Holiday Stashdown Challenge – Week 9
(Join along with me any time if you need a head start or moral support for your holiday crafting. You can read more details here.)
Some of my favorite handmade gifts came from my grandmother.
Just a few of the many handmade projects from my Nan in my collection.
She was a prolific crocheter and knitter, and often made handmade holiday gifts. (She’s not my only handmade holiday crafting inspiration, though!) My grandmother’s handmade bears always seemed to be really fun, and I remember playing with them.
Like her mother, my mom is an accomplished needlecrafter, but her talent lies in sewing. She went through a phase in my childhood where she sewed me some pretty fashionable outfits, but as a tomboy, I just wanted to yank them off and run around in the dirt.
Wearing one of the outfits my mom made for me.
My high school boyfriend’s mother was a seamstress. The first Christmas after we started dating, she gave me a handmade blouse that actually fit perfectly, although she had never measured me. (She was so skilled that she could size up my measurements just from seeing me visit her house!) The fabric was a kind of psychedelic print with lots of grays and blues in it. At the time, I was in more of a black and plaid phase, and I think I only wore it once when I visited. Now I regret that I didn’t appreciate the care and skill that went into this blouse, and I don’t even know what happened to it over the years.
If you need some inspiration for a Holiday Stashdown Challenge post for next week, here’s the prompt for Tuesday, July 17: We’re at the 10 week mark, so let’s talk about our progress. This is the time to share your accomplishments, your obstacles, your starts, your finishes, and so on. If you’re making gifts for people that read your blog, share a small detail that still keeps the project secret. If you’re making gifts for people that aren’t readers, go ahead and flash your progress!
Loved this post and hearing about your family and friends talents. It is a shame that some people just don’t appreciate the time, skills and thoughts that go into handmade gifts. I think other crafters are probably the most appreciative and that’s why I enjoy making things for them. xoxox
Thanks, Dorothy. In my case, I think a lot of it was related to my sense of style and feeling like I needed more casual and rough and tumble type outfits. And, as you mentioned, I didn’t yet understand all the time and skills involved.
I too wish that I had appreciated the handmade gifts I received when I was young. You’re right that we need to keep that in mind when we’re deciding who is knit or crochet worthy! I love that you shared the pic of you in the outfit mom made!
Here’s my post about a most cherished gift.
http://crochetnirvana.weebly.com/1/post/2012/07/handmade-with-love.html
I love the teddy bears! So cute!! And its so true that some people just don’t appreciate or ‘get’ handmade gifts. You and this stashdown are helping put things in perspective– maybe this means I’ll be trimming down my list again!
http://bookwormmar.blogspot.com/2012/07/holiday-stashdown-challenge-week-9.html
Trimming is ok with me, Mary. I know I’m probably trimming mine down, too.
I’ve also trimmed down my list. There’s a myth that handmade gifts will save you money. I find that this is true if I have the supplies on hand and don’t factor in my time. But definitely not true if I have to buy the supplies or assign any cost to my time. So, I’m shifting to projects that I want to make for myself or people who will appreciate them. I also plan on stashbusting but I’m moving away from the “omg have to make something for everyone” toward ” it’s ok if I buy some gifts”. We’ll see if that changes again.
I completely agree, karyn. They are definitely not cheaper when you factor in time! I think your new perspective makes a lot of sense.