I would like to welcome
Katrine Boyten
From Boyten's Blog
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?
Kat x
Wow you have done so much in the year!
I'm going to be an avid follower from now on!
I hope you'll all join me in thanking Kat.
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I hope you enjoy the blog http://www.crochetaddictuk.com!
Thank you ever so much for commenting!
I love reading everything you put and I will try and reply but it just depends on my health.
Thanks Sue