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This year, like lots of other people, Im going to try to make my own Christmas presents. Its not the first time that Ive promised myself this. Being a milliner, and an all-round crafty type, Ive often thought I should put my money where my mouth is. But this year Im really going to stick to it. Its partly that Im short of cash, but also that Ive recently returned from an inspiring trip around Britain, looking into make do and mend for BBC2s Newsnight. I dreamed up the trip a few months ago. The thought of traveling the country--making things as I went, meeting artists and craftspeople--sounded like the perfect way to spend the summer. Id pack a tent and a sewing machine and off Id go. But by the time I finalized my plans and hit the road, leaves were already crunching under foot. It seemed crazy to camp with winter on the way; instead, Newsnight viewers offered me board and lodging in return for help with a craft task. There was an overwhelming response. My tasks ranged from darning a moth-eaten monks jumper to making trousers for a stilt walker. Textile students in Harpenden offered to pay for my petrol in return for a talk about hats. In Derby, Amy needed help to transform an old pair of curtains. I was really struck by peoples growing enthusiasm for making things. I asked a WI group in Sheffield how many could sew, and only a few put up their hands. But when I asked who wanted to learn, nearly everyone responded positively. At the Textile Workshop in Nottingham, the number of classes on offer has doubled in a year, and a knitting club in Leeds is growing by the week. | 
