Handcrafting is ingrained in our history, but advancements in technology are quickly weeding out the need for skilled workers. Does this mean that handmade items are a part of a dying tradition? Surprisingly, the handmade industry is still prospering with leading websites like Etsy, Artfire, and iCraft providing easy to use platforms where artisans and crafters alike can share, create, buy, and sell items. Why are people still interested in handmade items? Keep reading to find out.
Leading websites made for selling handmade pieces attract a niche market of crafters, giving users a platform to talk about their creations. It also provides a place to host real-life gatherings, taking into account that consumers want their purchases to reflect their values.
What are you getting when you purchase an item that’s handmade?
1. Better Quality That’s Built to Last
Handmade products are unique in subtle ways to one another. Each product is authentic and personal. Pieces are often made with authentic or natural ingredients that are handled with great care.
2. A Greener Option
Factories emit gases that pollute the environment during production using mass purchasing to cut costs. Handmade items are made at home or on a much smaller scale. Additionally, items are often delivered locally, which cuts back on the need for additional means for transportation.
3. Tailor Made & Trendy
Creators can fulfill specific design requests to make the items more personal, unlike mass-produced products. Because artisans aren’t on a particular schedule, they can follow trends and quickly adapt their products while larger companies take months to get an idea through the entire production process.
4. Support for Locals & Their Skills
Buying from artisans fuels the local economy and its people, giving them an income to sharpen their skills. Although prices are typically higher for handmade items, the cost comes from the labor and high-quality materials used. Artisans don’t charge for hidden fees like stores in shopping malls do. When you buy handmade items, you promote the development and mastery of the skills needed to make that item, which keeps art alive.
5. Art Therapy
Some people make handmade crafts for pure enjoyment, which is quite therapeutic. Making items is a time where people are able to relax and make something that they enjoy through means of sewing, painting, sketching, knitting, etc. Painting by numbers or coloring is rising in popularity during quarantine, so the next time you’re feeling anxious or trapped inside try making something to pass the time.
Below are some must-have hand made items for 2020, whether you’re buying or creating:
- Small scale embroidery: using embroidery thread, a hoop, and your fabric of choice like muslin. Check out the supplies you’ll need here.
- Eco crafting: mending pieces, using natural dyes, and reusing materials when possible to make crafts
- Crafting kits: put together by artisans to encourage consumers to get creative while teaching the consumer how to make the items included in the kit.
- Hair accessories like scrunchies, headbands, and big bows inspired by the 90s. Shop for elastic and fabric for these accessories at Moodfabrics.com.
- Popular trims and fabric prints are herringbone, plaid, animal, and houndstooth – Stock up on them for any of your handmade projects!
Handmade items are unique and special. With current events going on, I feel that there’s even more awareness regarding individually made items. It’s important to support local businesses and their skills. Trust me, I know it sounds cheesy, but research shows that handmade items are made with love. Consider making something today to gift or sell. Chances are the recipient will feel the love that has gone into creating it.
What kind of crafting have you taken up during quarantine? Drop a comment below.
