An Interview with 3 Generations of Wonderful Women
To celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday 27th March, I sat down with MakeBox’s Creative Director Hannah, her lovely 2 year old daughter Posey and her mum Stephanie to chat about all things motherhood, female empowerment and childhood memories. There really is something special about having 3 generations of women all in the same room and at different stages in life and I couldn’t wait to ask them lots of questions! So let’s get into it.
Firstly, I’d love to start with you Stephanie and ask what you love about being both a mother and a grandmother? It must be such a joy!
S - Of course, I adore being a mother to Hannah and grandmother to Posey. Posey reminds me so much of Hannah and I almost feel that I am living an earlier life again. I absolutely cherish my grandchildren and love talking to them and offering them love and guidance. It is so fulfilling and quite a privilege to be able to offer hard won wisdom. In a small way grandparents can help to shape the future through their grandchildren.
That is so lovely, I bet your grandchildren appreciate you so much. Hannah, are there any memories that stand out for you about time spent with your mum?
H - We’ve always loved shopping together! From quite a young child we used to have our mother and daughter shopping days, catching the bus up to Regent street and taking a look around Liberty and John Lewis (Having an ice cream sundae in their food hall). Then if we had enough energy, we would go on to Selfridges. We never really bought loads (humm humm), it was just all about seeing what was out there.
And do you have anything particular you cherish and love doing with Posey?
H- I think I just like being out in the world with her, any time is precious especially when they are young.
Posey, I know you go to nursery now, what is your favourite thing to do there?
P - Smiling!
That’s lovely Posey! Stephanie, do you think there is anything that your mother taught you that you wanted to pass down to Hannah and Posey?
S - My mother taught me many skills that I have tried to pass on to Hannah and Posey. When I was a child, we did not have a television, the evenings were spent reading, playing board games or doing embroidery. Hannah enjoys these activities and her embroidery skills are exceptional! Hannah always loved sewing and she had her first sewing machine aged 4. The first thing she made was a ladybird with spots! As my mother taught me many embroidery techniques and stitches, I then taught them to Hannah. She far exceeds my embroidery now as you can see through Makebox!
Wow, so you definitely gave Hannah those starting blocks to be the creative she is today then! Hannah, what has your mother taught you that you would want to pass down to Posey?
H- Kindness, confidence, humility, how to be a darn good baker and names of all the flowers!
S - Yes, Hannah and Posey have a love of flowers and growing things! My mother taught us from an early age how to plant and look after seedlings as they grew. We had a large vegetable patch and were really self-sufficient. We hated weeding but loved growing quite a variety of vegetables. My mother also knew the names of all the wildflowers. Nothing pleased her more than a bunch of wildflowers picked from the common land near our house. Also, like me, Hannah has a love of dance, music and performance. Posey adores listening to music and dancing with great energy and enjoyment. One of life’s joys! I always loved singing and was the lead chorister in our church choir. I loved being in our school plays and at college I sang in a band called Deja Vu. We had quite a following in London Colleges! Passing these skills to Hannah and Posey has been one of life’s joys.
That is so cool!! Do you see a lot of yourself in Hannah and Posey?
S- I can definitely see a lot of myself in them. As a mother and grandmother, I wanted my children and grandchildren to be kind above all else, and to be able to understand and respect someone else’s point of view. Hannah is a strong woman and she values her tight knit group of friends from school. I wanted her to be loving, consistent and fun loving. Able to enjoy life while being encouraging and supporting her children and husband. As a teacher myself, I hoped that Hannah would be inspirational, which she certainly is. I wanted her to follow her dreams and enjoy life to the fullest. I can see so much of myself in my beautiful daughter.
That is really beautiful. Hannah, do you see a lot of yourself in Posey?
H - Yes, she is literally a mini me in looks and personality. Vivacious and extremely gentle at the same time and very cuddly.
Posey, do you love spending time with your mummy?
P - Yeah
What is the best thing about your mummy?
P - Tickling
Amazing, great answer Posey! Hannah, as well as being great at tickling, what do you think makes you a strong woman?
H - I have been through a lot as a person. But being through dark times, the light is always the strength your family and friends bring you.
I am sure a lot of people will resonate with that sentiment for sure. What positive adjectives would you use to describe yourself?
H - Kind, creative, strong and resilient.
Stephanie, we all know that Hannah is incredibly creative, and you mentioned she started sewing and embroidering when she was very young. Did you always know she would become who she is today?
S - Hannah always had a strong creative side to her personality. She was a good all rounder at school, but always preferred making and baking. She saw things differently which added a certain quirkiness to her schoolwork. When she was at Nursery she was asked to draw a map of her way home; the other children drew the streets and buildings they passed but Hannah drew the trees that she passed on the way to school. She often reminded me of myself and my mother, always sewing and making things. Her leaning towards the arts took her firstly to the Camberwell school of Arts and then to St Martin’s. Her course took her into design for theatre and television. A stint on Blue Peter - films with Daniel Craig, The Bank Job. When she met Brendan, I knew that they would become a power couple. As students they sold clothes they made through Top Shop! They became endlessly resourceful. It made complete sense that they would start their own business combining Hannah’s creativity with Brendan’s business acumen. Makebox was born. I am a very proud mother indeed!
You should be proud, thank you for sharing these wonderful memories.
Happy Mother’s Day to you both and thank you Posey for being so lovely!
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