Do you remember when ...

Well one of my other strings to my bow is sewing/craft. This is one of the cushions I have made. I am trying to get all the cushions and quilts finished so I can sell them on the internet.

I have been sewing and into craft since I was about 7 or 8 years old. My Mum would rule the lines on the garment we where making and I would sew it.

Then I learnt to knit and crochet, as my Mum is a leftie, she bought me a book to teach me and she would oversee my knitting and crocheting. My Nana who knitted, crochered and sewed used to help me when I was little. My Pa actually took a pair of metal knitting needles and shortened them so that I had needles short enough to knit with when I was little.

Then along came the seventies, so it was macrame, we had many plants in pots hanging in macrame hangers. It is actually quite therapeutic once you have mastered the knots. I used to sit and watch a movie, while I was knotting away.

Then there was wool spinning . You spend days carding the wool, this is the process of dragging the wool through 2 metals brushes against each other to tease the fibres out so it can be spun into wool. Once spun it was onto knitting it into interesting items like scarves and jumpers. If you have ever spun wool you will know that after you have finished your foot still seems to bob up an down like it is working the pedal.

Then along came the eighties and patchwork. Well my Mum took this up and still to this day teaches a class of beginners how to patchwork. I must confess that I have 2 unfinished quilts from the late 80's early 90's. One is an applique quilt which only has to have the centre square finished, but as I am fussy about the stitching and I never quite like what I have done it is still sitting next to my chair waiting to be finished. The other one has 9 squares of crazy patchwork which are all completed, all I have to do is join them together with borders, back and quilt it.

Also during this time especially when my girls where little, there was doll making, teddies, small rabbits, and who can forget the tissue box covers using metres of synthetic lace. What about cover light shades, I made a few of those in my time, spending days with my fingers stuck together with craft glue.

I have tried to teach my eldest daughter La Coiffure (she is a hairdresser) she can crochet really well, but when it comes to sewing - we have had the sewing machine needle in the finger incident- a she literally gets into a tangle when trying to knit. As she is an excellent hairdresser, her talent with her fingers is being used there. Now Miss Fish if you want something cut from paper she is your girl, it took me 18 months to teach her to use scissors, and now 18 years later she is still cutting things out. Sometimes so quickly that I fear for her fingers. Over the years we have had the odd item of clothing snipped by mistake.

This cushion I have beaded some of the flowers and made the back different it is tied together with ribbon.

I wonder do you have any funny or interesting crafting memories while trying learn or even when you first started to cook ?