Included in your kit is 4 sachet bags, iron on designs and, of course, some wonderful smelling bag fillers.
To transfer the designs onto the bag, cut closely around each design. Set your iron on high heat, NO STEAM. Peel off the backing from the design and place onto the sachet bag. Cover with a scrap piece of cloth and then iron for 5 seconds or so. If you don’t use a piece of fabric between the iron and the design, it will probably smear the design.
Once all your designs are ironed on, fill your bags!
If you like your bags a little fuller or with some added weight, you can add rice along with the other filler.
Hope you’re having a happy spring and you enjoy this simple craft!
The Online Book Club, if you’ve never joined us before, is a book discussion group that takes place entirely online. Each week, I write a new blog post that talks about different aspects of the book, and you can interact directly with me and other readers by leaving your comments. Check back each week and see what new topics we’re talking about.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is the story of a housekeeper who decides that she really needs a couture dress from Paris. Specifically, she wants a Dior dress. Throughout the story, Mrs. Harris saves and schemes to get the dress, and then, finally, she’s able to travel to Paris. The story takes hilarious twists and turns, but Mrs. Harris stays true to herself and her mission regardless of her surroundings.
If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the movie version starring Leslie Manville. Check out the trailer above if you want to get a feel for the movie. Feel free to still leave comments on the blog posts, even if you’re only watching the movie and not reading the book.
We’ll read the first 5 chapters for next week, so make sure you read through that before joining us. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section.
Were you happy with the end of the book? Don’t you wish there could be a sequel? Unfortunately, I don’t think there could ever be a sequel since Mary Ann Shaffer, the co-author who came up with the idea, died before the book even came out. You can read more about her and the writing and editing process here.
Could you believe, throughout this section, that Dawsey and Juliet obviously loved each other, but neither could see or understand it? Their feelings were so obvious, didn’t you think so? I couldn’t believe that Juliet thought that Dawsey might have feelings for Remy, and I really didn’t understand how Isola could misread Dawsey’s feelings, too! Wasn’t that part funny, though, when Isola went through Dawsey’s stuff, hoping to find momentos of Remy but instead found momentos of Juliet? She was so disappointed, but I was excited!
What did you think when Mark showed up on the island? I just wanted to yell and him and tell him to go home. I was glad that Juliet just refused Mark completely. I was a little afraid she was going to be indecisive, so it was nice that she just cut ties with him completely. They would not have been a good match.
It was hard to read about Remy in this last section. She was such a pathetic character, for obvious reasons, and I was just afraid that she was going to have some sort of mental breakdown. She made great strides towards healing, but still, it was hard to read about her. Weren’t you worried for her the entire time?
I was surprised by the element of Billee Bee being a spy. And, I was surprised by the Oscar Wilde letters that Isola had. Did you think those things fit with the story? I guess the Oscar Wilde letters helped to show that Billee Bee was duplicitous, but I thought they were a little out of left field. I was really disappointed about Billee Bee. She had done so much to send things for the people, so I was sad that she wasn’t a great character in the end.
I think one of my favorite things from this section was when Juliet asked Dawsey to marry her, and he was so excited that he fell off the ladder. That was so cute, and it left me with a smile as the book ended. I think he and Juliet and Kit probably ended up having a really lovely life together. I hope they were able to have a lot of fun adventures together, and I hope they were happy. I know the people of Guernsey will continue to take care of all three of them.
So, what did you think of the book as a whole? What did I leave out? What parts were your favorite–or least favorite?
If you liked this book and want to read and watch similar titles, check out this list I created. Please make sure to let me know if you read or watch anything on the list!
If you’re curious how the book came to be a movie, check out the video below. I love that it seems a lot of work was put into making the movie as close to the book as possible!
Thanks for following along this month! I hope you’ll leave a comment to let me know how you enjoyed the book. And, I hope you’ll join us next month as we read Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.
This was a sad section, wasn’t it? There was a lot of darkness in this section–I’m hoping the final section will offer a little hope!
At the very beginning of this section, we realize that Kit’s father, Christian, drowned after he left Guernsey. It seemed like he was a genuinely nice man, so it’s unfortunate that his story had to end that way.
