crafts & the lost art of... (?)

Isn't it weird how at one point in life 'crafts' were essential to life... there weren't any Walmarts around, so people HAD to make their own pottery, knit their own clothes... arg, and now all these great talents are being lost due to mass marketing.

I, personally, am glad that I taught myself how to knit. Believe it or not, just that alone has brought my mother in law and my grandmother and I closer together. And for the most part, folks tend to love their hand-knit gifts @ the holidays...

 

I agree with you 100%. In fact, I consider myself to be more of a "farm wife throwback" than a "hippie" per say, although there is some overlap.

My grandma made everything... from the curtains, the clothes her kids were wearing, to the cinnamon buns they ate for dessert. She could make a pot of soup to feed 4 kids, the inlaws, her husband and the hired man out of a few leftovers... and it was delicious. There was no walmart then.... hell... the freaking General Store was a long trip via horse and cutter, or even by car when the roads were clear... to far to run to everyday, thats for sure.

This was the norm back then, although I will say my Grandma might have been better at it than most. If there was something she wanted, she made it... and if she couldn't make it, then she did without it.

How many people can say the same thing now days? Granted, the percentage is probably A LOT higher here in the craft forum than it is in the "real world". My grandma re-taught me to knit before she died... and I can honestly say that there is rarely a day that goes by without me clicking the needles together. I enjoy knitting, and the people i make gifts for enjoy them as well.

 

I agree as well.

I don't think this is exactly what you are pointing out, but I feel like ranting about it, heh: A couple of years ago alot of the lastest trendy teen fashion consisted of the whole D.I.Y. look with skirts sliced up the sides with stings to lace the sides back together, lots of rhinestones glued on to clothing, jeans with rips and patches of fabric, just all kinds of things a person could easily do themself. Anyways, girls were paying (in my opinion) outragous prices for the clothes and when it was brought up that the item could have been easily duplicated with a little bit of effort, the responses were always "I don't have time", "I don't know how to", or " I don't feel like it." Erm, so I really shouldn't be bugged by this, but I knew people who would spend so much money on these kinds of clothes and then complain about not having anymore money to get anything else.

Back to more on topic...sometimes I wish we all lived "the simple life"(though I'm sure it was far from it with all the effort put in to what was done/made) where most of us specialize in a certain crop and trade for other crops(instead of using money), and where we all make our own items. Wow, if something ever happened where we all had to rely on what we're able to make...I don't think many people could survive for long.

 

I wish I could do wood carvings. I should just sit down and start practicing.

I can sew enough to get buy... but thats about it.

 

crafts and the lost art of...?
respect is what is missing;people have no respect for themselves,others,or the earth.people have forgotten where they came from,and have become complacet and take everything for granted.they don't care about the quality of things,or appreciate items,when they can easily be replaced at the nearest wal-mart.I make crafts out of relaxation from living an old world life in a modern society,with the exception of the computer.If I need something I make it,I grow and can my own food.I hunt and live off of what I take,using every part of it.I process my own meat,tan my own hides ,nothing goes to waste.I pride myself in knowing that,when the power grid fails,I can still survive.Here's some of my crafts http://www.hipgallery.com/photopost2/showgallery.php/cat/1452 my hand made knives.
It is the survival aspect that brings out the creativity in people.

 

couldn't've said it better... that's 90% of it!