Pretty Crafty

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Craftster.org is not a commercial enterprise. There are no fees, and the little advertising from craft suppliers and crafty individuals provides just enough revenue to cover operating costs. Rather, it's about Kramer's winning effort to use her skills as a computer programmer and craft enthusiast to create a sense of community. "People don't use Craftster to sell things. They use it to share ideas and techniques," she says. One of the most popular threads on the site is a how-to-sew-a-handbag tutorial uploaded last fall by a Craftster member named Jordynn (Jordy) Lucier. Since then, hundreds of people have made the Jordy bag, no two exactly alike. That's the beauty, according to Kramer: "By using their own fabrics and appliqués, people made individual versions that expressed their ingenuity." Call it open-source crafting. "People even posted suggestions on how to alter the handle, change the shape and add a zipper," she says.

Other members of this fashion movement have made the leap to selling their creations. Melissa Dettloff, 26, who lives in rural Brooklyn, Mich., likes to take on improbable projects like deconstructing four pairs of thrift-store jeans and using their parts to construct a new pair. But her specialty, which can be seen on her website, lekkner. com, is turning old T shirts into minidresses, halter tops or zippered hoodie sweatshirts. Dettloff sells her wares online and will make customized versions for customers who send her their favorite, outdated Ts. "I'm not into labels or name-brand clothing," says Dettloff of her craft. "I'm more interested in remaking something old into something new."

Much of the appeal of such clothing is that each item reflects the caring hand of its creator and has a unique story to tell. Professional designers understand that. Both Marc Jacobs and Prada have added handwrought cachet to their spring collections by embellishing them with crocheted elements. The Wrangler jeans company recently hired Wendy Mullin to design a new line called Wrangler 47. Mullin made her name as a downtown--New York City designer who created custom guitar straps for rock stars and then took her flair for making clothing and filled a whole store with hipster wear. Her creations for Wrangler gave the classic brand a modern update with '70s rock-'n'-roll roots. But no one has taken the allure of the handmade further than Natalie Chanin, designer of the chic, individualistic and pricey Project Alabama line (see box).

For some, craft consciousness has a political aspect. "There is a glut of cheap sweatshop-produced clothing out there, and it's so easy to go overboard and buy too much of it," says Shoshana Berger, founder and editor of ReadyMade magazine, a bimonthly based in Berkeley, Calif., that provides 100,000 readers mainly in their 20s and 30s with a slate of fashion, home and garden projects. "Not only are people recognizing that this mass-produced stuff is unimaginative, they're also feeling guilty about supporting unfair labor practices."