Make a special gift for your mum this Mothers Day

Article Added: 09/03/2009 10:58:37

Sunday 22nd March is a date which should be in everyone’s diary as it is an opportunity to show our mum’s how special they are. HotHive Textiles has been delving into our listings again to ask some of our fabulous artists and designers to provide us with some great Mother’s Day gift ideas, but first we have been looking into how Mother’s Day first came about.

Research suggests that the origins of Mother’s Day began when many people moved away from their hometown to work and then attended Sunday worship at their nearest parish. It was considered important for people to return to their original hometown church for at least one Sunday a year, which became an occasion for family reunions, particularly as it was common for young children to have moved away from home to work. Therefore the in the middle of lent the return to the ‘mother’ church became a tradition.

By the seventeenth century, Mothering Sunday had become a public holiday and was known as ‘Rose Sunday’, as children would arrive at the church with bunches of roses, and other wild flowers, to give to their mothers. A special cake, called the Mothering Cake, was sometimes also brought along to provide a festive touch. It is believed that this was the beginning of the tradition of gift giving that still exists today.

HotHive Textiles has been celebrating these Mother’s Day traditions with a series of flower-themed gifts for you to surprise your mum with. The first pattern we have for you will show you to how to make a gorgeous embroidered card, and was supplied to us by embroiderer Claire Hurd www.clairehurd.co.uk. This card can be adapted using any type of flower you or your mum likes best – but why not make a traditional twist and use rose cut-outs To download the instructions please click on the link below:

Embroidered card instructions

For those of you who loved the designs of Claire’s cards and would like to buy some for other occasions, you can visit her online shop at www.folksy.com/shops/ClaireHurdDesign. The cards are priced at £3.50 and are guaranteed to bring a creative touch to the mantelpiece.

The next pattern we have for you will show you how to make a lily using sinamay, a fabulous and versatile hat-making fabric. This pattern comes courtesy of How2Hats www.how2hats.com, the best resource on the web for learning all about hat making. This lily can be attached to a comb for your mum to wear in her hair, stitched to a bag, turned into a brooch, added to a hat – the possibilities really are endless! To download the instructions please click on the link below:

Lily making instructions

The next project we have for you is a book or diary cover, taken from the new Dorling Kindersley book, The Sewing Book. This is the perfect gift for the working mum as it will make her stationery look unique and creative, making her the envy of all her colleagues. The cover looks great in a vibrant silk dupion but works just as well with other fabrics, such as cotton. For a finishing touch, decorate the cover with beads or ribbon to give it a special twist. To download the book cover instructions please click on the link below:

Book cover instructions

The Sewing Book is available from HotHive Textiles Bookstore www.thetextiledirectorybookstore.com and is priced at £25. The book was very popular with our reviewer Liz Hunter, who felt that “beginner and experienced dressmakers will find it a useful reference source. The Technique section is clearly illustrated with step by step photographs that really do show every stage of each process. There are instructions for a good range of techniques and plenty of information about when to use each different technique.” You can read Liz’s review in full here.

Mums aren’t the only people who love flowers and our final project features the flower-loving butterfly. This pattern will show you how to make a unique butterfly brooch and comes courtesy of designer Vikki Lafford. Vikki specialises in making intricate and beautiful clothing and accessories and this is one project that is guaranteed to impress your mum. To download the instructions for making the butterfly brooch please click on the link below:

Butterfly brooch instructions

Vikki sells a range of fabulous gifts and accessories on her website so for a truly unique Mother’s Day gift visit the ‘buy online’ section at www.liliia.co.uk.

Competition

In keeping with tradition HotHive Textiles has a gorgeous rose-themed gift for one lucky reader to give to their Mum this Mother’s Day, courtesy of designer Vikki Lafford. The rose corsage, pictured at the top of this article, is made from hand printed taffeta and beaded with glass beads and freshwater pearls, with embroidered and hand painted taffeta leaves. The corsage measures 15mm in diameter and retails at £18. For your chance to win the corsage please email your name and address to textiles@thehothive.com. The closing date for this competition is Wednesday 18 March.

Contact details

Claire Hurd
07870 629334
studio@clairehurd.co.uk
www.clairehurd.co.uk

How2Hats
0121 212 9857
mail@how2hats.com
www.how2hats.com

Vikki Lafford
07813 154781
vikki@liliia.com
www.liliia.co.uk