GLEN APLIN MARKET 2

Country markets like the one held quarterly at Glen Aplin provide an outlet for people to exhibit the products they grow or create. Once many of their creations would have been viewed as little more than a hobby and therefore the hours they spent on embroidery or wood-turning had little monetary value.  A potter could give bowls as gifts to friends and a gardener would gladly share seedlings and cuttings with other gardeners. Now the markets allow these people to plan the production of items for sale and thus get some valuation of their labour. Even so, when I looked at the items crafted for the Glen Aplin Community Market, I was aware of how little per hour each person was paid for their time. It is possible that people who have never sewn or knitted may have no idea of the real cost of producing such items.

Dresses for little girls

Although part of a Christmas in July promotion, these cool little cotton dresses in Christmas fabrics were intended for wear in December. They were selling for only $10.00

For Christmas wear

Recently my little granddaughters who normally live in Hong Kong spent a couple of weeks with me. I haven’t sewn dresses for little girls for a number of years so I begged fabrics and patterns from my two daughters, whose own daughters are now young adults, thus obtaining for free both patterns and materials.

I made each little girl a cool summer dress. The pattern said that this simple style would only take two hours to complete. That was true, but I took extra time to put an applique on one dress and hand embroidery on the second dress.

Rachael

As a form of embroidery I have always enjoyed doing counted thread cross-stitch. I discovered when my children were young how much they appreciated cross-stitch trains, ponies, flowers or clowns embroidered on the squares of gingham shirts and dresses. When when one of my daughters gave me a partially used length of pale pink gingham I decided to embroider Nemo the fish on Elizabeth’s dress, as she loves the movie ‘Finding Nemo’.

Elizabeth

So while I could spend two hours sewing a plain dress, it took me several more hours to produce Elizabeth’s dress. This of course was an act of love and my time could not be valued. The question I  ask, is how much is the stall holder who is selling these $10.00 dresses for little girls receiving for her labour after taking into account the cost of buying fabrics and trims? Very little! Thus I would encourage young parents who do not sew to patronise such market stalls.

Helen's Handicrafts

The stall selling Helen’s Handicraft displayed bags, hangings, applique work, heat packs, tea towels, carrier bags and tea cozies which were all hand or machine made by Helen.

Helen

I stopped for a few minutes at each stall I visited to explain that I wasn’t photographing their work with a view to copying their designs. Instead I was taking photographs which I hoped would promote their work by encouraging Granite Belt visitors and residents to attend this market.

I’ve had the good fortune to travel widely and when in China I have photographed women at work creating handicrafts which they could sell.

Chinese woman crocheting slippers.

This young woman was crocheting slippers while she stood watching tourists stream past her stall, ever hopeful that her work would catch their attention. What was she asking for a pair of hand made slippers? About one Australian dollar.

After passing these stall holders and walking up a mountain, rain forced me to take shelter amongst a group  of Chinese women who were sitting together. They produced squares of black fabric from their bags and began to embroider traditional designs with red cotton. Naturally they each expected me to buy a square of their work and, at less than a dollar each, how could I refuse. Similar embroidery had been on sale at the stalls below, but when dealing directly with me they offered a lower price.

Chinese women

The point I am making is that no value is placed on the hours it takes for women like Helen to create her works of art, or these women in China.

The item is only worth what people will pay.

Thus such markets serve a useful purpose. They place the producer in a situation where there are prospective customers.

Going out in style

They also serve as a social outing for families who can shop for gifts, buy plants for the garden, or food for the table.

As a resident of Glen Aplin I am seriously considering taking a stand at the next Glen Aplin Coummnity Market to sell my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine. I wrote this book to promote tourism on the Granite Belt, but many locals will also enjoy reading it. As one newspaper review said, my book will be of great value to future historians as it details a period when the Granite Belt changed from being largely a farming community, where city people came to buy apples, to a tourism destination.

Next week I will write more about the Glen Aplin market.

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

If you can’t visit the Glen Aplin market you can obtain my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine on http://www.australia-book.com.au or if you live overseas on the StrictlyLiterary site.

If you enjoy my writing style you will enjoy reading my travel blog on http://fayhelwigauthor.com where I’m currently publishing chapter by chapter, my book THE FORGOTTEN ONES. This book reveals Eberhard’s memories of his youth in Germany from 1926 to 1950. I illustrate my posts with photographs, many of which I took during holidays in Germany.