Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Inspiration: the stories behind our work

by, Allison of Fraske Designs

I always like to know the story behind things… particularly stories behind the personal creations of others. Everyone in Boston Handmade is gifted in her craft, and learning what inspires each item makes the piece all the more meaningful! Below are a few of our members’ pieces of work and the stories behind them.

Betsy of Stonehouse Studio explains the inspiration behind one of her pieces of jewelry:


“It's been so unseasonably warm lately that I've been very worried about the effects of global warming. I was inspired to create a line of jewelry featuring flowers, trees and leaves. Because if we keep melting the polar icecaps, we may not have much of the real thing left!”



Katy of Muchacha K explains the story behind her Custom Clutch:


“There's a certain kind of gift box...when it's flat it looks like a rectangle with half moons on the end curving outward, then you fold the half moons in to create volume, and the little ends curve in slightly and stay put. I LOVE those boxes, and I wish I was the genius that came up with that simple design. I was thinking about those little boxes one day when I was designing a clutch pattern and it's now my classic clutch pattern that I use for bridal orders. To create that same kind of volume though, in the middle of each side I put darts, instead of just folding the fabric (because obviously fabric doesn't hold shape the same way cardboard does). In fact, the whole thing made me a little dart-crazy, and I started putting them in a lot of my patterns, to the amusement of my bag-making friends.”

Nicole of Designs by Lulubelle touches us with another inspirational clutch:


“My family was recently touched by the diagnosis of breast cancer, so for I've created a clutch (Hope) to help raise awareness and funds for research. Five dollars from the purchase of each clutch benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure.”

And Jessica of Reclaimed to You explains the meaning behind her quilts:

“The buttons represent the wishes I imagine the women have made, and they are positioned on the quilts beneath the women's feet as the foundation on which they stand and up in the starry sky above their heads. The inspiration for my mini photo quilts comes from a collection of antique photos of women that I have gathered for the last ten years, and from the many wishes that I have made on stars, wishbones, trains over bridges, and blown-out candles. In this way I feel like I am connecting to generations past through hopes and dreaming.”

Learning the background of these special items certainly makes me appreciate them so much more. Would you like to share what inspires your creativity? Leave a comment!

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