Heirloom Design

I came across this great article on Heirloom Design and it got me thinking about the objects that I surround myself with. Another article that I came about talked about slow consumption and the notion of adopting the values that our grandparents had in regards to repair, reuse or recycle.

via

But slow consumption doesn't mean no consumption, it means saving and buying heirloom design products that will last.

One example of this is our La Creuset cookware. The best thing that we ever bought was our large cast iron casserole pot. It has outlasted many other pieces of kitchenware, washes up wonderfully and the simple cookware can be used for anything.

This article made me think about what I do as a crafter. Do I create things to be bought, savored and treasured or items to be used and thrown out? I sometimes feel that concept of Heirloom Design is foreign to the crafty community as often what is created and bought is not designed to last long term. if we can slap a doily on it, then we can sell it.

This raises the question of what I want to be as a designer and crafter in 2013. Good question. 2012 saw me overwhelmed with study, family and work with not much crafty time left over. When I do have crafty down time, I tend to be working things out and writing patterns or ideas. I am loving the mathematics of patchwork at the moment. The patterns and possibilities excite me.

I enjoyed making and selling at markets, it isn't where "I am at" right now. The idea of preparing for a market fills me with dread at the moment, the organisation and kerfuffl isnt' as alluring as it once was. I also note that it is pretty hard to compete with chinese manufacturers and "weekend crafters" who might charge $5 for something that you charge $18 for because you are trying to make a living and they are just having fun on the weekend.

I hope to turn my hand at more design ideas this year, I've been enjoying the challenge of coming up with design pieces. Let's see how that goes!