Three Women, Some Paper and Sheepdog Whiskey

I never imagined I would become interested in arts and crafts. Sure, I may do a mosaic or two, knit a jumper or a baby blanket, but that doesn’t make me someone who would join a crafting group. God forbid I turn into a granny who foists pastel coloured booties onto babies! That’s about as likely to happen as getting a blue rinse.

But the truth is that I do at times dabble in these dark arts. I have been known to crochet bits and pieces at times (I’m never satisfied with the product), and I have even tried painting with watercolours (even less satisfied with the product). Hypercritical and lacking in skills, I get embarrassed and easily discouraged. So, when a friend asked me to come to a ‘craft afternoon’ at her place, I was both cringing yet eager to spend an afternoon with three close female friends.

Some months ago, three of us had attended a Japanese bookbinding course together. The process is relatively simple; choose some nice paper for your cover, mark where the holes need to be, punch the holes and then sew the papers together, starting from the centre of your ‘book’. I enjoyed the course and bought some basic equipment to practice the craft. Did I make any more booklets after the course? Of course not! This craft afternoon was a chance to redeem myself.

For the first hour or so, we ate lunch and chatted. It felt as if no-one was prepared to jump in and start. Eventually, I brought out my project and each of us began to show each other what we intended to do. What struck me was the generosity of the afternoon. We admired each other’s work, offered suggestions and helped where we could. I was given some Korean paper to use for one of my booklets, we played with some fountain pens and inks, and picked up ideas from each other for projects we may like to attempt in the future. It wasn’t at all the way I imagined a craft afternoon to be with pumpkin scones and billy tea. Instead, I was introduced to Sheepdog, a peanut butter whiskey that went down a treat.

The final verdict? Don’t disparage things you haven’t tried before and a shot or three of whiskey softens the contours of your work. Best of all, it quietens that pesky inner critic.