the book quilt

If writing my book was all crocheted up into the squares of the book blanket, then these few weeks before the release time is definitely stitched into the book quilt.

Each email received and sent, each room tidied and cobweb brushed away, each photo taken, each interview question answered, each time and date diarised, each little piece of nervousness and over-emotion, each big piece of excitment buliding, each ohmygoodness ohmygoodness I wrote a book!

Each time I cut out a bunting flag to advertise the book, I also cut out a tiny 9mm by 9mm square of the same fabric.

As I sewed and pressed the flags, I sewed the little squares into long strips.

And as I stamped the bunting, I took breaks and sewed the strips into a quilt.

There was never any plan beyond the current stage. There still isn't.

Sometime over the next little while when I am meant to be doing something else, hopefully I'll sort through my stuff and find an old blanket. Then I'll pin the little sqaures to the blanket and to a bigger piece of fabric. And then sometime after that I'll stitch it all together. Together.

It's not all that big so I don't know what will become of it or where it will go.

But I do know that this time just before the release has surprised me with its mixture of jumbled up emotions. It feels big and sometimes overwhelming to see my name printed in red on the cover and the photos that I took and words that I wrote inside. It feels like an acomplishment and through the nerves I am also really proud.

I also feel really lucky to be a crafter. For the therapy of the cut and the stitch and for this quilt that holds the stories of this time. It's such a blessing really.

Happy weekend my friends.
I do hope yours is wonderful.

xx

The ends

It's getting so close to the end.

The book blanket and the book are almost finished. Almost.

All those long straggly bits are slowly being darned in, one by one, and then snipped off. What began as an idea is slowly becoming something you can hold in your hands. Something you can sit on the couch and enjoy.

Over the past few days I've seen the first pages (OMG!!), written my dedication, my acknowledgments, an extra para for the food section and a couple of tiny changes that have been rattling around in the back of my head for a while. I've sewn some little bits and pieces and I've taken a couple of last minute photos.

Tying up all the loose ends is hard for a disorganised person like me. Part of me wants to get on with next thing, to start something new. But for once I've worked to a list and I think I've remembered everything.

The book has gone now. One more look through from the editor, then to the type setter and then off to the printer. I wont see it again til August. August!! Oh my gosh.

And the book blanket still needs a few ends darned in and then it's done too. I still haven't decided whether or nor I'll crochet it a border. I think we'll live with it for a while and then decide.

And the next project? A cardigan made from one of the above. Miss Jazzy gets to decide which, although I'm pretty sure I know which one she'll choose already.

We're heading off on a 24 hour plane trip on Saturday, so I'm hoping to get a big chunk knitted up pretty soon. That is if the peeps at the airport let me take my needles on the plane. Fingers crossed.

So that's me. How about you?
Are you any good at tying up loose ends? At darning in the dangley bits?
At writing THE END before moving on to the next big thing?

Be good peeps.
Lotsa love xx

The book blanket - The last few squares

Somehow we've found ourselves in the middle of February and all those book deadlines that I've tried to put out of my mind for so long are upon us. 

Last Tuesday my publisher and designer came here for a visit. 

I'd been so nervous about their visit since we made the arrangement all those months ago. I was scared they'd expect me to be a photographer instead of the photo taker I am. I was nervous I wouldn't be able to shoot on demand and I guess I feel so inexperienced in this book making thing that I was terrified they'd see it for themselves and wonder. 

But after scrubbing the kitchen from top to bottom, vacuuming, a tantrum and a sleepless night, they arrived and we spent a really lovely day together. We talked nitty-gritty book stuff and made plans for my last month on the job. We set up and took photos, we made plans for more photos, we looked at things from different angles and we talked about shops and launches and promotions. And in between we spoke about Girls, and travel, and food and life and children and pets. 

For a week before they came I'd been wishing for it to be Tuesday night 6pm and for that day to be over already. But once it was over I realised that I'd actually had a really gorgeous day and that if they had thought me inexperienced, they hadn't shown it. And truth be told, I really hope they come back and visit me again sometime before this whole thing is done and dusted.

Isn't it funny how we work ourselves up into unnecessary frenzy sometimes. Well I do anyway.

So now I have a list of photos to take and bits of design to look at as they are sent through. 

We're nearing the end, I can feel it. I saw a first mock up of the front cover this morning with my name on it and everything. Oh my goodness!!

And the book blanket too is coming to an end I think. The last couple of squares to hook up, lots of ends to sew in and then a border to consider.

What a crazy, exciting, terrifying, humbling, nerve-wracking, awesome adventure. Sometimes I still can't quite believe it's really happening. A book!!

So what have you been up to?

Is it hot and dry where you are, or snowy and freezing?

Are you making anything crafty or foodie?

Are you reading a good book?

Big love you guys. 

xx

Two days

Hooray for the weekend!!

I'm so excited. It's no secret that I had a bit of a crappy few days at the end of last week. I really did. Overemotional, sad, lost, empty...

This weekend feels a bit like a reward for getting through it. My light at the end of the back-to-school tunnel.

And I have big plans for this weekend.

I plan to clock up some hours on the crochet hook. My book deadline is in sight and that means so is the end of the book blanket. I bought a knitting magazine today, I think I'm getting ready to sew in the ends and move on.

