Filmmaker, author and doyenne of all things handmade Faythe Levine couldn't have known as a young girl that the crafts classes, summer camps and Girl Scouts meetings she attended were the first steps to becoming part of an expanding community that shares her love of making arts and crafts projects.

Levine's first book, Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design, is due out in September from Princeton Architectural Press. It chronicles, as she puts it, “the new wave “of art, craft and design, and will be followed by the release early next year of a much-buzzed-about online documentary of the same name, her first feature-length film.

The community captured in both book and film has played no small part in the expansion of the crafts books category in recent years. Some have questioned whether the demand for such books can remain at current levels, but Levine observes that while fads come and go, the community has a life of its own: “I think it is important to acknowledge that DIY may be a trend, but it's also a lifestyle choice for a lot of people, and is not going away anytime soon.”

The plethora of crafts and DIY-oriented TV programming (Martha Stewart, anyone?) and the host of new titles from publishers each season make it hard to argue with her.

Birth of a DIY Nation

The DIY scene documented in Handmade Nation has evolved largely over the past decade. What drew so many people into such a close-knit community in so short a time? Levine's own history with crafts and “making stuff” tells an increasingly familiar story.

Early childhood experiences with crafting eventually led Levine to an unlikely place: Seattle's underground punk scene in the early '90s, where nearly everyone she was involved with engaged in making stuff—music, T-shirts, zines. “This was my first exposure to teenagers and young adults creating a community around living a DIY lifestyle,” says Levine.

Levine moved from Seattle to Milwaukee toward the end of the decade, and continued to focus on developing her own crafts. Her company, Flying Fish Design, started to take off with a line of postcards made from her photographs. She also began working on custom accessories and plush sculptures.

When she heard about an alternative crafts fair happening in Chicago in 2003, she figured she might as well check it out. That fair just happened to be the first-ever Renegade Craft Fair, which has since expanded to Brooklyn and San Francisco and developed a reputation as one of the country's best crafts events. It was here that Levine linked up with the DIY community that had been burgeoning in pockets around the country.

“I was vending at that first Renegade Craft Fair, and I knew right away that this was something big,” she says. It quickly became clear that there was a whole universe of individuals attracted to crafts for the same reasons she was.

Levine decided that this unique community deserved to be the focus of a big project, but it took a few years to develop the relationships she needed to make it happen. “I started wrapping my head around what it would take to make a film. Handmade Nation, the documentary, is DIY to the core,” she says. “It's a one-camera production that covers a lot of ground, and that I produced and directed by myself.”

The Handmade Nation book grew out of the reception to a documentary trailer Levine released on YouTube two years ago. Several publishers approached her at that point; ultimately, the deal was struck with Princeton Architectural Press.

Although still primarily focused on architecture-related titles, in the last couple of years Princeton has experienced increasing success with slickly produced books aimed at the DIY crowd. Ellen Lupton's D.I.Y: Design It Yourself has sold more than 65,000 copies sold since its 2006 publication, and Keri Smith's The Guerilla Art Kit more than 25,000 copies since last July.

Publisher Kevin Lippert, an amateur woodworker himself, says that craft books aren't such an unusual fit for the press. “At first, they seemed off our mainstream, dealing with felt and cloth rather than bricks and timber,” says Lippert. “But the idea of how things are designed and made is a big part of our identity. We're very happy with the books and they've certainly sold well.”

Lippert sees the current craft movement as part of a much larger cultural trend. “My theory is that it's a way for people to reconnect, to express themselves and be creative in their everyday lives.” Princeton has ordered a 15,000 first printing of Handmade Nation (co-written with Cortney Heimerl), and already plans a second printing based on preorders. Like the publisher's other crafts titles, the book is designed with a hipster sensibility and features lush images.

“I think the interest in the resurgence of handmade is obvious in a lot of ways, including the amount of attention the trailer of Handmade Nation got from various publishers,” says Levine, who hopes the book can spur even more growth in the community. “If readers take away the feeling that they can follow their creative path, then I'll feel really good about the work I am doing.”

The Season's Variety

This season's craft titles run the gamut from how to become a DIY business maven to girl-focused origami to traditional category staples such as knitting and sewing. “If you have the right book, it's definitely a good time,” says St. Martin's senior editor B.J. Berti. “There's a strong audience out there, but it's very competitive, especially in yarn and knitting.”

