Is it time to talk more about the book? Yes. I think so. Whew. Okay. As visual reference today, let me take you on a little tour of my friend Tracy's farm. Eleven acres of beauty that, in my opinion, is touched just enough, left alone just enough. I love it. It'll be the backdrop for many of the photos in my book. Tracy is a dear friend of mine and always open to an adventure. She and Juliana are two of the only people who I always look to for feedback on various design choices. Her world is so light filled and relaxed it makes me sleepy and happy.
Ahhh, yes, the book. I am so excited. The official title (provided I don't suddenly do a Tennessee scenery book as it seems I have been lately) is Seams To Me. While its a sewing project book with about 2 dozen projects, including several fold out patterns, its also about sewing. About my sewing. About how I do it. What I feel like are important things to know so that you can more quickly get to making beautiful things. And also so that you can enjoy the process and appreciate the process as a wonderful thing in itself. The overwhelming feeling that I've encountered and re-encountered over and over again as I write this book is that I want people to love sewing. I really really want you to love it as much as I do. I think sewing is such a gift.
The projects will range from accessories for you and your home to patchwork and clothing. I'm including several basic tutorials like installing a zipper and working with elastic along with an in depth look at understanding color and pattern to help you choose and combine fabrics.
I spent some time with Tracy this morning planning some of the shots and checking colors against backdrops etc. Making lots and lots of notes and figuring out the schedule of photographing several children, a donkey, a horse and a few dogs. And some other stuff too. Writing this book just has so many many layers to it. I find myself completely consumed some days working away at the technical aspects then other days I am overjoyed an giddy that I have such a rich a lustrous medium to play out my ideas about what I think is beautiful. I am learning a great deal about my own design work and what I'm capable of. My editor and Microsoft could also tell you what I'm not capable of (=I hate templates)
When I was first approached and asked to write a book it was for a completely different sewing title. It was much more manual style sewing and much less lifestyle sewing. It required a lot of research for me to write it as comprehensively as I could. I did it though. I wrote half the manuscript for it and the editors were extremely pleased. So pleased, in fact, that they decided I should do a different book. My own, Really my own. Something more personal. So I got to start over. Now doesn't that sound like so much fun?
But by the time I had worked my way through half the original title I discovered that I had clear ideas about what I wanted a sewing book to be. I didn't start out that way. I started out wondering if I would do a good job of this and feeling really humbled by the whole thing. So when they asked me to take the reins I knew just where I wanted to steer that pony.
More than anything this has been such a path, and every step of it has mattered a great deal and has helped turn this project into something that I hope to be very proud of and something that I really hope people love. I am at a place where I can imagine doing this again. I've heard that you either hate the process or you love it. I don't hate it. I'll get back to you on love, once I'm holding it in hand.
Oh and when will that be? Weeelll. Gosh things take a long time. The book will hit shelves in October of 2008. All the changes that it went through pushed the date back about 6 months. So there it is. I am sure I'll be showing and telling in the spring, and honestly about to bust (at the seams, as it were) to show you now!
So much exciting stuff ahead to share with you, so stay tuned. Thanks as always for your support, emails, encouragement and for stopping in to see me as much as you do. Sharing with you is my breathing time and a chance to reflect outwardly. Anyway, its a big big sky over all of us, and I love how small it feels here.
Talk to ya soon peeps. xoxoxAM