Readers’ tips for beating boredom – from making clothes to learning ballet

Make clothes

Mike Aspinall’s woollen coat. Photograph: Provided by Mike Aspinall

During lockdown, I’ve been busy making my own clothes. I’ve discovered a real passion for sewing. I’ve taught myself how to make shirts, trousers, T-shirts, pyjamas, shorts and even a wool coat. I find sewing incredibly meditative and I can easily lose hours sitting at my sewing machine, thinking of nothing but the project in front of me. Mike Aspinall, blogger and digital marketing manager, Nottingham

Learn ballet via YouTube

Like many young people, I once took ballet classes, so I have spent hours in lockdown watching clips of ballets on YouTube and painstakingly trying to learn the movements. Five minutes of copying the “chicken dance” from La Fille mal gardée (where a rooster cavorts around the stage) and I am out of breath. You get the benefit of exercise and the sense of learning something. Esmé, student, Cambridge

Wind down by embroidering

After a day of working from home, staring at screens, I’ve found it intensely relaxing to sit and embroider. The slower you do it, the better the result. I started using a kit and have since progressed to embroidering my own designs. I don’t consider myself a creative person and would never before have had the time to sit and stitch for hours. Rosie, civil servant, London

Take photos indoors

A Russell Bloor action photo. Photograph: Provided by Russell Bloor

I usually photograph nature, bands and music, but, due to Covid restrictions, I have developed a new hobby. I am a huge fan of comic books and have collected a few action figures over the years. Being stuck inside, I thought I’d try doing photo scenes of them in “action”. It has been an enjoyable and cathartic way to carry on taking photos and have a bit of fun during lockdown. Russell Bloor, photographer, Manchester

Learn Italian

I’ve been learning Italian for an hour every day since March. I love languages, but had never realised quite how powerful it is to commit the time every day, not just once or twice a week. Watching cookery shows, the news and films in Italian (still with the subtitles on) just adds to the joy of this wonderful language. My reward will definitely be a trip to Italy. Ali Camp, primary school teacher, north Somerset

Snap a daily family portrait

I lost all my photography bookings, but kept the creativity alive by convincing my family to participate in a daily monochromatic portrait in our driveway. I wanted to create a series of portraits to reflect the ways individual identity can blur into group identity when people are locked down together. We used outfits and props from around the house and the series went low-level viral online. Rowena Meadows, photographer, Melbourne

Draw and paint

John Tomlinson’s Capitol-inspired creation. Photograph: Provided by John Tomlinson

I’ve returned to painting and drawing, having studied art at O-level and A-level between 1964 and 1968. I joined an art group after retiring and, during the pandemic, we’ve been meeting online – last year we completed an “art alphabet” project, working on a different topic each week. My most recent piece is a modern day take on Humpty Dumpty, vis-à-vis the Capitol riot. John Tomlinson, retired teacher, Durham

Play Dungeons & Dragons

I’ve been running an online Dungeons & Dragons game for five friends. It takes a few hours’ preparation a week: finding or making maps for exploration and battles, designing challenges and building the fictional world. But, for a few hours every Tuesday night, they get to fight enemies who can be beaten, find treasure that can change their lives – and travel (albeit under the threat of monsters, rather than a virus). What better escape? David Sheridan, records officer, Manchester

Try book-inspired crafting

Ashima Jain’s biscuit-based furniture setup. Photograph: Provided by Ashima Jain

I’ve been reading books and working on craft projects to match the book’s theme. I read 108 books in 2020 and so explored my love of crafting using many new and different techniques. For example, I read Harry Potter for the first time and made a cross-stitch Hogwarts crest to go with it. For a book with a murder mystery set around a lunch party, I created a miniature furniture setting using biscuits. Ashima Jain, writer, India

Clean paths and parks

While on my daily walks, I noticed the paths in the local park were covered in mud and sticks and the play area was struggling with weeds and moss. So I took out a brush and shovel and started clearing. It made for excellent exercise and gave me an enormous sense of fulfilment and a sense of connection to my community that I had never experienced before. Ewan Hoyle, salesperson, Glasgow

‘Collect’ walks

We have enjoyed exploring new walks during lockdown, particularly at the weekends. We have breakfast then head out with our dog, Pablo, for a few hours, exploring local places we haven’t been to before and really taking in nature. I’ve enjoyed “collecting” our walks on Strava; when we get home, it feels like a welcome relief, rather than feeling like a place in which we are trapped. Nicola Carroll, PA, Wokingham

Explore your ancestry

Victoria Lisek’s old family photos. Photograph: Provided by Victoria Lisek

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by my family history. When the first lockdown hit, I finally had (more than enough) time to dedicate to amalgamating a family tree. I started with the large box of dusty files I was given after my grandfather’s death and have now traced my family tree back to my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. Victoria Lisek, student, London

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