We thought we’d try something new -

We wanted to get to know a bit more about all the fantastic communities out there - find out what really makes them tick! So, we’ve handed over the reigns and let someone else fill our blog space, and our first community has done a fine job of just that. We caught up with the very fabulous crafter, designer and blogger Clare Nicolson, she chairs Glasgow Craft Mafia - the indie community that is stitching up a storm on the Scottish craft scene! Here’s what she had to tell us about her community.

Hi Clare, please could you explain to welovelocal.com who you are and tell us a little bit about your community?

I am the chairperson of the Glasgow Craft Mafia. The Mafia is interesting in that it’s a very local, grassroots organisation that celebrates DIY ethics, but it is also part of a wider international community! A community within a community, within a community if you like! The Craft Mafia is an international collective of independent business owners. It was founded in Austin, Texas in 2003, and now has branches operating across 42 cities and across multiple creative disciplines to promote new-wave craft. The Glasgow branch is the first of its kind to open in Scotland!

What type of things does your community get involved with, both online and offline?

The Glasgow Craft Mafia has a pretty strong online presence. We use our website as a tool to share info such as our market events, our social gatherings and our craft tutorials etc. The site also functions as an introduction to our members and to their respective businesses. The site is developing all the time. During the course of 2008 you’ll see the blog taking on a more prominent role, you’ll see how-to guides appear on there and we’ll be sharing many more stories and snaps of our adventures! We use social networking sites to keep in touch with each other, other crafters, Mafia fans and local people interested in what we’re up to. We have profile pages on Myspace, Bebo, Facebook and indie craft site Indie Public.

Offline we’re equally as active! The members of the GCM are dedicated to spreading the creative word via craft tutorials, sociable craft-alongs, public crafting outings, themed parties and of course, the seasonal Glasgow Craft Mafia Indie Market! Our craft tutorials will kick off this spring with sessions on knitting, cross-stitch and embroidery and we have a couple of exciting outings planned for the coming months too! We’re organising a vintage clothing shopping trip to Edinburgh and we’re off to visit the UKs quirkiest jumble sale in Sheffield once the weather has brightened up! We might even pop in on our extended mafia familia in Leeds and Manchester at some point! A big event in our ‘real world’ diary is our Indie Market. Our Spring event takes place on Saturday 15^th March at Hillhead Library (Byres Road, Glasgow), with another scheduled for 26th April. We’ll also be enjoying social afternoons at crafty country music event, [We Are] Fuzzy Felt Folk on the first Sunday of every month at Macsorleys, Glasgow!

What do you think is the secret to the success of your community?

The Glasgow Craft Mafia is great in that the success of the organisation is in the hands of each and every member. Everyone involved has a role to play in promoting the Mafia and everyone is itching to promote the concept of new-wave craft in our city and beyond! We have over twenty members now. With all those people comes a whole range of talent and expertise that’s crucial to the operation of the collective.

How is Craft Mafia received in Glasgow, does the wider community appreciate your work - does the city have a strong independent scene?

Glasgow already has a vibrant indie music and indie arts scene, so really it was crying out for someone to address the gap for a groovy craft scene! The Glasgow Craft Mafia seems to be fitting into the alternative community here very comfortably and as was our intention, our knitters and sewers and makers are working along side the city’s musicians, photographers and artists and they are operating in the same indie network of venues and businesses.It’s great! There’s set to be a lot of cross-over between disciplines I think.

Do you have a local for any great places in Glasgow?

If you’re looking to shop for the perfect handmade one-off – you must visit the Glasgow Craft Mafia Indie Market (obviously!) If you’re on the look out for some swish vintage clothes, time your visit to co-incide with the very lovely Pop Boutique event. However, if you’ve shopped till you’ve dropped and are really just after some sustenance, you might want to pop by Macsorley’s Music Bar on Jamaica Street for the best fish n chips in town! Mono also does a mean veggie burger and the tastiest hand-cut spicy fries! For a night on the town you might enjoy the country swing of [We Are] Fuzzy Felt Folk (seasonal, @ Nice n Sleazy) or the sizzling hot tunes at monthly club night, El Rancho Picante at the very cool Flying Duck (Renfrew Street).

So, what three tips would you give to other community leaders, or community websites starting out?

1. First of all I think it’s important when getting started to allow some time for ideas, structures and roles to develop organically, allow people the space to find their place within the group. It’s taken us a little time to strike the perfect balance, but now that we have, we’re set to craft up a storm!
2. Develop relationships with other organisations and be open to collaborative ideas. We’ve been lucky in that we’ve made some really wonderful contacts and now have some interesting opportunities to get our message out there in some interesting ways!
3. Bake cookies for group meetings!

Super big thanks to Clare and her awesome Mafia for talking to us, being so enthusiastic and sharing their lovely photos (to see more pics from the group checkout their flickr).