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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Eagle
HANDY MAN - Justin Reyna was one of 100 vendors selected to showcase his crafts at this year's Crafty Bastards in Adams Morgan. Reyna sold his handmade guitars and sound parts, which he carefully constructs in the garage of his Silver Spring, Md., home.

These 'Bastards' really are crafty

Arts, craft festival promotes do-it-yourself culture throughout District

Sewing a button is more than a handy skill for those in the do-it-yourself community. It can be a rite of passage, a hobby or even a livelihood. People who do it themselves can also hone a variety of skills: knitting, metal work, jewelry-making, carving, painting or any real creative art by using their hands. In the spirit of DIY appreciation, many gathered for the DIY arts-and-crafts fair, Crafty Bastards, last Sunday at the Marie Reed Learning Center in Adams Morgan.

In its fourth year, the growing popularity of the fair indicates how the Washington community embraces crafters it can meet face-to-face. A jury selected 100 vendors, who traveled from all over the country, to showcase their goods to the D.C. community. The plethora of vendors filled both levels of the outdoor area; festivities even spread to the playground, where children were learning how to make art from recyclables.

One of the selected vendors at this year's fair was Justin Reyna, a full-time lawyer and director of a foster-care court in Baltimore. In his spare time, Reyna makes guitars, amps, effects boxes and electric pick-ups out of cigar boxes and different woods. It takes him between two to three weeks to craft just one of these intricate instruments, which he makes in his garage in Silver Spring, Md. Guitars have proved to be a challenging endeavor for Reyna.

"It takes a long time to get them right - a lot of trial and error," he said. "A guitar must look stunning, but must also function perfectly."

Reyna began to build guitars a year ago but said he's been an artist for much longer, having made lamps and journals before moving onto instruments.

Like Reyna, many vendors have jobs outside of their crafts. Kim Rinehimer, who makes embroidered magnets, buttons and brooches, is employed full time but still manages to find the time to craft.

"I do it because it's fun and because I've been crafting since I was little," she said.

Most vendors also participate in the online marketplace and community Etsy, where all products are homemade and sellers can share ideas through forums. Rinehimer has her own online Etsy shop called Coquelicot.

Etsy employees Mary Andrews and Kelly Farrell sat at a table to explain and promote the online store at the fair. Farrell, who helps with product development, feels that the DIY movement relates the seller to the buyer on a very personal level.

"Human interaction drives those who make and sell things," she said. "You really know your maker."

On college campuses like AU, students dress themselves in brand-name fashions head to toe. Rarely can a student admit to personally contributing to the assembly of his or her clothes or accessories.

Rachel Harlich, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is an avid crafter and adamant supporter of DIY culture. She alters clothing by adding applique patches and makes pins from recycled materials. Her take on the DIY movement revolves around the desire to free herself of corporate goods.

"We don't need corporations or other people to make things that we can make," she said.

Crafting is a sustainable alternative to mainstream consumerism, Harlich says.

"DIY is a definite reaction to the advanced stage of capitalism and mass production aspect of our lives," she said.

Farrell expressed a similar standpoint.

"People have succumbed to giant corporations and become desensitized," she said. "We've hit a saturation point where people are starting to realize the one-stop shopping."

For Hala Hanna, a master's student in the School of International Service, making her own jewelry is simply an enjoyable hobby. Engaged in schoolwork, Hanna now has neither the time nor the materials to create her own products. However, in Lebanon, where she was born, she used to sell many handmade crafts in shops.

"It allows you to explore your creativity - your own perception of fashion," she said.


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