Treasure the handmade

And have a go at making your own (insert whatever you desire).

Welcome to Splendid to be.

Love letters that celebrate the many little measures of slow, simple and seasonal living, from my heart, home and garden to you.

I wake in a bed adorned with a handmade quilt, beneath a string of bunting I sewed myself. My hair is tied up with a scrap fabric scrunchie. I tread down our hallway lined with my children’s artwork and make my way into the kitchen where a knitted dishcloth hangs over the tap. Skirts, dresses and tops I’ve stitched hang in our wardrobe alongside wool spun scarves and if you peep inside the bottom of our children’s closet you’ll spy their dollshouse made from cardboard boxes and paper offcuts, complete with tiny knitted dolls blankets.

My first handmade dollshouse

I don’t make everything we need, own or desire just as I don’t grow everything we eat. I’m not a homesteader. I’m a radical homemaker*. But when I look around our home I relish that it is full of many little handmade treasures that have been created by either my own hands or those nearest and dearest to me. Every gifted item holds a memory of each person whose hands brought it to life. Those who took the time and poured their love into creating something that wasn’t there before.

Fabric dolls made for my daughter by her great grandmother

The personalised library bags and Christmas stockings my mother-in-law has lovingly sewn, the knitted cardigans my daughter still wears years after the passing of her great grandmother, the framed tapestry my mother wove decades ago, the wooden stool which was the first creation my brother made in carpentry school.

Tea party quilt and knitted baby jumper

In an age where we can buy anything we want at the click of our fingertips, it is that which we can’t put a pricetag on that is the most valuable of all.

An upcycled romper my daughter and I designed and created together as a gift for a dear little friend

If our house were on fire, I’m not reaching for the photos (they’re in the digital realm anyway). I am reaching for that which can never be replicated or replaced. The embroided pillowcases, the collection of knitted mousetown abbey dolls, the miniature watercolours, the handwritten journals, the retro fabric aprons and as many patchwork quilts as I can carry.

A few of my favourite watercolours

If you are gifted something handmade, treasure it. No matter how small or inconsequentle it may seem. A handwritten letter, a sketch on a piece of scrap paper, a posy of flowers from the garden, a slice of homemade cake or a simple cup of tea. Presenting others with something you’ve had a hand in making is a gift that gives both ways.

One of grandmas beautiful handmade quilts and a paper collaged box

If there is something you want or need, have a go at making it. Or seek out a handmade alternative instead. Save money, get creative, make do and mend. There is joy to be had not just in the making, but in the keeping.

My go to handicrafts - sewing, embroidery and knitting

To fill your home with handmade treasures is to live in a house full of love.

What makes a house grand, oh it ain't the roof or the doors, if there's love in a house, it's a palace for sure.

- Tom Waits

Book Recommendation

My book week costume this year (who says only kids get to dress up!)

Here I am clad head to toe in clothing I made myself following the simple tutorials in Sew It Yourself by

Daisy Braid

aka DIY Daisy. This is the absolute, hands down, best book if you are interested in sewing simple garments for you and your mini-mes. There are no intricate patterns to follow, no zips or buttons. Everything I’ve made from this book has been joyful to create and even more fun to wear!

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Do you too have a penchant for the handmade? What crafts do you dabble in? What are the most treasured handmade items in your home? I would love to hear all about them.

Thank you for reading my musings on the many little measures that add up to a slower, simpler more seasonally attuned life.

I hope my words help gently guide and encourage you on your own journey.

My writing is free to read, and always will be, so don’t be shy about subscribing and connecting.

* Radical Homemakers are men and women who focus on home and hearth as a political and ecological act, and who centre their lives around family and community for personal fulfillment and cultural change.

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