Wise Balthazar is going on an important journey; he is following a brilliant star and looking for a baby king! Small Camel and his mother are going, too, and Small Camel is carrying a special bundle tied to his hump. What is in the bundle?
Rachel W.N. Brown (1947- )
Growing up in Lancaster County, PA, Rachel taught herself to sew at age 8. She became an accomplished seamstress, making her own wardrobe in high school, college and early career, as well as clothing for her young daughters. A move to rural central Virginia in 1972 with her pastor husband, Dennis, introduced her to the art of hand quilting through the women's group in the church. She learned to hand quilt first, and later tried her hand at piecing. Her first quilt was made of the scraps from her clothing projects. She did not want to buy fabric for the log cabin quilt; she was not conviced that she would enjoy patchwork as much as garment making. Rachel's Quilt Patch opened in 1997, in Staunton, VA, and for 13 years it has been a testament to the passion she discovered as she pieced that first quilt.
In 1998 she created at block-of-the-month wallhanging entitled "The Adoration". Each block was a character related to the nativity story. The kits included the fabric, a story about the block, its scriptural setting, as well as Advent activities for children and suggested stories. In addition, there was a recipe with each block that made a complete Christmas dinner. When the kits sold out her employees encouraged her to write a book. When she finally submitted the idea to Martingale Puplishing, it was warmly recieved. ADORATION QUILTS (2006) showcases the original wall hanging as well as 4 additional projects. Except for the recipes, much of the original written content is included in in the book as well.
When she was working on the material to include with the camel block in the Adoration wall hanging, she could not find an appropriate children's book about a camel at Christmas. She discovered in her research that in Syria, it is the smallest camel that brings the gifts to children on the Eve of Epiphany. So with that idea, she wrote a story about a small camel.
With a list of publishers who accept unsolicited manuscripts, she began the process of trying to get her story published. After each rejection--there were eight!--she would read her story again, make a few changes, get up her nerve, and send it out to another publisher. Eight rejections led her to the Albert Whitman Publishing Company and Giuliano Ferri, the artist they chose to bring small camel to life. The resulting book, SMALL CAMEL FOLLOWS THE STAR, is a delight to see and read. It was published in 2007 in time for the holiday season.
Writing is an integral part of every day. Rachel begins each moning with time spent writing three (or more) pages, long hand. It is an important part of the creative process she has learned to appreciate. A steaming cup of good coffee, is an important accompaniement, as well as just the right pen and a fabric covered college-ruled journal!!
Rachel is the mother of three grown children. She lives in Mt. Sidney, VA with her husband, Dennis. In addition, she shares her home with an aging miniature schnauzer, Jesse, and sister cats, Zoey and Sissy. Her love for writing and quilting are a creative force at the quilt shop which she runs with the help of her daughter, Kay and 7 employees and teachers. She lectures, and teaches for quilt guilds, as well as provides leadership for women's retreats.
