Any person who handcrafts items loves to see an old piece of work in the medium they love. An antique piece of lace or a century-old shawl. A piece of old pottery or a dress on a porcelain doll. A tapestry woven long ago and far away. We look at these things and admire the workmanship.
We can’t help also realizing that the work was hard to produce back then. If we re-create those items today, we have wonderful new tools, materials, and techniques. Ours can look the same, but is it the same?
Perhaps. Re-creating the work in a faster, easier fashion is smart and we’d be foolish to do it the hard way if the quality would still be the same. Using the new and improved tools, materials and techniques does not mean we are somehow cheating. We are complimenting the original makers of these works by admiring them so much that we want to do them ourselves.
I’m not good at re-creating anything. My DM used to be great - she’d hold a piece of crochet or knitting in her hands, and little by little, she could copy it. I need to work from a pattern. I can copy some items, if they are small and simple. But my DM could copy the most exotic, the most delicate doily of intricate stitching.
I don’t think there’s any shame or belittlement in doing a craft today with our newer methods or materials rather than the old-fashioned way. As long as it’s not a copyrighted pattern, I think it’s a smart move and flattering to the original creator.
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