When I’m out driving, which I do as little as possible, I usually listen to NPR (National Public Radio). Today I happened upon The Walt Bodine Show and Handmade City. Perhaps an even better title would have been Handmade Community.
Connections and Community
The first guest I heard talk was Jessica Blythe – a local crafter in the Kansas City area. She talked of the sense of community which comes from women crafting, knitting, or sewing together. She spoke of how she is connected to her grandmother through the skills she uses to create pieces which she sells. She reminded me of the joy I feel when I pick up two sticks and some yarn and create something. Isn’t it amazing how simple these tools are and what we can do with them?
Artisan Connection
Then Jen Denslow of Blooming Lotus, a local Kansas City maker of aromatherapy body-care products, shared. She shared about connection to community through knowing the artisan who crafted an item and how that makes a difference to how we feel when we use it. She pointed out how she cares about the moms in Africa who supply her with shea butter for her products. She works fair trade because she wants those moms to be able to educate their children.
Community Gathering
The third guest was Faythe Levine, a film maker who made a documentary I’d not heard of called Handmade Nation. I arrived home before the segment finished, but what these women had to say has stuck in my mind. It has me longing for a place to gather and chat, somewhere moms and grandmas can craft, drink tea, and just have community. A place and time for neighbors to become friends. It seems to me I knew a place like that once.
If you want to you can hear the Walt Bodine Show for yourself.
Do you know any place like this, a place of community for women, or is it just something of myth? Do you long for it too?
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I’m not super-crafty (I can crochet bookmarks heh) but I really enjoyed getting together for scrapbook nights. Whether they were at a store or someone’s house, it was nice to get out and chat with other people with similar interests but diverse backgrounds.
Interestingly enough, I’ve considered starting a group like this when both kids are in school. I’m going to call it UFO (Unfinished Object) Sightings. You have to bring a project (anything – cross-stitch, crochet, knitting, scrapbook, whatever) you started ages ago and didn’t finish because something else came up (I have several cross-stitch projects which I keep setting aside to make a new baby bib or something). One of the local churches has a “prayers and squares” group which makes quilt for ill folks and the congregation prays over them before giving them to the recipient. They meet at the museum on Wednesdays. There are usually 5-6 participants, and they’re amazingly fast.
Melissa, I agree it’s good to meet with people of diverse backgrounds.
Janet, I love this idea of making quilts for people who are ill and passing on loving thoughts and prayers. I also smiled at your UFO idea – I think we all have some of those unfinished projects lying around which could use some love and some good company to get us working on them. Maybe you should start your group now rather than wait. There’s no time like the present!