Handmade with Love
I haven’t been in the mood for writing the past few days, and late last night I gave in to the urge to get out some fabric and have a play – now that my sewing machine has at last been serviced it was time to try it out again.
I took up textile arts as a hobby quite late – although I did a little embroidery in my childhood – crinoline ladies on antimaccassars and mongrammed hankies for my Dad and Grandad every Christmas.
What really started me off was a wonderful site I found on the internet – a “Worst Quilts in the World” competition. As I looked and laughed though, I saw that even the most ill made and warped and incompetant quilt had a certain charm about it that I coudn’t quite resist. It was made from a print with cows on – and the cows were spread across this huge quilt every way up you could imagine. It wasn’t a thing of beauty, exactly – but it was unique. And it made me smile.
I can do that, I thought.
I enjoy the process. It’s play – and it helps me relax. There is something enjoyable about making something that will last, and I have to say that I enjoy making things that are useful as well as occasionally those which are purely decorative. And I do enjoy giving them away as gifts.
Germaine Greer wrote an article about the horror of the handmade gift a while back, and it still stings a little. Each time I make something and give it away, I do wonder if there is a horrified reaction lurking underneath. When I was a little girl I was blessed with many scratchy bed socks of the kind described – and my brothers and I endured many matching cardigan sets. My stepmother was a demon knitter and nothing could stop her – she knitted me dresses, and once even a pair of trousers…
Anyway, last night I made my first fabric bowl. It’s unique – I couldn’t find my compasses and so I hand drew the 13 inch circle that I started out with. The next bowl will be better, and I guess by the time I get really good at them, I’ll be bored and move on to something else.
I’ve made handwoven rugs as gifts, embroidered baby blankets, teddy bears and quilts. I’ve made Christmas cards and Christmas tree star ornaments, tiny Christmas stockings fill with chocolate to hang from the tree.
When I have time I make lots of little things around Christmas because I think my friends like to receive something that shows I care – but really I suppose I just enjoy the making – it’s part of preparing for Christmas.
So what do you think? Is it just self indulgent of me, a way to write off my hobby on to others, or do you enjoy hand made presents?
About Ann GodridgeAnn Godridge has just completed her first crime novel, The Mermaid's Shroud, and has started work on the sequel. Her story the Tree of Knowledge was shortlisted for the Asham Award. She writes about writing and sometimes about textile arts at her blogStraw into Gold. You can find out more about her here - About Ann G.
View all posts by Ann Godridge →
21 Responses to Handmade with Love
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I just love them Ann, home made gifts have much more meaning and portent than anything you can buy
I love my wedding quilt, it's gorgeous. You made a wonderful gift and every time we put it on the bed, we laugh about the tiara wearing that day, how lovely the quilt is and that we should really be coming to see you soon – for us it has many happy memories of a lovely day. The day you came down and gave it to us
Kev used to hate home made gifts, then the girls come along and he saw how much effort they put into making something, how much joy they got from designing and then handing it over and his opinion changed completely, now he looks forward to homemade gifts
Sadly I am not a creator like you Ann, I can't make a thing, it would be worse than the cows quilt you mention
I used to encourage Bob to divert his creativity into things like bread in the breadmaker, which he gave as teacher presents at end of term. I'm told by the teachers in question, they much preferred it to the endless flowers and bottles of smellies!
Ah yes, the tiara…
The cows quilt was kind of lovely in its own sweet way. But it's really all about having fun, and if you don't enjoy it there's no point.
I have also tried painting and various paper crafts – but I cannot do it. Where I am comfortable playing with fabric, I can't put together the simplest card making kit without making a terrible mess. I shouldn't be allowed anywhere near glue, for instance…
Lovely idea, Morag – home made food gifts are good. I made chocolate truffles last Christmas – and some unexpectedly bouncy chilli jam…
I love receiving hand made presents – I really appreciate the time and effort (and often, love) that's gone into them. My daughter loves painting and over the long summer holidays she is painting a few different sized canvases which will end up as Christmas presents for family members
Twitter: StudyingOnline
Sounds like a great summer project to keep her busy, Angela
As I read this I glanced across at a head and shoulders slate etching on the wall of a tiger that Sarah (Phil's daughter) created for us some years ago and gave to us as a Christmas present. I think it was probably when she was still at medical school.
Other presents have come and gone and long been forgotten – not this one
!
