Craft Resolution

Happy 2017!  I find this time of year incredibly inspiring.  It's an opportunity to take the time to reflect on everything that you've achieved, learned and experienced over the last 12 months.  I like to take a quiet evening, turn all the devices off, get a cosy cup of something and find a quiet spot to just tuck in, and think.

This time last year I set out a list of intentions for the months ahead, and as a result, my craft year has been incredible; I've made all sorts of things, worked with all sorts of people, learned all sorts of things, tried and tested new things and been all over the place meeting and making things with new people.  I have a bit of a 'yes' policy, so any time people ask if I want to do things, I tend to say yes and end up trotting off somwhere and inevitably finding out something I didn't know before.  I just think that any experience will teach you something, even if it's that you won't be doing it again!  This is true for everything, from learning to mosaic (not for me) to trying to teach 30 people to crochet at once (not possible!).

I've also thought about what my creative journey means to me.  I'm very lucky doing what I do, but I'm also aware that the world doesn't need designers, it needs people that can bring positivity and change.  At the end of 2016 I started an Instagram account called Make It Better Social Club as a knee jerk reaction to the outcome of the US election.  I wanted to create a space where we could all share our makes and just get a bit of positivity going.  But it hasn't felt like enough.  Sharing pics is lovely, but there has to be more.

It shouldn't be 'eco' to remake or reuse something, it's just common sense.  So I won't be using words like sustainable, environmental or ecological, even though that is really what this is about.  I want to do something that normalises those ideas, brings them into our daily lives and still gives you that gorgeous, creative buzz when you've finished something!

So this year, right now, I'm setting the intention to launch Mrs.Steel's School of Stitchcraft and Scissory.  A creative place full of tutorials, how to's and the ingenious ideas of makers the world over, all with the intent of getting people making more and taking less, as well as sharing our common humanity through our shared interests in the love of making things.

To kick it all off, I will be setting up a tutorial for this craft resolution banner, keep 'em peeled lovehearts, and if anyone is interested in sharing any of their craft no-how to further the causes of good, just let me know! steelandstitch@yahoo.co.uk