Book Review - Ladies, First: Common Threads

I thought this weekend I would pop up a little book review for a lovely new book that has just been published by Debra Scala Giokas about First Ladies and their connections in the crafting world.

It might seem rather strange that a stitching girl from Yorkshire should be reading this book, but there is a sweet back story to it that illustrates just how the power of the internet is so wonderful in connecting people and the joy of shared knowledge on a subject that you are passionate about.

Over a decade ago, my family and I were enthralled with the HBO series ‘John Adams’ on tv. We were all fascinated by the epic life of this ‘oft forgotten’ President who was sandwiched between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. We were living in Paris at the time and I loved Abigail Adams’ observations of life in the city in her time and after delving deeper and reading about her, realised that she was absolutely a heroine in my eyes. The original trailing wife, I found in her writings, so many similarities with being an expat wife almost 200 years later. She was a remarkable women and because so many of documents and letters survive from her correspondence with her husband it is easy to get a sense of her character and thoughts and feelings. I made an ‘Abigail quilt’ which featured elements of her life incorporated in the quilt blocks and many of her most inspiring quotes around the outer border. If you are interested you can read more about it all here. In fact this is how Debra Scala Giokas found me and emailed me about my blog posting. She told me about her book and we began a correspondence.

It is amazing how much we seem to have in common and our emails bring me such joy. A shared love of something can be such a precious thing and our fledgling friendship is so much fun to be part of. Last week I received my copy of the book and I wanted to write a review because in many ways I think it is a wholly unusual publication. First of all it is for all ages and all types of crafters. It’s a real ‘dip in’ book to have on your coffee table and just open up on any page and read about a First Lady when you are having your morning latte or your afternoon tea. Light and yet packed full of interesting snippets about these women who shared this often difficult role, it is a comprehensive piece of work. There are lots of photographs and illustrations to accompany the stories about needlework, embroidery, knitting, crochet and all things textile related.

Of course, being British, my knowledge of first ladies is a bit sketchy to say the least, Abigail excepted. But I found a few familiar characters in there. Louisa Catherine Adams, wife of John Quincy had the most fascinating life and with the shared experience of being a trailing wife in Russia, she is definitely a trail blazer for me. In Debra’s book there is wonderful photograph of her harpsichord sewing box - what I wouldn’t give for a peep inside that! Edith Roosevelt, wife of Theodore, is also an interesting character. I had read the book ‘Mornings on Horseback’ by David McCullogh (author of John Adams) and it is a fantastic read about the life of Teddy Roosevelt and I remembered the quiet stoicism and calm with which Edith carried out her role, that is also reflected in this book. Eleanor Roosevelt is in there too of course and I plan to read more about one of America’s most famous first ladies now.

But I also learnt about some new characters like Ida McKinley and Frances Cleveland amongst others and had a few new favourites - I was especially enamoured to learn that Barbara Bush made a needlepoint rug that took 8 years to make, via 17 countries and 36 states and includes her grandchildren’s initials and important dates. It is a reminder of how a piece of needle work can become an heirloom within a family and connect those now gone to the every day lives of their families. If you love handicrafts and history, this is a great little book and I am so happy to have it in on my bookshelf. Needlework has been an essential skill for hundreds of years, providing practical and decorative items but it also reflects culture and history and with this charming book you can see how it evolved to become a tool for first ladies to support worthy causes as well as provide them with relaxation and a creative outlet in what must surely be, a sometimes stressful role.

It is important to remember that such a simple thing as a humble needle and thread has forged connecting threads through time and place and people and legacy. I hope my correspondence with it’s author will be long and far reaching as we swap ideas and thoughts on life and books and needlework. Congratulations Debra and I wish you every success with this book.

For further information go to Debrascalagiokas.com