This is a question I consider a lot when I’m deciding on a new project and making crafts.
For those of you who don’t know who Kirstie Allsopp is, she’s amazing. I’m aware that she’s not everyone’s cup of tea (baffling) but I think she’s great. After many years of property shows with Phil Spencer, Kirstie became the host of Channel4 shows such as ‘Kirstie’s Homemade Home’, ‘Kirstie’s Handmade Britain’ and ‘Kirstie’s Homemade Christmas’. These shows have highlighted lots of brilliant crafts and trades, providing inspiration by the bucketload to get involved and make things for yourself, rather than buying pre-made or mass-produced items.
The framed cross-stitch in the photo above was a present and it was commissioned to be handmade specially for me. It sits on the bookshelf in my lounge and reminds me that its important, and pretty nice, to take time out of my very busy life to sit and spend time working on projects.
Crochet in particular is really therapeutic for me but also painting, cutting, sewing, sticking and stitching bring me moments of calm and an easy focus in a frequently hectic schedule. The pleasure I get from giving hand-made gifts is wonderful as well and far outweighs the stress of going shopping and trying to find something which isn’t going to cost the earth but would still be suitable for the recipient.
I don’t believe you have to be especially talented, trained or knowledgeable to hand make crafts and gifts. There is so much out there to provide inspiration and guide you through a project. Take a look at my previous post about the resources I use and please let me know if you find anything useful or interesting. I love to hear about new things from others as I don’t always have time myself to keep an eye out. Enjoy!
