Craft for Good (not Evil).

I seem to have lost my crafting mojo these past few years. I always seem to be busy with family life or hosting my AirBnB guests, distracted ( in a good way) by my garden, newly emerging love of food photography, or getting to grips with the technicalities of blogging. I do feel the need to be making things with my hands, but there seems to be some guilt connected with taking time to just create things with no real purpose. Get out my sewing machine, or put on the laundry? Try my hand at crochet (still haven’t done it) or get out the vacuum cleaner? I’m sure the guilt is self-imposed, but I feel guilty anyway.

When my girls were very little I used to make clothes for them with off-cuts from fabric shop’s scrap bins, and an old, battered Brother sewing machine a friend found in a skip. Despite a career in the fashion industry, I had only the sketchiest notion of sewing or pattern making, but I made up for it with enthusiasm. A particular friend from mother’s group shared my passion for clumsy attempts at making kid’s clothing, and we would endlessly discuss what we were working on and how many hours of un-picking we had done compared to actual successes. I was completely taken by surprise when the wonky little clothing hobby morphed into a fledgling children’s wear brand, Edenstar, and I actually got the first few wholesale orders. My crafty friends came to the rescue to hand embroider tiny T-shirts and sew on little button flowers over cups of tea and biscuits to get deliveries in the shops on time.

A decade or so has passed since the steamroller that was Edenstar took over our lives and left me for dead. Life has moved on and friends have moved away. Now that it’s quieter and I have time to think and look around again, I find myself really missing my crafty friends. You know who you are.

Then, last week Pip Lincolne posted my salvation on Meet me at Mikes. Her annual craft drive, Softies for Mirabel, for the Mirabel Foundation, is on again. I’ve not come across this excellent project before, (I’ve obviously had my head in the sand for the last 9 years) but I’m more than excited to be part of it this year.

At last I have a cause for crafting. I can use my craft powers for good (not evil). I actually have a reason again to pour some love into something I can make for a little someone who really needs it. And it will be purposeful and guilt-free. I can’t wait to get started. I didn’t realise just how much I need this.

Thankyou so much Pip!