Pride of place for all your own work

By the end of 2007, when recession loomed and the credit crunch bit, there was a seismic shift and the book was snapped up.

"The trend for making things really started taking off then and there was a huge amount of interest for all kinds of reasons.

"I think the recession, together with a desire to be more environmentally friendly and to be more individual, played a part," says Ros, a knitwear designer and stylist.

"But now I think it's more than a passing fashion. It's here to stay. It's a way of living. People have tired of the sort of consumerism we saw in the 1980s and 1990s. They realise we cannot carry on consuming the way we did."

Making things is something Ros grew up with and has always practised, and her skills were learned from her mother.

"I do it as matter of course and always have. I'm not keen on shopping and my idea of hell is a trip to a retail park.

"All my clothes were homemade when I was young and I still enjoy making clothes even though fabric is now much more expensive than it was when I was growing up in the 1960s," she says.

Resourceful Ros tackles this by customising vintage finds and one of the projects in the book is a patchwork skirt, which was made from her husband's old shirts.

"Upcycling" is something she is especially keen on and she has recently launched a new website www. itslovelinessincreases.com and is planning a series of pop-up shops selling old furniture she has rescued

and revamped.

Her own home is testament to her commitment to making and recycling and includes a patchwork wall made from samples of wallpaper.

"As part of my job as a stylist, I ended up with lots of samples and I came up with the idea of putting them together on a wall. It looks great and it doesn't have to be wallpaper. It can be a collection of cartoons or music scores or knitting patterns."

Also in her book are instructions on how to create everything from crocheted coat-hangers, cordials and cushion covers made from vintage blankets to summer bunting made from old clothes.

The projects are easy to follow and expenditure is minimal.

For those who claim to have the inclination but not the time Ros has another piece of advice: Forgo a shopping trip and spend the time making something instead.

"It's incredibly rewarding, especially if you're making something for someone else because what you're giving them is personal and you've made time to do it, so what you're giving them is your time, which is very precious," says Ros, whose book is soon to be launched in America.

"You don't have to be gifted. One of the projects is to make quince brandy. All you need to do is to cut up a few pears and put them together with some cheap brandy in a Kilner jar. It makes a brilliant present and anyone can

do it."

Homemade is published in paperback by Collins, 12.99.To order a copy from the Yorkshire Post Bookshop, call free on 0800 0153232 or go to www.yorkshirepostbookshop.co.uk. P&P is 2.75.

How to make ros's patchwork wall

"I love patchwork both for its simple, graphic patterns and the melee of memories and associations it can evoke," says Ros Badger.

Projects such as covering a wall with scraps of paper, as above, can give patchwork a modern spin, while losing none of its charm and appeal.

"Choose one wall in a room – alcoves or chimney breasts work well also – or it will look overwhelming, though you might get away with it in a downstairs loo.

"Gather lots of scraps of wallpaper. Old sample books are a great source if you can get hold of any from wallpaper shops or suppliers, otherwise raid your attic and homes of friends for leftover rolls to cut up.

"Like traditional fabric patchwork, this idea has far more resonance if patterns have sentimental value – the paper from your childhood bedroom or first married home, for example, are included in the mix."

You will need:

Wallpaper scraps or samples

Plumb line

Spirit level

Wallpaper paste and brush

Water and sponge

Stepladder

To make:

Decide on a rough colour scheme and plan how you will cover the space, distributing strong colours, patterns and different sizes throughout. How precisely you work is a matter of personal style. Perfectionists will do a trial run with Blu-tac and use a plumb line to ensure all verticals are straight, while others will be happy to stick as they go.

Paste small patches of pattern at a time, butting the edges neatly against one another and cutting pieces to fit where necessary.

Keep checking progress by standing well back to assess the effect, and when finished, sit back and lie down and drift into each pattern in turn.

Variations:

Other possibilities for this treatment include book jackets, postcards, sheet music or maps.