I forgot to mention Mark in last week’s entry! What do you think of Mark? I felt like I didn’t want Juliet to be with Mark from the beginning. Isn’t that funny how you can dislike a character right when you’re introduced to them, even if they haven’t done anything wrong? What do you think of the fact that Juliet was willing to leave Mark behind to visit Guernsey? I think she doesn’t like to be tied down to anyone. She likes to be independent and to do her own things. Do you think it was fair that Mark had reservations about Juliet heading to Guernsey?
We also learn more about the bombing that took Juliet’s apartment when Isola asks Juliet to tell more details about herself. It was so sad that the only thing that survived in Juliet’s house was her paperweight. Did you catch in the first section that if she had listened to one of her ex boyfriends and packed up all of her books, they would have survived the bombing. That made me sad. I can’t imagine losing everything like that in such a traumatic way. Everyone had to be so brave during the war.
What did you think of Elizabeth based on all of the things you’ve read about her? She seemed so good and almost larger than life. She was so brave in all situations, and she wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she believed in. She was so good that it almost seemed unbelievable. Do you think she’s a believable character? Or, do you think that they are remembering her as being braver and better than she really was? Do you think she’s just one of those rare people that lived life without fear and wasn’t afraid to do what was right, regardless of the consequences?
When we finally learn what happened to Elizabeth, it was pretty heartbreaking. I had a feeling that she wasn’t going to be alive, but the way she died was really sad. But, she died a hero, so that’s one good thing. What did you think of her death story? Was it what you expected? What did you think about the fact that we learned the story from a letter from a fellow prisoner? Hearing the story from her perspective made it all so much more real, I think.
Another really sad part of this section was the letter from John Booker explaining more about his story. I thought for sure he would be able to hide all war from the Germans, so it was really surprising and sad to learn that he was captured and sent away. It just boggles the mind to think that real people experienced the same things he experienced and were able to keep living and hoping. People are so strong and capable of doing such great things.
In the latter part of this section, Juiet heads to Guernsey, and one of the places she visits is the Little Chapel. She mentions how the whole building is covered with broken china and smashed pottery. I couldn’t imagine what that would look like, so, of course, I had to research and figure out what this building really looks like! It’s a real place, and it seems so cool! Check out this article to see some pictures and read some of the history of the building. After you read the other article, check out this article to read more about the scenery in the movie.
Are you excited to finish the book? Do you think you have an idea about what’s going to happen in the end? What loose ends are you hoping get tied up in the final letters?
Before you go, if you’d like to watch an interview with Michiel Huisman, the man who plays Dawsey in the film, check out the video clip below. It seems like the cast really enjoyed working together on this movie!
Thanks for following along this week! I hope you’ll comment to let me know your thoughts, and I hope you’re excited to finish the book for next week!
Did you enjoy the reading experience this week? I think this book is so compelling. I felt like I had a really hard time stopping reading! I wanted to read the whole book in one go. Did you all enjoy the fact that the book is told in letters? I thought that made the reading go a lot faster than a normal book.
At the beginning of the book, we meet Juliet Ashton, a journalist who wrote fluff pieces under the pseudonym, Izzy Bickerstaff. She wants to change her career and write more serious things, but she’s stuck promoting her Izzy Bickerstaff novel. It appeared that the Izzy Bickerstaff character was very important to a lot of people, and the humor in the columns really helped people during the war. If you’re curious about how the British used humor to fight the Nazis, check out this article about satirical radio broadcasts.
Soon after, we’re introduced to Dawsey, a man who lived in Guernsey during the Nazi occupation. He writes to Juliet after finding her address in a used book, and he hopes that she will be able to provide him with more books by the author. Juliet is immediately captivated by Dawsey’s story. Can you blame her? I was so curious about Dawsey and his experiences during the war. What did you think of the roast pig story? Would you have been brave enough to defy the curfew order and attend the party?
Do you think you had a favorite character in the first section? I liked all of Juliet’s letters, but I thought Dawsey was more compelling. He just has such an interesting story, and I just wanted to find out all of the details about the book club. I think I was really drawn to Dawsey’s strength and kindness. He had a really horrible war experience, but he still seemed so kind and gentle. I just really can’t believe that Dawsey and the rest of the group on Guernsey didn’t have any contact with the outside world for five years. I just can’t imagine how bleak everything was with no news of anything positive for five years. I don’t think I would have been able to keep up a positive attitude under those conditions. I also really liked Mrs. Maugery. I liked how she was so no-nonsense and careful about letting Juliet hear details about the group.
