projects soon as well!
What is your favourite place/time of day to craft and why?
I love to create things very late at night. I’ve always been quite a bit of a night owl, with bursts of inspiration or creativity hitting me when it’s dark outside and everyone else is sleeping. I find I focus a lot more, and the time always seems to fly by- it’s pretty common for me to start crocheting at 11pm, get lost in my work, and not realize that it’s suddenly 2am! Crocheting in the late hours of the night is just so quiet, cozy, and peaceful.
Though, on the other end, crocheting outdoors in the sunshine is also a favourite of mine. In the warmer months, I bring my hook and yarn with me everywhere- camping, to the beach, on hikes, wherever I go!
What inspires you (in life & in crafting)?
Just about everything, to be honest! I find inspiration in so many places- from the stack of vintage magazines my Babi gave me, to character and costume designs in movies and video games, to the colour palettes of locations I’ve visited or the seasons, to clothing my friends and family wear, to all the amazing things created in the maker community!
When it comes to crocheting, one of my favourite things to do is to look at other crafts and their techniques to inspire me and learn more skills! You can learn so much about garment construction when you look at sewing or knitting techniques, or find new ways to add special interest to your pieces by looking at skills such as macrame or embroidery.
How has/is crafting helping you and your mental health?
Being able to crochet has greatly helped me grow as a person in many ways. I think my most impactful and healing experience with fibre arts is when I first started to crochet swimwear a few years ago. At the time, I was struggling quite immensely with my self perception and body image. Crocheting bikinis for myself became a way to love, appreciate, and feel confident in my body again, since I was making something that would fit my body, not trying to fit my body into something else. It really was empowering!
In general though, I find all forms of crafting to be extremely therapeutic. There is something so calming about crocheting to me, maybe it’s being able to fall into a natural rhythm while you’re working. It’s a great way to practice mindfulness, and there is also something so gratifying about weaving in the last few ends of your work, holding your project up, and saying “wow, I made that.”
What is your advice to other creators (or newly started creators)?
For new creators, take it easy and be kind to yourself when learning a new craft! Skills take lots of time to build and it can be so easy to get discouraged in the beginning. Allow yourself to make mistakes, you learn a lot more from messing up than you do from getting it right the first time…. Trust me, you will make plenty of errors- and thats ok! There is always room to learn new techniques and grow, I’ve been crocheting for practically my whole life and there are still so many things that I still mess up on, and skills that I’ve yet to learn. The absolute most important part about crocheting, knitting, or any other craft, is to just have fun.
On that note, to my fellow creators, I think it is always very important to be mindful that we’re not overexerting ourselves. In a world of social media and hustle culture, it is hard not to attach our self worth or artistic value to our online presence. Social media can be fantastic tools for your business, you can meet so many lovely people and become inspired by so much, but it can very quickly become a bottomless pit of hyperfixation on analytics, comparisons, and equating our value with productivity.
Remember that your work is much more than a number determined by an algorithm, and don’t let that dictate your motivation to share your work with the world! There is no wrong way to make art, as long as it makes you happy- regardless of how well it performs on social media.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Just that I’m so incredibly thankful to be part of such a kind, inspiring, uplifting, talented, and welcoming community! Thank you for having me for this interview!