I have three weaknesses. You’ve already figured out the embroidery one – I’m a bit obsessed with needle & thread. But you might not know about the other two, which are closely connected. One is old books and the other is children’s books.

Imagine all three of those woven together into one book – a book I grew up with.

And that’s where this book fits in. How a Shirt Grew in the Field is a children’s book that, in storybook fashion, takes the child (and adult!) through the whole process of how linen was made by the Russian peasant back in the days before industrial farming and textile machinery. In the late ’60’s, Marguerita Rudolph adapted the original Russian tale by Konstantin Ushinsky (the original story is over 140 years old), and Yaroslava, a Ukrainian folk artist and illustrator, drew the illustrations. The book has since been republished (in the ’90’s) and re-illustrated by Erica Weihs. Both editions are out of print but available through used book sources or libraries.