I think I have made it pretty clear that I have a passion for crafts. I am also a reading/writing addict. I have always found a connection between the creativity required for crafting object with your hands and the creativity required for crafting a story with your mind. It is because of this connection that I cant help but to be drawn to reading books that bring these two creative worlds together. When A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick popped up on my recommended books list I just had to read it.
A Single Thread takes place in a lovable old fashioned New England town. The reader is given a pass into this tight knit community and asked to come along for the emotional ups and downs of four special women. The main character, Evelyn Dixon, finds that the cure for her heart ache may be to finally follow her dream of opening a quilt shop. Her first big event at Cobbled Court Quilting, a Breast Cancer Awareness Quilting Day, establishes a connection with three strangers, soon turned family. It is through tragedy and challenge that these women learn together to grow and conquer.
While A Single Thread is set in a quaint town, has a cast of likable characters, and a plot that will have you routing for these incredible women, it is so much more. Bostwick was able to put into words so much of what I love about crafting. She highlighted the tradition, the sense of community, and the love and care that is behind every handmade treasure. It is a great read for anyone interested in reading about how friendship, love, and community help us through the obstacles in life (not to forget the quilting aspect which makes it a great read for my crafty side). Oh and did I mention the best part? This is just the first book in a series so we have the chance to follow the characters we have grown to love through a few more books. I cant wait to get book two.
Aside from being an inspiring read A Simple Thread has renewed a dream of mine from many years ago. As a little girl I received a Furby as a birthday gift and I absolutely treasured it. I treated the adorable electric toy as if it was a real pet. Of course every pet needs a bed of its own, right? Well my nine year old self was determined to create the best bed ever for my Furby. While some of my friend's parents had purchased doll beds etc for their Furby counterparts, we were going through a bit of a rough patch and ordering a doll bed was out of the question. My grandmother had the perfect solution for our dilemma; Furby could sleep in her box and we would make her a pillow and quilt to keep her warm.
We went through the closet and found a few pieces of clothing my baby sister had outgrown. Carefully we cut the material for the pillow and my grandmother began to teach me to sew the seam by hand. We even make a ruffle to make the pillow look more like a decorative sham. Next we cut a bunch of little squares and she showed me how to join them together in a pretty quilt. We used the scraps from cutting our squares to stuff the pillow and a larger piece of a shirt to make a back for the quilt.
When we were all done with Furby's set I knew it was better than any of my friend's Furby bedrooms. I might not have had a canopy or a bed with drawers but I had something better. I was able to reuse something, and with my own two hands (and a lot of help from Grandma's) make a quilt that was all my own. Even the mistakes were special because I was able to see how far I'd come and how much I learned about sewing by hand. Sixteen years later though the reason I remember that quilt was not because of the Furby, but instead because of the time Grandma and I spent together working on it. That little Furby quilt was not very big but it was special and I dreamed of one day making a quilt of my own. One that would represent little pieces of important moments in my life and one big enough to wrap myself in. I know now that hand stitching a full sized quilt is no where near as easy as Furby's so I forgot about my dream for a long time. This book has reminded me of how special the quilting experience can be and I am once again determined to make a hand stitched quilt. It might take me a while with the holiday season (AKA crafting crazy season) so close but look forward to some quilting experimentation in the near future :)
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