When James Rogers was stationed in Iraq and mentioned what his aunt Carolyn Carroll did for a living, an Army buddy knew immediately that one of her Kentucky quilts would be the perfect birthday gift for his young sons. Rogers e-mailed her, and the handmade treasure arrived right on time.

With a growing number of retail outlets offering inexpensively made products, more consumers are looking for handmade craftsmanship and quality, especially for gift giving.

“There’s something special about drinking out of a mug that was hand-thrown, as opposed to a cup that was mass-produced by a machine,” says Victoria Faro, director of the Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea.

Carroll, who learned to quilt from her mother, owns Carroll’s Quilts and Crafts Shop in Drip Rock, a “wide spot in the road” in Jackson County. “I’m at least a fourth-generation quilter,” she says, “and my great-grandma and grandpa made ladder-back chairs.”

In Appalachia, an area known the world over for handmade crafts, her story is not unusual.

Because the mountains were so isolated, early settlers had to construct most of what they used daily. The skills to make utilitarian crafts that would last a good long time were passed down from father to son and mother to daughter.

Today, many Appalachian craftsmen still create baskets, brooms, candles, ceramics, glass, jewelry, metalwork, paintings, photos, textiles, woodcraft, furniture, dolls, and corn-shuck crafts in lovely, remote areas and small mountain towns where the beauty of nature inspires their work.

Both born in Laurel County, Lonnie and Twyla Money, known for their whimsical wooden animal carvings, live a mile from where Twyla grew up. One of Lonnie’s ancestors was a Swiss woodcarver. They love rural life, but in the past, appreciative buyers with disposable income were scarce.

Fortunately, prospective consumers can now easily connect with artisans through a myriad of retail outlets, crafts fairs (the first in Kentucky was held at Berea College in 1896), crafts cooperatives, and a slew of state support organizations, including the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trail, a treasure of an online resource that is part of the Eastern Kentucky University Center for Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (CEDET).

Carolyn Carroll and the Moneys are listed on the Web site of the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trail, which Carroll says gives her credibility.

“Online access has put formerly isolated artisans on the same playing field with other businesses,” says Chris Cathers, director of CEDET. “Now, a tourist or potential customer can connect with the artist and still make a purchase, even if they can’t go to a studio. There are directions if a visitor wants to drive. It’s a win-win.”

Whether via auto or Internet, Berea, the Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky, is a great starting point for artisan seekers. Home to Berea College, where students have been making traditional Appalachian crafts as part of their work-study program since 1893, the town boasts three separate areas of galleries, shops, and studios.

“More than 125 artists live in a population center of 10,000,” says Belle Jackson, executive director of the Berea Tourist & Convention Commission. “At least half sell here or in studios in addition to students producing crafts.”

Both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ashley Judd have purchased whisper-soft hand-woven items from Berea-based Churchill Weavers.

“Handmade is part of our heritage,” says Lila Blondo, manager of the world-renowned Churchill Weavers begun in 1922. “It’ll last you 100 years.”