When I was little and played with dolls, I always crafted something for them. From cardboard and thread spools, I crafted clothes and kitchen furniture for them. Recently, I’ve been reflecting on where this pull toward handcrafts comes from. My mother, I’ve concluded, served as my example. A skirt she sewed for me comes to mind, along with a knitted suit… In the late 1970s, my mother had an internship in Algeria. From there she brought back German sewing magazines and French knitting magazines. This was even before I was born.