Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 60 - My making philosophy

When I make things, I try to imbue each item with a part of myself. I have thought about every stitch, every cut, every fold. My energy is now a part of the item and a part of myself goes with the item to its new home. To me, that’s one of the reasons that handmade things are so important in general. You’re not just getting an item, you’re also getting the thoughts and care and love of the person who made it.

My hope is that the items I make are used. I want them to be worn, washed, played with, laid on, and most importantly, loved. I offer lifetime repairs for all items I make. If you come to me and say “the tail for the plushie you made is falling off and he’s getting pretty dirty,” I will sew the tail back up and give the plushie a bath. If the seams of a blanket are coming apart, I will fix them. I don’t want the things I make to be treated so preciously that they have to be put away like fine china and never touched.

We’ve reached the end of Shawl Every Day for 2021. I have fewer items than in previous years due to selling a lot and donating a lot to Back @ You. I really enjoyed sharing my crafty knowledge, tool tips, and favorite fellow makers. Hope you learned a few things and had fun checking out all the different shawls I’ve made.

Cowl pattern is Hiberknitting Cowl by Stephen West.