Crafts
How do you define things as “crafts?” Talk about opening up a can of worms! Can you just say crafts are things that people make by hand?
Do people when they hear the word “crafts” feel that the item is what is called “primitive” meaning that the item looks, old, used, or can it be associated with what is called “country crafts?”
Well, let’s just jump right into this and see if we can sort this out (at least a little sorting out).
I have seen so many beautiful products that people make and that is in itself “crafting.” Now there are so very fine people who make jewelry and the jewelry they make is what I call “Movie Star” quality. Jewelry that you would see celebrities wearing that is absolutely out of this world in design and quality.
One another forum I have read so many posts that people feel that if you did not actually make the jewelry then it is not considered hand made, a craft or it should not be sold as such. If you design a piece of jewelry then that is your design. The design is your craft.
I design digital pictures but I don’t actually draw them because the computer does. It is still my craft, my design so I consider it to be handmade. It might seem like splitting hairs but I designed my picture with my own two hands and so to me it is my handmade creation.
Like an artist that paints a picture then makes prints of the picture. The prints are still the artist’s work as he created the original painting. So both the prints and painting are the craft of the artist.
I got a question about items are knitted. This is a another whole ball of yarn! Excuse the pun but I just had to say it.
There are people who knit only by hand and those that use a knitting machine. Both machine knitted and hand knitted are hand made because you have to use your two hands to work the machine. I knit and had a knitting machine and I will say this it took more “work” to use the machine than just knitting with needles. My hand knitted I could carry with me and work on while waiting in the doctor’s office, very portable and convenient for me. Using the knitting machine I was restricted to only using it while in my studio. Also there are knitting patterns that you cannot make on a machine that have to be knitted by hand. But the point is both are hand made, machine knitting and hand knitting.
Another question I received concerns necklaces and pendants. Basically it is that if a person buys a chain and then buys a pendant and put it on the chain, is that considered hand made vs. a person that actually makes a pendant! Well, both are hand made but people do look at the quality of the piece. People can tell the difference and of course price should be associated with the work a person puts into crafting a necklace and pendant.
I am a buyer more than a seller and I look at quality of the work first, the design, the materials used and then being that I am a “crafter” I always look to see if I can make it myself. If it looks easy for me to make and I can make it cheaper, then why not! I can easily go to AC Moore and buy a chain and a pendant and make a necklace but I cannot for the life of me make the intricate wire wrapped pendants that I have seen. The time involved in making is well worth the money to me to purchased jewelry like this. Again this goes back to quality.
Enough for today as I have more questions to answer concerning what is considered “crafts” and also handmade.
Just one more note. www.craftique.us will be opening on Feb.1, 2013. It will cost $5.00 a month for rent on your boutique or $50.00 a year. You will have unlimited listings and no other fees! That is it, plain and simple.
Reserve names are still coming in so reserve your name now so you will be assured of getting the boutique name you want.
Happy Holidays to all!
Do people when they hear the word “crafts” feel that the item is what is called “primitive” meaning that the item looks, old, used, or can it be associated with what is called “country crafts?”
Well, let’s just jump right into this and see if we can sort this out (at least a little sorting out).
I have seen so many beautiful products that people make and that is in itself “crafting.” Now there are so very fine people who make jewelry and the jewelry they make is what I call “Movie Star” quality. Jewelry that you would see celebrities wearing that is absolutely out of this world in design and quality.
One another forum I have read so many posts that people feel that if you did not actually make the jewelry then it is not considered hand made, a craft or it should not be sold as such. If you design a piece of jewelry then that is your design. The design is your craft.
I design digital pictures but I don’t actually draw them because the computer does. It is still my craft, my design so I consider it to be handmade. It might seem like splitting hairs but I designed my picture with my own two hands and so to me it is my handmade creation.
Like an artist that paints a picture then makes prints of the picture. The prints are still the artist’s work as he created the original painting. So both the prints and painting are the craft of the artist.
I got a question about items are knitted. This is a another whole ball of yarn! Excuse the pun but I just had to say it.
There are people who knit only by hand and those that use a knitting machine. Both machine knitted and hand knitted are hand made because you have to use your two hands to work the machine. I knit and had a knitting machine and I will say this it took more “work” to use the machine than just knitting with needles. My hand knitted I could carry with me and work on while waiting in the doctor’s office, very portable and convenient for me. Using the knitting machine I was restricted to only using it while in my studio. Also there are knitting patterns that you cannot make on a machine that have to be knitted by hand. But the point is both are hand made, machine knitting and hand knitting.
Another question I received concerns necklaces and pendants. Basically it is that if a person buys a chain and then buys a pendant and put it on the chain, is that considered hand made vs. a person that actually makes a pendant! Well, both are hand made but people do look at the quality of the piece. People can tell the difference and of course price should be associated with the work a person puts into crafting a necklace and pendant.
I am a buyer more than a seller and I look at quality of the work first, the design, the materials used and then being that I am a “crafter” I always look to see if I can make it myself. If it looks easy for me to make and I can make it cheaper, then why not! I can easily go to AC Moore and buy a chain and a pendant and make a necklace but I cannot for the life of me make the intricate wire wrapped pendants that I have seen. The time involved in making is well worth the money to me to purchased jewelry like this. Again this goes back to quality.
Enough for today as I have more questions to answer concerning what is considered “crafts” and also handmade.
Just one more note. www.craftique.us will be opening on Feb.1, 2013. It will cost $5.00 a month for rent on your boutique or $50.00 a year. You will have unlimited listings and no other fees! That is it, plain and simple.
Reserve names are still coming in so reserve your name now so you will be assured of getting the boutique name you want.
Happy Holidays to all!
No comments:
Post a Comment