Where the Writing Takes Me

One year ago today, I began this blog. I had wanted to start a blog for more than a year before, as a place where I could keep track of what I made through words and photographs. I'm not a very good documentarian and most of what I make, I make with the intention of giving it to someone else. My kids are going to be very disappointed when they look at their baby books and ask "Is this it?" Every diary or journal I've started has ended after a few pages. I did spend months of my life photographing myself as I slept, but that project has been long abandoned. I've enjoyed knowing that last October I spent a whole Saturday sewing coasters, and it's been easy for me to locate my favorite gin mojito recipe when I've misplaced the scrap of paper mine is written on at home. But, the best part of this has been experiencing where the writing has taken me.

Even though I thought this blog would be heavy on craft and cooking, all sorts of other things have crept in here. I might sit down during naptime (like right now), or at night once the little people in the house are asleep, with the intention of writing about the baby quilt I just finished after a year in the making. But then - somehow - the post becomes about the Tashlich service I went to a few days earlier, and the paper prayer I grabbed from my husband's hand and slipped into my purse before he could recycle it. I know I intended to just write another post in a world of posts about the making of a quilt, but somewhere in the process of me typing, my mind suddenly realized that the story of me making a quilt was so obviously tied to other experiences and thoughts in my life. That is the magic of writing about something. That is the magic of watercoloring over the lines of a white crayon drawing on a white sheet of paper. All those connections were always there, I just couldn't see them before.

If you've been along for any part of this journey and indulged me over the past year, then I thank you. My husband loves to tells me I'm a good writer and I usually respond by rolling my eyes, but I admit I do enjoy it. One of my favorite discoveries this year was realizing how much I like the process of hand sewing. I doubt I would have picked up this book and started stitching if I hadn't seen it and the resulting fabulous projects on many of my daily blog reads. While I was supposed to use my moleskine journal with the hand stenciled and stitched jersey cover myself, I'd rather send it out into the world for someone else to enjoy. If you are interested in this journal, leave me a comment by the end of Friday and I'll draw a name.

Looking forward to year #2.