It Began Like This.....

My mum was a knitter. She taught us all, even my brother and dad were made to try! She was never happy with a pattern until she could knit, watch the tele and read a book at the same time! She hated knitting for 'big' kids, usually not knitting for anyone once they hit school. Picture knits and cables were her speciality. (I still have a cable cardigan she knitted for me over 9 yrs ago!)

So, inevitably, I began knitting when my first daughter was born in 1996. But I never the developed the 'lurve' or the skill levels my mum had. By the time my second daughter was born in 2001, I was bored with it and wanted a new, different hobby.
I was living near Hinckleyy (Leicestershire) at the time, and the Dunhelm Mills fabric shop there was a vertible treasure trove! It seemed to be a bit of a grave yard for roll ends, and most of them were 50p a metre! At that price, they were begging to be bought. And, of course, I obliged! I had no idea what I was going to make, or what sort of pattern to use, but I cut about a million and one 6inch squares, by hand, uneven, not measured properly and began to stitch! Having never made anything bigger than a cushion, my first project was, surprisingly, a super king sized throw! I started with the middle row of a diamond pattern, making each row smaller than the last, not realising I was making a diamond SHAPE until I came to stitch it to the backing! I made an error and ended up with a double row across the middle, had to make four 'corners' to make the blanket square, none of the seams matched and the colour choice was limited to what I could get, but suddenly, it was finished!

I was very proud of myself, to be honest, and when mum came to visit, she was very impressed too! She then produced a kit she had bought from somewhere, with templates and patterns for different patchwork patterns, and said she didn't want it, do I? I did some playing, and more purchasing of 50p metre fabrics, and the rest, as they say, is history!

I discovered my 'lurve', my 'thang' as mum said! I picked it up as I went along, learning from my mistakes (of which there were many!) buying new tools, books and magazines, (and of course fabrics), as I found them, in charity shops and jumble sales.
My fabric, book and magazine collection take up a large part of the storage in my house, but I won't part with anything! as any good crafter will tell you, "I might need it one day!"
Mrs Patchie x