I just love introducing new crafts at FaveCrafts, especially with the help of such a nice blogger as Nancy Jacobs of Basket Master Weavings. Nancy put together our first basket weaving craft project, the Square Autumn Basket and an accompanying glossary of basket weaving terms for those new to the craft. Here is a sample basket weaving term:

Cut and Tuck or Cutting and Tucking–When finished weaving the sides, you cut the stakes or spokes that are on the inside of the basket flush with your top row of weaving. The stakes or spokes that are on the outside of the basket get folded to the inside and tucked behind a weaver to hide the ends.

According to Nancy, basket weaving is not as difficult as it may sound and you can complete the Square Autumn Basket project in just one evening. I’m especially excited to try this out as my mother loves and collects baskets. Two rooms of our family home in Indiana feature a ring of baskets around the top of the wall. What a great gift for her, right? Anyone would love a homemade basket.

This is a post from: FaveCraftsBlog

New Craft at FaveCrafts: Basket Weaving

Related posts:

1. Tie-Dye Basket Weaving
2. How to: Make a Flowergirl Basket
3. How to Make Mother’s Day Gifts: Gift Basket Ideas

For most of us, making our favorite crafts is nothing more than a hobby that we use to relax and to take our minds off of the stresses created by our careers and our families. We might knit, crochet, paint or make scrapbooks to create something beautiful for ourselves and to unwind. Hardly any of us think of our favorite crafts as an essential source of income.

Traidcraft, a company based in the United Kingdom, has come up with an innovative way to fight poverty in developing countries. They help impoverished people transform their lives by paying them a fair wage to craft goods that are later sold all over the world. Because of Traidcraft, Chut, a woman living in Southern Vietnam, earns enough money to feed herself, her husband and their three children.

Chut is a member of the Tan Hiep village basket group, and goes to the group three times per week to collect the materials she needs to weave baskets. Chut is able to earn money doing something she enjoys, and she gets paid a fair wage to do so. Traidcraft gives Chut and many other women the opportunity to be independent and earn money in a safe working environment. Do you find Chut’s story inspiring? Do you think American companies should follow Traidcraft’s lead and give opportunities for crafters in underdeveloped countries to earn a fair wage? Would you go out of your way to buy items crafted by people like Chut in underdeveloped countries?

Read Chut’s story, and other stories, here.

This is a post from: FaveCraftsBlog

Crafting to Combat Poverty

Related posts:

1. Living a Better Life with Less by Crafting
2. Crafting for Charity
3. How To Create Your Own Craft Selling Event!