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Crafty thought: Stop picking on grandma

Crafty thought: Stop picking on grandma

Posted by Rob Walker on November 14, 2008
Posted Under: Backlashing,DIYism

The resurgence of the handmade movement under the banner “This isn’t your grandma’s …” has left some seasoned crafters with mixed emotions. “On the one hand, when I first heard it, I knew exactly what they meant, so that is a good thing for marketing,” [Boston-based doll artist Mimi] Kirchner says. “But it got old really fast. Now it sounds like the slogan of people who have no idea what the history of craft in America is all about.”

True, most of what’s considered hip in the craft world these days isn’t what our grandmothers were doing. But the roots of today’s craft brilliance grow in the rich soil toiled by our grandmothers.

Good point. The rest is here.

Further diversion may be found at MKTG Tumblr, and the Consumed Facebook page.

Reader Comments

I am currently attending State University of New York at Purchase College. For those who know nothing about this school, it is a very arts and crafty type of school, full of art and very talented people. It wasn’t until I came to this school where I really saw the extent of the DIY phenomenon. Everyone here is involved in some sort of DIYism, be it knitting, making scarves, creating and making your own jewelry and clothing. Everyone has such a unique style. At first I thought it was a fashion statement and they probably picked these things up at the gap. Then I realized that maybe people were just really bored and picking up knitting for a lack of better pass time. Now I realize that it’s a bit of both and so much more. Walking around the campus I realize that the idea of making the things you would otherwise consume has a genuine quality that conglomerates like Target and Wal-mart just can’t supply. Even in cases where the quality of the hand made goods isn’t that great, it still has more of a sense of identity than something you picked up at the mall. So it is true that what is cool right now has roots in what was cool before, however, this time around there is a sense of industry rebellion and individuality combined with fitting in that draws people to DIY crafts.

#1 
Written By Farheen Jahangir on December 10th, 2008 @ 6:40 pm
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