On to the next

You may remember my Completing the Tunnel book post where the book was almost finished apart from how to close it.

Well, I made a cord by using some tapestry wool and the zigzag stitch on my sewing machine.  I made a loop at one end and stitched it onto the closeure fabric.  The cord wraps round the book twice and then goes through the loop and is tied off.

But I've still more of silk noil fabric which I could make a book from.

I've these 6 pieces which are 21x15 cms each.  They already have pieces of Bondaweb ironed on.

So what sort of book should I make with these?  Should they be stitched?  Should I add photos?

What about a cover?  Should I fold it and make another folded book?

Questions! Questions!  Choices!  Choices!

Or shall I put the pieces to one side and do something else for a while?

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Finished Florida fabric book

And another one done!

I showed you the start of this book in my last post: Florida Inspired. 

I had some metal shells that were charms on a charm bracelet from Primark.  They sometimes have inexpensive jewellery that you can take to pieces for elements for scrapbooking and mixed media that are cheaper than buying from art shops.  I painted these shells with acrylic paint.

I ironed Bondaweb on the back of each page and then ironed the pages together trapping the hinge/spine inside.

I sewed the signatures together using the sewing machine.  Here they are clipped together.

I used a preset stitch and variegated thread.  Sadly the stitching wasn't very straight on the third row.

And inside the book.

I'm really pleased with this book.  I've still got lots of squares left of the same fabric.  Shall I make a hanging?  Or make another book?  Or both?

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Florida inspired

I still have one more canal-inspired book to make but I thought I would make a Florida-inspired one instead.

I can't remember when I dyed and printed this silk noil which I recently tore into 6 inch squares.  I had used Coral Sand and Robin Eggs Blue procion dyes that I had bought from Hilary Beattie.

In a recent online poetry workshop with Sara-Jane Arbury we were looking at list poems.  In particular we looked at 'Blackberries' by Rhiannon Hooson.  The lines of her poem started with 'I bring you' or 'I give you'.

Using that format I wrote 'Shells'.

I bring you shells.
I give you rippled waves on shingle.
I give you sandpipers running in an out.

I bring you boardwalks on sandy tussocks
And searing heat from the sunshine state.
I bring you remembrances of childhood.

I give you the sunrise glinting on tumbling waves
Easter morning dawning, singing
In praise of the risen Lord.

I bring you pelicans flying in formation
Sweeping low across the shoreline.
Daughter-in-heart, I give you shells.

As the fabric had been printed when I was working on Florida based ideas I decided to add the words of my poem onto the pages of the book.

I printed the poem on paper first and cut it up to make sure the font was the right size and the sentences fitted.  I printed the poem onto organza onto which I ironed Mistyfuse. I cut up the sentences and ironed them onto the silk noil.

I made sure that the pages are in the correct order and decided on a 'hinge' for the joining together.  I'm not sure what else to call the joining piece other than a hinge.

I'm a dab hand at thinking about the finishing of a book almost after the fact but with this one I worked on how to join the pages together to make the book.  I used some left over silk noil to make the hinges.  I bonded two pieces of the fabric together.

I had already bonded cotton fabric on the back of each square of silk noil.  I stitched through the fabrics using the printed lines as a guide.  I will then bond the back and front of each page together trapping the hinge inside.

Come back next week to see the finished book.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice