Finito!

It’s done!  A week after my deadline I finally finished my Mom book so it has to be blipped with probably too many words so I can shut up about it and get on with Christmas.    Sewed (this turned out a bit boring and took longer than I anticipated)  the “final” page last night while watching “The Irishman” which was good since I didn’t have to look at the tv which took us 3 sessions to watch. What a era that was!  BUT the book  was an uneven number of pages so the last page didn’t fold the right way!..didn’t pick up on that..…SO I had to make one more page today (with the Swedish horse and figures…ran out of the slide carousel cardboard covers I used up for the pages so had to use another piece of cardboard) )   It’s hard to get a sense of any book that you need to have in your hands  but I’ve added one extra with a bunch of different views if you are interested.   Taken with the phone near a window while it’s still light enough…will document it properly sometime.   It can be read as a regular book, turning a page at a time, or it will sit vertically, a bit precariously…,on Thursday Fiona stretched it out on the floor..it was 2 1/2 times as long as her (she measured by laying down next to it..and there were still 10 (well, 11) pages to sew!   Fiona, at 9,  also wondered if her daughter might make one of these about her!!  (Probably not but who knows…) You can maybe appreciate how eclectic it is with different papers, blueprints, and linens…I didn’t want anything slick like Blurb (which could have taken a fraction of the time) but handmade as Mom might have stitched.  A bit funky.  I have been thinking about putting something together like this for years but had no idea how to organize it…hence I chose her “stuff” and just began…made a page at a time .  The backs are all different materials but could be used to add more photos or memories later if I feel compelled, or forgot something special.  Of course there is more “stuff” but these are the things I love and it’s plenty long.  There are a lot of Christmas Eve table pictures as that was such a huge tradition of hers using many of the things I have now…and this is an appropriate time to look at them.     All in all, I’m pleased with it, pleased that it’s DONE, but it needs a custom box to live in…covered with some linens…after the new year.   One friend asked who I was making this for.   “Me” was my answer -I loved thinking about Mom like this….but it will also be a record of the origin of a few things.   Another friend said now I can get rid of the stuff since I have photos of it!     

Now you will be spared any more of this project…onward to the holiday card, calendar, etc etc. etc.