Megan tells us why it's always better to buy handcrafted (11 photos)

A wide variety of locally produced handmade items were showcased at a craft and gift show at the Quattro Hotel & Conference Centre on Sunday.

The handmade spirit was perhaps exemplified by Megan Fontana’s home-based business Wonderfully Made Fiber Arts that sold woolen items using hand made or crafted elements at almost every level of production.

Fontana said she and fellow ‘fiber artist’ Genevieve Freeland not only knit, weave, and crochet their own products but will often buy locally sourced un-dyed wool and spin it into yarn using handmade spindles crafted by Fontana’s husband.

They even sometimes dye the yarn with foraged items like flowers or onion skins.

The two artists heralded handmade products.

“Handmade is better quality than something that is not handmade. A lot more time goes into it but you end up getting a better product that is a lot more luxurious and (long lasting),” said Freeland, 

“We are passionate about what we are doing and so when you are passionate, it sounds cheesy, but, there is love in it, we really really love what we do,” said Fontana.

Nadine Campbell of Echo Bay sold ‘Go-Bows’ – magnetic “interchangeable hair accessories” that she makes from home.

Go-bows are headbands, hair elastics, and clips that can have fashionable accessories like flowers and ribbons attach to them with the use of magnets so that a wearer can customize them as they like.

Campbell came up with the idea for her invention in 2011 and made her first prototypes out of lawnmower rewinds and bobbins.

Theresa Tanninen’s Recycled and Re-Sewn business sold mittens and other items she crafted from recycled Value Village sweaters.

Tanninen said she enjoys buying from local people and that “it’s nice” to be able to offer goods in the same way herself.

Other handmade items on display were delicious maple fudge from Stinson Maple Products, made-to-order sports card end tables by the appropriately named Sports Card End Tables, Sock Monkeys by Made by Lish, as well as pottery from the Sault Potter’s Guild.

“(Handcrafted items are) someone’s personal expression. When they’ve made something it makes a one of a kind and I think you get a little bit of that person’s creativity when you purchase (from them),” said Janice McKee of the Sault Potter’s Guild.

The event, dubbed ‘A Handmade Christmas Craft and Gift Show’ came together when organizer Eve Webb decided she wanted to fill in the gap left after several other local craft shows, particularly one held at Tarentorus Public School, were cancelled in 2015.

Webb said that immediately after posting the event to social media she received a flood of messages from vendors asking to apply to be in the show and she quickly filled up the 77-table capacity room.

“Overnight I had 140 messages between my Facebook and my email so there was a wait list and we fit in as many as we could to be comfortable. We could have filled this room twice, ” said Webb.

Webb said public interest was strong as well and that people were lined up outside the event a half hour before it started.

Other vendors included multi-level businesses like Arbonne and Scentsy whose offices are often home based but whose products are made elsewhere.

The craft and gift show featured a ‘Touch and Take’ table that raised money for ARCH hospice. 

Every vendor at the event donated gift-wrapped items with a corresponding appropriate gender and age tagged on them and then placed the items on the ‘Touch and Take’ table.

Attendees could pay $10 to pick one of the surprise gifts from the table and by halfway through the event the table was empty and about $1000 was raised for ARCH hospice.

(PHOTO: Genevieve Freeland (left) and Megan Fontana (right) of Wonderfully Made Fiber Arts include handcrafted elements into their wool products at almost every level. Jeff Klassen for SooToday)