The Crafts Report - Leading the Crafts Industry for 35 years

Ed Davidson doesn’t mind one bit that his work has experienced more than its share of ups and downs. In fact, as a professional woodturner who creates several hundred yo-yos every year, Davidson wouldn’t want it any other way. At first glance, Davidson’s yo-yos have little in common with the cheap, plastic toys of the same name that are enjoyed by kids of all ages. His yo-yos are more akin to works of art. Often crafted from gorgeous exotic woods and equally exotic acrylics or resins, many of Davidson’s handmade yo-yos feature elaborately carved designs and embedded jewels. Some collectors even buy his yo-yos to display on tiny stands as small-scale art.

The verdant hills and dark hollows that surround potter Keith Lahti’s home in the rugged Appalachian Mountains of central West Virginia belong to one of the oldest mountain ranges on Earth. Exposed rock formations found along riverbanks and cliffs offer a timeline in geology and natural history reaching back to the earliest days of mankind and millions of years beyond. After working with clay for over 35 years in the shadows of this awe-inspiring environment, it’s little wonder that Lahti’s creations are so thoroughly infused with a sense and spirit of the past, even as he embraces a growing new niche market for memorial urns that has arisen in the 21st century.

Textile artist, designer and educator Kelly Cobb of Philadelphia, Pa., has revisited the concept of handmade clothing. With the help of 23 spinners, knitters, tanners and other craftspeople along with sheep farmers, she created the 100-Mile Suit—a complete outfit of under and outer garments made solely of materials raised, produced, processed and constructed within 100 miles of Philadelphia.