Letters

Thank you for a wonderful day spent in Amsterdam. I go to Holland regularly, but this time it was most fun to take the magazine along (Volume 07, “Travel Crafty”) and enjoy a different kind of tourism a little off the beaten path. We found our way from shop to shop: De Afstap, Coppenhagen Kralen, and finally Dam Square Souvenirs. Along the way there were street performers, kitsch stores, art stores, houseboats, and of course bicycles.

It was really a wonderful way to enjoy the city.

—Marieke Bier, Adamstown, Md.

••••••••••••••••••••

I just had to send you all a picture of my daughter Annie’s backpack for this fall. It was inspired by the “Hand-Sewn Free Range Monsters” in Volume 06. I cut up an old jacket belonging to her older sister for the orange fleece, and hand-sewed it all onto an old backpack. Annie is pumped about going back to school with the coolest backpack ever! Thanks for all your hard work to keep bringing excellent ideas to all of us out here.

—Jenny Moss, Milwaukee, Wis.

••••••••••••••••••••

Thank you for the fresh dosage of inspiration. My boyfriend and I had an ongoing debate about his daughter’s old clothing that I had put into a bag to donate to charity, only his sentimental attachment meant that the bag was never allowed to leave her room. Your article “Journey of the Yosegire Quilt” in Volume 07 made me rethink how to resolve this debate. I retreated to the craft cave and dug into the bags. Three days later, all parties are crafty and happy. Thank you for bringing peace back into our home. —Sarah Brazier, Bolton, England

••••••••••••••••••••

I hate you. As a self-professed magazine junkie and craft addict, I was sucked into CRAFT since Volume 02. Yet I’ve been at war with the clutter of countless unfinished projects and have been attempting to focus on one or two crafting methods.

But then, here comes Volume 08. Art vs. Craft! As a graphic designer and illustrator, I often feel alone in my rock-and-roll sensibilities, fine-art language, and traditional techniques. This is my life story.

Weaving! I’ve been getting into this idea, from making a sculptural piece to debating a new undertaking of weaving piqué scrap scarves. Fashion debates! Is fashion selling out to H&M and Target? Awesome questions. Fonts! My husband has been whining about wanting a font of his handwriting for years. This issue has everything I’m wrestling with and I don’t have time for any of it right now. But you’ve got me so excited and juiced about it all.

—Kelly Caldwell, Wallingford, Conn.

Got something to say? Write to us at editor@craftzine.com.