Craft Corps: Celebrating the Creative Community One Story at a Time

by Vickie Howell

A celebration of the great?and growing?crafting community by everyone's favorite crafty the fabulous VICKIE HOWELL   Bestselling author and stitchery dynamo Vickie Howell puts down her needles to pay tribute to her fellow crafters! Her extraordinary new collection features interviews with 30 successful professional craftspeople as well as profiles of a diverse group of approximately 60 amateurs. And every interview includes a photo of the subject, plus a peek at their work or their studio. This project?a true labor of love?also documents how social networking sites, groups like Stitch 'n' Bitch, and alternative sales outlets such as Etsy have helped create a close community of crafters passionate about their work and each other.   Includes interviews with such influential crafters, designers, and business people as : Renowned quilter Denyse Schmidt The Crafty Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo Artist and designer Mary Engelbreit Emmy-nominated host of Creative Juice , Cathie Filian Indie craft documentarian Faythe Levine Scrapbooking legend Sandi Genovese Project Runway winner and fabric designer Jay McCarroll TV Host and author Mark Montano Craft pioneer Carol Duvall Famed fabric designer Amy Butler

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Art, Reference

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2010

Reviews

[Cheryl Licata · Rating 3 out of 5]

The crafters highlighted in this book are phenomenal. I especially enjoyed reading about the knitters and their different ways of pursuing their craft and making money doing something they are passionate about. My question is: when do they sleep? I became overwhelmed with their success stories and decided to take a nap.

[Bookish Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago, if you would have told me I’d become an avid crafter, I would have laughed. I thought crafts were a pastime for little old ladies to sell at church bazaars. Then I visited Art vs. Craft in 2006 here and Milwaukee and the Chicago version of Renegade Craft fair in 2007. I was blown away by the wares people were selling. Around the same time, I got interested in learning how to make my bath and beauty products. I took a class on soap making and haven’t stopped. I haven’t bought a bar of soap at any shop or store for nearly ten years. I also make a lot of handmade jewelry and other assorted bling. Along the way I’ve met many other like-minded ouls and together we have creative network of multi-talented crafters, designers and artisans.

For me, crafting isn’t just a way to fill a Sunday afternoon — it’s a bit of an addiction — and I was only too happy to find Vickie Howell’s book Craft Corps-Celebrating the Creative Community One Story at a Time, highlighting the work of Do-It-Yourself-ers across the nation. Howell interviews needle-workers, jewelers, greeting card designers, scrapbookers, potters and other assorted crafty and arty types.

Ms. Howell’s name might be familiar to you knitters out there. She hosted the show Knitty Gritty, writes the celebrity knitting column for Knit.1 magazine and has also penned several books. She also founded the first LA-based Stitch n’ Bitch club in 2001. In Craft Corps, Howell interviews crafters from all walks of life to find out why they craft and what inspires them, talking with a few notable artists along the way.

Howell talks with a few of the bigger names in the craft world, including Mary Engelbreit, whose charming illustrations you’ve most likely seen on greeting cards, coffee mugs and calendars. There’s a section with Carol Duvall, who began hosting TV crafting shows when some of us were in diapers. Hipster crafters like Jenny Hart from Sublime Stitching and Mark Montano author of The Big Ass Book of Crafts are also featured. And I’m very happy to say that Faythe Levine, founder of Milwaukee’s late Art vs. Craft and creator of the documentary and accompanying book Handmade Nation, is also interviewed.

A majority of the people profiled are lucky (and talented) enough to make a living this way. They sell their creations at fairs and via sites like Etsy and Buy Olympia. Some crafters are formally educated, but many of them are self- taught or have been crafting since childhood. Faythe Levine’s earliest craft memory? Making friendship bracelets and lanyards at Girl Scout Camp.

Sprinkled throughout the book are small snippets of amateur crafters from the United States but also places like Ireland, Sweden and Australia. At the end of the book, Howell gives us a brief bio of each crafter interviewed, a wealth of crafting resources including websites and craft fairs, and even offers up some book discussion questions.

That said, Craft Corps can be a bit overwhelming. I found it best to read it piecemeal rather than from start to finish. Still, it’s a worthwhile read whether you’re a seasoned crafter or just someone who likes to peruse Etsy on your lunch hour.

Originally published at The Book Self
https://thebookselfblog.wordpress.com...