Twitter: Linda_Mattacks
I love, love, love handmade gifts! I so appreciate the effort and joy put into the item.
I also love making things, I love considering who I am making the item for and hope the person knows how important they are to me, when I offer them my handmade gift.
It's through this joy that I started my business and have the pleasure of creating things everyday! I am a very fortunate person to be doing something I love for a job…
Your pieces are beautiful and I am sure that friends and family love all the care you take.
Twitter: NitaJoyDesigns
Thanks Emma. One of my happiest moments was when I recently visited a friend. I'd given them an alphabet quilt when their liuttle boy was born – and hadn't seen him for years. he was shy of me at first and then his mum told him I was the person who had made his quilt and from that moment on he was completely comfortable with me
I think it is satisfying too to make something that will last…and it's lovely that it's still on the wall
Thanks Anita
All the way down one side of my garden I've got a hedge which grew out of a row of plum trees. This year I deliberately avoided trimming the hedge and now I've got literally hundreds of plums all ripening at the same time. Equally, the apples on my trees are coming along nicely – I've got various early-ripening species almost ready to go.
So guess what everyone will be getting for Christmas this year?
No, of course not plum and apple jelly. Perish the thought…
I really admire you, Ann, for your extreme creativity. Wish I were clever with textiles!
Twitter: SuzeStMWrites
Oh I wish I had the talent to make things with my hands Ann. I did try embroidery on table cloths and chair backs (when they were still in fashion) and failed miserably. My poor mother could not tell me how bad I was and she spent a fortune on cotton, fabric etc!
So Well done you
Mmmmm, plums…
I confess I don't always use all my crab apples, but they make a lovely jelly with chilis in…or a sweet one with blackberries
The trick is to find something where the mistakes can be passed off as creativity, ida. Embroidering on a tablecloth is much too hard – every mistake shows. A quilt with lots and lots of colours has more leeway
I don't know anyone who doesn't love a hand-made gift, I was aghast when I read Germaine Greer's article as I didn't know there were people out there who didn't. Even scratchy socks and baggy woolies, someone has spent hours of time and imagination and thought. They are worth more to me than anything bought in a shop. I make things for everyone, if they don't like them they hide it well. <g> But then, people do buy some of my stuff to give to others as gifts, so I guess they wouldn't do that if they were pretending. Apparently it is nice to give something hand-made by a friend of a friend, I think Ms Greer is just a miserable specimen with no soul.
And your makes, Ann, are works of art. I especially covet the sheep blanket.
Looking at those handmade beauties looks so refreshing and relaxing.
Good points…I would note that as someone who really doesn’t comment to blogs much (in fact, this may be my first post), I don’t think the term “lurker” is very becoming to a non-posting reader. It’s not your fault really , but perhaps the blogosphere could come up with a better, non-creepy name for the 90% of us that enjoy reading the posts.
Ann, you once gave me a gorgeous little embroidery square. I still have it of course. The reason for the gift and the acutely personal nature of it makes it something very special for me Ann. I saw it as a sacred object, not an unwanted home made gift.
I went a whole journey with handicrafts, needlework and knitting myself. I absolutely loathed all things needlework at school, I think I managed to deliver one pincushion by entire school career. This is because I thought it was all too girly.
Mum knitted like a demon too, they all did in the fifties. Nan taught me to crochet and this came in early during the hippie period!
My paternal grandmother used to descend from Scotland once every two or three years for a month. She would see me in the morning, see how much I’d grown and by the time I was back from school a pretty dress would have been made and hung up on the picture rail to my delight as I walked into the kitchen. She was a professional dressmaker.
When I was 21 and a journalism apprentice I was really hard up. My mother insisted on getting me an electric sewing machine for my 21st. My husband said, get some fabric and have a go. I found an aptitude and after a year was even making and cutting my own patterns. I made everything, even his shirts for a couple of years.
Later in life I made a friend who used to demo-knit for Patricia Roberts and she taught me well. I knitted a multicoloured mohair jumper from odd bin ends with lots of bows bobbles and so on knitted right into it, under her tutelage. I wore it to a PR meeting at Conde Nast in the 80s and lots of the AbFab types there tried to buy it off me! I refused (all that work!) but it ended up in a boot sale, I should have sold it really, they offered me £250.
Anyway, I don’t do any now, music has swamped my life, but I can still replace a zipper thank God! Thanks for your lovely square and your sweet story Ann. xx