Home, for us, is where our creativity was nurtured and continues to grow. We were both born into families who, out of necessity as much as inclination, made clothes, grew their own vegetables and cooked from scratch rather than buying ready-made items from the shops. Ros can remember being taught to crochet, aged 7, by her grandmother, and making a doll’s blanket of which she was inordinately proud. Elspeth only has to look at photographs of herself and her younger sisters in matching homemade dresses to be transported back to a happy, yet industrious, childhood where everyone seemed forever to be sewing, knitting or making things.

There was a time, not so long ago, when “homemade” had become synonymous with dowdiness, drudgery and doing without. From the profligate Eighties on, shopping was the preferred national pastime, while making your own was seen as second best, if not an eccentricity, or a leftover from childhood television programmes, such as Blue Peter.

Not so nowadays. Making things – whether sewing, cooking or customising clothes – is firmly in fashion, with clothes designers incorporating crochet and patchwork into their collections and celebrities as keen to be photographed with their knitting as they were with a yoga mat a few years ago. Making your own clothes or home furnishings is also a sure-fire way to get noticed in what is becoming an increasingly homogenous society.

Of course, homemade is not merely about style. What began as a gradual zeitgeist shift a few years ago has gained momentum over the past year, aided by the environmental and financial crises that face us all. Making and growing things not only helps save money and is good for the environment, the activities themselves give rise to a feel-good factor that can help cheer us up in adversity. Our homes become havens in times of global uncertainty and knowing that we have the skills and resources to make things of use and beauty for those we live around and love – without costing the earth – can be a source of great comfort and pleasure.

Whatever you make, we hope you enjoy the process – and the pride and satisfaction that are part and parcel of the result. Most of all, we hope you will be able to take pleasure in saying, when asked where you bought the cake, dress or cushion in question, “I made it myself.”

Easter tree

Hanging hand-decorated eggs on branches of spring leaves and blossom is a lovely tradition that can become part of family life. Those in the picture are a mixture of hand-painted and decorated eggshells, some of which date back 20 years or more, treasures given by friends or family or brought back from trips abroad. If you make and buy a few more eggs each year, you will soon have an heirloom collection that can be handed down to the next generation.

You will need:

• Raw eggs

• Empty egg box

• Darning needle

• Bowl

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