Updated Tie Dyed Book

Just thought I'd show the finished product of the painted pages book from a few posts ago.
It's funky fun.  The color is slightly yellower/golder than appears on my screen.  It does match the painted pages which I recopied here below.

New Book, New Favorite

I'm lovin' my renewed interest in bookbinding.   It just so happens I know a few experts, whose brains I can pick.  So far, I haven't been able to obtain the skill of perfection, so I'm practicing my zen art of perfectly imperfect, perfectly human.   It's a lifelong practice.   Maybe I've practiced imperfection so long, I'm perfect at it?  O.K. enough and moving on.
  This one is called a naked book.  I'm not sure why.    The text block is sewn with the French Link Stitch, then the paste down is tipped on, and a "crash", or "mull" is added.   
  The binder's board is glued to a strip of book cloth (which will be the spine), then glazed with gesso.  With a palette knife, spread modeling paste (not molding paste), and texture it with scratches, stamps, texturing tools, plastic canvas, or whatever...fingernails?  toothpicks?   Let it dry for a long time.  Lightly sand, just to take down the rough edges.  Lightly glaze with layers of acrylic, starting from light, to dark, using a sponge.  Don't add too much liquid, or the modeling paste starts to soak it up.  Then connect text block to cover using PVA glue.  Shine it up with some Rub N Buff.   If you don't understand these instructions, sign up for a local bookbinding class.  You will love it.

March Madness, just not basketball

In Utah, March Madness is the whimsy of the weather.  Of course, it snowed again this weekend, the first of Spring.  Two weeks ago, we had the biggest storm of the season, (above) and the ski resorts are reporting 140 inches of snow pack.  
When cabin fever sets in, to keep from going "stark raving", we turn to hobbies, arts and crafts.
John has put his collection of tools and skills to work in the garage, building another sea kayak.
She's blond this time.

I've been making some books and practicing my calligraphy.  
This year, UCA has chosen the theme of "Uncial-ity with Personality", and they're giving prizes away for people who practice.  Translated, that means they give us homework with incentives.
Our assignment was to use a Speedball nib C-0 with a one line quote which we turned into an accordion fold book.  

The unabridged quote is "Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard."  Anne Sexton
I found it on Jill Badonsky's Muse Letter, and I like it.  We colored the quotes with pencils.  The lettering looks warped, but that's the accordion fold distorting the image.
My friend, Judy, teaches bookbinding, so I learned the "Sweet Binding" with French Link Stitch.  The great thing about an exposed binding is that the book lays flat when opened.

Then I painted pages for a journal, and sewed them together with the link stitch.  I'm not sure what kind of cover yet, but I'm thinking of some tie dyed fabric.

 And finally, with a new grandson coming along next month, I'd better get the blankets going.
Here's a sneak peek.

Now it's time to clean up.  Which may take until summer.
Happy Springing, everyone.

Fabric Books with friends

Last week, I got together with some friends and made fabric books.  We met at Sue Hess's Finishing School to use the sewing machines, and went to work.  Some of them wanted to use my tie-dyed and batiked fabrics.   Here's the photo gallery before they went home and added hand-rolled magazine beads.  

For those of you who want to know, we used a type of pellon interfacing called Pelmet Vilene, ironed the fabric to it using Misty Fuse, zig-zagged the edges, ironed accordion folds (concertina binding), and then sewed in the signatures of craft paper, intermingled with brown kraft envelopes.  They are quite fun, easy, and useful.   I think the participants were most astounded by their own magazine beads.