Homemade Knit, Sew and Crochet: 25 Home Craft Projects

Copyright

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

www.harpercollins.co.uk

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.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

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

Dedication

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

Title Page

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

About the Publisher

Introduction

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 aims with this book are the same as they have always been – to spread the joy of creating and making things yourself, and to share that with others. Creating something is a satisfying and fulfilling thing to do and has been a constant in my life. Having been taught to crochet by my grandmother at the age of seven, I wore homemade clothes that my mother made for me as a child and then started to sew and knit my own designs as a teenager, not only because it was an economical way to live but because I was able to establish my individual style. This is still a vital part of my own creative process and one that I was lucky enough to turn into a career.