A family story, passed from hand to hand
When I think back to my childhood in Morocco, I see my father sitting at his workbench, a piece of leather in his hands. I see my grandfather coming closer, watching him work and giving him a piece of advice, even after all those years in the trade. My father would smile. Then he would wave me over to come and watch.
In our family, that is how you learned: by spending time together.
After school, I sometimes dropped my schoolbag in a corner of the workshop. I picked up the offcuts, looked for the tool my father asked for, and asked a lot of questions. At that age, I didn't understand why he would redo a stitch that already looked perfect to me. Mostly, I wanted him to finish so we could go home.
One day, he gave me a small scrap of leather to make a keyring. My grandfather showed me where to trace the cut. My father helped me punch the holes. The result was a little crooked, but I was proud: for the first time, I had made something with them.
That moment stayed with me.
Growing up, I discovered other workshops, other materials and other families who lived from their craft. With a basket weaver, I found my grandfather's patience. Watching an artisan check one last finishing detail, I recognised my father's care. Every craft had its own gestures, but this way of taking care of the work felt familiar.
HandfulCrafts was born from the wish to carry this family story forward.
My father and grandfather passed on their love of handwork to me. In turn, I wanted to bring something of my own: to share their creations beyond the workshop, and to open this adventure to other artisans.
So the shop brings together pieces from our family workshop and from small partner workshops. Bags, baskets, accessories and objects for the home: each piece has its place here, thanks to a craft we want to share.
The name HandfulCrafts takes me back to that first piece of leather that fitted in my hand. “Handful” is what you can hold in one hand; “Crafts” are the trades made by hand. To me, these words bring together my grandfather's hands, my father's, and today my own way of continuing what they started.
When a piece leaves the workshop, I think about how far I have come since those afternoons by their side. I like to imagine it finding its place in another home, being used, loved, perhaps given to someone close.
That is how I want HandfulCrafts to grow: by keeping something of that small workshop where three generations gathered around the same workbench.
HandfulCrafts — A family story, finding its way into yours.