The Handmade Pledge...

The other day I came across The Handmade Pledge and took the plunge and made the pledge. I often do give handmade presents  but perhaps not consciously. I have given one present since I made the pledge, a lavender bag made by Sam Stas who lives in Lewes and makes all sorts of nostalgic and witty household items and accessories. She is incredibly chic and smiley and brightens my day when I bump into her in town. Here it is:

It's lovely isn't it? You can have one too. Sam sells them at Not On The High Street.

This has got me thinking. I have decided to make another pledge. I am going to make ALL my Christmas presents (sorry, dear family and friends). I will share with you the trials and tribulations along the way, along with the inspiration and patterns that I find. I am very lucky because I live near my dear friend Diana (who often helps out at Make Believe Café), we were at college together and spent most of our time there making our own clothes or butchering perfectly good clothes and shoes to great, and not so great effect. She has agreed to join me in my quest. Watch this space!

Emma x

Patina

For the past ten years all the children who live in Lewes (and thereabouts) that are moving on from primary to secondary school take part in a ceremony called the Patina Moving On Parade. All the children parade through the streets of Lewes wearing the most fantastic costumes made from withies (sticks of willow) bent into shapes, covered with tissue paper, to form animals, flowers, anything. Last year’s theme was the jungle and the streets were crowded with exotic plants, crazy insects and frightening beasts. As well as being a spectacle, it is also extremely moving. 


I have always wanted to know how to make these structures and this weekend I 'volunteered' to learn how to do it so that I could help the children in our school prepare for the parade. The theme this year is Dance and our school are going as characters from Grease. In the end I didn't end up making a structure from withies, although I did learn how. Instead, with the help of Nicky, our allotted artist and genius withie-smith, I made a gigantic quiff out of newspaper. It's not finished yet but when it is I know it will be the favourite costume accessory in my family for years to come.


Emma 

Made in Hastings

I had a day in Hastings yesterday with my friend and four children. I love Hastings for a day out. It's a great mixture of beach, chips, seagulls (poo), crazy-golf and quirky shops. My husband met us and we managed to install him and the children in a wonderful children's book shop (complete with café) called Bumper Books while we ran along to Made in Hastings, calling in at Robert's Rummage (bargains) on the way. It's quite a small shop but there was a great assortment of locally produced craft. I hastily bought a custard cream lavender bag and fabulous hankie, which I might frame.

Ta da!

Emma x

PS I have been sorting out photos for out new web-site and found these lovely knitting dollies that I photographed in Amsterdam and I thought you'd like to see them.

Free Crochet Event

Just to let you know that Lou and I (Emma) are leading a free crochet drop-in at Much A Do About Books in Alfriston this Saturday. We are encouraging people to drop in and crochet granny squares which will be made into a blanket to be raffled at the Alfriston Festival this summer. For more details visit Much A Do About Books' website. It's a great opportunity to visit this lovely bookshop and have a crochet and a natter. We may also be holding a class for beginners in the morning.

Come. You know you want to.

Emma x

Sam's Open House

Last night Kelly and I ventured into Brighton to visit our friend Sam Reece who helped us pimp our pants in February. She was having a private view to mark the beginning of her open house, part of Brighton's wonderful festival. Sam's jewellery is an extension of her lovely home which is like a treasure box of beautiful found objects, lights made from old teacups, ornate birdcages filled with fairy-lights and a mantelpiece displaying a collection of heart shaped stones from the beach. Sam's young daughter has started making jewellery too and Kelly came home with one of her pendants, a vintage car and tiny silver dolls' spoons hanging from a fine chain. I bought a patchwork cushion made from squares of old embroidered napkins and tray liners. My photo's don't do it justice, nothing to do with the Pimm's that was flowing, it was candle lit which is rubbish for the amateur photographer.

We weren't quite the last to leave.

It was interesting to see Sam's desk with all her bits and pieces.

Even the babies had fun.

Hand Made Tales: Women and Domestic Crafts

If you have time before the end of March, you must try and squeeze in a visit to a wonderful exhibition currently showing at the Women's Library in London about domestic crafts. This is how they describe it:
"(Hand Made Tales: Women and Domestic Crafts) is a timely exhibition focusing on the role domestic crafts play in many women’s experiences. It draws on the connections between the current revival of domestic crafts such as sewing, gardening, and cooking and the historical roots of the domestic arts within the home. The exhibition will allow visitors to explore and learn the stories of crafts and the women involved in them through personal tales and fun interactive projects. Come and discover treasures that share the intimate bond between generations from the once mundane to the now treasured heirlooms of families past."
I was lucky enough to have the place to my self and spent ages reading every label and sign, as well as taking some sneeky shots for our blog ( I didn't use flash). Here are some of my favourite bits:









This notice really spoke to me. In my navel gazing moments I do think about how and why I make things. I used to be a milliner and have had the experience of making things to sell. I eventually grew tired of endless repeat orders of my more popular hats and no longer sell the things I make. These days I make things for myself but more often they are presents for family and friends. This is one of my main outlets for my creativity and self expression. I jump for joy when new babies are born and I can whip up a bib. I love it when visiting friends I come across things I've made for them or their children. It can give me quite a shock because I am rubbish at documenting what I make and often forget about them. It's like bumping into someone familiar. Very few people see the things I've made and that does make it intimate. I promise I won't ramble on any more.









Look at this patchwork! The notice said that paper was quite precious in those days and was always reused. It was kept in the patchwork, not removed as we do today. Think of the history on all those scraps of paper.









I love Pearly Kings and Queens.









There are so many ways to store craft materials and tools, often very personal to the owner. I inherited my grandmother's silk threads in her own home-made  sort of fabric roll. I rather like this idea too.





This one made me laugh the most. I own a copy of the Patricia Roberts book. My grandmother knitted me one of the fantastic cardigans in it. I don't think either of us realised that we were tapping into the 'sub-cultural trends of the late 1970's and early 1980's, such as "Two-Tone, post-modernism'!





We were invited to leave a craft tip on the washing line. These are my favourites.





Well that's my small snap shot of it, there's lot's more about the Women's Suffrage and the WI . It's well worth a visit. It's rare to find such a personal representation of domestic craft. It made me think of all the time I've shared with my grandmothers, my mother and father and many many friends, just making things.

Hair Today. Gone Tomorrow.

One of the things I love about Make Believe Cafe is how easy it is to pop up, make and go.  When we cover the tables and unpack our boxes, it's like opening a charm; something alluring and warm spills out, women appear at the dark doorway, shake off the damp evening and step into the light.  We all sit together, just for a couple of hours.  We chat, laugh, drink, make and suddenly it's late and time to pack away the fabric, scissors, thread, beads and possibilities until next time.
It was lovely at Wickle - easy, really quite productive and so uplifting.









Lou x