Berkeley High School sophomore Rainier Townsend spent three years on her most recent crochet project. “It just makes me so happy to finish something and be like, ‘I put so many hours into this,’” she said.
Townsend was taught to crochet and embroider by her grandmother in 2019. The crocheted blanket which she just completed has a granny square pattern in shades of turquoise, purple, blue, and pink. “Anyone can (crochet). It just takes a little bit of effort, and then you can really make anything you want,” she said.
Those who work very hard at crafting can produce truly impressive pieces. BHS junior Adalilly Chu, who makes jewelry, saw this when she co-organized the BHS craft fair in October. “I would never expect there to be so many people who can make such amazing things at (BHS) … It was just really interesting to see how many people are so passionate about making jewelry or drawing, or selling their paintings,” Chu said.
Natalie Caton is a BHS junior who started printmaking over the summer. At a recent craft fair, she sold t-shirts and prints. She said, “I just mostly make things that are pleasing to me, things that I would want to have.”
Caton decorates with her prints, which often feature plants and animals. However, printmaking can be used for other purposes as well. “I know printmaking is used for a lot of activism and also for general knowledge, like posters,” Caton said.
Lillian Hammond, another BHS junior, tries to do good by using her sewing skills to innovate and remove herself from the cycle of fast fashion. “Some of the clothes that I outgrow or don’t really like anymore, I then repurpose into different clothes or accessories, like headbands … I had this one pair of pajama pants, and then I outgrew them, so then I turned them into shorts, and then I didn’t like them as shorts, so then I turned them into a shirt,” Hammond said.
During the pandemic, when she first began sewing, Hammond made masks. “It’s really helpful because you can easily listen to music and sew. And that was really calming and was a nice distraction from really not being able to go anywhere or do anything during the pandemic,” Hammond said.
Chu, Caton, and Townsend also use their craft to relieve stress. Chu finds crafting more gratifying than other forms of relaxation.“It’s kind of boring to just watch TV. I started making jewelry because it’s really fun. It’s like you’re feeling productive at the same time while you’re watching TV.”
Hammond particularly enjoys the feeling of creating something with her hands saying, “Because so many things are machine run or just made with high demand and very low quality, I think being able to sew and make my own clothes is really valuable because not a whole lot of people can do that.”