Handmade with love
Colourful and creative – a showcase for work from the best local artists
CRAFTFEST gives you the opportunity to meet some of the KwaZulu-Natal’s best crafters.
Handmade with love is the ethos of the festival, brought to you by the Independent on Saturday and the Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market.
Artisan ceramics, crochet, beadwork, leathercraft, woodcraft, skincare and jewellery all feature, as do designer homewares, art and decor items. Bespoke clothing, shoes, hats and accessories take into consideration everyone, from premature babies to plus-size figures.
Bead artist Blessing Maemesa was taught the art by his uncle, and has been selling his colourful and creative wares at the Shongweni market for eight years. “I enjoy being creative,” he said. “I see what people like and then I create it out of beads.”
Francoise Cheyne’s handmade ceramics are known for their charming and whimsical designs.
Her Le Lapin stoneware is microwave, oven and dishwasher safe. The ceramics are fired in shades of grey with accents of red, blue and gold to make the ceramics collectable.
“As an artist I am always adding and updating the designs to keep the range fresh and current,” Cheyne said. “I enjoy the charm and fantasy to make customers smile.”
Annika Verheem started her range of children’s clothing after her own children were born prematurely, and “I had to make their clothes myself”. Her funky Babaloo & Babalina are all handmade and cater for children from premature to 7 years old.
“I want my clothes to be different, to look different,” she said. “Everything is handmade – even the little flowers.
Graeme Tuck started Blueberry Blush in July 2017. Making amazing shoes, having fun, and keeping happy customers sums up his approach to his craft.
Specialising in shoes that are comfortable, gorgeous and fun, he and his partner Tammy travel extensively, sourcing ideas they bring home and develop using local materials and artisans.
“We love that we get to spend every day making beautiful things that people love to wear,” he said.
Shellain Dettmer is known everywhere as the Tie Dye Lady, and the Pietermaritzburg entrepreneur insists tie dye is not just for hippies.
“My popular crop tops and bellbottoms have become a form of artistic expression for fashionconscious people,” she said.
Dettmer started tie-dyeing for family and friends before branching out at the Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market.
“My range has exploded,” she said. “I now tie-dye anything, from baby grows to underpants, linen, tablecloths, wedding dresses and hoodies.”
Alan Leibowitz of Go Vinyl believes the love for classic vinyl records still exists.
“There’s always been a market for collectable records, and there’s been a vinyl revival making them mainstream again. In the last week of December, 1.2 million records were sold in the US alone,” he said.
“Most of those buying vinyl are young people, and everything released by current artists like Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift is released on vinyl.
“When Madonna released her Madam X in June 2019, there were four pressings, and her limited edition
ADVERTISING FEATURE blue vinyl edition already fetches up to R16 000,” he said.
Leibowitz has been collecting vinyl records since he was a boy and won’t sell any from his personal collection.
He enjoys helping others expand their own record collections.
Catch these and many others at CraftFest on March 22, from 10am to 4pm at the Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market. Tickets R120 adults, R60 teens, from Quicket. Earlybird tickets at R80 are still available. Hurry while stocks last.