Crafts are important aspects of human culture. It encompasses many popular hobby forms, such as macramé and woodworking and also provides the basis of other hobbies, as in the case of the craft people who build doll house furnishing.

Crafts from woodworking to knitting and quilting have long and honorable histories as essential elements of pre-industrial production. Today many people pursue crafts because of the sense of pleasure and ease that the activities give them.  Very few people make a living doing crafts, relatively speaking.  There are of course rug producers whose looms turn out paradise – like work.

There are literally millions upon millions of talented craftspeople and artisans in the world.

Crafts use to be the dominant production system for human society. Craft is one of the creations of human beings that are central to our definition and personality as humans.

Eventually the level of craft artistry grew to a degree that gave birth to craft guilds and similar societies.

But eventually this form of production gave way to industrial manufacturing and for the most part craft is no longer the heart of the social economy.

But still crafts have a great place in human culture… take for example the place of crafts in various forms of art.  For example that most famed knitter enthusiast of world literature Agatha Christies’ character Miss Marple. Or one can point to Christopher Foyle, the civilized lead character of the hit British mystery drama, set in the second world war,  Foyle’s War. He is renown for his love of fishing and even his expert fly crafting skills.   

History too has some well known crafter such as the French Revolution’s Madame Defarge.  It is said that Madame DeFarge knitted as she sat along side the guillotine during the executions of counter revolutionaries that she helped bring to revolutionary justice.

More importantly just look at the many dedicated sculpters, quilting aficionados, wood craftsmen, in their multitude around the globe.  They are living testaments to crafting’s power to persevere and contribute to human culture.

If you google on the word craft you will find announcements in the news section about craft expos, shows, associations, clubs shops, implements, supplies, techniques, “celebrities” and innovation.  And you will find even more searching the “web” category using google. Crafts, even in our already jaded millennium, remains a factor in human civilization.

Crafting is extremely wide spread form of pastime.  Many people spent hours of sheer bliss scrapbooking craft, sewing craft, paper craft, home craft, sculpting, woodcarving, leatherworking, crocheting, quilting, knitting, beading …and don’t forget the survival of rug crafting looms techniques and other such legacy technology, which continue to turn out top quality products for the world market even in the face of more rapid and powerful digital means and techniques. 

Crafters, all those contented individuals making something from the craft supplies they purchased at their favorite supplies vendor; all those happy people out there enmeshed in all kinds of craft projects, perhaps a Christmas Craft project or other holiday or event, or a craft projects for and with children, or just attending and perhaps competing in Arts and Crafts fairs and expos. – that is the real legacy of crafting.

Here are some useful resources for crafting (some are hobby as well as craft sites) including a glossary of crafting terms used as an aide to help you figure out an unfamiliar crafting word or to learn a little more about specific crafts and/or crafting functions and skills:

Alphabetical Craft Terms (96) Needlepoint Glossary Beadwork Glossary Painting Craft Terms (14) Candle Glossary Paper Craft Terms (22) Crochet Terms Paper Mache Craft Terms (14) Cross Stitch Glossary Sewing-Quilting Craft Terms (7) Decoupage Craft Terms (10) Soap Glossary Drawing and Coloring Terms (19) Stamping Craft Terms (9) Embossing Craft Terms (12) Woodworking Glossary Knitting Glossary

Here are just a few of the crafts that people enjoy around the world.