From one of the books I attempted the caterpillar stitch (not really a caterpillar - too many legs) but you get the idea. I love it. The directions were very clear and easy to follow. I will experiment with a caterpillar that is a bit more lively next time.
In my last post I showed an example of Keith Smith's decorative spine stitching. This made me very interested in what else I could do with this type of bookbinding. From there I bought several of Keith's books from his website. Keith replied to me very quickly and sent the books the very next day. What a lovely experience.
From one of the books I attempted the caterpillar stitch (not really a caterpillar - too many legs) but you get the idea. I love it. The directions were very clear and easy to follow. I will experiment with a caterpillar that is a bit more lively next time.
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This is my version of a Christmas/New Year card this year for my lovely friend Ann who sent me an amazing hand made card. It is the only card I have made for this Christmas. The time has just flown by. I know that Christmas always comes at the same time each year but it is still manages to creep up on me without me noticing. This card is a beautiful eco print both back and front and inside. The green circles were from onion rings. It is amazing the different colours that can be achieved.
This eco print has turned out to be a very delicate print. So pretty. It is a reminder that I need to do another batch soon!
This book by Erin Zamrzla has 28 projects that can be made from ordinary and re purposed materials. The book I choose to make is a simple accordion book which doubles as a bookmark and a place to jot notes as you read. It is absolutely perfect for books with numerous characters like Tolstoy's War and Peace. It is also very handy if you belong to a book club making reporting to the group very easy.
I have used eco-prints as a decorative feature. I was very sorry to miss the opening night of the Guild's exhibition. It must have been amazing with 50 people attending. The exhibition is being held on the mezzanine level of the Civic Library until Saturday 17th of September. I haven't had a chance to get the exhibition yet so I am grateful to Vicki who was kind enough to send me a photo of the 'earthy' case in the exhibition which features my leaf print split board binding book.
Just a few little boxes with wishing stones going out to the Strathnairn Gallery Shop.
Just when I thought that I had come to the end with the Eco Prints! I spent the last couple of days inside working on the Jacob's Ladder Box or Karakuri Bako or Trick Box. I first read up on it in 'All Things Paper: 20 Unique Projects from Leading Paper Crafters, Artists, and Designers' by Ann Martin. Cecelia Louie contributed her take on the Trick Box in Ann's book. Cecelia calls it the 'Mysterious Stationery Box'. Cecelia's directions are very good. This box is fascinating and such fun too. Well, it might not be very visible from these photos but when I put the papers on to make the box into a Jacob's Ladder box, I stuck them on the wrong way so that although the trick box works the papers are covering up the wrong compartments.
So, then only thing to do was modify the box into a ordinary box with three compartments - with lovely eco printed covers and linings. One thing about this exercise is that it is a good reminder that not everything goes smoothly or perfectly but that the results can be lovely nevertheless. I am looking forward to attempting this box again. I had thought that I had exhausted all the uses for my gum leaf eco prints but apparently that is not the case. This is the first time that I have made tiny books so although it was a challenge it was also great fun to have succeeded. The books measure 3.5 x 4 cm (or 1.25 x 1.5 inches) approximately. The covers and the end papers are made from my eco monoprints. The book block is one page (not much of a block) with a greeting on it. If I finish them all there will be 60 tiny books. Had a lovely day (again) with Vicki and Bev. Vicki generously shared her knowledge, showing us both how to bind a book using the Drum Leaf Binding method. These books turn out similar to the ABC cardboard books that we all have known as children. They open pretty flat which makes them great for artists books and have no stitching. As usual grain is very important to ensure that the book ends up nice and straight. We folded and pressed the pages (in my case I was using heavy water colour paper that I had eco printed - that would be a surprise!) Pressing the pages was a very important part of this binding especially as my pages were not totally flat. We then pasted the spine leaving it to dry. Putting a piece of scrap paper to cover the front and middle pages we applied about a 25 cm stripe of glue at the spine edge, then another stripe of glue to the fore edge. The glued pages are then smoothed with a bone folder, put under weights at each gluing as well as at the end of the process. Leaving the book block under weights we turned our attention to the cover. The cover for mine was a bit problematic as the heavy weight paper I had chosen seemed a bit small for the book. Luckily with a bit of stretching we managed to wrap it around the book block and glue it into place. Unlike a child's book I left the deckle pages of my water colour paper as I rather liked that look of it. Next time (to consolidate my learning) I intend to photograph the entire process. It was great fun and I learned heaps again! Thanks Vicki. These were my last A Letter A Week 2014 letters for the challenge co-ordinated by Fiona Dempster. I am well overdue with my next set. The versals (drawn with pencil) were again a challenge but I think that they have turned out OK. |
LYNDELL DOBBS
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