Reinventing Traditional Craft: “Renegade Craft” Media

By Rhianna White

Between internet, chain, and “super” stores, consumers today can quickly and easily find a reasonably-priced option for almost every product in the marketplace. But for many people, including quilters and quilt shop owners, convenience and affordability aren’t worth sacrificing individuality. And in response to a market inundated with all things mass-produced, many artists are relying upon a do-it-yourself mentality to create items that truly represent their personality and which look like nothing you’d find in a big box store.

Evidence of the continued growth of the DIY movement can be found in the local craft store, on the newsstand, or in the basic cable lineup (there is even a D-I-Y Network). Reflecting that, an entirely new faction of craft publications and internet media has emerged in recent years. And like the artists to which they are geared, these books, magazines, and websites are about sharing original and inventive projects and ideas that redefine traditional craft.

Since its launch in 2006, Craft magazine has become one of the most popular sources of inspiration for scores of non-traditional crafters. This quarterly magazine/book hybrid is, according to its editors, “the first project-based magazine dedicated to the renaissance that is occurring within the world of crafts.”

“Our magazine offers a fresh take on traditional crafts,” says Craft Associate Editor, Natalie Zee Drieu. “The idea is to get people to make things—new, innovative, less obvious things.”

The magazine’s latest issue features ideas and instructions for completing all types of projects—a hay twine rug, pop bottle lamp, hand-carved crochet hook, and custom seat covers, to name a few. But readers of Craft will also find articles profiling artists and individuals whose work takes the form of “renegade craft.” So what exactly is “renegade craft?”

“It is the idea that craft doesn’t have to follow any particular rules. It’s about just creating—not worrying,” Drieu explains. “And it is also about communicating and sharing that information with others.”

It was this need to share ideas and information within the DIY “community” that led to the creation of some of today’s most popular craft and DIY media—specifically, websites. Craft magazine’s online equivalent, Craftzine.com, features many of the projects that appear in the print version as well as podcasts, a blog, and a forum in which crafters can share ideas and directions for projects that they have completed.

However, Craftzine.com is only one of many places on the internet that people can visit to find and share project ideas with fellow crafters. Among today’s most popular crafting forums is Craftster.org, a place (according to its site) for “people who have crafty urges, but who are not excited by cross-stitched bunnies or crocheted toilet paper cozies.”

Computer programmer and “craft junkie,” Leah Kramer started Craftster.org in August 2003 after rekindling a love affair with crafting as a twenty-something. “I realized that I had fun making things again, but also that traditional crafts just weren’t for me,” Kramer explains. “I wanted to create something that was an extension of my personality.”

And Kramer also knew that there were countless others out there that share her passion for creating things with personal flair. So she created a user-driven forum that contains archives of completed projects along with pictures and step-by-step directions for creating them. Members can also receive feedback on their works-in-progress from fellow users or ask questions about future projects.

Visitors to Craftser.org can find “threads” covering everything from constructing clothing and quilts to silk screening and glass blowing. And a large number of the projects featured call for used or recycled materials, resulting in less waste and a smaller overall cost. For Kramer, this is one of the most thrilling aspects of the new craft movement.

“What I love most about it is that you are taking something that would otherwise be thrown out and making it into something completely new and interesting,” Kramer says. “And I enjoy the extra challenge—the ingenuity that it requires.”

Other new and innovative project ideas can be found online at GetCrafty.com, an online forum that claims to be “home of the craftistas.” The site’s founder, Jean Railla, has played an integral role in the new craft and DIY movement as a contributor to Craft and author of the book, Get Crafty: Hip Home Ec.

The latest edition of the website alsoincludes “Craft-Up,” an online area for meeting crafters and arranging meetings in the “real world.”

Like Craftster.org, members of GetCrafty.com are encouraged to post pictures with their project directions to provide visuals for potential makers. And the site also includes a very useful “wiki” section that provides a list and definitions of various crafting terms for those that are new to the scene. But both of these sites function as much as a community as they do an informational source, offering members the opportunity to meet fellow crafters from around the world without ever leaving the house.

And with websites such as Etsy.com in existence, crafters can even sell their original works online, straight from home. While there is no shortage of online boutiques to choose from for those wanting to buy handmade items, there are none quite like Etsy. Once registered, members can establish their own online shop—free of charge—on the Etsy site and began posting their “crafted” goods to sell to people the world over. Among the myriad of items one can purchase through Etsy are clothing, bags and accessories, home décor, furniture, quilts, needlecraft, paper goods, and general artwork.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Etsy website is the search function, which allows users to search for items by category, color, geographic location, or by using recommendations based upon previously purchased or saved items. Members can use the “Connections” function to find other members who share a favorite item or shop and view their other “favorites” to find additional objects that may be of interest.

Like the websites and forums mentioned above, Etsy hosts a large discussion board on which members can post ideas and stories or request constructive criticism on their work from fellow crafters.

In terms of craft and business, Etsy has been extremely successful, demonstrating that there is, indeed, a market that exists for handmade, unique items like the ones on their site. And as the DIY and craft movement continues to gain momentum, the market for products and publications related to “renegade craft” continues to grow, as well.

“I think that it [the DIY movement] definitely has legs to stand on,” Kramer says. “After all, there are a lot of people who never thought of themselves as being a ‘crafter’ until they tried it.”

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