Why Artisanal?

In recent years, I've tend to stay away from purchasing certain items through the store. Some of the purchases are because I can make the items like scarves and quilts. Others are because I need too make the items like skirts. Still others are made because of a particular color combination I want. Then there is the uniqueness of the item - I don't necessarily want to be like everyone else. Other times it boils down to wanting quality.

Soap from Chicory Farm
My family values quality. We may not always have a lot of stuff, but what we have will last a few generations. I understand craftsmanship, and expect to pay a little more for it. The long-term benefit of keeping the item makes the item worthwhile.

Where I grew up in the Lancaster County region of Pennsylvania, people understood this concept: pay a little higher price for something that will last longer. We realized that paying a hundred dollars for a table which would last maybe five years was less valuable than paying five hundred dollars for a table that would last fifty years. Not everyone understands that concept, unfortunately. Education is a big portion of what I do where I live in Western NY.

People travel to my home town area to purchase Amish-made furniture and quilts. In addition, they discover the other artisans and craftsman that call Southeast PA home. The people from there and elsewhere understand that putting money into small business and arts keeps the money in the region.

We also understand the power of money to help those around the world. The company Ten Thousand Villages is headquartered in Lancaster County. Yet, for some reason when people look for fair-trade goods, it seems that the plus-sized fashions are nowhere to be found.

As I've developed Bryony Studios, I knew I would create the items sold through the company. The items sold whether a scarf or a dress can be made locally, handcrafted with care and attention to details while at the same point being unique. Does it cost a little more? Yes, but with the extra cost comes the knowledge that the item will last.

Personally, the money I put out for a tea set made by a potter is worth it when I know that I am getting something unique, handcrafted and beautiful.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beyond the Scarf - Purses

Image
Creating accessories for my dresses and tops are part of the enjoyable part of weaving, though currently, I haven't actually made a set. Sometimes, I have extra fabric leftover from other projects and need to create items for it. Clutch The above clutch was an example of leftover warp. I ended up using up the chenille weft for the warp, and still had close to 20" left on the warp which I didn't want to waste. Thankfully, I had some wool yarn which went with the warp and weft. Since I had wanted to experiment with Danish medallions again, I decided to use this warp for the experiment, though the wool didn't felt as much as I expected it would. This is an example of beautiful items made from little pieces of material. The material is too small for a scarf, but not useful for much of anything else. At this point, I tend to use the fabric to make purses. One thing to remember when using handwoven fabric for a purse is the need for a lining, otherwise items might
Read more

Weaving History - Space makes the Difference

Image
I focused last week on overshot coverlets as opposed to quilts. For a brief distinction a coverlet is woven, a quilt is not. Quilts and coverlets co-exist in equal appreciation during the Nineteenth Century, but as the Twentieth Century progressed, quilts became more popular and coverlets less popular. Part of the reason is simply the time  it takes to weave a coverlet let alone setting up the loom. To put this in perspective, it takes me roughly twelve hours from warping the loom to weaving the cloth to finishing off the edges for me to make the two scarves below. Both are around two yards in length. These scarves were done on my rigid heddle loom at a 7.5 dpi. What slowed them down was the pick-up stick pattern. On Helen the loom, I'm weaving at a sixteen dpi plus weaving a tighter weave so it takes longer. Take a look at the two projects below. First is the purple scarf from above before it is washed. Looking closely at it, you can tell that there is plenty of spac
Read more

Spring - it is a'comin'

Image
Someday, I hope. Spring Flowers I took this photograph about two years ago in late spring. I just thought the flowers looked pretty, and honestly, I like the color. This year, winter has taken far too long to leave. We had a snowstorm over the weekend, but it's warming up now. The weather folk expect yet another small storm, but eventually - they assure us - spring will return to Western New York. Thinking of the warm weather makes me smile because I'm tired of the cold. I've mentioned it before, but I didn't live my entire life in Western NY. I actually grew up in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country of Southeastern PA. Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C. were practically in my backyard. Within an hour or two, I could be in one of the cities. Winters were cool and wet, but rarely freezing or snowy. Spring came in March with the crocuses and tulips. According to a recent news account, Buffalo had around 150" of snow this year ... do the math, and th
Read more