What did you think of the different letters of reference that Juliet sent to the group? I loved how wildly different Lady Bella Taunton and Reverand Simon Simpless viewed Juliet. I think I enjoyed Lady Bella Taunton’s letter more–I liked how enraged she was about everything that Juliet did. Even though both people had different opinions of Juliet, they both agreed that she was honest and someone worth talking to.
As this section progresses, readers are introduced to the rest of the members of the book club. I think Isola seems like a hoot, but everyone, really, seems like a character. Through these letters, readers realize that the group is caring for a child, and this little girl is the daughter of Elizabeth and a German soldier. Neither Elizabeth nor the soldier is on the island, but we don’t really know what happened to either. We know that Elizabeth has been arrested. Do you think there’s any hope that she will make it back home? What other details from the letters of the group stood out to you? I think John Booker was really interesting because he is Jewish, but he was able to hide and pretend to be his former employer.
Do you have any guesses about the rest of the book? Do you think you know how the story will continue?
If you’re interested in learning more about the potato peel pie that the group eats in the book, check out the video below. Does it look like a recipe that you would enjoy?
Thanks for following along with us this week! I hope you’ll leave your thoughts about the section in the comments! And, make sure to join us next week as we read through Sister Cecile Touvier’s letter on page 183.
The Online Book Club, if you’ve never joined us before, is a book discussion group that takes place entirely online. Each week, I write a new blog post that talks about different aspects of the book, and you can interact directly with me and other readers by leaving your comments. Check back each week and see what new topics we’re talking about.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is a heartwarming story, told in letters, about a book club that formed during the Nazi occupation of Guernsey during WWII. After the war, journalist, Juliet Ashton, learns of the group and decides that she needs to know more. Through the letters Juliet exchanges with the people of Guernsey, she learns about the strength they displayed during the war, and she begins to understand how books kept the islanders sane during turbulent times. This book is heart-warming and special–I hope you’ll read it along with us!
If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the television series version called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society which streams on Netflix. Don’t have an Netflix subscription? No worries! You can request one of the library’s Netflix Roku sticks to stream the show for free in your home. Request a Roku stick here. Check out the trailer above if you want to get a feel for the movie. Feel free to still leave comments on the blog posts, even if you’re only watching the movie and not reading the book.
We’ll read the first 92 pages for next week, so make sure you read through that before joining us. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section.
Glue (I used fabric glue, but I think other types would work)
INSTRUCTIONS:
I started stitching with the very bottom row (symbol = purple 3). I counted 7 stitches from the left and 7 stiches from the bottom to begin.
After you’ve stitched the entire pattern, cut the felt piece just smaller than the bookmark and glue to the back. I used tacky glue, but any fabric glue will work.
IMPORTANT:
It is very important to waste as little embroidery floss as possible. There is a fair amount of backstitching and you will need all of the floss for that. Additionally, I did not provide the brown floss for backstitching the pages. I just used the darkest purple for that.
As always, if you have questions you can email me at mcrumbacher@gcpl.lib.oh.us.
Were you satisfied with the end of the book this week? I think this is one of those books where I wished there could be a happy ending, just so that I could feel happier after reading it, but it wouldn’t be true to the story to have Cora skipping off into the sunset after all of the horrible things she experienced. I think the book ends with some hope, but it’s still up to interpretation. I can’t imagine that Cora won’t experience more hardship along her journey to freedom.
What did you think of the Indiana section? Again, it seemed like a really great place to be, but there is still some tension simmering underneath. I was glad that Cora was able to have Royal, and I was glad that she was starting to learn again, but it almost made it harder when everything fell apart again. I was glad to see Sam, but I was so tense throughout the section because I just kept imaging that Ridgeway was going to come back. I think Sam was one of my favorite characters. I liked that he did the right things, and I liked that it seemed that he did the right things without wanting anyone to congratulate him.
The station in their location doesn’t have an actual locomotive; instead, it just has a handcar. Didn’t you expect that Cora was going to have to go down and use the handcar for herself? I just knew that her conversation with Sam was going to be a foreshadowing of things to come.
