I love sewing, knitting and the like. It’s in my genes — my oma (grandmother) was always sewing, crocheting or knitting (I inherited her sewing machine, a mid-century Pfaff). So was my mum. But with three children and two jobs, a house and a husband to look after, I have found that time is not really on my hands… There’s always something more important to finish and the sewing machine ends up workless on the table top — nice to look at (longingly!)… So a few weeks ago, some friends and I decided to start a Monday night sewing evening.

Every other week we get together in one of our houses, drink tea, eat cake and cookies, and most importantly, we’re being creative! It’s such a relief, having picked up again something that is such an important part of me. I started with a project I thought was very simple, a personalised pencil case for our 6-year-old daughter, Sara, who just started to read and write at school. The project ended up being much more complex than I first imagined, and it took two craft nights to finish (plus help from my fellow crafters!), but it’s done and cute and I’m proud to be able to send Sara to school with something her mama made for her.

xxx Esther