The concept of "Homemade"

This week was very busy for the Moose Mama. I took my daughter to the nature museum here in Ottawa. It is an enormous castle downtown and it was very recently renovated and now contains 5 floors of spectacular exhibits. Chloe was so thrilled by this outing she has been talking about it all week.The time we spend with our little ones is short and the special moments they will remember too.

The playroom quilt

This really got me thinking of how children form their memories, and what really sticks in our minds. In todays day we do not always sit together for dinner, Sunday is no different than Saturday to most of us. We purchase all our clothing, beddings, gifts and food. The concept of "homemade" is reserved for the artsy people and our grandmothers. Yet when I try to remember my haloween costumes, or my favourite suppers, you can bet they were the homemade ones.

Home-made coat I made for Chloe from a pattern from the 1940's

I love making something for my family and friends because I really think it shows how much we care.This is not to say that a gift-card for the movies isn't nice, but I am certain that my handmade quilt for a friends new baby, will be more thought of during those 2am feedings. They let the receiver know that they, or the event they are celebrating, is important to us, so important I spent 50 hours cutting, pressing, sewing, and planning a new blanket for a very new neighbor.

Baby quilt for a little guy born a few doors down

I also feel that quilting (or sewing in general) really helps us not be so disposable. I really feel that when I make a garment, a quilt, or even just a pot holder, I am much less likely to throw it away and get a new one, compared to a purchased version. In a time when being eco-friendly is more important than ever, I think sewing will play a big part in this. When I go through  my linen cloest, I will donate and get rid of old blankets I do not use anymore. This can be compared to people who collect antique quilts, or family heirlooms passed down through generations. These items have a soul, a history, they were handled for hours in the making process and given to someone on some holiday, they really meant something to the people they belonged to, they will never be thrown away. We tend to give handmade items more respect compared to objects like store bought comforters for example. When something breaks we throw it away, when an old family quilt gets torn, we gently mend it, and put it back on the bed in the guest room.


So take a minute and remember how we used to preserve our foods, sew a quilt for a new baby, and make our childrens Halloween costumes. If you don't already, you should try making something you are proud of, and just watch how long it lasts or how much more it means to someone when you answer the question I always get.. "Did you make this?!".

Happy Stitching! Make something homemade!