Things we make
for them

Ever made something for those you care about? Or had something made for you? These things matter. Let's share them!

Share your creation

The collection

7 things

A mushroom costume

Sofia — for L - aged 3

Costume made for Halloween

A hide and seek cloak

V — for made for W- age 6

Made for dressing up day and to play hide and seek

A superhero costume

Tort — for O - aged 5

Made for school superhero day, which also happened to be their birthday! they were their own superhero.

A garden themed birthday cake.

Sally — for Percy - age 7

My son asked for a birthday cake when he turned 7 based on our garden…

A cardigan

V — for Made for O as a newborn.

Made whilst pregnant with my child. A super hard pattern to knit with brain fog, re-knitted several times until I got the pattern right! Knitted in the round with floral buttons and patterned yoke.

A Birthday cake

Tort — for W, aged 4

A smartie topped birthday cake for my son.

Cord dungarees & floral shirt

Sarah — for Made by my Mum for me

This was made by my Mum for me, she was always making my clothes.

About

About this project

Every day, parents and carers are making things, not for galleries or algorithms, but because they care. These acts are often overlooked, undervalued, or dismissed. We think they matter. A lot.

This is an invitation to share what you've made with or for your children, or anyone you care about. Anything that you have glued, knitted, squidged, painted, sewn or stapled or built, it all counts.

This isn't about perfection. It's not about being the "best" or doing the most. It's about the care behind the making.

In lives shaped by work, time pressure, and responsibility, creativity can feel like just another demand. But it can also be a way to connect, to play, to find fun in the day. We want to hold space for that.

This project is about making care visible, insisting it is creative, skilled, and valuable. Not secondary. Not invisible. Essential.

By building this shared archive, we're pushing back against narrow ideas of what counts as creativity, design, and work.

One day, we hope to bring these works together in an exhibition. If you want to be part of that or know a space, let's talk!

Who we are

Things We Make for Them is created by Tort Robinson, a design researcher, educator, practitioner, and parent exploring care, creativity, and sustainable design.

Privacy

We collect only what we need. We never sell data, and we don't run advertising.

What we collect

When you add something: your display name, the photo(s) you upload, and the description you write. Optionally, your email — never shown publicly, only used to contact you about your submission.

What we never do

We don't sell, share, or rent your data. No advertising. No tracking cookies. No behaviour profiling.

Your content

You keep ownership of everything you share. You can ask us to remove your contribution at any time by contacting us.

Children

Please don't include a child's surname, school name, or identifiable location. First names and ages only.

Last updated April 2026