Newest Projects and Why Etsy 'Feels Like Home to Me'

Well, the first project on the 'new' loom wasn't a total bust. I now have a framed piece of fabric art on my living room wall - and I like it.

I recently finished crocheting a large, round afghan that I truly delight in admiring, and am torn with the prospect of selling it, gifting it or keeping it. I love the colors as much as the design. But isn't that the way with nearly every item that a person crafts?

Speaking for myself, I pick out yarns for their color, first and foremost. Next, I choose a fiber that has a certain textural quality that I particularly appreciate at that particular moment. Lastly, I think of the use I'll have for the skein or ball or hank. In the end, what I create with the thread, yarn or material is something I will have an affinity for if only by way of its colors, texture and/or use. This is why I always struggle with the idea of parting with the item.

The longer it takes me to complete it, the more I dread the separation from it.

I suppose that all sounds very melodramatic, but fellow 'needlecrafters' know whereof I speak. A huge part of the reason for buying handcrafted items, is that the customer has insufficient time or expertise to do the work themselves, yet is quite aware of the hours and talent involved in its production. It is for this reason, IMHO, that etsy.com is so successful. The majority of sellers on 'etsy' are also buyers and do appreciate the abilities of others to create in so many diverse niches. Therefore, it is a self-supporting community.

I not only purchased my loom on etsy, but my drop spindle and my first bit of roving. I also have had occasion to learn techniques by conversing with other etsy.com crafters who willingly share their own expertise without even being asked. Etsy is more than an eBay for handmade goods, it's a community of artisans. It feels like what I always imagined an "art colony" would feel like. And I always had a secret desire to belong to an artistic community. Now I am, and it feels like home.



Here's a link to my etsy shop:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/3Csshop
And here's a link to my facebook page:   https://www.facebook.com/CsCraftedCreations