North Carolina Handmade: Crafts, Recovery, and Resilience

Shop the October update: https://www.macleansmyth.com/shop

This video takes you inside my craft room as I prepare for my October 1st shop update. Living with dynamic disability, I share adaptive crafting techniques that make slow, intentional progress possible: stitching whimsical felt chicken and duck earrings, experimenting with fabric-covered frames, and planning for hand-painted beeswax candles.

Along the way, I reflect on life in Western North Carolina one year after Hurricane Helene, and how creativity, resilience, and community show up in the recovery process. You’ll also see behind-the-scenes of batching work, navigating adhesives with chemical sensitivities, and balancing the polish of professional craftsmanship with the raw honesty of truly handmade work.

If you’re drawn to unique gifts, seasonal crafting, or the creative process of running a small business with chronic illness, you’ll feel at home here. Subscribe to follow along as each shop update unfolds, one thoughtful step at a time.

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00:00 – Welcome & intro from my craft room

03:36 – Reflecting on Hurricane Helene & resilience in WNC

06:21 – Felt chicken + duck earrings: sewing & batching workflow

14:32 – Fabric frames: pairing fabrics & refining the process

17:39 – Adhesives + chemical sensitivities, plus a stationery sneak peek

26:11 – Fabric frames round two: progress & persistence

28:39 – Plans for hand-painted candles + pie bulletin boards

31:10 – Closing reflections & gratitude

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My Social Links:
Instagram - / macleansmyth
Tik Tok - / macleansmyth
Facebook - / macleansmyth
Pinterest - / macleansmyth

Find out more about my businesses:
Maclean Smyth - www.macleansmyth.com
Milkvetch Merch - milkvetchmerch.com
Crafting Coven - www.craftingcoven.co

Some Facebook groups I run that you might be interested in:
Folks Who Farm and Forage - / folkswhofarmandforage
Homesteading While Disabled - / homesteadingwhiledisabled
Non-Toxic Homesteading - / nontoxichomesteading

Thanks for watching!