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Handmade Goes Digital With Online Help For The Crafty

Grace Hood
/
KUNC
Lorie Hirose (foreground) directs teacher Marie Zinno as she discusses business tips for machine embroiderers.

Expensive, extravagant gifts have become the norm around the holidays. But Colorado has a strong movement of crafters who are hand-making their gifts this season. How about a homemade infinity scarf, bite-sized chocolate almond bark or hand-sewn jammy pants?

The latter was on the mind of Linda Moore as she strolled through the Fort Collins shop Mama Said Sew.

"I'm not a millionaire where I can change someone's life with an awesome bought gift," said Moore. "So I can make something really special if it's handmade."

That sentiment is motivating more and more people to make their gifts at home. Angela Gray, owner of Mama Said Sew, said December has been her busiest month at the shop.

"We've got young moms, we've got 20-somethings, grandmothers coming in and making things," she said. "I really believe that we're all makers in some shape, form or fashion."

Pinterest, a popular site for crafters to show off their projects and get ideas, has seen a 25 percent increase in boards related to gifts and wish lists this holiday season.

It's also busy for Denver-based Craftsy, which films and hosts online instructional videos for 16 categories including knitting, cooking, woodworking, photography and sewing.

Credit Grace Hood / KUNC
/
KUNC

John Levisay, co-founder and CEO of Craftsy, said on average his company sells an instructional video every 18 seconds. But what happens as people ramp up their holiday gift making and entertaining?

"We're seeing startling volumes of people engaged in classes," said Levisay.

When you sign up for an online course, you get access to the lesson plan and instructional videos. Craftsy films all its own instructional videos with multiple camera angles to capture the up-close details of stitching or sewing.

Levisay said online users can take quality classes on their own schedules, from anywhere in the world. Students — the majority of which are women — can post questions. Craftsy has a department dedicated to answering them.

"If a question is asked during business hours, it will be answered really quickly, either through email or phone, whichever the user prefers," said Levisay. 

Craftsy already has 5.5 million people registered on its site. 2015 is shaping up to be a busy year for the four-year-old company. It has raised more than $50 million in venture capital, which it plans to use to make and market even more online instructional courses.

That's good news for many gift givers of homemade items, who will return to their sewing machine or knitting needles after the holidays. Because everyone knows that December is the time to give gifts to others. January is the time you can focus on projects for yourself.

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