Handmade by Emma

Crochet came from the French word “croche” meaning “hook”. In the Philippines, it is called “gantsilyo” which derived from the Spanish word for crochet “ganchillo”.

In 2015, I learned how to magically turn pieces of thread into, at first, a square. Then, I would look for small projects and patterns on the internet. After endless crocheting and frogging, it would meet the scrutinizing eyes of our school’s ever talented handcraft teacher ( I used to work as an Admin assistant at a school here in Iloilo). I had made several projects then - water bottle holder, beanies, slipper socks, cellphone holders, etc. I was unstoppable, or so I thought. Busy schedules kept me from picking up my hook and yarn, hence, they were stashed away for years in a box, helplessly collecting dust and time.

In 2021, a year and a half through masks, face shields, quarantines, and whatnots, a friend excitedly messaged about her new hobby - crocheting. I immediately dug into piles of boxes, looking for my hooks and yarn, joined some crochet groups in SNS, and re-ignited my love for crocheting. I made this candy-colored hat for my niece and posted it on my social media. Thereafter,I received some messages from friends asking me if I could crochet this and that. And that’s the start of my cottage business, Fatto a Mano, an Italian term which means “handmade”. Thus, our name Fatto a Mano by Emma means handmade by Emma.