Quilt on Fire: The Messy Magic of Friends, Sex & Love

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I’d always assumed menopause was about hot flashes and rage but, for me, these were not the most extreme symptoms. I had the terrifying feeling I’d lost my mind completely. I didn’t know what was happening, I felt I was having a catastrophic breakdown. Not only could I not remember details, I couldn’t remember who I was. It felt like I’d left my body and skin and gone somewhere else. I absolutely did not believe for a second that this could be anything to do with hormones. But as soon as I started HRT, I felt so much better. It worked within 24 hours – I was amazed. I adore Christie Watson. Quilt on Fire is full of her trademark candour, compassion and humour Elizabeth Day A superb chronicle of midlife and the chaos of the perimenopause. Candid, humorous, insightful, deeply empathetic, inspiring and utterly necessary i Paper

I first heard about Christie Watson from a nurse friend, who pressed me to read her books; somehow I never got round to it and life moved on. When I heard about this one, about midlife (the very stage I’m at!) and peri menopause, I treated myself. Although slightly older than the author, I was pretty sure that there would be stuff I could relate to.My guest today is Trixi Symonds, an author and softie designer who has been teaching sewing to children for over 30 years. She is the founder of Sew Your Own Softie on Etsy Australia, and the Global Kids Sewing Party every year in March to inspire adults around the world to sew with kids in their lives. I wish I'd had such a laugh-out-loud, haunting and beautifully crafted manual to help navigate my own menopause. The stories filled me with laughter and tears... Many many women will be eternally grateful Dreda Say Mitchell

Quilt on Fire follows this 40-something author into the dark and rarely headlined world of peri menopause; into the mystery of midlife, and the impact this has on women. As a mother of teenagers , how important is it that they understand what you’re going through with the peri menopause?

She has three wonderful books under her belt, including one that she coauthored with one of my past podcast guests, Deborah Fisher. Remember her adorable ceramics? That was Episode # 65.

A frank, funny and inspiring new memoir from Christie Watson about the search for meaning in midlife Really important but it’s still quite a difficult conversation to have; it’s something new, not something they’re taught in schools but it affects children because it affects their mums and grandmas. Funny, honest, liberating and wise - Christie Watson has written the equivalent of a laugh-until-you-cry conversation with a best friend Jess Kidd, author of THINGS IN JARS Considering that Christie Watson is a nurse and an academic this is a surprisingly non-medical ‘guidebook’ to the ‘messy’ perimenopause build-up to menopause. If you are having a particularly bad time emotionally, and struggling with a sense of self (and self-worth) you may find this to be an empathetic and comforting read. I did not connect with it on many points and mostly found it a tiresome slog to read.A rallying cry for all those confused by their forties, Watson captures midlife with typical fearlessness, humour and style. Her writer's eye never looks away from the truth but seeks only to illuminate it. Every woman should read this book Sarah Langford, author of IN YOUR DEFENCE The first couple of chapters I found to be honest, grey, fearful and a little depressing. There was much discussion about how women change, how nobody talks it, and how nobody told the author about it. Or at least she wasn’t listening if they did. Hilarious, heartfelt and deeply moving, Christie has written a manifesto for all those of us who need to rediscover a life worth loving. A must-read Kate Bowler, author of EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON Give Quilt on Fire to your daughter, mother, sister, friends. A howlingly good midlife battle cry' Jess Kidd, author of Things in Jars

Give Quilt on Fire to your daughter, mother, sister, friends. A howlingly good midlife battle cry' JESS KIDD, author of Things in Jars Am I a terrible mother? Is the world ending? Did I turn the oven off? Did I pay the parking fine? Is my TV licence up to date? Will I go to prison? Who will take care of the children? Despite the engaging writing style, I found this book a bit of a hard slog. Possibly because it was so far away from my experience of the menopause that it seemed like a fairy tale, something I couldn’t relate to at all.You had a rough ride in the pandemic when your daughter became critically ill with sepsis and nearly died. How did that parental fear affect you? What these two women have come together to create in Made TV is a streaming network to gather creators and lift them up to share their creations, crafts, and work with a wider audience.