What Does Handmade Mean to Me?

 "Handmade is subjective...it’s a process where a piece is designed and intimately constructed by the artisan...Often it shows the mark of being handcrafted in being “perfectly imperfect"." — Chris Hughes, Artifact Bag Co.

I couldn't have said this better myself! So I won't!

But I will try to dig deeper...it is creating something that emerges from the artist's brain and is inspired by something or someone, whether it be a single object or something as huge as God Himself, and takes on imperfect qualities since the artist is imperfect. Perfection does not come from imperfection. But that is exactly what handmade buyers love about hand-crafted items. They are not made with a machine that is set to make things over and over again, exactly to certain specifications. That is what makes handmade unique--no two pieces are the same, and they should not be expected to come that way.

To own something and use something that you know was thought up, designed, constructed, and carefully evaluated before going out for sale is really a neat concept. Going to a superstore and buying a cheap, uninspiring, unimaginative hunk of material that was mass-produced in a sweat shop is not a neat concept. Especially when you are looking for a gift for someone. Hands down, people love to receive handmade gifts over store-bought 9 times out of 10.

Handmade also means enjoying the God-given creativity in each of us. For me, it is jumping into my sewing room when I have a spare moment, and scanning through all my materials till several of them jump out at me and come together to make a project. Other times, I will purchase a specific set of materials to create an item that I have thought up in my head or seen examples of in a book or magazine or online. It means cutting, measuring, ripping, tearing out stitches, re-stitching, ironing, basting, gluing, poking, prodding, fusing, and the list goes on! There is a lot that goes into handmade, and each process is worth it when you can make something beautiful or useful, or both!

What does handmade mean to you?

“For better or worse, I never let go of the uninhibited feeling a child has when they imagine and create.” — Chris Hughes 

A Few Scenes

 I am horrible at keeping fabric neat. Thanks to my sister and her ironing and folding skills, the cupboard is looking pretty good.

 It is always good to have a window nearby when sewing.

Isn't that a cute sewing basket? My mom gave it to me for my birthday. I think it is from JoAnn's.

Lovely but messy thread. :)

Attempting Some Art Talk

This is kind of random, but I came across this book from my childhood today. I had bought my son a McCloskey collection book before he was born, and thought there was something very familiar about the style of illustrations, so I finally got around to googling the author and found this book I loved so much.

It was such a neat book with a real flavor of Americana from the 1940's (I think?).

Anyway, a point I want to make is this book and its illustrations really impacted the way I think about art and design. I even took up cartooning when I was a kid because I loved the look of these illustrations. I really liked the old-fashioned cartoon art.

I am not an artist by any means, but the things that inspire me to choose certain fabrics are built from past experiences with art. I love McCloskey's illustrations because they are very simple and cartoonish, yet realistic at the same time.  I love that sort of look in the fabrics I choose. This blogger writes exactly what I am trying to say about his art:

"What I love most about McCloskey’s work is how expressive and fluid his drawings are. They straddle the line between lifelike interpretations and actual cartoons and are so utterly clean, despite depicting complex scenes."

- Inkypenline.wordpress.com

I have always LOVED printmaking and screenprinting art. His drawings remind me of those mediums. I did a little printmaking after college and enjoyed it very much. I love black on white, bold and simple representations of nature, especially. Again, these looks are what draw me to picking out certain fabrics as well, as you can see here:

Many New Englanders remember Blueberries for Sal. This was his most famous book, I believe. This is a great book, too.

So that was me trying to talk about art! I hope that you enjoyed this post and learned a little more about what makes me tick. I encourage you to check out McCloskey's books at your local library or maybe pick one up on Amazon. They are worth the read and a look.

New Items and Still At It

Here is a wallet I made last night and posted in the shop today. My new schedule for sewing has been working out quite well and I am pleased that it has. My current schedule for sewing is either sewing during one of two of Luke's naps during the day, or if I can't manage that, I sew after everyone has gone to bed at night, usually between 9-10:30 p.m. Hubby has to go to bed early to get up for 4:30 every day. This works well. I don't tend to like to go to bed earlier so I create away until I get tired.

These specific verses (below) from Proverbs 31 in the Old Testament give me a lot of encouragement and vision for why and how to do this. I find a lot of satisfaction in being creative and industrious for my family's sake while not having to leave the home for a career. I hope to always be able to do this as  a stay at home mom and wife.

"She considers a field and buys it;
   out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
   her arms are strong for her tasks.
 She sees that her trading is profitable,
   and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
   and grasps the spindle with her fingers...

She makes linen garments and sells them,
   and supplies the merchants with sashes.
 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
   she can laugh at the days to come."

A Renewed Vision

So I am back with a renewed vision for my shop, and it feels great! I am going to stick to making smaller stuff since that is all I seem to be able to handle time-wise and brain-wise ;). Plus, I am able to make more things when they are smaller items, and that is good for everybody. I want to make a ton of these zip pocket wallets (hear the ambition in my voice?) and have them be my main squeeze, so to speak, in my shop. It is good when I master one thing and then run with it in different colors and patterns, and then once I've exhausted that design, move on to something new. I am sure I will throw the occasional zipper pouch or tea wallet in there once in a while!

Here is my first pocket wallet to go in the shop. I am going to offer the buyer the option to have a wood bead zipper pull added to the interior zipper pocket for no extra charge. I think that would be nice and I would like that if it were me buying. It is always nice to have options. Also, the coin pouch is great, and I am so glad this design has it.

Ornate Floral in Garnet

And here is a recent zipper pouch creation. I couldn't help myself! I love this fabric and think it is so fun for kids or adults. The other side has a fat green caterpillar on it! This is long enough to fit pens and pencils, or the usual things you like to carry around.

Woodland Friends

I want to make a few finishing touches to my photos and listings before I "publish" them to my shop. It is my goal to get one more of these wallets made in the next week. Praise God for the motivation He has given me to keep going with this and use the money I make to bless my family (and pay off debt).