My Make do and Mend journey

What started out as a passing interest in the idea of making do and mending took on a life of it’s own over the course of a year. From a small child I’ve always been interested in sewing, painting and crafting things. I’ve been delighted that over the last few years crafting skills have become popular. No more hiding my cross-stitch interest as I had previously done in my twenties – over 20 years ago. Back then it was seen as just another quirk of mine, adding to the ex-art student image.

So I decided to take the plunge and create a facebook page to provide an outlet for my creativity in the spirit of make do and mend. Putting yourself “out there” on the internet can be scary but also cathartic. Modern life can be very hectic and I do find that the simple act of posting something take you out of the, at times, relentless cycle of responsibilities. It’s so good to take a moment of two to tap into the creative self, to remember and to nurture that side of yourself. I really enjoy the interaction with other internet users too and have been delighted when people I’ve never met have joined in too. Having a theme has kept me focussed too. The idea of making do and mending is one that I’m familiar with having had periods of enforced frugality in my life. Not much fun at the time, but it’s quite stunning how much you can make out of very little when you really have to! I find that concept a very creative one and also one that perhaps I’m drawn to because of my easily distracted attention span. I-want-to-do-everything-and-I-want-to-do-it-now was something I really battled with when I was younger and I’m sure resonates with many creative people. Making do and mending can bring things sharply into focus and for me it also prompts deeper thought processes such as environmental impact.

My year of blogging on www.katrineboyten.com has seen me try a number of crafty things such as knitting a patchwork blanket, making a bag from an old pair of jeans and fashioning a bag and fashioning a pair of leg-warmers out of the arms of an old sweater. I’ve also become a bit of a “greeny” and have become quite aware of environmental issues. I’ve also realised that in our busy lives it’s quite hard to totally embrace the idea of make do and mend so I’d welcome more awareness and anything to make it easier for us all to help the cause, so to speak.

Next on my agenda is learning to crochet! As I often do, I got carried away one day in a craft shop and bought myself a book on crochet. I’ve can do the basic stitch (would like to say I’ve mastered it, but that would be stretching the truth a bit!) but would probably fare better in a class setting or the crochet equivalent of a sewing bee. Anyone know if there’s a term for a gathering of crochet enthusiasts?