Already a great ‘doer’ in her everyday life, Liz tells us how she used her love of crafts to take on the challenge of knitting, sewing, and stitching her way through two months of ‘All made up’! 

A bit about you:

Name: Liz Ainslie

Occupation: Project Coordinator at Ashridge Business School

Lives: Hemel Hampstead

A bit about your pledge:

What inspired you to make a pledge for Be the Start?

“I saw it on one of the newsletters I sign up to and wanted to find out more.  I like the idea of people pledging to “do” things rather than to buy things!”

Which pledge did you make and why?

“I liked a lot of the pledges, but some of them I already do as part of my ‘normal’ life! I love to do crafty-things and I’ve recently started knitting, so I decided to do the ‘All Made Up‘ pledge.”

Makes sense to us! What have you enjoyed about ‘All Made Up’?  

“It’s been great fun to do more crafts and make time to do them.  It’s relaxing, keeps me from watching so much rubbish on the telly, and I’ve something useful and lovely to give as a gift!”

Oooh, what kind of things did you get making?

“Besides knitting a baby cardigan as a challenge to myself, I’ve also been knitting dishcloths! Because I’ve used cotton, it means I can chuck them in the washing machine (which makes them more sustainable), and hopefully will last for years! I’ve already given away some of them away to friends during my pledge.”

That’s great to hear! Are you naturally a creative person?

“I like to think that I am! I enjoy sewing and don’t have a problem tailoring clothes to fit me or patching up things that are worn.  In the past I’ve made patchwork baby quilts for friends, and recently have been making things with buttons.  Put me in a haberdashery shop and I’m in heaven!!!”

What have been your highlights, and lowlights, of doing All made up over the past two months?

“Highlights have been being able to “justify” taking so much time to do crafts!  Hooray! Lowlights have been the trying to do the edging on the baby cardigan…it’s been a nightmare!”

What was the reaction (from gift receivers etc) to your homemade creations?

“The baby cardigan went down well, and I’ve had requests to make some grown-up things too!Also, those who received one of my dishcloths have agreed that they are far better than a store-bought one and they are very sturdy.”

What tips would you give to others pledging All Made Up?

“Try to do something that really appeals to you, but don’t take on too many challenges at once!”

What impact has The DoNation had on you?

“There have been two main impacts. One, is that the pledges that seem so obvious to me and which I do in my normal life are obviously things that aren’t obvious to others.  So I need to spread the word to friends, family and colleagues to take some of the “easier” pledges.

The second is it’s really made me think about my own actions, and how I can persuade others to do make smaller changes in their own lives. If I can persuade people to make a pledge that has a real impact on others, like making a gift for someone to show they care, then that’s great!

Do you think you’ll keep it on beyond the two months (factoring in Christmas!?)

“Of course! I’m not sure everyone will like my homemade Christmas presents, but it’s the thought that counts, right?!”

Exactly….we love a home-made Christmas present! To find out more about our DoActions take a look at the list.