Homegrown Linen: transforming flaxseed into fibre - KICKSTARTER

So what's the next stretch goal? We still have two days!

It's so exciting that the linen bedclothes have started dancing!



(From Bednobs and Broomsticks, one of my favorite movies as a child)

Today has been a crazy sort of a day.  I had to go into 'the city' to run some errands and when I got home and turned on the computer I let out a yell of surprise.  Wow!  

A HUGE thank you to PAUL the incredible for helping get the word out there.

And a lovely thank you to everyone who's worked so hard on this.

When I started, it was just me and a typewriter.  Now it's a huge team of people helping to make this happen.  Everyone who has pledged.  Everyone who has helped get the word out there.  I don't have the words for how in awe I am about this response.


Even my favourite librarian deserves some credit for making this happen.  Whenever I want to learn something new, I log onto my library account and put a hold on any book that comes up with those keywords.  When I go to the local library branch, I may have to make two or three trips to the car there are so many books waiting for me.  They all know me by name but there is one in particular who always asks me what I'm up to.  I must have spent a good hour talking to her today.  We talked about how gorgeous Tracy's drawings are and how lucky I am to work with her.  She adored the video (even the parts with me in it).  

We talked about libraries.  I talked about how much I appreciate having a library filled with books I can borrow.  How much I've learned from the library and it only costs me about two dollars a year in late fees (and how in a few days I can donate food to the food bank to cover my existing fees that I was going to pay as soon as the kickstarter money comes in - I owe them almost a dollar!  I hate owing money!).  We also talked about local bookshops.  She wanted to know if I was producing an ebook and I said, "not yet".  My idea is the first flush of sales could go to local shops.  That way customers don't have to pay shipping and local shops get more customers.  I'm even delaying putting it on amazon while I fulfil all the Kickstarter orders.  Local libraries and shops are really important to me because they are run by people.  I probably wouldn't buy so much yarn related goodies if it wasn't for Ryan's joyful greeting each time I go to my LYS (Local Yarn Store) and I definitely wouldn't spend so much time at the library if it wasn't for the enthusiastic greeting by the library with the long silver hair.  

Hurray!  Achievement unlocked!

Hey Raven, you need a happy announcement on the Kickstarter page.  You also need another stretch goal!

Hmmmmmmmm, what should it be??

I was so excited to see this kickstarter!  A few years ago I saw someone at a fair breaking down the fiber in flax to make linen and I love that someone was still doing this.  I want to learn more and doing fiberwork. Would really like to do other fibers like cotton, hemp,  wool.. So glad to see there are others just as excited!

Congratulations  Raven and Tracy!!!

Overjoyed for you and for all of us who are going to benefit by this wonderful book...

(and I'm already looking forward to the next in the series)

$18,391 with 27 hours to go! Can she hit $20,000?

We're just so amazed and grateful and happy! What a fun ride this is. 23 hours to go, and the numbers are still rising.

Heaps of thanks to all of our backers, supporters, cheerleaders, and enthusiasts!

Cheers
Tracy

Last day! Only 11 hours left!

I see where people say the stretch goal was met but when I just checked it the total was only 14,416 ??

Lyda Eagle wrote:I see where people say the stretch goal was met but when I just checked it the total was only 14,416 ??

Ah, you must be in the United States. $14,416 US is $18,770 Canadian.

Only 2 hours to go! $19,262!!!

Link to the kickstarter

And we clock out at $19,591!!!

Hey, it's a palindrome!

Whew! What kick that was! Thanks for cheering us along the way, gang.

Now I've got more work to do. I'm working on the book layout, as well as the other documents that Raven will be giving as rewards. Still a few more drawings to do to make sure all of Raven't text is illustrated and understood by her readers. That's an illustrator's job.

Better get back to work!

Cheers
Tracy

Congrats! Really awesome job! I'm really looking forward to getting a copy of the book

I love that you guys raised almost twice as much as you set up to do! Woot! Woot!!!

Thank you everyone for making this possible!

Busy days ahead

A thread for questions about the Kickstarter rewards
https://permies.com/wiki/94278/Homegrown-Linen-Kickstarter-Support-Thread

I was just reading an article that said Okra stalks can be used to make fiber. Has anyone ever tried this, if so what if the fiber like?   I need to find some okra stalks. :-)

Lookie what I found: an interview with our very own Raven in Farm Show Magazine!!!

Did you know her first batch of flax was grown from seed bought at the supermarket and grown in a gallon pot? And that a 3x3 foot garden grows enough flax to make a linen towel? SO COOL!!!                  

This is how I feel right now....



I was Raven's test subject to work out any kinks in shipping, and my book has arrived!!!

The book is so lovely, the pages so thick and high quality. The ink so shiny. The picture so high resolution. It's just AMAZING. I gushed even more, here, with lots of pictures. But, I just had to share a few of them here, too!

It's so awesome to see Joseph's name in print--I love how the little sidebars like this one pop up when one reads through the book!



Look at Tracy's lovely images on the Thank You page. And, look! My name's even there! And I recognize some of yours, too! (Sorry the picture is blurry, my hand is so unsteady!)



This book was so worth the wait and the money. I'm so glad I could support our wonderful Raven with this kickstarter, and can't wait for her next book (no pressure, though, Raven!)

Yay! Look what the postman brought!  If it’s made it all the way to my soggy corner of this very soggy little island (England) I’m sure everyone has theirs already.

I can’t wait to start reading but unfortunately I have to feed my children first.

I always enjoy opening the little door on my po box and seeing a package inside and I think to myself "when did I buy something?" Upon closer inspection I noticed it was from Canada. Awesome!

The book is beautiful. Thank you, Raven and Tracy! Well done!

My book arrived today! I just flipped through it, and got sucked in to reading a bit here and there along the way!
I will read the book from the beginning, not from the middle outwards.
I will read the book from the beginning, not from the middle outwards.
I will read the book from the beginning, not from the middle outwards.
I will read the book from the b...

YAY! I just got a beautiful book!!
EXCELLENT work Raven and Tracy!! My compliments!!
See my review of it in the books section here Homegrown Linen book review

A local woman recently came and helped thin out my thimbleberry patch, and in the process we created a patch of bare soil. I thought, "Oh look! A new garden bed! What shall I plant" and then I thought "Oh no, I still haven't planted my flax seeds from Raven! Maybe I can plant them in that new garden bed...When was I supposed to plant them by--am I too late??" So I hurriedly found my Homegrown Linen book and found out that Easter weekend or the week after is a good time to plant. And, guess what! Easter weekend just ended! Time to get those seeds in the ground!

My little flax/linen garden bed! It's pretty small, but it's something. It's seeded with flaxseeds from Raven's kickstarter! I'm hoping I learn a lot this year, and so I can scale up next year!

Is that little bitty flax that I spy? I hope so!

(The fence is over it to keep my ducks from eating all the seeds...something I realized the day after I planted it. Hopefully they didn't eat too much of it in that time!)

Now that the kickstarter is over and the rewards sent out, I'm locking this thread.  

Thank you, everyone, for your support and enthusiasm for this project.  We could not have done it without you.

If you enjoyed Homegrown Linen, please share your review here: https://permies.com/t/homegrown-linen
If you need any help with the Kickstarter rewards (and there are still 19 of you who haven't told me where to send your stuff yet), please post to the Homegrown Linen Kickstarter Support Thread: https://permies.com/wiki/94278/Homegrown-Linen-Kickstarter-Support-Thread