I'm gonna be the ArtFire Crazy Train rider this week. (No, we're not talking Ozzy here, sorry.) And in honor of this...uh, honor, I'm having a big ole' sale!! 20% all my items this week! Don't delay, BIG CRAXY ARTFIRE CRAZY TRAIN RIDER SALE ends on 7/24/11. Ya dig it?
Boy, I've been really slacking on the blog action here, haven't I? I'm working on some really amazing items at the moment. Fitted garments, believe it or not. Designed and executed a garment that so far is turning out perfect! Not bad for someone who got a C in Geometry in high school. (Then again...I got a lot of Cs, so that's not saying much. But I always scored an A in my Clothing class then!)
Don't forget people: support handmade! How does this affect you? (I'll skip the business school training economic lecture about NAFTA here.) I was interviewed last year by ArtFire, and here I sayeth:
Why do you think that buying and selling handmade products benefits society?
When I first started sewing items for my children, my husband would look at my stitching or my hems and critique them negatively for not being "perfect." It was then that I realized that society in general has a skewed expectation for handcrafted textiles. We are being compared to someone in China working a binding machine and doing nothing but, everyday, 7 days a week, 16 hours a day. No, my seams aren't always perfect, but there's a warmth and beauty to a handcrafted item that cannot be duplicated by something mass produced overseas on the cheap.
I'm not advocating that we all become Luddites, but I'd like to see handcrafted items valued instead of cheapened. Only luxury items such as handbags or couture fashion get distinction for handcrafting. A consumer who won't balk at paying $300 for a luxury handbag (that probably was made in China for a small percentage of that selling price) will balk at paying $30 for a set of hand-sewn 100% wool felt food because it's a children's toy. Never mind that a product like this is so durable, the consumer's grandchild might be playing with it someday. I'd like to see children's toys, particularly heirloom toys, get the value they deserve. Sure, you can go to Toys "R" Us and buy a set of "squishy" polyester play food that won't last more than a few months, but you'll pay hundreds for a handbag? That mindset baffles me. Fashion is transient. Children remember their favorite things forever. If you buy them something they can pass onto their own children because it's made with quality, why not? I'd rather my children have fewer toys that last forever than a bunch of junk that falls apart and/or gets recalled.
My husband's mother saved some of his toys from when he was a child, and my children play with them today. That's pretty special!20% off this week only, party people! LET'S GET CRAXY!!!!!
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