Where to find womens DIY workshops?

[LCT915]

Hi I would love to learn some DIY stuff instead of relying on my grown up kids or male friends. I can't see any how to learn to be a capable DIY women type workshops at Bunnings in Sydney! Or elsewhere in person with anyone else. Does anyone know of anything like this, other than You Tube videos? Thanks for your help and ideas

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @LCT915. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about learning D.I.Y skills.

You won't find much of any D.I.Y workshops being conducted in our stores at the moment as we are yet to return to our usual scheduling. We very much look forward to providing D.I.Y classes in all our stores as soon as possible.

There are several Women's Sheds in the Sydney region that you might like to look at. I'm sure you'll find many like-minded individuals at those locations to learn from. You'll also find that some community colleges run short D.I.Y courses. They usually are orientated towards a specific type of project, like furniture restoration, but you'll learn all the practical D.I.Y. skills associated with that project.

You'll also find Workshop a wonderful place to learn skills from. Sometimes though, it's just a matter of getting a few tools and giving a project a go. We all started somewhere. I trust you'll find these best advice articles helpful: What tools does a beginner need? and What tools do you recommend for a beginner?.

Let me mention some of our extraordinarily capable members @sandy_d, @redbournreno, @prettyliving, @hazesnow, @craftyhopper, @rubytuesday1953, @theparlourroom and @NikkiMaree, who might like to give you some advice on how they started out. Also, checkout @Tara86's hugely inspirational story: How to build your D.I.Y. confidence

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[hazesnow]

Welcome @LCT915 @I understand it can be quite daunting to attempt things out of your comfort zone. All I can say is give it a go! You will surprise yourself! 😍

I am self taught with pretty much all that I do, both my husband and I watch countless uTube videos and honestly just give it a go! We have almost fully renovated our 1976 built double brick home as well as I’ve made quite a bit of furniture both for our workshop and others in my family. 
good luck, never give up or give in. 
looking forward to seeing your future projects! 👍👍

[theparlourroom]

Hi @LCT915 

Welcome! I agree that you just need to give it a go! YouTube has been invaluable to me. Then just start with a small project. Maybe buy a small piece of furniture like a stool or side table or large wooden photo frame from an op shop (or something that’s free on gumtree or Facebook marketplace), and try your hand at giving it a makeover. You’ll be able to practise sanding, filling any holes or dings, maybe using wood glue and clamps if anything is loose. And you could stain it if it’s wood or paint it (always so fun to select colours, and so rewarding to see the end product!!). You could weave in some hand or power tool use too. Maybe you’ll shorten the legs with a jigsaw, or add some trim and use a hammer and nails. You could change up handles if the piece has a drawer or cupboard. If you just use what you have at home already, and get a free piece online, then you can test all your skills even if that you know it’ll end up being a Frankenstein mess because you’re just using it to try lots of things and you’ll put it out for a council cleanup!! You might cut off one part of it, and pain and stain random bits, or pulling bits off and practising securing them back again. Most of all, have fun with it! Being able to do things yourself is very rewarding (and much cheaper than hiring someone), and I find it much better than having to ask someone, and wait for it to be done on their schedule. Just build up your set of skills slowly. I focus on one thing at a time. For example, I’ve just got my own drill and driver set, and I need to screw something in to a tight space. So I spent last night researching drill extension pieces. I usually end up down a YouTube rabbit hole, and there’s nothing I love more than that!! When you do big projects, there’s always a point when you’ll ask yourself, “why did I start this!!”, and want to give up. But pushing through and seeing the end result (even if it’s not as polished as your vision!) is extremely rewarding. 

[LCT915]

Brilliant, thanks for all that Mitchell I'll start checking everything out, so helpful!

[LCT915]

Wow, that's super inspirational! Thanks so much for sharing and I'll keep you posted little steps for me!

[LCT915]

Haha! Thanks so much for the encouragement, ideas and chuckles to boot really appreciated!

[MitchellMc]

Keep us updated as you progress on your D.I.Y. adventure @LCT915. Please let us know anytime you need assistance or have something to share with the community. We're here to help.

Mitchell

[jillm]

Has anything changed since march 2022?  Are you bringing the Women's workshops back??  i do hope so

[Jason]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @jillm. It's great to have you join us. You've joined a community full of wonderful people sharing inspiring projects and helpful advice on the site every day, and a group that is passionate about having a go.

Can you please tell us what is your closest Bunnings store? We would be happy to assist you to get in touch with the store about their current workshop schedule. 

All the best,

Jason