Handmade Things

Posted by Nicole , Friday, January 27, 2012 2:04 PM

I am notorious for starting projects and never finishing them.  My life is filled with half-written journals, partially composed scripts, and almost-sweaters still clinging to the knitting needles.  I'm like a tin can with a few beans leftover in the bottom.


My friend Rosie calls it "dabbling".  Yeah.  I'm a dabbler.

I have dabbled in acting, writing, singing, gardening, knitting, photography, and baking.  Luckily, film and video editing and production stuck - and I teach both at the Art Institute of Atlanta.


However, now that I am a mother (I like to think I more than "dabble" in that) - taking off for a weekend to shoot your film is a little more complicated than than it used to be.  So, I have taken to all manner of crafts - dabbling away till late in the night while my daughter sleeps, my fingers running, madly sewing, beading, journal making, or whatever strikes me.


I come from family of crafty ladies you see.  As a teenager, I commandeered several dresses my mother had made for herself, and a quit hand-stitched by her still decorates my bed in the spring.  She made our costumes for Halloween, mended our clothes, and painted the faux stained-glass, octagonal window in the master bathroom.
My sister too is an accomplished crocheter, all around craft extraordinaire, and has handmade a variety of gifts for members of our family year after year.


And so- this past Christmas, I put my dabbling to the test and decided that I would hand-make all of the gifts for the adult members of our family this year.  That resulted in:
5 aprons
4 pairs of pajama pants
4 pairs of fleece hats
8 sets of jewelry
20 cans of jam (plus the 10 in the crap batch I didn't give away)
and
10 gift boxes of cookies/seasoned nuts/maple walnut fudge


I at least had the foresight to start in October, but let me tell you, it got a little hairy around that last week before Christmas.


Still, I had a blast.   And I really enjoyed the satisfaction of not only finishing something, but then giving it away.


So, I decided that in the year 2012 - I would challenge myself to hand-make all the gifts I give this year and to give away at least one gift a month.  I will be drafting a schedule and posting soon - you are welcome to join me and share in my new and exciting creations as well as my epic gifting disasters!