BEST OF // Our Top 5 Etsy How-Tuesdays

It's no secret that our friends at Etsy know good crafts and DIY projects when they see them. And now they're spreading the love. Every Tuesday, the Etsy blog posts How-Tuesday projects, so you can learn a new skill without ever leaving your computer, as it should be. We've formed something of an addiction to the feature and we thought we'd share 5 How-Tuesdays we think are tops (presented in no particular order of course).

Via Etsy1. Sew a Skirt in One Hour: For those of us who are not quite whizzes on the sewing machine, the title of Brett Bara's book is, in itself, awe-inspiring. The How to Sew In a Straight Line author stopped by Etsy studios to show us how to sew in enought straight lines to create a wearable garment--in five easy steps.

Yarrow, pre-tea2. Urban Herbalist: Ok, it's no secret that 3rd Ward likes urban farming. But what we like even more than farming is learning what to do with those plants that grow wild all over (sometimes called weeds). Irina from Phoenix Botanicals gave us the scoop on plantain bandages, yarrow tea, mugwort pillows, and more. It's a great intro to her Foraging Herbal Medicine class at 3rd Ward.

Hit the jump now for three more amazing ideas.

3. Build Your Own Seltzer Maker: You know who doesn't like seltzer? Nobody, that's who. But no one likes piles of plastic bottles or the accompanying environmental effects. So your options are to buy a fancy seltzer-maker, or McGyver your own with a trip to the hardware store and a handy tutorial by painter Randy Stoltzfus.

4. Spread the Word for an Event: This feels like one of those things that you're just supposed to know. You think that if you tell friends, they'll tell friends, and bam, packed house. But there's method and skill to tailoring your invite to your event and getting people in the door who aren't already in your circle (if you're into that sort of thing). Danya Cheskis-Gold of Skillshare shows us the way.

5. Mustard: It turns out making your own mustard is easy enough that it might be worth doing even if you don't like the stuff (at the very least, just for bragging rights.) We also love projects like this where we can make a big batch and give everyone we know a homemade gift. And once you've learned how to pack your event, you could even have a mustard party (trust us, they happen.) Michelle Fuerst, formerly of Chez Panisse, gives us the recipe and walks us through it with a video.

Honestly, we could've made this list 300 ideas long, but then we may have broken the internet. So do yourself a favor and get How-Tuesdays bookmarked for your weekly project inspiration.

--Layla Schlack