Nostalgia, Self-Care, and a Reindeer Named Randy

Lately, I’ve been noticing a shift -not just in my customers, but in myself.

When I first started Fat Lady Crochet, I designed with a very specific person in mind: the gift maker. The aunt crocheting for a niece. The grandma making a softie for her grandchild. The friend stitching something special for a baby shower. For years, my patterns were made with the assumption that the finished product was going to be given away with love.

And that hasn’t gone away. Handmade gifts are still beautiful and powerful. But something new is happening. More and more, I’m hearing from people who are making my patterns for themselves. And not just anything, they’re choosing the characters & creatures  that remind them of their own childhoods.

There’s something deeply tender about that.

I think we (and by we, I mean women my age and stage) are beginning to allow ourselves to revisit the things we loved to hold them close. There’s a kind of healing in it. Like we’re re-parenting ourselves, one project at a time. Giving ourselves the comfort and joy we maybe didn’t get enough of the first time around.

Honestly? I love it. I love seeing women proudly making Rainbow Brite or Strawberry Shortcake or weird little Halloween monsters for themselves. I love how these projects aren’t just about yarn, they’re about permission. Permission to play. To remember. To claim space.

And maybe that’s why I’ve decided to finally design Randy Reindeer. I'll bet there aren't a lot of you that don't even know who that is!

He’s a plush I wanted so badly when I was little. Years later, my daughter found one secondhand and surprised me with it, and I was absolutely giddy. That little toy made my inner child feel seen in a way I didn’t expect.

So Randy's going onto my "to-do" list!

Maybe this is what awakening looks like. Or reawakening. Or maybe it’s just healing disguised as crochet. Whatever it is, I’m here for it. And if you’re here too, just know I see you. We deserve softness. We deserve joy. We deserve Randy Reindeer.

Stay nostalgic,
Trish 🧶💜