some words of wisdom

To Market To Market
"As we move further away from the craft laden days of the 50’s and 60’s, full of home sewing, knitting and crocheting, that simple phrase “wear that lovely something or other I made for you” has certainly lost its place and power over the last 40 years.
Are we now the poorer for the over supply of factory churned out fashion, accessories and giftware? We can’t answer the proffered question, but we do know there is a real and viable resurgence in home craft. Skills and craft activities that have survived the ruthless efficiency of the industrial revolution are back – products made by hand are being revisited.
In the adult playground of creative endeavour where ideas and outcomes are intensely personal, is it impossibly romantic to consider making by hand is not too innocent, too pastoral or even too slow to compete in this laptop and smart phone driven 21st century.
Could these hand/home made labels be a backlash against excess and sameness in modern consumerism? Why do people still make? Is it now that the rewards are as simple as a return to heart-work and love jobs as a reaction against big business and mass production?
These ideas are certainly up for discussion. However, if you want a different shopping experience, head out to one of Hobart’s burgeoning “makers markets” and simply choose – less over more, quality over quantity, individual over mass produced, but most importantly celebrate home-grown creative ideas and mix with women and men who are happy to make products just for you."