This ebook edition published in 2012 by Collins includes some material first published in Homemade, first published in 2009.
HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2012
FIRST EDITION
Text © Ros Badger and Elspeth Thompson 2009, Ros Badger 2012
Photography © Benjamin J Murphy 2009, 2012
Ros Badger and Elspeth Thompson assert their moral right to be identified as the authors of this work.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Photography Benjamin J Murphy
Editors Emma Callery and Sarah Tomley
Packager Tracy Killick Art Direction and Design
Source ISBN: 9780007489534
Ebook edition © October 2012 ISBN: 9780007489541
Version 2016-12-02
To my beloved friend Elspeth who I will always miss. Also to our mothers, Margaret and Ruth, and daughters Martha, Ceidra and Mary, who are a continuing source of inspiration.
Contents
Dedication
Introduction
iPod cover
Tea cosy
Pompoms
Striped woolly scarf
Fingerless gloves
Felt flower hair clips and combs
Flower corsage
Bag-in-a-bag
Beach bag
Child’s summer dress
Patchwork throw
Cushion covers
Outdoor cushion
Denim chair
Summer bunting
Tea towel apron
Egg cosies
Hot-water bottle cover
Lavender cats
Victorian sand pincushion
Cross-stitch ‘no-entry’ sign
Crochet squares
Crochet bowls
Decorated coat hangers
Crochet iPad cover
Homemade basics
Craft basics
Sewing basics
Knitting basics
Crochet basics
Patterns and templates
Directory
List of Projects
Acknowledgements
Also available
Copyright
There was a time, not so very long ago, when the term ‘homemade’ was synonymous with dowdiness and ‘doing without’. From the profligate 1980s on, shopping seemed to become the preferred national pastime, while making your own was seen as second-best, an eccentricity, or a leftover from childhood TV programmes. But a few years ago a gradual shift began to occur. There was a revival of the old crafts combined with a new energetic approach. Knitting and crochet were suddenly in the zeitgeist and popular again, and everyone from New York bankers to teenage schoolgirls seemed to be starting crafts clubs.
Interest in craft has been growing among all sorts of groups and ages, and many people are now keen to make things for themselves, family and friends. The children’s sewing club ‘Sew Good’, which I teach in the UK, has a long waiting list and I am inundated with people wanting to learn how to knit, sew and crochet. Many women now want to explore their creativity and make something stylish for the home, especially given the ever-growing interest in individual, handcrafted objects. My students are hugely diverse, from homemakers and business executives to children and other artisans. Recently an über-cool male student, studying Japanese, asked me to teach him how to crochet!
The ‘homemade’ movement has gained an added energy and momentum from the two major crises – environmental and financial – that now face us all. Making and growing things not only saves money and helps the environment, the activities themselves give rise to a feel-good factor that can help cheer us up in adversity. Our homes become havens in times of global uncertainty, and knowing that we have the skills and resources to make things of use and beauty for those we live around and love – without costing the earth – can be a source of great comfort and pleasure.
My
