The Craft Faire
More commonly than not, when people think of crafting and art work, they think of a pastime hobby or a weekend endeavor taken up by certain types of folks for pleasure; things one might make to sell on commission or feature as décor for festivals. Something you would see at a weekend parking-lot craft faire, or those creative gifts made for family and friends. Non-crafters might think in terms of papier-máché, macramé or painted ceramics. Things made by hand for fun and relaxation and cool stuff kids make in school.
But we forget that many of the arts and crafts tackled by artist and weekenders today, such as those presented at The Craft Faire here at PAN; Soap Making or Candle Making, costume and hat making, macramé or Tie Dye, even ship model building and welding, were at one time staple and necessary skills of the everyday man or woman in the past. Centuries ago these crafts were the lively hoods and soul sources of income for many common families. Even royalty had to have a skill of some kind; needle work, crocheting or painting. Where today we simply run down to the store and pick up a few candles when needed for a particular accent of color, or scented bars bath soap because they smell wonderful, in the past these, and many other items, were usually made within the household in order to sustain a family’s way of life, and were usually not so scented or so colorful.
Crafting today is thought more of as a hobby, a creative pastime practiced by people who have the time and talent to spend. History has shown us that one had to be skilled in the art of dress and hat making in order to stay clothed, basket weaving to carry food in from the fields or firewood for heat, and yes, quilting in order to stay warm in the winter. These were necessities not hobbies, created for survival, and many were very time consuming and hard work, regimentally practiced year round. And too, they were probably not quite as fun 4 or 5 centuries ago as many of them are today. In the past materials were raw, plucked from field or dug from the earth, treated, baked, washed; what ever had to be done to the straw or beeswax before one could start the food basket or the candles that would provide light all winter, nothing short of a backbreaking job in most cases. But today they are fun. Or should be. But even though materials are readily available at your local craft store, crafting is still time consuming, and in some cases, expensive if you are to do them up right.
Knowing about materials and the do’s and don’t’s of a particular craft can be very helpful to the experienced crafter, and more so to the new crafter when they are just starting out. Information about tools and planning can save you hours of time and the expense of experimentation. We decided PAN needed a place to share these great craft ideas and valuable information.
The idea for The Craft Faire came right after the “Melt Down of 2004”, the first Craft Board created September 8th, based on the idea that crafts are useful as well as fun. Creating a place to learn about hobbies; how to threads, images for creations, useful information about techniques and materials, was what Morgan and I had in mind; a place to show-off and share our creative talents and provide a place for others to do the same. The sort of information and hands-on knowledge you might find in your local hobby store. It evolved quickly from there.
As the Book was being set up, we sparked upon craft after craft, one idea leading us to another, until we had to start condensing the idea down into something more manageable. Once we had our creative talents under control, we soon came to the conclusion we did not want the Book to attract only women or children interested in craftwork. So we created such threads as Auto Detail and Customizing, Welding and Metal Works, Home Improvement, Model Airplanes and Cars…you know…guy things, in the hopes of drawing in those creative men out there with something to share in their artistic fields. Those threads are still waiting to be filled up guys!
When Athena joined us as a MOB, she sparked the idea of individual hosts for threads, such as Gardening and Landscape, where she is the acting host. I host the Model Ship building and Ropework etc. We are there to answer questions and provide information in that particular craft. Those are just starters as more hosted threads are to come…
The Craft Faire Reference Book is still young and ever evolving. We gained new notice with the Holiday Quilt Making Contest over this last Christmas, many PAN members seeing the Book for the first time. The Contest was very successful and we had a wonderful time judging all the quilt creations folks came up with. The final quilt can be seen HERE. New Crafts are constantly being added as we continue to come up with new ideas on how to get folks involved in the Reference Book, so keep a sharp eye for the next crafting contests.
So come share in the creative fun and show off your special talents at the Craft Faire. If you don’t see your particular craft on the boards, drop one of us a note and we will see what we can do to create one for you. Perhaps you have experience in one of the threads and would like to become the Host of that particular craft. Easily done. Join and we’ll talk… Or just browse the threads from time to time and pick up crafting ideas along the way for that special gift you want to make or something to brighten up your home….we are here to answer your questions and enrich your creative minds…as well as to learn what you might teach us. From the MOBs, Athena, Morgan and myself, Liberty, we invite you to drop by and see what’s being created over at The Craft Faire.
Submissions:
Check out our newsroom on the community boards and get involved!
Featured Character Coordinator: Dr. Taniko Kishimoto
Featured Novel & Reference Book Coordinator: Amashelle
Editor: Myrrhine