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Is It Really One of a Kind?
What makes something one of a kind? Those of us in the handmade world tend to think that virtually all of our pieces are one of a kind…..but are they really? Are we over-using the term and diluting its impact in the process? Curious about this, I set out to find an official definition of one of a kind when used in the art and handmade world.
I wasn’t successful at all in my search! Surprisingly, at least to me, I couldn’t find a definitive authority who would tell me exactly what one of a kind means when it comes to handmade. The consensus is that one of a kind is unique and like no other, or without equal. Okay… so when do I use the term as it applies to my pieces?
I gave this considerable thought; in fact, I’ve been mulling it over for almost a week. I can’t come up with a distinct and unarguable text based definition, but I think I can explain it with the help of a picture or two.
Here is the quilt I am working on now. It’s a pieced quilt. Although it appears to be put together on the diagonal, it’s not; it’s a series of squares. Each square consists of a 4.5 inch square (the deer), two rectangles (the side and bottom of the windows) and two triangles (located where the window sides meet). I connected my squares with a thin black strip to give each window even more definition. I didn’t invent this optical illusion, and I don’t know who did. It’s been around a very long time and is called attic windows. Yet, I’m tempted to say this quilt is one of a kind. Lots and LOTS of other people might make an attic windows quilt. But they would be unlikely to choose exactly the same color scheme that I did. Would they even be able to find the same deer print I used? All of these things lead me toward using one of a kind to describe my version of an attic windows quilt.
But wait! The last sentence in the paragraph above rules out my quilt being one of a kind… why? Because my quilt is a version of a specific type of quilt that already exists. Yes, mine is different than all the others, but it’s still not “unique, like no other, without equal.” Tempting as it might be, I can’t say this quilt is one of a kind.
This quilt, on the other hand, is truly one of a kind. I never saw a picture of another quilt like this one before I made it. The inspiration came from one of my sons who loves to fish for trout. I didn’t have a pattern, either. It simply evolved as I made it. The other thing that makes this quilt one of a kind is that I won’t do it again…. ever! You have no idea how I struggled to make a somewhat realistic brown trout out of fabric and embroidery floss!
Yes, each and every thing that we make is different from the last. There’s no argument that it’s difficult, if not impossible to duplicate something that has been created by hand. But be careful using the phrase one of a kind so that it continues to mean something special.
Tags: deer, hand quilting, Handmade, Handmade Artists, handmade quilt, information, one of a kind, OOAK, quilt, selling online, trout
Posted in Handmade
12 Responses to “Is It Really One of a Kind?”
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Great post Sandi, you got me thinking.
You are one of a kind, Sandi! I think your deer quilt is fabulous!
PS I’ve always been hesitant to call any of my books one of a kind, but there are never two identical books ever made by me 🙂
It is a “thinker,” isn’t it? And it is so tempting to use the phrase………….
Great post Sandi. The quilt you created is awesome.
[…] Read more…. […]
As an old timey woodturner specializing in spindle turning, I’ve made thousands of stair balusters for hundreds of stairways from plain and simple to lavish, split landing ‘Grand Staircases’ just meant for the ‘Grand Entrance’. The desired goal was always to (somehow!) make the balusters so identical that, to the average giraffe, they were all exactly alike. It is awfully ironic that with the advent of the industrial revolution and the attendant capability to duplicate en masse, that the very attribute that we, as skilled craftsmen and artisans, strove, to perfect is now denigrated! And in this ‘now’ I find myself in the unenviable position of attempting to explain my work in order to co-exist in a civilized manner with artists and artisans that extoll the virtues of ‘one of a kind’! Here is one of the punishing phrases my wood turning teacher would pound us with: “My, you’ve certainly made one of a kind! But any damned fool can make one of a kind. Show your skill and make those balusters look the same!” It is a ponderable, isn’t it? Stephen Mines
Sandy, great thinking and you are on the right track, I think……good thinking!
And then there is always “Designer made”……..♥ (smile)
Food for thought definitely! As crafters we can produce similar works, but small differences in techniques and materials make each piece uniquely our own, but even in cases where an exact remake isn’t possible, anything close does preclude the first being OOAK. I struggle with that with my hand dyed hand spun wool, each dye lot and each part of that dyed wool will have subtle differences and is more of a limited edition than completely unique.
Stephen brings up an interesting point, try making the exact duplicate of something, that can often take greater skill than making something uniquely one of a kind. I don’t call my hat’s and scarves one of a kind – well maybe a few of them, however, I do call my hand painted ornaments one of a kind, and going along with what Stephen said, I would have a hard time making an exact duplicate of them. I could come close, but an exact duplicate would take more patience than even I have!
Excellent post Sandi!!!
And, both quilts are stunning, Sandi!
Christiana Nordby
Pretty! This was an extremely wonderful article. Thank you for providing this info.