January 12, 2012

Kristin St. Clair's Fantastic Book Creation

Kristin St. Clair, who works in our TV Crafts Department, made my granddaughter, baby Jude, a very, very special Christmas present.  Perhaps you saw the episode of my television show about the fabulous arctic tapestry that I made along with my talented TV crafters for Jude.  Kristin was inspired by that amazing scene and set out to design and create a large-sized fabric 'picture book' made from cashmere fabric, felt, felting, and silhouetted felt animals.  Each scene in this book is fascinating and extraordinary in its details.  Here is what Kristin had to say about this undertaking:

This book was a year in the making, so there was a lot of time, research, inspiration, and backbreaking work that went into this project.  Even though I am a crafter for Martha, I admit that I am a novice sewer and this was my first big machine and hand-sewing project.  I learned many, many things while making this book—it educated me, gave me skill experience, and focused me to finally finish a large project.  I haven’t spent this much time on one thing since art school and it consumed me, excited me, and then relieved me when it was done.  It also gave me a great sense of accomplishment.  In crafting, there is usually a lot of waste—leftover useless materials and projects that fall apart, or break, or wind up in the trash.  This craft, I am proud to say, is lasting and something Jude can have forever.  What else can you give Martha Stewart that she doesn’t already have or can’t get herself?  It makes me smile to think that with this gift, Martha can create endless stories for Jude while turning the pages of my book.

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