Some progress has been made on the book to keep my stitching samples in. The outer boards have been cut and are covered in fabric that I dyed first in onion skins, then indigo. The inner pages are a mix of heavy weight linens; I was tempted choose an off-white linen but in the end decided to go wild and introduce a little colour. Still, I don't think there's anything so loud in the mix that it will clash with any of my samples, or not work as a background for any stitching I want to do directly on the pages. There are six fabric signatures in total, all of which have been saddle stitched and are ready to be coptic stitched together. I haven't yet decided on the binding, but if the coptic stitching turns out well, then I might add eyelets to the boards and thread them together with something resembling a fishtail plait. If the coptic stitching turns out a bit 'bleugh' then I'll hide it under a more conventional fabric binding.
Talking of stitched books…
Here is some stitching I did while on holiday. I couldn't decide what fabric to take, so just took needles, thread and a blank note book. Pricking out all of the holes was murder on my fingers–next time, I'll cover the end of the needle with a plaster to give my fingers a little cushioning. I do wonder if the fact that I passed several hours doing this rather than staring contentedly at the sea suggests I'm a masochistic fidget who is unable to sit still and simply enjoy the view! At the very least, with all those boats sailing by, you'd think I might have chosen a nautical theme to draw in stitch.
Elizabeth,
x.
Hi Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have made a number of booklets with Japanese binding I had to check Saddle stitch and Coptic Binding to fully understand how you are binding your fabric book together. Very educational, thank you!
The covers have been beautifully dyes with onion skins and indigo, and I am sure a splash of colour will be good for the pages. It will be interesting to follow your progress.
As for punching holes in paper and punishing one's fingers instead of staring onto a seaside scenery, that sounds like stress relief. Maybe you needed to do it before you could settle down and relax...? The result is fantastic and you might have got the inspiration from dazzling sunlight or sturdy plants growing in golden sand on the beach...
Did you visit a wine drinking country? If so you could have taken a cork from an empty bottle and stuck the eye end of the needle into it, thus making a finger saving paper punching tool.
Give your sore fingers a rest in December!