In the second to last chapter, we finally figure out what happened to Mabel, Cora’s mother. Weren’t you so incredibly sad that she died in such a pathetic way? I really thought that she was free somewhere. I almost expected that Cora would run into her in one of the states. It was just such a let down that she died from a snake bite. What did you think while reading this section?
In the last part of the book, Ridgeway takes Cora to the tunnel and forces her to open up the entrance. What did you think was going to happen in the tunnel? Were you expecting Cora to do what she ended up doing? I definitely didn’t expect that she would throw herself on Ridgeway and make both she and he fall down the stairs. Ridgeway hits his head and breaks his legs, but we don’t have any confirmation that he’s going to die from his injuries. What do you think? He is obviously addled and weakened, and he doesn’t care that Cora is making her escape on the handcar. Do you think he dies of his injuries?
In the end, Cora makes her escape and makes it to a man named Ollie who is going to Missouri and then California. Do you think Ollie is a good man that will help Cora reach freedom? I really hope so. She deserves hope and peace and rest.
What were your thoughts of the whole book? Are you glad you read it? Are you interested to read other books by Colson Whitehead? If you liked this book and would like to read and watch similar titles, check out this list I made. Let me know if you check out anything on the list!
Was there anything I missed talking about throughout the book that really stuck with you? Do you find that your thinking about slavery and history has changed at all after reading the book? Let me know in the comments!
Before you go, check out the clip below in which the stars of the television series talk about the show. Let me know what stands out the most to you in the show!
Thanks for joining us this month! I hope you’ll read with us again next month. We’re reading and watching The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, so make sure to come back next month to talk about it! I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments.
How was the reading for you this week? I was confused, at first, as to why the different states Cora visited had such different reactions to enslaved people, but this article on NPR helped me understand the meaning of each state a bit better. What did you think about the fact that each state was so different?
This section starts with a chapter about Stevens, the doctor who explained the strategic sterilization process to Cora in South Carolina. I thought this section was a little confusing, but I think it was meant to show that Stevens thought he was doing a favor to enslaved people by performing medical experiments on them or stealing their bodies for science. He believed that he was giving them a chance to contribute to society, even after their deaths. Obviously, that is a horrible way of thinking, and it leads to abhorrent medical practices, but I think that line of thinking is what makes Stevens so dangerous. He isn’t outwardly horrible to the enslaved people, but he still uses and abuses them. And, he doesn’t even realize what he’s doing is wrong. That’s very scary.
Throughout most of this section, Cora is in North Carolina. North Carolina was so much scarier than South Carolina. North Carolina does not allow any Black people at all, and they have a horrible road with Black people and corroborators displayed on pikes. Did you catch that the people of North Carolina feared retribution from the enslaved people, so they outlawed slavery and Black people in general? Instead, they relied on work from immigrants. Apparently, Whitehead based a lot of the ideas for this North Carolina chapter on real laws that were in place in Oregon in the 1800s–you can check out this article to read more about the real-life inspiration for the book here. And, you can read more about the Oregon laws here.
What did you think of Martin and Ethel, the ones who agree to hide Cora? I appreciated that they were willing to hide Cora, but she had a pretty bleak existence with them. She lived like a caged animal up in that hot attic. After all of the care she put into staying quiet and out of the way, she is still betrayed by the servant girl, Fiona. Ridgeway comes to get Cora, and Martin and Ethel are killed. What did you think about the section about Ethel after the North Carolina section? I thought that part was devastating. I think she thought she was doing good, but the fact that she classified Cora as a savage and felt such a holiness in sharing the “Holy Word,” with her made me so uncomfortable. Ethel definitely paid the ultimate price for helping Cora, but I don’t think that absolves her of her viewpoints.
What did you think of the Tennessee section? I just feel like I can’t really understand Ridgeway. He hunts down enslaved people and treats them like animals, but he keeps Homer with him and treats him like a child? It feels like Ridgeway keeps his views of enslaved people in one part of his brain and hunts them down for a job but has other personal feelings for them. I don’t know–he’s hard to understand completely. What do you think? He was kind of kind to Cora at some parts, getting her a dress and actually speaking to her. But, he tracked her down like an animal. He just seemed like a dual personality in some respects.
