Maker Crate vs. Makerly – Craft Subscriptions Unboxing

Unboxing Maker Crate and Makerly crafts subscription box for adults – Loom-Knitted Hat and Tussah Silk Lamp. With a full review of the boxes, and close up pictures of the products and the final product.

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CLICK HERE to get 50% off your first Maker Crate box

Maker Crate and Makerly are both monthly craft subscription boxes, and every month you get a different project. In the box you get all of the materials and tools you need to create a specific craft.

Maker Crate, by KiwiCo – Loom-Knitted Hat

I’m actually not sure which month this box is anymore, I’m pretty sure that it’s November 2020. But I’m not certain. It has been sitting in my room for the longest time, after I’ve been waiting for it to arrive for even longer. So this is definitely long overdue and I’m super excited. This is the second Maker Crate that I’ve unboxed and craft that I’ve created. And I got to say, even though I had a lot of trouble receiving my box… I absolutely love them. They come with high quality, and reusable products. 

The cost is 29.5$ + shipping for international orders, which is one of the cheaper subscriptions. Especially for what you get, and I definitely think it’s worth the money. 

The materials tools

The box contains all of the materials and tools that you need to make the Loom-Knitted Hat. Which is great because you don’t need to buy. You get everything in almost exactly the amount that you need it. So you don’t need to go out and buy anything, and you won’t have a bunch of leftovers. Which is something that’s always annoying, to have too many extra materials and products laying around. It’s also nice, because they sent enough yarn and materials to make quite a few hats. Plus you get two high quality looms to have and continue to use. 

For the Loom-Knitted Hat, I got in the box the following materials and tools:

• Two knitting looms in two different sizes
• Knitting hooks
• Loom marker set
• Yarn needle
• 2 hat yarn skeins – each 164 M
• 2 pom-pom yarn skeins – each 45 M
• Pom-pom winder
• Large pom-pom
• 2 small pom-poms
• 2 sewing needles
• Thread – 2 M
• Inspiration sheet

The final product

I learned how to knit a scarf when I was 19 and I love making them ever since, but I never actually tried to knit anything else. I loved knitting these hats as well, it’s fairly simple and easy to make. It’s also a useful product to have, because you can never have enough hats, and you can always give them away as gifts. If it weren’t for the box, I probably never would have gotten looms or learned how to make hats. Which is the beauty of the box. Getting to make and create crafts and products you neve would have made otherwise. The hats also come out really nice, but if you don’t like hats it’s not very useful for you.

The quality

All the materials and tools that came in the box seem to be of very high quality, which is great. And also super important, because there’s not much more frustrating than trying to create something with bad materials. All of the tools are made by Maker Crate which is super impressive. It’s also really nice that it’s all branded by them, because it shows how serious they are. The yarn is also really nice, not that I’m a huge expert. But they seem just as good as yarn that I got from a professional yarn shop. The hats also held up well, which is a good sign.

The process

Again, I really enjoyed the process of making these hats, it was fairly quick and simple to learn. Once I really got the hang of it, it was even easier and so much fun. I enjoyed making them while watching online classes and Netflix. It’s a great monotonic activity, which keeps your fingers busy. They also had step by step guide videos which made the whole process so much easier. The videos were well made and the explanations in the were spot on, and simple enough that everyone can understand and follow the instructions. When you have someone showing and explaining to you, there’s less space for error and for things to go wrong.  

Makerly – Tussah Silk Lamp 

This is the first time I’ve ever gotten the Makerly, so I was super excited about it. Already on first glance there was a huge difference in the box sizes… While the Maker Crate is much bigger and heavier, the Makerly was small, flat and light. Which doesn’t say much, because the products and craft can still be very high quality. It is quite deflating and disappointing, but alas, it’s not the package that matters, it’s what’s inside.

If you order the Makerly box within the UK it is £18, and outside the UK it costs £24.00, which is almost the same as Maker Crate. Perhaps even a little cheaper. Either way, they are both a great price for what you get.

The materials tools

Also the Makerly includes inside of it all of the materials that you need to create the Tussah Silk Lamp. That little box sure does hold a lot of materials, it was very surprising. Again, you get everything you need, and a little extra if you want to make more or if something goes wrong and you need to fix it, or start over. Which is always good, because it’s frustrating to make such an intricate project, but having to be overly cautious and aware of the materials, because they could run out. 

For the Tussah Silk Lamp, I got in the box the following materials and tools:

• Tussah silk tops
• Scola cell paste
• Balloons
• Led lights
• Thread
• Glitter

The final product

This is definitely something I would have never thought of making. It’s a super unique and different idea, which is definitely very unconventional. And I love out of the box ideas, and it was definitely an experience. The final product, however, is a bit anticlimactic but still very pleasing. It didn’t come out exactly like I would have liked – which is likely due to me just not doing it so well. But either way, I actually like the way it came out, because it is very different from anything I have or ever made. It’s also very pretty and looks really nice on my desk – it’s definitely a great addition to have for my wok space. 

The quality

Again, I’m not a huge expert, but in my humble opinion the materials are really good, and they are definitely very sturdy. Also the final product came out nice, and seems to be holding up fairly well. For the price I paid, it’s really great materials and tools, and a great craft. I have no idea what the silk standards are, but the silk seems to be really nice and soft, and held up very nicely throughout.

The process

While the loom knitted hats were a fun challenge to take over, this one was a bit more on the frustrating side. At the end of the day, I think it all comes down to what you like and each person enjoys different things. It was a very cool product to make, but the process was just a bit annoying at times. Also, all I got was printed instructions (as opposed to the videos from Maker Crate). Which is okay, but also leaves a lot of space for error. 

Not all of the instructions were clear to me, and I was left confused quite a few times. There was also a contradiction with the glue – in the instructions it said not to stir, but on the glue itself it said to stir. Also, they said to leave overnight to dry (the balloon with the silk), but it took two days tho dry.  I couldn’t find any video instructions anywhere, so I just have to guess. Which is probably why it was so frustrating. But it was a unique experience, and I do still have a few more materials left, so I might just give it a try.

Conclusion

All in all, I did enjoy the Maker Crate a bit more, as it was a simpler process and craft to create. I feel like perhaps they’re also a bit more established. But it’s also not a completely fair game because this is my very first Makerly and my second Maker Crate, so I would definitely have to give Makerly another chance. Either way, I don’t think you can go wrong with either of them, and they’re both great. 

CLICK HERE to get 50% off your first Maker Crate box

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Maker Crate vs. Makerly Unboxing Video

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