Knitting titles clearly are still popular, though many demonstrate an increasingly broad range of approaches to this tried-and-true craft. Tricia Waddell, editorial director at Interweave Press, notes that the company's fall books support the current mixed-media trend, “combining jewelry-making, beading and quilting with crafts like knitting, crochet, paper crafts and sewing.” Coming in November is Laura Irwin's Boutique Knits: 20+ Must Have Accessories, which merges knitting with the techniques mentioned to give projects a couture edge.

Incorporating a touch of luxury into knitting practice is evident in Storey Publishing's biggest crafts title for the fall, but with a simpler approach. Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders builds on the success of the earlier volumes in editor Judith Durant's One-Skein series; it will have a first printing of 75,000. “Knitters really love quick projects,” says Durant. “There's so much beautiful yarn in the marketplace, but it's too expensive for most big projects. These projects are quick and luxurious, and crafters have to buy only one skein.”

Readers seeking a little personality with their knitting patterns won't need to look further than Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne's Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines: Patterns, Stories, Pictures, True Confessions, Tricky Bits, Whole New Worlds, and Familiar Ones, Too. Due next month from Potter Craft, the follow-up from the popular duo (Gardiner lives in New York City, Shayne in Nashville, Tenn.) is hotly awaited, reports editorial director Rosemary Ngo: “It already has many people burning up the bloglines.”

The category also continues to see a mesh between cause and craft. For the spiritually minded, there's Taunton Press's The Prayer Shawl Companion: 38 Knitted Designs to Embrace, Inspire & Celebrate Life. Authors Janet Bristow and Victoria Cole-Galo began knitting shawls for those in need 10 years ago, creating the charitable Prayer Shawl Ministry. Proceeds from the October release, which shares stories and patterns, will benefit the charity.

Ten Speed Press embraces growing environmental concerns with a September title, Alt Fiber: 25 Projects for Knitting Green with Bamboo, Soy, Hemp, and More. Author Shannon Okey will be touring the country for Southwest Trading Company's “Go Green” campaign, promoting the use of earth-friendly fibers at yarn stores. Ten Speed's Ingrid Hawkinson notes, “Crafters today want to experiment with new materials and yet remain conscious and ethical.” A September release from CICO Books combines crafting for kids with green issues—Green Crafts for Children: 35 Step-by-Step Projects Using Natural, Recycled and Found Materials is by Emma Hardy, whose Tree Top Decorations: 25 Dazzling Ideas for Angels, Stars, Ribbons and More (Sept.) brings a crafty touch to the holiday season.

Seeing Green

Perhaps the biggest factor in the fast growth of the DIY movement has been technology. Never before have individual crafters and artists been able to connect with each other so easily, or to connect so easily with people interested in buying their work.

Take Etsy.com, for example. Since its launch in 2005, the online marketplace for handmade items has attracted some 185,000 sellers, with the gross total for sales so far in 2008 sitting at $35 million.

Levine says the impact of the online world can't be overstated. “The Internet has been the main player in the resurgence of handmade. It's brought together like-minded people and allowed them to share and grow together via blogs, Web sites and viral networking.”

St. Martin's senior editor B.J. Berti, who has worked in the crafts book field for more than two decades—including 13 years heading up the Crafter's Choice Book Club—agrees there has been a sea change in the crafts category with the influx of the DIY community.

“When I started out, it was small,” she says. “People would come into my office at Crafter's Choice and shut the door and confess their crafts projects—quilting, sewing, knitting—in secret. Then it grew. There was a huge change, and younger people suddenly wanted to talk to me about it.”

The expansion of the DIY community into a larger audience came about due to the convergence of a number of factors, including the influence of TV and the celebrity knitting trend a few years ago. “These things, like fashion—they're in the air,” Berti says.

Levine concurs that while the Internet has been a big factor, there's no one thing that led to crafts developing cultural cachet. She believes that, among other things, it came from people reacting to a highly technological society and wanting to have control over their lives. “Making something by hand is incredibly empowering.”

And while that surge in young crafters gets a lot of attention, Berti cautions that older practitioners shouldn't be ignored. “A lot of people underestimate the older crafters. They're open to new influences, too,” she says.

