The Comfort of Things | An organised wardrobe

My teenage stepson lives with us part time – a set-up I enjoy very much, but with one reservation. He is the master of the ‘floor drop’, ie, the notion of hanging clothes up is totally alien to him, so they lie heaped on the floor mouldering away. I am loathe to tiptoe into his room when he’s out, pick up his jeans and T-shirts and put them away in his wardrobe for him, but I can’t bear to see them lying there. What to do?

Answer in brief: make hanging up clothes cool
The ways of the teenage boy are indeed mysterious. Whereas you take pleasure in rows of neatly hung jeans, to him that idea is beyond consideration. Clothes are to be worn, then discarded until they need washing (preferably by someone else). But it’s good to encourage him to take responsibility. Try propping a vintage wooden ladder by his bedside (or buying a ready-made version, left) to drape his clothes on. It will take less effort than opening a wardrobe and finding a hanger, and may just persuade him to do it.

Turn to page 114 of October's The Simple Things for more on organised wardrobes.

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The Comfort of Things | Handmade home

My eldest son has started pottery classes at school, which he enjoys and which is to be applauded, etc. However, I now have a shelf laden with misshapen bowls, approximately rendered plates and several lumpy things beyond description. I would rather replace these with lovely handmade ceramics made by proper craftspeople but I don’t want to upset him. How should I go about it?

Answer in brief: select a single piece to display, then chuck the rest. Although the artistic soul is a sensitive thing and needs to be tended to carefully, you don’t want to give your son a false sense of his own genius if it’s not deserved. Does he, actually, show any real promise? If so, select one of his better pieces and display it prominently: on a side table, say, with an anglepoise directed at it in the manner of a gallery. Then sweep the rest into a box and put under a bed. He will be so thrilled with the attention given to one of his works, he won’t notice. If he doesn’t show any real promise, just chuck the lot out. It’s a tough world out there and he’d better get used to it.

Turn to page 114 of September's The Simple Things for more on how to make a handmade home.

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Christmas gifts: Homemade tea bags

Gather together friends for a ‘crafternoon’ of festive food while you create bespoke handmade gifts

A truly personalised gift, you can make these rustic bags with your friend’s name on and their favourite tea.

Handmade tea bags

Makes 18–24 tea bags – six per gift

unbleached cheesecloth
fabric for the label, string, twine, linen ribbon, silver ribbon
a needle and thread
loose leaf tea
small brown Kraft bags seasonal foliage
black ink stamp
alphabet stamps

1 Cut the cheesecloth into 13 x 13cm squares.
2 Cut the string (that attaches the tea bag to the tag) into 15cm lengths.
3 Cut your fabric into a long 2.5cm strip and then cut that into 6cm pieces.
4 Fold down one short end of a fabric piece with the right side of the fabric facing away from you, then place one end of the string in the centre and sew into place.
5 Fold the fabric in half so the ends meet, and sew the sides together. Repeat until your required amount of tags are done.
6 Place around 2 tbsp of tea into the centre of the cheesecloth square. Gather the corners to make a pouch.
7 Tie the string from your tag to the pouch very securely, sealing the tea within.
8 Trim the excess cheesecloth and any excess string. Repeat.
9 Add 6 tea bags to each brown bag. Fold down the top twice, make a hole centrally with a hole punch and thread through and wrap around string, twine or ribbon. Add some seasonal foliage.
10 To create the name tag, cut a strip of wide linen ribbon, use a hole punch to create a hole at the top end, and use an ink pad and stamp kit to stamp the name. Attach to your bag with the ribbon.

Turn to page 30 of December's The Simple Things for three more makes - Stollen muffins, Peppermint creams, and Lemon, olive oil & rosemary body scrub - plus a menu fit for a crafternoon, including Chicken & bacon pie, and Eggnog with cognac.

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From the December issue

Christmas posts

Homemade gifts

December's The Simple Things is full of festive makes and bakes, wreaths of hawthorn and bay, and twinkly lights a-plenty. Buy, download or subscribe now.

A day in the life of a jeweller

Alison Macleod is a jeweller based in Glasgow, who makes delicate jewellery based on the treasures she finds in junk shops and flea markets. 

Watch a day in Alison’s life as she works on a jewelled ring.

A Day in the Life from Eileen Dunn on Vimeo.