Sewing or Crafty? Do I Want to be a Part of That Movement?

Is draping a skirt pattern
a crafty activity?

Wow, you are just so crafty!

A Facebook friend recently commented that she disliked the word crafty, being applied to the complex design and construction skills she, and others, have developed to complete well-fitting, masterfully sewn garments and precisely detailed quilt projects.

For many of us,
Crafty-ness evokes images of
toilet paper tube creations
more so than sewing garments.

It seemed to my buddy, that a crafty project is one that she might indulge in for a little fun on a rainy afternoon - something like the DIY projects we like to imagine completing on a rainy Crafternoon with a much-loved child, or a dear friend. Toilet paper tube art, is the premiere example of this kind of craftiness, though crepe-paper covered juice cans might run second place.

I knew what my buddy was talking about. I've had my own share of fussiness when non-sewing cohorts responses to my work seemed to imply there was probably no big difference between whipping up a pair of well-fitting trousers and a two-egg cake from a boxed mix.

But if I take the y off the word, I end up with craft. And craft has a significant sense of history. Craftspeople worked as apprentices to crafts masters to develop their own expertise and mastery. All over the world, and to this very day, craftsmen and craftswomen work leather, weave fabric, paint, tile,  print books,  and create intricate designs. 

Craftspeople learn the ins and outs of working with specialized materials, designing intricate goods, and know the secrets of operating complex machinery to produce their craft. 

If you're a sewist, that last bit might sound a little familiar.


And one more thought. Crafty can mean sly, but it can also mean somebody who comes up with a clever solution to a problem that has challenged other people. A good detective can be thought of as being crafty. And how many times have you had to come up with a clever solution to a sewing challenge? Sure you did. Remember that dress that was too short, and how you added the alternately colored band to the hem, to make it look like a design feature? Or that time you cut the buttonhole too long, and so you added a decorative corner over one end? That absolutely made the garment, and people always commented on the look!

A couple of craftsmen at work
Bet they had to come up with the
occasional crafty solution to a problem.

Not only am I proud to be a modern day craftswoman, I like to think I'm a crafty one.

After all, I think that craftiness is one of the things that keeps me...
Enchanted by Sewing!

BTW...

Who says there's something wrong with a little crafternoon'ing?

Not me!