Growing up in Seattle’s suburbs circa 1990, Faythe Levine came of age in an era of zines and riot grrrls.

By the mid-’90s, this DIY culture of creative expression had sparked the indie craft movement that–fueled by the Internet’s connective power and the commercial platform of sites like Etsy.com–grew into a full-on revolution. By 2006, Levine was a crafter herself, and so inspired by the amazing work she saw
happening in the wider community that she hit 15 cities across America to interview and film independent artists and crafters at work.

Levine’s documentary, Handmade Nation, premiered in her current hometown of Milwaukee, WI, on February 3, and screened three times this weekend at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design. Buzz had been building since ‘07 thanks to the YouTube trailer and the massively connected, supportive nature of the underground craft culture, so those of us who care passionately about handmade crafts and people who make them have been anxiously eying the film’s screening schedule–and consoling ourselves in the meantime with the film’s fantastic companion book, co-authored by Levine and Cortney Heimerl and released last fall.

Starting with a timeline of the movement’s exponential development (and a brilliant Craftifesto from
DIYtrunkshow.com), the book presents photo-rich interviews and profiles of crafters from every region, punctuated by essays on the role of the handmade in modern life from craftivists such as Andrew Wagner, editor-in-chief of American Craft magazine, and Callie Janoff, cofounder and NYC minister of the Church of Craft.

Literally making your living with your hands takes formidable resourcefulness, skill, and endurance, but all of these crafty people seem to feel such deep satisfaction–from making something from start to finish, tapping into a creative force, making personal connections with other crafters and buyers, reimagining the cast-offs of consumer culture, and creating a thriving economy outside the traditional corporate structure. Just reading about their experiences feels profoundly empowering.

• Get the book
• Watch the film trailer on YouTube
• Visit the Handmade Nation blog
• Read a marvelous interview with Faythe and Cortney on design*sponge

Tags: Book Reviews, cafter, cortney-heimerl, crafts, etsy, handmade-nation, indie craft