if the words below look familiar to any of you who have been with i made it so from the beginning (you know, five whole months ago), it’s because it was on the sidebar of my first design for this blog. while shifting things around, it got lost along the way and i just found it now. so i’m blowing the dust off this one, and sharing it again. enjoy… (and at the end, let me know if you’re a quiet creative, or one that shouts about all you’ve done, or somewhere in between. i’d love to know!)
~ana
did you make that?
music to a crafter’s ears.
it’s a funny thing. sometimes we work so hard on a project. like knitting a sweater, for example. each tiny stitch knit with quiet care and dedication, a simple motion repeated over and over again, thousands of times, to create a final piece.
we’ve ignored the strange looks we’ve received while practicing our art in public; we’ve justified to ourselves that handmade is worth far more than something that can be bought at the store with far less time and money expended; we’ve persevered when things have gone wonky, and we unravel and knit again, marching on strongly.
we usually enjoy the journey but more honestly, we dream of the destination, when we stitch the last stitch, snip the last thread, and weave in all the ends. when we have something to show for our time, our creativity. our dedication.
we wear it. we admire it. we feel warm in the knowledge that we made something out of nothing, or at least, out of something that barely resembled what we have made.
we have created!
but then, we wait.
and hope.
because we dare not scream for the world to hear about what we’ve done. no, that would detract from our gentle creative process. but if anyone looked closely, that little smirk on our faces would give it away in an instant. oh no, we wait. to be asked. to be given permission to share. it’s better that way. we wait to be asked those four sweet little words…
“did you make that?”
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So true! I wait to be asked.
So, were you knitting something in that picture? I cannot knit for the life of me thought I wish I could. Most people know that I make a lot of things around my house so they usually just say something like “I assume you made this?” Which I usually proudly reply to as “Well, of course ;)”
tammy ~ that photo was this sweater in progress…
I can demur but if I’m going to be honest I love the attention I get when I share about one of my creations. I do love it when people ask me.
I sell a large variety of my things at the farmer’s market, as you know. I also happen to sell raw honey for a friend, as you may not have known. When people ask me about a particular thing, “Did you make that?” I answer, “I made everything you see here except the honey. I would try but I don’t know what muscle to flex.” (ala Calvin & Hobbes) ;)
Missed you. It’s been, like, almost a week. LOL
lol – about the honey, i have a sweet post in the works that you might enjoy :)
what a thought provoking post. for the longest time i actually struggled with this (still do)…maybe because i sew more over knitting? if someone asked me “did you make that” about a dress my girls were wearing, i immediately assumed it LOOKED ‘homemade’, e.g.~imperfect, sloppy, NOT NICE. it would send me into spasms of self-doubt…
its not really past tense…i still feel that way about much of what i make. i have realized though that i tend to make matching outfits for all of them to wear at the same time, and that seems to be more the tell-tale sign…not so much my construction skills. :o)
interesting to read it from another point of view.
googiemomma, i know what you mean about the stigma attached to homemade. as your sewing skills have developed though, do you tend to notice the imperfections of rtw (ready-to-wear/mass made) clothing? seams not lining up, patterns in fabric being shifted, threads uncut, not to mention being ill-fitting since they are made for “average” proportions, which really fits no body perfectly? i’d say you’re an accomplished seamstress, and while there’s always more to learn, i don’t think that you need to worry about your sewing looking “not nice”.
thanks for your thoughts, it got me thinking too.
Googie (is this a George Burns reference? Reminds me of his nickname for Gracie Allen…),
I just browsed through your blog (thanks for the link, Ana!), and your work is fantastic! Anyone asking if your work is handmade is obviously just wondering in awe. Lovely, lovely work, lady! <3
@Big Momma Holly–thanks so much! haha…not a George Burns reference :o) i’ll have to look into that! it’s my dad’s nickname for my children–his “googies”. so that makes me the googiemomma hahaha
oh yeah, absolutely! i look at rtw clothing (and even homegoods items like pillows or tablecloths and curtains) and see those little imperfections and think “i would NEVER be happy with that if i made it!” seams i would have torn out and redone, zippers…etc…
just last week i altered a bridesmaid’s dress for my SIL. she was worried that it would be too hard since it was a filmy chiffony thing with a few layers. i had it done it about 10 minutes. those things are a perfect example–raw edges, unfinished, slapped together for basically 1x wear & easy alterations. {the bridal-ware industry is a RACKET! but that’s another story} :0)
I will admit that this is me, to a tee.
I love taking my spinning out in public. I love showing people, especially children, what I’m doing. Reintroducing a lot of our fast-paced world to the idea that our ‘things’ came from something raw, and was worked and shaped into something usable. I just can’t help but want to share my passion for what I’m doing.
And I will say that I am a lot more critical of RTW pieces now that I craft, because I do understand more what the fit of clothing contributes to the piece, and especially for my little girl whose shape is so funny to dress, I’ve learned to respect the higher prices of higher quality pieces, because you know that more work was put into the composition.
I must admit to a certain thrill that runs up my spine when asked that question making my lips curl into an affirmative ear-to-ear grin. (Bad little rush I get out of that :) ) Then there are the times we cringe when looking back at things made in the past, but that is the process of aquiring skill and knowledge.
My mother still has (and wears EVERY winter to my dismay) one of the first sweaters I made at sixteen. The gauge is laughable because at the time I had no inkling of it’s importance. I used a nice thick, chunky yarn for a pattern that called for yarn half as thick! The end result was a sweater about 4 times too big that hangs down to mid-calf! She still gets compliments each time she wears it, I have no idea why. That is the only project I do not admit to making myself.
Great post Ana, you’ve captured the feelings of those who create by hand, and I know from your own experience, beautifully.
i have had so many cringe-worthy creations! but like you say, it’s all part of the process. thanks for sharing, halima, great story about your mom’s sweater :)
sweet words indeed… but not quite as sweet as “you made that?!!!!” paired with a look of utter admiration. i do enjoy being asked.
ooh, yes, you’re right. that’s even better!
I usually wait to be asked. And of course I’m happy to share about it. It’s always nice to be acknowledged for ones talent no matter what that might be.
I could not have said this better. I do enjoy the process but anticipate the wearing!