[Marie Z Johansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have searched the net for a more vibrant rendering of this book cover but can't find one that I am able to use. Face Book has one but I am not allowed to copy it. Of course, most crafter's know who Vickie Howell is. You can find the Vickie Howell's Craft Corp on Face Book and on Vickie's website.

I have a lot of books stacked here waiting for reviews - craft, art and historical fiction so I am going to try and get some of the reviews finished before I have to stick my toes back in the water at work next week. I really have to admit that when I saw this book my initial reaction was rather ambivalent. It did not seem like a book that was going to capture my imagination. Once again, I was surprised at myself because I did, and am, indeed, enjoying this book quite a bit. Thirty of the top crafters of today's burgeoning crafting movement are highlighted in depth through an interview with Vickie Howell - lots of questions and answers. Interspersed throughout the book though are also small blurbs about crafters just like you and I - these are all about a half page each. I have never been much for reading how other people create - I have to admit to being somewhat of a loner and I like to try tings out myself and see if I sink or swim before I go to an expert for help. Sort of like reading instructions - they are there to pull out when all else fails right? This book though makes it fun to learn about the experts work first before jumping in head first.

The famous names that Vickie interviews include people like Amy Butler, Ed Roth, Claudine Hellmuth, Alex Anderson, Traci Bautista, my own hero Mary Englebreit, Denyse Schmidt - well, you get the idea... the cream de la cream of the crafting community - but covering a multitude of craft areas. That's the cool thing. This is not a book about knitters, or jewelry makers or clothes makers or art journalers - it is about about all of it - the entire raft movemement in in today's fast moving world.

Despite my initial reservations I was pulled into the book and found myself thoroughly enjoying the questions and answers that Vickie asked this group of the movers and shakers in the word of crafts and crafting. I actually did find it interesting to know what made some of these creative folks tick. What their first memories of crafting are, were they supported in the endeavors by their families?, important moments in their careers? All more interesting than I had thought it would be. The book is chock full of fabulous ideas, unique and talented personalities that you can't help but learn something from as well as great photos and notable information about unique crafters who you may just want to keep an eye on. Lot's of blogs with eye candy to browse though along with a page of interesting community resources to check out and enjoy and a page of book club questions as well

"Craft Corps", published by Lark Books is a store house of great information, inspiration and interesting facts. If your interested in what makes well known, successful crafters tick, or if you are just a lover of well done craft and art work - this book is a good one to consider adding to your collection! Well done!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved, loved, loved this book! It is the only book like it, and it fills a gap in the craft world. How did people get from "doing crafts" to being recognized professionals in the crafts industry? Howell, interviews 30 of them to find out. The interviews are engaging and delightful. Yes, there is discussion of whether their work is "craft" or "art." Some people may be turned off by these discussions, but they are very relevant to those in the field. For example, the Chicago SOFA show includes hundreds of items that are difficult to classify as one or the other--craft or art? Many of the people Howell interviews stand at the intersection of these two creative areas-MFA's who craft, or self-taught crafters who have run art galleries. What Howell is getting at with this discussion is the question, "Why isn't craft considered 'serious' while art is taken seriously?" Another important question she asks is about the crafting community. "How has the community of crafters impacted your work and your ability to have your work seen, appreciated and adequately compensated?" Most of the crafters Howell interviews are young to beginning middle age. However there are exceptions. Carol Duvall is interviewed, as is Mary Engelbreit. She also interviews several men in the craft world, and talks about what it's like for them to be in what is usually considered a woman's domain. Many of them discuss the effect the Internet has had on crafting, and the loss of more traditional television outlets for crafts, like HGTV, which went with solid home decorating and home purchasing shows for the sake of ad revenue. She doesn't leave out the more amateur crafters, either. She has another 50 or 60 brief discussions of what I would call more "ordinary" crafters. I found the whole experience of reading this to be uplifting and thought provoking. I'm glad for Howell's work. She is a brilliant needlewoman, to be sure, but she's far more than that. She has the insight to realize that there's something happening in the crafts world that is worth capturing. This book is a rich, delightful contribution to the field.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

some good interviews, Amy Butler and Jay McCarroll being my favorites...but overall the book is pretty dull. reading about people's early careers was interesting, but I found the ongoing topic of art vs. craft to be very annoying (probably because it's not a discussion I find very interesting).

[Relyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically, I found this to be dull and - well, just dull. Maybe because I'm not really a crafter and there wasn't any eye candy? I dunno - but I didn't like it.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very interesting. I love reading some of the crafters stories!