Being a crafter in Qatar
My name is Hannah and I am an 18-year-old national who is known as the DIY friend and I am proud of that title! If you gave me random objects, paint, paint brush and glue I could make you literally anything. Living in Doha is like that, you make something out of what you are given. I have explored and tried many different crafting hobbies while I have been in Qatar and it has been a roller coaster made of Popsicle sticks and glue.
One of the biggest headaches of being a crafter here in Qatar is not being able to access all the supplies that are needed for your projects. I haven’t explored some projects because I know the materials aren’t over here and I may need to order them online. Getting materials for painting is easy enough over here, however for more complicated crafts like crochet and knitting you may not find what you are looking for. My mum crochets and she can find the basic wool over here, but she has to order safety eyes and joints for her amigurumi online. Other materials like Polymer Clay are hard to find over here. They may have it for a short period of time, but then it is gone within a week of it being in stock. If you are looking for materials like this it may require going to places like Dubai or your home country and checking out their shops. You also have the option of ordering online through Ebay or Amazon, but this could turn out to be more expensive due to shipping. I remember ordering Polymer Clay from eBay and the shipping ended up costing more than the product itself.
However, Qatar also has places that have everything you need. If you sew then Souq Al Dira is for you. They have everything you need from different types of materials to the needles you need for your sewing machine. There are many different types of shops in Souq Al Dira that can provide you with all the material, trimming, buttons, snaps, ric-rac, lace and even polyester batting. However, if you are looking for cotton batting then I’m afraid you would have to bring that in from your home country or again, it is another order online job. Apart from that, it is a sewer’s paradise.
While also being a crafter here in Doha, you also have to look at the price of items over here. If you are looking for professional art supplies and also supplies for basic crafts than Jarir is the place for you. However, after years of going in and out of that place, there is one thing I have noticed about the shop. It is expensive. I have found myself walking out the shop with some watercolour paints to only find out that I could’ve gotten it cheaper online. I have also found that the CASS art shop sells similar and better quality items for a cheaper price than Jarir. Therefore, my advice to you would be to not make the same mistake as me and scout all the possible shops (online included) out before you commit to buying.
If you are thinking about committing to your craft and want more information about where to buy the supplies then head over to “Qatar Handmade Corner” on Facebook to find out more information. We have set up files for all possible crafting shops in Qatar. In these posts, we talk about what supplies they have in stock, as well as where to find the shop in Qatar. We have also shared some workshops among the group like Hobby House Qatar. So if you would like to have a trial run with a craft, then workshops are for you. Also in this group, we have people all over Qatar sharing their handmade crafts and their experiences. So please feel free to join the group and get involved! Everyone is willing to help each other out, so if you have questions about a certain craft, someone on the group is bound to help you.
My final words to you would be: make sure you look at all the possible shops first before committing to any new hobby, while also being prepared to order online if you are doing a more complicated craft. And on that note, I shall bid everyone a very good day and happy crafting!
