Hello!
MY NAME IS HELEN,
Crafting came to me as a reaction to trauma! Sounds melodramatic but let me elaborate…
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In May 2002, my car hit the central reservation of the A1 and rolled 4 times into a field after ricocheting off a motorway sign, which a nanosecond earlier would have killed my baby and toddler in their car seats. My RAF husband was in the Gulf at the time. Miraculously we all survived with only cuts and bruises, but I immediately suffered from flashbacks and uncontrollable stress-reactions when travelling (later diagnosed as PTSD). It became obvious I would have to do something to take my mind off being in the car or my panicked gasps of anxiety would cause another crash!
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Fortunately, I’ve always been interested in the history of houses and homes, most especially the way women, often with very little money, have tried to make their homes warmer, cosier and more uniquely their own throughout time. I decided to make a rag rug, following in the footsteps of my long-dead grandmother. It took 2 years and loads of people were drawn in to help as the piece of hessian backing was HUGE. Hulking the rug in its later stages into the front seat was not easy but it definitely absorbed my attention sufficiently to calm my PTSD symptoms and opened my mind to crafting as therapy.
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From then on I tried all sorts (felting, mosaic, knitting, decoupage etc) and discovered English Paper Piecing to be another portable craft excellent at soothing anxiety while we increasingly travelled wherever my husband’s career demanded. Piecing hexies together, especially using fabric from my daughters’ old dresses and Babygro’s, soon led to a sizeable piece of patterned design but as to actual quilting, I had no idea of how it worked or thoughts yet of using the huge online crafting community to guide me.
The impetus to fully embrace quilting came in 2014 when my beloved sister, Anne was diagnosed with late-stage Ovarian Cancer and we decided piecing the top of a quilt would help pass the time in a creative, productive and above all portable way during her chemo sessions and in post-surgery hospital stays. We asked her many friends and work colleagues to send us special fabric we could use, and the whole thing became a source of interest and conversation amongst the many cancer sufferers and their family supporters who we met during the two years of her illness. I learned about the practical process of quilting the three layers together and how emotional making such a special comforting item can be. Anne’s eldest son chose her precious quilt to keep in memory of his Mum, her youngest inherited her dog, but that meant that there was a quilt-shaped gap for her middle son, which I rushed to fill.
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Anne's quilt finally complete.
Liberty fabric cheers us as Anne receives treatment.
Nearly a disaster.
Since then, I have not stopped quilting and am amazed at how many fellow quilt-obsessed crafters there are out there to learn from and befriend. I have made many bespoke quilts for friends and family to mark special occasions, such as leaving for university and significant birthdays, as well as to welcome new members of the family. Last year I decided to make quilting central to my life so launched hellcatcraft with my wonderful artistic daughters. Since then, I have loved making quilts in my Craft room, tailoring designs, colours and styles to the needs and wishes of many special people. I often incorporate client’s own precious fabrics to create quilts imbued with memories and significance. I feel humbled and privileged to be a part of making items I hope people will treasure.