Dreaming of a crafty Christmas
WORDS Kim Newth PHOTOS Centuri Chan
A popular seasonal highlight on the Canterbury calendar is the Christmas Encraftment Market, coming up this month at Pioneer Stadium. A celebration of all things handmade, this festive craft bonanza featuring over 120 stalls is an ideal opportunity to stock up on crafted Christmas gift items for your loved ones.
Local makers and creators have been presenting their inspiring work at the Encraftment Market since it began in 2011 as a vehicle to help support the city’s craft movement after the February 2011 earthquake. The twice-yearly market – the other one is held in winter – is eagerly anticipated by the craft community and the public alike. North Canterbury silversmith Lee Arthur, who makes contemporary silver jewellery, has been a stallholder at the market from the beginning and joined the market’s management team three years ago.
What she loves about this unique market is that all the wares showcased are made with love by hand.
“To me, a handcrafted product is just so much more meaningful than something that has been mass-produced,” says Lee, a mother of three who juggles her silversmithing business (Pretty Birds Jewellery) around family commitments.
“When you support one of our stallholders, you’re supporting a whole family – more often than not, the makers are mums or people building their own small businesses. We’re a good community of people who are supportive of each other, and the products we’re making keep getting better and better every year.”
People heading along to this month’s market can expect a high-quality handcrafted line-up ranging from jewellery and art, homewares, kitchen spices and other artisan food items, toys, clothes for kids and adults, natural health and beauty products, candles, outdoor items, and more. “We are a curated market, and what that means is that we’re always very careful in the kind of products we have. We only choose the best of the handmade products available – the standard we are seeing has really gone up over time.”
Last year’s Christmas Encraftment Market was cancelled due to Covid, but fortunately, the organisers were able to run a winter market again this year. A silver lining of Covid lockdowns and periods of isolation has been a renaissance in craft activity, with more people than ever getting crafty and making things at home. Their endeavours are now flowing through to the market.
“We’ve had a heap of new people wanting to be involved, and it’s amazing to see what they’ve been producing as they’ve rediscovered their ability to do crafts or have acquired new skills. It’s really good to see people using their creativity. Having these new people making stuff who haven’t been around before is great for us because we like to keep it fresh and not have the same things every year. The feedback we had from our winter market was overwhelmingly positive. In spite of the pandemic, we’re stronger than ever.”
New crafters share their proposed stall set-up when they apply for a space. Organisers provide help and advice if required, so every stall will be impeccably presented.
Christmas Encraftment Market is at Pioneer Stadium on 19 and 20 November from 10am to 4pm. Entry is free. Hot food and refreshments are available over the weekend.