Monday, June 4, 2012

sweet by and by

Last year I started to make a few things to sell, outside of the recycled jumper goodness that is “sister outlaws". But to do this involved thinking of a name for my wares – a brand/label. Liz at Gleaners (my one and only stockist! Thanks Liz!) helpfully told me that phrases worked well. And so I got to thinking...and thinking...and eventually arrived at the “sweet by and by”. 

Why? Well, it is a gentle phrase from another era. “By the by” or “by and by”, is an accepting sort of phrase for the passing of time. As someone who is impatient, busy and a bit frantic at times, I like the phrase. It calms me down. It will all get down, by and by. Let things be, let the world turn, the seasons pass and don't fight it.  Craft is a process that is often slow going, one stitch at a time, so I think this suits hand crafted items.
As for the “sweet by and by”, it is a hopeful phrase for the future – that the future is brighter and sweeter. It’s a lyric that pops up in old-timey-folky songs that are often roaming around my brain.
“In the sweet by and by, we will meet on that beautiful shore.”

I will be selling some sweet by and by products at the winter artisan market at the Northcote Town Hall. So far, I have made all these little crocheted beads, with a little hook and embroidery cotton, which I string, onto a long snake chain. There will be more things, by and by.

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