So, a first post – and this from someone who always felt
blogging was somehow a bit arrogant (why should I expect anyone to be
interested in reading about my doings?).....
Having cared for my increasingly demented Mum for 13
years, I faced a choice when she died:
continue in the isolation I had found myself forced into, or venture
into the big, wide world again. I chose
the latter and have been saying ‘yes’ to (very nearly!) everything for 18
months now. Aged 50-something, I’m
hurling myself into a whole new life, spending my time making and creating.
Luckily, I discovered Craft Classes at Beautiful Things
just down the road, and patient owner Claire taught me to crochet. She has a real gift for thinking out how to
make techniques accessible so that even absolute beginners go home after an
hour or so with something achieved on which to build. I promptly found myself well and truly hooked
(oops! sorry!), and only really hot sticky weather stops me. Is it weird to welcome a more autumnal feel
because it feels like crochet weather?!
That was just the start – with a totally uncharacteristic
confidence (started by Claire) I have enjoyed needle- and wet-felting, machine
embroidery, appliqué and crazy patchwork; and through Beautiful Things I have
discovered the fascination of fusing glass, and surprised myself in Art classes
with Helen Smith (Helen Rose Glass). Now
I’m even the proud dressmaker of an increasingly varied wardrobe of handmade
garments!
This blog will record my creative life, activities,
influences, experiences, ideas and challenges.
I hope it might help to inspire some other people: I’m just a very
ordinary maker, who is learning by doing, reading and talking. I have absolutely brilliant, totally
impractical, ideas which are well beyond my capabilities and I am definitely
fallible, but increasingly willing to ‘have a go’! Even my failures seem to be feeding my
confidence, and I’m hoping some folk out there will give me useful pointers,
helpful hints, and more inspiration.
So, if you’re interested in sharing my occasional
thoughts and reflections, laughing at my failures and rejoicing in my
successes, WELCOME!
Well done Elspeth, if I had not actually been there last night and seen you start your Blog for the first time, I would have thought you were an old hand at it. I do just need to correct you in as much as the first thing I remember you. Getting excited about were your crochet roses. I feel there should be a picture of them. I too have a Blog set up a long while ago by Claire for me. It was used to show my progress in card making. It then became a bit more general with a bit about the granny square challenge. It then lapsed, so reading your Blog, I have been inspired to resurrect it. Wii need to have a refresher course with our teacher, I can hear her groan.
ReplyDeleteHey, you inspiring thing, you. Good on you. I love textile and glass makes too, and also spoon carving. Think you should look into it :) and that we should talk. x
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