Small Start - Book-making

I have offered to make a visitor's book for The Bach Community Tapestry Project. I decided I'd do a "test" book first so I wouldn't be disappointed in any thing that goes wrong - which seems to be all the time.

 First of all I applied a coat of gesso to an large sheet of paper. I used a credit card to do this
a once it dried I mixed up blue/green acrylic paints and once again used the credit card to apply it.

I pressed bubble wrap over the surface to create some texture.

I repeated the gesso/paint process with another sheet of paper.

again using the credit card in a criss-cross fashion which I found fun and freeing.

To make the cover I cut the card to fit my handmade paper when folded in half.

I used masking tape to join the pieces of card leaving a small gap of a couple of millimetres so they can fold to open and close.

It's important to leave sufficient space between the card pieces to create a hinge - otherwise you can't open and close the book!

I applied a thin coat of glue to the card and centred it onto my painted sheet of paper.

Then I glued and folded  in the four corners and finally the four sides making sure to smooth out any creases as I went. I left the covered book cover overnight under a stack of books.

The next day I attempted to fold the cover at the hinged spine..and sadly, the paper tore. 

So I came up with an idea, cover the spine (and torn paper) with some of my handmade paper.

I then repeated the above process for the The Bach Tapestry Visitors Book that I'm making so people who work on the tapestry can leave their details with a comment should they choose to.

This book will be a little different in that it'll have interscrew posts to hold the pages in place.

 More cover experimentation with gesso, acrylic paint and paper.

Green - my favourite colour!

 After slapping on the gesso I mixed some blue and red 

paint to make purple and applied that using a credit card. 

Then  I dabbed the wet paint with a rag.

  I just love the texture it created! 

I also experimented with applying acrylics to my handmade paper. I plan on making more books  - Art Journaling books, to be precise and use the painted papers for the journal cover. I would like to (in the future) experiment with print making or photo transfers on handmade paper but that's for another post!

I marked the holes for the signature stitching at 1 inch apart


Then I lined up and marked the stack of signatures and using a needle stitched the pages using the coptic stitch method.

It took me ages to do the coptic stitch. I seem to have so much problem understanding and comprehending instructions. My concentration is really bad at times so much so I get panicky!

I finally stitched to signatures together though but really looking forward to my block week book-binding course at TLC campus on the 18th to 22nd September where I'm hoping I'll get better understanding of the techniques and have the opportunity to focus on different ways in making books.

I'm not sure if this is correct but will adhere the front and back pages to the covers.

Once the glue had dried on the outer cover I glued a couple of A4 sheet of paper to the insides. 

 
Unfortunately the painted paper cracked upon bending so I had to improvise with duct tape to cover the cracks at the edge where the hinge bent back to open. I'm glad I didn't go any further with this as it it not The Bach "colours" (all logos are uniformly orange and purple) and I need to make the book to match. I hadn't thought of that when I painted the painted for my cover.

Needless to say, I had to make another.

Booking-making, Book-binding - 15 hours 

November 2016 - Week 2 creativity

WEEK 2

This is my schedule for the commencing 

7 November 2016 to 13 November

My daughter is coming up for a quick visit in the weekend

and i also have the Art 'n Tartan Revisited exhibition on

as well as work so will be another busy week.

Paper-making Prep/Harvesting plant materials

 Next load of flax cooked and ready for rinsing.

 Harvesting and dehydrating calendula

 for my soap and salves

 My first beetroot harvest - I'd like to explore natural

dying methods. I know beetroot stains/dyes good!

Photography

 There's going to be an feature about the 

Whangarei Community Tapestry Project

 in the next Creative Fibre magazine. 

I was asked to take a photo of the tapestry now 

that the lighting issues have been resolved. 

I'm getting a few copies of the magazine as 

complimentary gifts and my name will 

appear in the magazine as the photographer

 (I send one of the copies to TLC) 

Photography: 1 hour

 (includes editing/emailing to Creative Fibre)

Pottery night

I'm still working on a koru theme. 

I'm thinking of  using this as a tile 

in a mosaic piece. I now need to

work the pieces for the surround.

Ceramics - 3 hours

Art n Tartan Revisited exhibition

All the designers from Art ' N Tartan have been invited to exhibited their wearable arts entry into a weekend exhibition at The Celtic Barn on 12-13 November 2016

 So that meant getting my $1.50 mannequin of Trade Me ready.

 A wooden dowel wasn't strong enough to support

 it so I had to go hut for something that would. I was

 almost sold a 6 metre reinforcing rod (@ $30!) and

 then I saw 1 metre lengths of galvanized steel.

It fit inside an umbrella pole and stand so would

do the job (I hoped!)

 Her legs hang a little weirdly but not to 

worry - she was only $1.50 after all!

 With her arms on supporting the branches...

 .and the face with the mask (and hair)

 I had this great idea about making a handmade book

using my handmade paper with coptic stitching and 

 a matching tartan fabric cover - I'd print out photos of

 my gown-making processes to glue in on the pages

 Sewing the signatures with cotton embroidery thread. 

 My really bad coptic stitching - it looks simple 

enough in the instruction but think I need lessons

 from Marci Tackett!!

 What complicated things was I didn't want holes in cover

and all the instructions showed it being sewn on.

 This is what it looked like inside.

 I'm really pleased with it....

 but don't look too closely at my stitching! 

The Finished cover with a simple title.

 Loading up the car early Saturday morning.

We could drop our mannequins off on Friday 

but I was still completing my book - it took

way longer than I had anticipated.

I had work after dropping my design off

 so was feeling a bit stressed!

 I got there at 8.30 am as was relieved to find lots of 

other designers were bringing in their gowns too.

Some of the designers had their models there and stayed to talk with the public who came to view the exhibition over the weekend.  As I was working I said I couldn't stay but would be back to pack up  after the exhibition on Sunday. 

Here's a few more photos of the exhibition.

At the end of the exhibition I was asked if I would be happy to have "My Roots" gown on display at the Waipu Museum. They also said they thought my handmade book was wonderful. I'm really stoked! I'll need to go back out to assist helping with set up at the museum, just waiting to be contacted.

Book-making - 10 hours

Exhibitions - 7 hours

 (includes travel/set up/pack down)