People today live with mass-produced goods and depend on electronics to get through the day. However, vintage crafts have not lost their appeal. Many people collect them, while others practice them as a hobby or a livelihood. Some historians also want to preserve old skills so they won't be lost entirely.
Traditional skills arose out of necessity. In many parts of the world, stone was the most plentiful material. Everything from houses, chimneys, and boundary walls to objects of worship were made of stone. Others had wood, or clay, or even paper to work with. All of the workers achieved the function they desired, but they often beautified their creations along the way. Necessity birthed art.
For example, consider the intricate stitches used by the skilled knitters who made the famous fishermen's sweaters of the European isles. These artisans took wool from their own sheep, spun it into wool (leaving the lanolin in for extra weather protection), and made thick, heavy foul-weather gear for the men on the boats. However, they weren't satisfied with fashioning plain, serviceable garments; they created beautiful stitches that knitters still use today.
Household needs included bedding, furniture, clothing, shoes, and utensils. Hand tools were needed for all the tasks in field, forest, and town. Most of these things were made by the ones who needed them or artisans who served their neighbors. Bedding became embroidered sheets and pieced quilts; chairs had turned legs and beveled edges; dresses and coats were carefully cut and fitted, and tools were carefully forged to fit the hand of the user, to be perfectly balanced, and to make routine tasks as easy as possible.
Think of all the utilitarian things that people made into objects of beauty: baskets, pottery, lifelike duck decoys, eating utensils, drinking glasses, hooked or woven rugs, and stained-glass windows, to name just a few. Other household items that did not have to be improved but were include soap, candles, pot pourri and sachets, chair cushions and sofa pillows, and tablecloths.
It's exciting that the traditional skills have not been entirely lost. Careful owners, museums, and collectors preserve the objects themselves. Vintage clothing, old books, household implements, farming tools, and decorative objects exist that are a hundred years old or more.
People still practice most, if not all, of the early handicrafts. Today you can take a class at a shop or a community college and learn to hook a rug, cane a chair seat, restore an oil painting, or crochet an afghan. Visitors to Colonial Williamsburg can see glass blowing, silver casting, candle making, and iron forging. Arts and crafts festivals showcase the wares of potters, woodcarvers, quilters, weavers, jewelry makers, and even book binders.
Vintage crafting is part of the heritage of every culture. These things should not be lost forever. Those who collect or who practice things of yesteryear are doing us all a service. Objects made of wood, reed, metal, stone, clay, glass, or textiles recall how things used to be and remind us that we can do for ourselves if need be.
Traditional skills arose out of necessity. In many parts of the world, stone was the most plentiful material. Everything from houses, chimneys, and boundary walls to objects of worship were made of stone. Others had wood, or clay, or even paper to work with. All of the workers achieved the function they desired, but they often beautified their creations along the way. Necessity birthed art.
For example, consider the intricate stitches used by the skilled knitters who made the famous fishermen's sweaters of the European isles. These artisans took wool from their own sheep, spun it into wool (leaving the lanolin in for extra weather protection), and made thick, heavy foul-weather gear for the men on the boats. However, they weren't satisfied with fashioning plain, serviceable garments; they created beautiful stitches that knitters still use today.
Household needs included bedding, furniture, clothing, shoes, and utensils. Hand tools were needed for all the tasks in field, forest, and town. Most of these things were made by the ones who needed them or artisans who served their neighbors. Bedding became embroidered sheets and pieced quilts; chairs had turned legs and beveled edges; dresses and coats were carefully cut and fitted, and tools were carefully forged to fit the hand of the user, to be perfectly balanced, and to make routine tasks as easy as possible.
Think of all the utilitarian things that people made into objects of beauty: baskets, pottery, lifelike duck decoys, eating utensils, drinking glasses, hooked or woven rugs, and stained-glass windows, to name just a few. Other household items that did not have to be improved but were include soap, candles, pot pourri and sachets, chair cushions and sofa pillows, and tablecloths.
It's exciting that the traditional skills have not been entirely lost. Careful owners, museums, and collectors preserve the objects themselves. Vintage clothing, old books, household implements, farming tools, and decorative objects exist that are a hundred years old or more.
People still practice most, if not all, of the early handicrafts. Today you can take a class at a shop or a community college and learn to hook a rug, cane a chair seat, restore an oil painting, or crochet an afghan. Visitors to Colonial Williamsburg can see glass blowing, silver casting, candle making, and iron forging. Arts and crafts festivals showcase the wares of potters, woodcarvers, quilters, weavers, jewelry makers, and even book binders.
Vintage crafting is part of the heritage of every culture. These things should not be lost forever. Those who collect or who practice things of yesteryear are doing us all a service. Objects made of wood, reed, metal, stone, clay, glass, or textiles recall how things used to be and remind us that we can do for ourselves if need be.