I think I expected the Tennessee section to be really bloody and stressful, but it was surprisingly calm. I couldn’t believe that Ridgeway wasn’t taking Cora back to Georgia immediately, especially since we realize that Terrance wants her returned alive, not dead. I didn’t enjoy reading about Ridgeway killing Jasper, but, honestly, I was surprised that Ridgeway was patient with Jasper for as long as he was. At the end of the section, Ridgeway is attacked by a band of formerly enslaved people, and Cora is able to escape. What do you think is going to happen to her next? How do you think this book will end?
Have you checked out anything about the streaming series adaptation of the book? Check out the video clip below if you’d like to hear Barry Jenkins, the director, talk about his experience with the series. Let me know if you’ve watched the series, or if you’re planning on watching it!
I’m anxious to know your thoughts about the book, so I hope you’ll leave a comment! And, I hope you’ll join us again next week as we finish the book.
Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.
Did you enjoy the beginning of the book this week? The subject matter of this book is so hard to read about, but it’s so important. If you’d like to hear what Colson Whitehead says about the importance of reading about slavery, check out the video clip below. I think it’s important to remember that the horrible acts in this book aren’t recounted for shock value or to make the book more sensational. Instead, they remind readers about the reality of the enslaved and the reality of the darkness of our country’s history.
To me, one of the most fascinating parts about this book was the fact that the Underground Railroad in the book was a literal railroad. When he was younger, Whitehead mistakenly believed that the Underground Railroad was an actual train, and he drew upon the memory of that misunderstanding when beginning to write the novel. You can read more about that story in this article. Didn’t you enjoy the fact that there was an underground set of tunnels that shuttled enslaved people from state to state? I thought it was a really interesting idea, and it drew me into the story immediately.
At the beginning of the book, we hear about Ajarry, Cora’s grandmother, and we understand how she was kidnapped and brought to America. In this section, we understand that Cora carries the weight of her grandmother’s trauma, so that’s why she first tells Caesar that she cannot escape with him. But, as the story progresses, and Cora experiences more on the plantation, she agrees to leave with Caesar.
Life on the plantation was obviously horrific, and it was incredibly hard to read about the beatings and abuse the enslaved people faced on a daily basis. But, I did find it interesting how there was a hierarchy among the enslaved with women in the “Hob” being the lowest of the low. I was also surprised to read about the little bits of yard that the enslaved people fought over. I was also surprised with the way the two brothers ran the plantation at the beginning. It was surprising to me that each brother owned half and was able to run his half the way he wished. The brothers were definitely very different. Were you surprised that each brother was able to impose a different kind of rule on his part of the land? Didn’t you wish that James, the “nice” brother was the one who had lived and not Terrance?
When Cora and Caesar finally escape, Lovey joins them. I think, from the beginning, I realized that the group would not do as well with Lovey coming along. She wasn’t as prepared for the journey. Were you surprised that Cora killed the boy that tried to kidnap her? I definitely didn’t blame her for her actions, but I did think that was a surprising part of the story. I was glad that Cora and Caesar were able to make it to the station, but I knew that the killing Cora did would make people more eager to come and capture her. What did you think of the station? Was it what you imagined it would be?
Near the end of the section, we’re introduced to Ridgeway. He was so incredibly terrifying. Did you catch that the only slave he hasn’t been able to track down is Cora’s mother? That makes him even more excited to capture Cora. Didn’t you just shiver every time you read about him?
In the last part of this section, Cora and Caesar make it to South Carolina, and everything seems really great at first. It seems like the formerly enslaved people are able to live free and easy, but eventually, we realize there are forced sterilizations happening, and men are unwillingly participating in a syphilis study. I wish Cora and Caesar had escaped earlier, but couldn’t you understand why they were wanting to stick around? It did seem like a safe place on the surface. Ridgeway eventually makes it to South Carolina and burns down Sam’s house, but Cora manages to sneak away. Do you think Caesar is dead? I don’t know how he could make it out when Ridgeway was on his trail.
What do you think is going to happen to Cora? Where do you think she’s going to end up next?
I hope you’re able to keep reading the book for next week. I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments section! Make sure to read through the Tennessee section before joining us next week!