I plan to watch these guys and their millions of green buddies and hope that the past few freeeeeeezing cold days have panicked them into thinking it's almost autumn and that they had better ripen their seeds quickly.

I plan to do a spot of treasure hunting. My farmer boy is threatening to send me to garage sale rehab, but  I think that a little bit of thrifting here and there keeps me sane.

 I plan to make pesto. And eat pesto. On everything. Mmmmmm summer.

I plan to enjoy the fruits of my past few days of baking frenzy. Farmer Bren called it nesting the other day, but the sad thing is that it was really empty nesting. They went to school and I baked. Sob!

I plan to admire these gorgeous avos we got in the mail from here. They're so fresh that they're not even ripe yet, but they sure are gorgeous.

And lastly, but firstly, I plan to spend so much time with my girlies. We've got two whole days with them and I don't plan to let them out of my sight.

There you go, that's my weekend all planned out.
I hope it goes oh so slowly.
I really need it to.

So how are you?
What have you got planned for your end of week days?
Are you making or baking or growing or sewing?

Later lovelies.
Lotsa love.
xx

the old bottom shed

Slowly but surely my book grows.

The number of words written, projects made and photos taken grows. The pile of washing on the laundry floor grows. The number of times we have eaten pasta and toasted sandwiches since I started grows. The amount of cobwebs around the place grows. The number of times my farmer boy has calmed me down and reassured me grows. The amount of times I've locked myself in the office while he's played happy homemaker grows. The number of times we've all squealed with excitement about the prospect of our family being in a book grows.

And on the side, the book blanket grows. Square by square, by square by square.

36 in and I love this project as much as the day I started. She's portable, she's interesting, she's colourful, she's a great stash buster, she's my reward for good book behaviour, she's snuggly, she's been claimed by my biggest farmer girl and one day she'll be a reminder of this book writing time of mine.

She's also super photogenic don't you think?

And funnily I've had no urge to cheat on her; no ravelry pattern searches, no wool shop trips, no dreams of cardigans or beanies.

The book and the book blanket and me are in this together. Til deadline or bust.


Is there a special project in your life?
A project that is making you happy?
Do share.

Wishing you a rad week, yo.

xx

First draft

The book blanket grows. These 25 squares are my first draft squares. Somehow, someway, I found enough words and ordered them into enough sentences and paragraphs to finish the first draft of my book.

If I were a novelist I would have written a big fat capital lettered THE END after I typed the last word, but because I am not a novelist, and because the last chapter I wrote was the middle one and not the end one, I didn't.

And even though I am only half way through this book making process. Even though I have lots of edits, some research, lots and lots of making and HEAPS of photo taking ahead of me, I have finished the first draft of my book.

And at the risk of sounding a bit show-offey (I'm sorry) I'm a little bit thrilled. Partly thrilled that this bit is over, partly thrilled that I was actually capable of it and partly because it means the days spent alone tapping away on my computer are numbered.

The first draft bit of my blanket is now big enough to be folded up, used as a lap blanket and hung from a tree. The words of the first draft of my book have been sent in a word document to my editor.

I am both excited and terrified for what the next 25 squares of book making will hold.

Big love and thanks so much for your kindness.

xx

Sweet and juicy

It's a funny time of year, slow and dreamy but also alert and listening.

I love how the brand new 2013 seems to lie in front of us filled with promise and adventure.

I've had a draft of a blog post open for four days now but I still can't seem to decide on the most important details. Resolutions? A word for the year? Words to live by? Do I need them? Should I make them? Will I use them?

Farmer Bren is up and at 'em super early each morning. He's changed taps, fed and watered animals and checked fire hoses and sprinklers and generators before I've even opened my eyes.

It's hot and dry but very still today. On the radio they're calling today the baking day. Tomorrow will be hot and windy. High fire danger. My farmer boy has the fire wireless strapped to his waist constantly chirping in his ear. We have a plan, a few plans and we are mostly fire-ready but when you live in the middle of a forest, are you ever really fire-ready?

In the mornings we drink coffee and then we collect the eggs. We wear long pants, white business shirts and wide brimmed straw hats. We are cool and protected from the sun but I know we look silly. Cool but not so cool.

The girls are slow and lazy. Sometimes they help us with the farm jobs but mostly they play quiet games together, they lie under the trampoline, they write words and numbers in little notebooks and they eat lots of ice-blocks and juicy fruit.

We still have no Internet. I'm uploading this blog with wifi from my phone. It's crazy frustrating and upsetting.

And the book blanket grows.

And in amongst it I try and write lots of book words. It's coming together slowly. Soon we'll finish with the text and start on the images. It's a book about caravanning and family and adventure and vintage vans and craft and food. I am so grateful for your kind words of encouragement, they are keeping me here at my desk writing and editing and imagining and remembering. I really hope you like what I'm doing.


I wonder how you are spending these first few days of the brand new year.
Are you slow and steady or are you straight back into things?
Have you made resolutions and plans?
Will you stick to them?

From our family to yours - we wish you a happy new year.
May your 2013 be super sweet and juicy!!

I have a great feeling.

Lots of love xx