Faythe Levine traveled 19,000 miles across the country interviewing 80 people involved in the D.I.Y. art, craft, and design movement. Levine and Cortney Heimerl then published the book Handmade Nation: The Rise of D.I.Y., Art, Craft, and Design (Princeton Architectural Press, 2008), and released the eponymous film in 2009. The book and the 65-minute documentary film both profile a charming group of people who make their living from their art and crafts. While the mediums – sewing, printing, glass work, and paper-cuts – vary, a discernable creativity, independence, and spirit of self-reliance unite each of the interviewees.

Craft enthusiasts like me will be excited to see their favorite makers promoted. Both the book and film are fan letters to the indie craft movement, one that is clearly dear to Levine who founded Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Art vs. Craft fair and co-owns the Paper Boat Boutique & Gallery. But the book and film transcend their fan base.

D.I.Y. is about more than making cute stuffed owls and ironic t-shirts (not to knock two of my favorite things). There is a real sense of counterculture and environmentalism that defines the community. Everyone Levine profiles is actively taking a stance against a mass-produced culture. To meet the person who designed and constructed what you buy is a very different experience from purchasing something at a chain store that was made in a country you can’t find on a map.

Handmade Nation: The Rise of D.I.Y., Art, Craft, and Design is about independently-owned businesses, where consumerism is definitely considered; the crafters and artists, who are mostly women, earn their livings from their handmade goods. Though readers and viewers may never buy anything featured in the book or film, considering the current world economy, the concept of making what you need and want could not be timelier.

Crafting is also just something fun to do! There is a genuine sense of joy and creativity in every interview. Much to her surprise, Jenny Hart of Austin, Texas found embroidery very relaxing.

“When I started doing [embroidery], it was better than drugs, alcohol, therapy – anything I had ever tried,” she explains. Eventually Hart founded Sublime Stitching, which specializes in unique embroidery patterns and boasts the mantra “This Ain’t Your Gramma’s Embroidery!”

That independent energy extends to the low-fi production of the documentary; some of the interviews were filmed with a shaky hand-held camera and poor lighting. But these technical imperfections are actually charming – this is, after all, a film about the D.I.Y. movement. The book is glossier, literally, and there is an expanded collection of insightful profiles of each crafter and lots of colorful photos of their work.

The community of artists, crafters, and designers that Levine and Heimerl lovingly capture is surprisingly inclusive, with people from diverse social, economic, and cultural backgrounds all raising a consciousness by creating a connection between consumer goods and the individual. Not every crafter is a young tattooed hipster who went to art school; the book and film speak to people that spent their childhoods being very creative, and now have difficulty reconciling their artistic tendencies, amateur or professionally-trained, with 9 to 5 desk jobs and adult responsibilities.

Handmade Nation: The Rise of D.I.Y., Art, Craft, and Design asks if the current popularity of handmade goods is a passing trend or the start of a true revolution. If the popularity of the screening I attended is any indication, the D.I.Y. movement has true staying power.

About the Author
Jessica Mosby is a writer and critic living in Oakland, California. In the rare moments when she's not traveling across the United States for work, Jessica enjoys listening to public radio, buying organic food at local farmers markets, trolling junk stores, and collecting owl-themed tchotchke.