craftsand

Craftsand is a collaborative online platform that serves as a knowledge base and community hub for artisanal crafts. It catalogs techniques, tools, materials, patterns, and projects across disciplines such as textiles, woodworking, ceramics, metalwork, glass, and papercraft. The goal is to provide neutral, practical information that helps beginners learn and experienced makers share insights.

Entries are organized by craft domain and technique. Each technique article offers a concise description, step-by-step guidance, safety notes, troubleshooting tips, and common variations. Material profiles summarize properties, sourcing, availability, and environmental considerations. A project gallery collects user-submitted works, tutorials, and downloadable patterns, with licensing intended to encourage reuse under open terms.

Craftsand is maintained by a volunteer contributor base and supported by a lightweight moderation model. Submissions undergo peer review for accuracy and clarity before publication. The platform uses an open-content license approach, typically Creative Commons or similar terms, to balance attribution with reuse rights. Content guidelines emphasize verifiability, non-commercial tone, and respect for makers’ expertise.

Historically, craftsand emerged from a network of craftspeople seeking a non-commercial, openly editable reference to document techniques and traditions. It evolved from early wikis into a more structured system with standardized metadata and search tools, while preserving community governance.

Impact and usage: educators, librarians, makerspaces, and hobbyists rely on craftsand for curriculum planning, project ideas, and material information. Limitations include uneven coverage across crafts and the ongoing need for quality control and accessibility improvements.