Hand stitched healing and encouragement books

I've started making hand made little books out of fabric and stitching, recycled fabric mostly. My original idea was to make books for sewing essentials, like a kind of little travel sewing kit. Little Scissors, needles, pins, some thread and maybe some buttons or other odds and ends.
So I made one little one for me, as a test.
Then, I made one for a dear friend, which had more pages and was a bit bigger. I dont have photo's of it, but I tried to personalise it with bits and pieces of fabric and imagery that I thought might speak to her.
I enjoyed making those very much.
Next I started making a book for my sister, and I started including text and little written messages. I imagined that she could keep it in her handback or in her draw.  I imagine that it might be comforting and that the love that goes into the stitches might somehow reach her when she holds it.
I also have various other 'pages' as works in progress for other little experiment books.

As I have been making them, I have been listening to podcasts and thinking to myself how I could perhaps turn these into 'healing books'. I could make them customised for someone, or just out of my own ideas around healing and growth.
So I could put in quotes from inspiring women. I would make them mostly for women I think.
I think that there is a great need for women to gather and form tribes and circles, supportive and healing and encouraging. returning to more ancient traditions.

It is an interesting concept because since Corona, where we have really been lucky to have online connections with people, its as if there is now less of a fear of technology and it has been more broadly welcomed than perhaps it was.

Of course there will always be the extremes, and zero technology and too much technology, but perhaps its about combining and using the good of both.
After all I can't make a healing hand made book with a computer as that would defeat the purpose, but I can take pictures of it and share the images and perhaps inspire or at least communicate something about healing art, that way.

I love the idea of beautiful hand made imperfect things to keep and hold. If anyone feels like me, then perhaps they would like this idea of holding a healing book that has been infused with love from the making of them.
I could put in quotes and maybe a little replenishable notepad and pen/pencil, maybe some little insence sticks, or even some herbs. 
My idea is to make something small and precious to keep in your bag or draw, to remind us that we are all part of a bigger circle of creative strong resourceful women.

So this is my idea. It needs a lot of work and I need to find ways of making these using, partly, my sewing machine as doing them completely by hand is not sustainable. Also,  I should make some with Italian in them..!


I'm quite enjoying these podcasts:   Jen Carrington in England, which I found today.
And since last week, I have been devouring the podcasts of Kristena West

So I was thinking of starting an ETSY shop, but from what I have researched so far, the fees are pretty astronomical, but there are other options - shopify, instagram, and some others.

So I am making and researching.

Important things to do soon:

1.    Learn how to use my sewing machine and practice something.

2.    I need another table in my studio, to lay things out and prepare things  [Leroy Merlin]
3.    Start my Kaffe Fassett Seed Packet Quilt.

4.    Prepare templates : books + quilt
5.    Carry on with Heroine's Journey Game - Barb Kobe

6.    Photograph work - try... experiment..