The effects of high inflation, seen everywhere from food to fashion, mean that some creative people are having a harder time affording their materials.
Ally Mcguirk, a student at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, owns a small business called @buffyscreations on Instagram and said recent inflation hikes have been a challenge, but the community encourages people to keep creating.
“It’s easier to do things because of our community,” said Mcguirk. “I know in other places — even just me being from P.E.I. — there [are] not as [many] supportive types of communities.”
Mcguirk said crochet can often be expensive depending on where and when a person buys material, but that there is a uniqueness to buying local.
Gabriela Buraglia, a fourth-year student at St. Thomas University, learned to sew in middle school and was taught by her grandmother, who can “make anything she wants” when she touches a sewing machine.
“She taught me the basics and I slowly started to get into it,” she said.
Buraglia uses sewing to create cosplays in her free time and also to help out on STU Musical Theatre’s costume team. Her easier cosplays take about a month or two to make, while more complicated patterns might take up to three months.
But the time she dedicates is rewarding.
“Once it’s done and on the mannequin and ready to be worn, it’s a present — it’s so great,” she said.
Buraglia also noted the cost of crafting materials but said it’s all in where you look.
“Some fabric stores, depending on how much fabric you want, up their prices a lot,” she said. “Certain places are very cheap. For example, you can go to a thrift store and buy sheets for a ridiculously cheap price. Then you can use that for fabrics.”
Buraglia appreciates her ability to sew and recommends others should learn, too. She said it’s very useful in everyday life, such as mending a tear in a person’s shirt.
“Having the knowledge to do so, it really goes a long mile.”
