Go Forth And Craft

I had another great afternoon at Stitches and Craft. This time with both the Doctor and Tiny in tow, so I didn't take any pictures, wrangling two smalls was enough for this lady. I also met my sister and niece and we went forth and conquered. An ice-cream at the end was the clincher for the smalls (though Tiny couldn't give a toss about icy treats, she just wants to walk everywhere).

We spent quite a bit of time in the Incubator section. Full to the brim with talent on the verge, it's a hive of activity and a veritable Aladdin's Cave with absolutely something to suit everyone. I could have spent longer there but the smalls had me on a strict clock.

But for what it's worth, I think it's important to support shows such as Living Creatively's Stitches and Craft. Where else do you get to find such a wealth of stores in one space, get some tips, and also support Australia's burgeoning crafty crew?

I've worked in the fashion industry, and I can see parallels even if it was years ago, it's still just as current. I worked with young designers to help launch them onto the international market - a couple of names that you'd recognise in high-end magazines. I did it because I believed in them. Because I wanted them to succeed.

But because the young designers were just starting out, it was the big guys who allowed them to share some of the limelight. It's an important cycle, and one that, without patrons, without vision, would fizzle and flop. It was always exciting to see the young designers mix it up with the doyennes of fashion. How else would the greats of the fashion world such as Yves Saint Laurent, Phoebe Philo and Donna Karan ever get a crack into the industry?

And if you think fashion isn't an important industry, then just think about the world-wide industry it creates (from designers, to seamstresses, to cleaners, to magazines, to textile designers, the publicists - the list can go on and on) - and includes people from all walks of life. Then apply that to crafting, and think about all the local (and by local I mean Australian traders) who are no doubt aching because sourcing from overseas has suddenly become de rigueur and so much more accessible. They're suffering. They're closing down. And in my eyes if we don't support local, we won't be able to stay local and that's a pretty sad place to be.

So while some of the stalls weren't up my alley, they might be exactly what someone else is looking for. If everyone was the same, well, there wouldn't be any need for a Stitches and Craft, would there?

After all, life would be pretty naff to the max without arty, crafty stuff. Support your fellow crafters!

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