简体中文
EnglishWhat Is Make it Yourself?
Updated
Make it Yourself is a digital book that collects over 1,000 useful DIY projects from makers around the world, with each entry linking directly to the original project website where the full build instructions live. It is best understood as a curated index and inspiration source rather than a tutorial site itself — you browse it to find a project, then follow the link out to the maker's own page to actually build it.
What the book contains
According to the site, the project is built on a simple observation: creative people everywhere are making high-quality things of all kinds and sharing their work freely. Make it Yourself gathers that work into one place.
- Over 1,000 DIY projects spanning many categories of making
- Direct links from each featured item to its original project website
- A stated purpose of serving as inspiration for your next project
The current release is Version 1, dated Nov 2024, and it is offered as a download.
How it works in practice
The structure is a catalog, not a course. Each featured item points outward to the source, so the actual materials lists, measurements, and step-by-step instructions come from the original maker, not from Make it Yourself.
That has two consequences worth knowing before you start:
- Quality and format vary by project. Because every entry links to a different independent site, the depth of instructions, photos, and completeness depends entirely on the original creator.
- You need to leave the book to build anything. Treat the book as the discovery layer and the linked site as the working layer.
Who it suits
| If you are… | Make it Yourself is… |
|---|---|
| Looking for project ideas across many crafts | A fast way to scan a large, varied set |
| Wanting a single structured course | Not that — it is a collection, not a curriculum |
| Comfortable following instructions on external sites | A good fit |
| Preferring everything in one self-contained document | Less convenient, since content lives elsewhere |
Getting started
- Download Version 1 (Nov 2024) from the site.
- Browse the featured projects to find something that matches your skills and materials.
- Follow the link on that item to the original project website.
- Build from the source instructions, using the book entry only as your starting point.
If your goal is to find a project you can actually complete this weekend, start by filtering for builds whose linked pages show clear step-by-step photos — that is the most reliable signal that the source instructions are complete.