Interest in activities like crafting seem to increase during tight financial times, so there might well be plenty of people coming back to the category after time away, looking for those fresh influences.

Berti observes that if that trend materializes, it shouldn't necessarily be interpreted as the driving force behind their return. “People craft for many reasons, not necessarily just to save money. They like saving money, but it's not their primary motivation.” Though motivations seem to be as varied as crafters themselves, politics and crafting go hand in hand for many DIYers. Because of that, Levine predicts that the emphasis on green crafting will continue: “The using of recycled and reclaimed materials in artwork and crafts is just going to continue to grow as people become more educated about the depletion of our natural resources.”

A fitting reminder that, even in today's world, every craft makes a statement.

For Beginners and Beyond

More than ever, publishers are seeking to attract crafters by appealing to what is going on in their lives.

Chronicle senior craft editor Jodi Warshaw believes that Amy Butler'sLittle Stitches for Little Ones: 20 Keepsake Sewing Projects for Baby and Mom (Sept.) will stand out from the host of books aimed at mothers-to-be. Author and well-known crafter Butler offers a host of projects for the nursery and beyond, including diaper bags, toys and travel bibs. Warshaw says, “I get the sense that across all crafts, readers are looking for books that offer more advanced projects and directions.”

For the parent, grandparent or teacher, St. Martin's offers Rae Grant's Crafting Fun: 101 Things to Make and Do with Kids. B.J. Berti notes that the book's vintage art and design set this September release apart: “It looks great, as well as being filled with simple projects. It's a lovely area for us to be in, because you can expose kids to classic projects.”

The flagship book for Wiley this season is reaching for a wider audience—anyone who enjoys sewing. Noted fabric designer Anna Maria Horner's Seams to Me features 24 original sewing projects ranging from quilts to clothing, and with instructions and advice appropriate for sewers at all levels. “The book captures Anna Maria's design sensibilities and encouraging best-friend voice,” says Cindy Kitchel, publisher for Wiley's crafts line. “It serves as a sewing tutorial for those both new to and experienced in the craft.” The more advanced crafter looking to expand into selling her handmade goods might find inspiration in Sonora Beam's The Creative Entrepreneur: A DIY Visual Guidebook for Making Business Ideas Real, due in November from Quarry Books.

Then there are those books that find a more eclectic audience. “I think many of us crafts publishers are interested in book projects where crafting, art, pop and Internet culture meet and overlap,” says Lark Crafts editorial director Paige Gilchrist. Lark has just such a title in Noah Scalin's Skulls. The October title is based on Scalin's Webby-winning blog Skull-a-Day, where each day he posts skulls created out of such mundane items as toothpaste, bed sheets, tea leaves and candle wax. Heads up.

Paper Transformed

Many crafts book publishers have found a strong interest in reinventing paper, the staple of childhood art projects. But while some of these paper projects may be suitable for kids, the emphasis is on fresh approaches.

“We find an expanding trend within the crafts world for titles dealing with the making of books, scrapbooks, artists' books and handmade paper,” says Popular Kinetics Press's June Barrow. After the positive response to the first volume of its series on making pop-ups, the publisher has high hopes for Carol Barton's The Pocket Paper Engineer, Volume 2: Platforms and Props. Due this month, the title's format includes pull-out cards with step-by-step instructions and pocket pages that can be used to store completed projects.

Paper crafts can also be used to embellish other projects. Last month, C&T Publishing released Fantastiques Whimsies: 27 Posable Characters for Paper Arts. “This product really hit the mark with crafters,” says editor Mary Wruck, who points out that the included figures—of pirates, robots, angels, animals and more—can be used to enhance a wide variety of crafts such as cards, scrapbooks, gifts and other art projects.

Origami, another popular area in papercraft, is undergoing variations on its popular practices—forget paper cranes, what about paper purses and little shoes? In November, Watson-Guptill will release Cindy Ng's Girligami, featuring just such projects. With 25 new designs aimed at anyone who loves “fashion, friends and folding,” targeted publicity for the title will focus on reaching out to teens, as well as lifestyle and crafts media. And while Tuttle focuses on more traditional Asian influences in many of its books, such as Scrapbook Asian Style!, this month the company will publish Origami Model Airplanes by Patrick Wang. Tuttle publicist Rowan Muelling-Auer describes the book as “an intriguing twist on the ever-popular craft of model making.”