Every year we are inspired by the variety of skills on show during Fun A Day in Dundee. We want you to be inspired too, so we’re sharing some of our previous participants’ stories as we get ready for Fun A Day Dundee 2020! 

Whatever you’d like to create, we want to see it! 

Let’s hear from Hannah Wingfield, who has taken part in FADD the last three years. 

‘I’ve been creating things for as long as I can remember. As a child I was usually found with a pen, pencil or paintbrush in my hand, drawing pictures and writing stories. As a teenager I got more into crafts (especially textile crafts) as well as doing a lot of writing on the then-emergent internet and in zines.’

‘This drawing, crafting and writing (though without a particular focus) continued into my twenties until I became a mum to first one and then two boys. As any parent will tell you, having children is an amazing privilege and wonderful experience that’s hard to put into words without resorting to cliches… but it’s also all-consuming (or at least was for me, I wasn’t very good at finding that elusive “balance”, though I’m getting better at it). Unsurprisingly, my creative output ground to a halt, and when I did get around to making something I was often disappointed and embarrassed by it as I was so out of practice.”

‘Fast-forwarding to early 2017, I was out of the baby years and had picked up crochet again, finding it the best craft to do around small children as it required zero set up/take down time, could be done whilst still watching and talking to my sons; and varied in complexity between simple patterns that could be multi-tasked and complicated mindful projects for those little moments of alone time.’

‘I first heard about Fun A Day Dundee around then – a friend who lives in Manchester told me about it, I think because there was a Fun A Day happening there too that year. It was too late for me to take part that January but I made a mental note to have a look out for it happening again in 2018, and was very pleased when I saw it announced. ‘

‘For my 2018 Fun A Day project I created a freeform crochet piece called Dream Bubble. I hadn’t tried freeform crochet before but wanted to try making something without a pattern and where I could combine my love of the abstract with my love of crochet. I tried to make one “scrumble” (shape) per day and joined them together as and when I felt they fit. Being part of the FADD community online was a great motivator for completing this sometimes challenging project and I felt very proud to be able to display it at the exhibition that April.’

‘I had enjoyed FADD 2018 so much that I began thinking about my 2019 project a few months before. This time I decided to be ambitious and make a different crochet mandala every day in January. I didn’t quite make that target but did create 25 different mandalas which was a lot of fun to do and resulted in a satisfying pile of colour by the end. Some of the mandalas were sold, others I gave to friends/family and some went to put a smile on the face of a woman with a brain injury who is collecting mandalas for a sensory display.’

‘Once again, being part of a community of creative people was a fun experience and improved my confidence both as a maker and as a person in my own right (sense of self being something that can get a bit lost when you’re busy with young children 24/7). It also stopped me getting distracted by other projects and ideas, which I am wont to do! Again it was a proud moment to see my work displayed in the exhibition alongside a huge variety of interesting work.’

‘As for FADD 2020, I have taken things a step further and become involved in the organisation process and am looking forward to making it happen again, hopefully for even more participants. The sheer variety of projects is part of what makes FADD so special and interesting to see in both the development stage and at the exhibition. I’ll be working on my own project too, which this year I hope to do across more mediums than just crochet, though I still intend to use a lot of colour and a fair bit of yarn.’

We’re delighted to have Hannah as part of the FADD team!

You can see more of what she does on Instagram @andintothetrees

Join us in January 2020 and create every day!

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