Hi bloggers! Please help the Fitztown Design Team welcome Hazel as a Guest Designer for Fitztown. We're very excited to have her join us! This is what she'd like to share with you today:
My name is
Hazel and I’m retired. I’ve crafted all my life.
I was born in
the 1940s and so almost everything in the home was handmade. I can remember
making ‘proggy mats’ with my mother when I was just seven or eight. I don’t
suppose many blogging friends will know what one of those is, apart from maybe
those bloggers in the NE of England. When I was about twelve I helped my mother
make spare covers for the sofa and armchairs and this was all by hand as we
couldn’t afford a sewing machine in those days. It was hard work but I loved
it. I went on to make soft toys, rag dolls, dried flower pictures
and wooden mobiles for children’s bedrooms. I crocheted, knitted and sewed many
clothes for myself and family but have had to give that up with the onset of
this current eye problem. I have always made cards and scrapbooks, on and off,
throughout the years. About twelve years ago I was looking after a ten year old
girl and she was ‘bored’ so I started her on some greetings cards. She loved
making them and took them into school to show her friends and teacher. The
teacher asked her to make some for her and she would pay her! Of course, she
was straight here to use my stash and she sold about ten to her teacher. She
was so buoyed up with the whole thing that it inspired me all over again and I
did not stop making them.
My husband
died almost two years ago after being ill for only four weeks and I thought I
would never get over it. We had been married almost 48 years and were never
apart. My blogging friends have been very supportive throughout this
time and have continued to follow my blog even though the posts were a little
thin on the ground. I did keep up with my DT commitments and in the past few
weeks I have felt able to spend more time crafting. My husband had always been
very involved with my hobby and that’s what I miss too. I know he’s right there
behind me saying “go on, Hazel, I know you can do it”. Thank you for
giving me this opportunity to be a member of a fantastic and well
organized design team.
Precious story! I teared up a bit! I hope we can make her feel welcomed into our little community. Please give her a warm welcome.
DT Coordinator for Fitztown
Welcome Hazel! what a heartfelt and tender story Hazel, you touched my heart... I can't begin to imagine all the stored memories you have of your 48 yrs with the love of your life. We tend to surprise ourselves at how strong we, as women really are or can be. I can picture myself sipping on coffee or tea with you listening to all those treasured memories... keep creating!
ReplyDeleteIvette
Thank you for your lovely comment. I can tell I'm going to enjoy working with you. x
Delete"Proggy mats" .... oh what lovely memories you've brought to me today dear Hazel, days of sitting with my own dear Geordie grandmother learning so many of the crafts you list. I wonder if that 10 year old girl is still making cards with the happy thoughts of how you started her on her wonderful creative life journey. Precious gift indeed.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I'm excited to see your wonderful cards here at Fitztown .... I'm sure that you are having lots of fun creating with such a special team....and that your dear husband would be so proud of all you achieve.
Love Ingrid xxx ♥ ♥ ♥
Another lovely comment from you, Ingrid, thank you so much, you're always so supportive. That ten year old girl still visits me but has given up on the crafting, though she still talks about it. She's 22 now so more interested in FB, work and her new nephew. x
Delete