Crafting for Charity:
I like writing. It makes me think about things, and be more aware. It’s nice.
I have a few charity-related items to post I’ve run across.
1) One is a swap – the Stamping Out Alzheimer’s Charity Fat Book Swap (via).
2) A news item – Quilters’ handiwork speaks volumes to soldiers hurt in Iraq.
3) A fundraiser – Fiberart for the American Cancer Society by Virginia Spiegel (her stuff, by the way, is amazing. You should really take a look).
Do you know what I think the best thing about charity and crafting is? Crafting is something people generally do because it brings joy to their lives (for example, this woman for whom quilting is a source of joy). And in many cases, it seems like crafts bring joy to people to whom they are given. The fit seems , natural – joy in making and joy in receiving.
I’m always particularly struck by how many times I see quilting and knitting referenced in regard to charity. I think this is because quilts and knitted items are very comforting by their very nature. By giving a quilt or knitted item, you are giving comfort by virtue of the materials, or the warmth it provides, or the knowledge of the care and work that went into it, and often the beauty of the item.
Makes me want to crochet something for everyone, thinking about it that way. ‘Scuse, have to get back to work on those scarves and afghans for Christmas now! 
Mabel and The Cat in the Hat
Many people live near their extended relatives while growing up. I was not one of those people. I lived near none of my extended family and traveled to see them about twice a year. What I did have was a next–door neighbor named Mabel Mattingly, who was a pretty darn crafty lady. She was in many ways my stand-in grandmother and gave me a deep appreciation for things done by hand.
Mabel made me my first quilt, which I will show you all sometime. Should I have children, that quilt and its matching pillow is my daughter’s. Mabel also made awesome apple turnovers, the like of which I’ve never had again. She provided our house with various jellies and jams for all the years I was growing up in that house. She used to go to Louisiana to visit her family and pick mayhaws and come back and make ‘em into jelly. Mmmmm. She also had a big garden and taught me how to garden as well. I had a postage-sized plot out back that gave me great joy. She canned a lot of vegetables- she is the reason I adore pickled okra today.
One of the major things that Mabel did was make ceramics. She was not a wheel potter, she was a ceramicist; she used molds. She had hundreds of molds on shelves in the garage, all tied up or wrapped with giant rubber bands. She had a big, deep kiln by the door to the kitchen, so deep that my small self couldn’t reach the bottom. She made me various things over the years, and I have 2 of them – a little turtle to put plants in, and a black witch hat. I also have a very pathetic vase she made with me – it’s the paint job that’s mostly pathetic. Mabel was an excellent painter – her colors were even and her finishes glossy. My witch hat isn’t very complicated, but some of the paint jobs she did were really intricate.
Hope you enjoy the little show that my kitten Callie put on with the hat that Mabel made me. Although I don’t know what happened to Mabel after she moved away, I always feel big warm fuzzies for her whenever I get out her handicrafts and remember the things she taught me to love.
@ the Market
If you’ve ever been to a craft fair, purchased a craft or piece of art, or sold at a fair, you’ll want to read the following two posts and the comments on them. This is the sort of post to inspire a new appreciation of artisans and handmade items - a great deal goes into the production of these items and what goes into being the person producing them.
I was really sorry to hear about Margaux’s experience at the Crafty Bastards fair in DC. As a regular Barbie-defacer when I was young, I am quite taken with Margaux’s work and the statements she makes with it. I really wish she made something with Barbie hair, as that was my favorite aspect to deface.
I am really disappointed in the show attendees. I am a former DC resident, and although it’s not probably the artsiest place around, it’s not a void, either, so why the unfriendlies? Plus,I’m sure the show attracted plenty of non-residents as well. So why so many people who came to a craft fair and made stupid, insensitive comments. Were they not expecting artisans? And for pete’s sake – the artist is right there and you’re being rude about her art to her face? Hello basic politeness? Plus, what’s up with people telling an artist what she “should” and “should not” be creative about? I think Margaux (and the other artists who put up with this crap) had tremendous restraint.
I have quite a few more thoughts about all this, and hey! I have a blog, so I can sit down and tell all of you all about them. If you want to read (and I am somewhat garrulous), then the rest is after the jump.
