Crafternoon Tea
(National Post, May 27, 2006)
Nathalie-Roze Fischer has always thought the one thing Toronto’s craft scene was lacking was inclusivity—that, and clotted cream.
Somewhere between the “haute craftage” of One of a Kind and the
knitted toilet roll cozies of the church bazaar of olde lies a semiannual craftopia
known as Crafternoon Tea. The event, a dizzying brew that combines craft fair,
British-style tea room, charity fundraiser, and hands-on workshop takes place
today in the Beach. It’s Fischer’s answer to the needs (and sweet-tooths)
of the city’ burgeoning DIY scene.
Fischer keeps her finger on the treadle of the craft community through
her accessories lines Virago and Nathalie-Roze, and as a fashion and
craft columnist
across Canada. In Toronto, she says, the growing community of handicrafters—which
includes fibre artists, jewelers, papercrafters, ceramicists and more—is “still
incubating”. And despite the blossoming of handmade-friendly shops across
the city like Skirt, Distill, Fresh Collective and It’s Made, craft
shows and exhibitions are still a grey area for the emerging artist.
“There are sort of limited opportunities for people to show their work
in a financially accessible situation,” said Fischer, who launched the
alternative craft fair last December.
“
What I’m hoping is that whether it’s someone who’s never done
craft, someone who is a hobbyist that thinks maybe they shouldn’t show
anyone what they’re doing, or that it’s not real art, to show them
that that’s just as legit as someone that’s making a living with
their craft or with fashion,” said Fischer.
Today’s affair will be a mix of crafters and shoppers trawling the basement
of Bellefair United Church for that perfect gift for a friend or new inspiration
from a fellow crafter. Free workshops on things like bookmaking and yarn spinning
will take place throughout the day, alongside a marketplace that will include
both finished products and raw craft supplies. It’s a bustling environment
the vendors enjoy as much as the attendees.
“
It’s nice—the motivation that you feel being around crafty people.
The inspiration is amazing,” said Christine Cresencia, a participant in
December’s Crafternoon Tea who is returning today to sell her crocheted-wire
jewelery.
And besides being a writer, crafter, and soon-to-be-storeowner
(Fischer just took moved into a Leslieville spot that will double
as a store
and a studio
space), Nathalie-Roze also dabbles in philanthropy. Not a bad
diversification for an
overachiever.
“
For me I wanted to kind of braid together some kind of consciousness or charitable
angle [for the show] because I knew that we’d be having a good group of
people that would be interested in certain kinds of nonprofit initiatives, which
are in many cases women-focused or arts-oriented,” said Fischer. Today’s
Crafternoon Tea will raise funds for the Scarborough Women’s Centre,
SKETCH, and Yard Sale for the Cure.
“
I really liked the idea that she had charity as a part of it,” said Cresencia. “I
donate a lot to women’s causes, for silent auctions. I think it’s
very important to give back. I think a lot of people in this world go without,
and if I can give up a piece of jewelry and they can make some money out of
it, why not?”
And while some craft expos have been known to inspire competition
among artisans, Crafternoon Tea seems to eschew that vibe
completely.
“
I’d actually be quite happy if people would do more bookbinding and paper
stuff—not many people do it nowadays,” said Janet Chan of Le Petit
Pig papercrafts, who will be teaching a bookbinding workshop this afternoon.
“
I just want people to pick up their pens again, to draw, or get inspired,” said
Chan of her handmade books. “It’s a more human way to write than
with a computer.”
There’s an unusual sense of camaraderie among the artisans Fischer has
tapped for her events—but beyond like-minded craftiness and humanitarianism,
how does a group of vendors amassed from a wide range of ages, cultures, lifestyles
and tastes in design manage to seem so close-knit?
Fischer thinks it’s humility.
“
There are people at all different levels and abilities,” says Fischer about
the event. “And for some people it’s like journaling or art therapy.
It doesn’t have to result in someone buying something. Some people just
want to get feedback or do trades, they just want to be a part of it and meet
other people. There is little ego…it’s not a ‘’hey, we’re
cooler than you’ kind of show.”
And she notes that, like anything else, people
come to crafting for all different reasons.
“
Some people just want to do a craft to relax. Some people really see making their
own clothing or accessories or soap or whatever as a rejection of corporate dogma…and
a lot of people definitely see it as a sort of feminist tool or statement, to
reembrace a lot of old-school crafts that were kind of dismissed in the past,” said
Fischer.
“
It’s a pastime that’s more about celebrating the individual and
celebrating things that are handmade and have a visible human touch.”