No ATC today, although I could have made one as you will see later.
I have been working on my first task for christy tomlinson's Living canvas course.
This is a mixed media journalling course with a difference. It's about exploring ourselves as well.
As usual, I put out way too much paint, so did a few backgrounds
As you can see, I am partial to green and purple. I also like this texture, it reminds me of wisteria.
I also did a few tags.
Colour is not good, it was pouring all day and quite dark. There is no black, it is all purple.
This is the bit of shelf liner I used to make the texture.
I also collected a few butterflies to play with.
First one is a modelling paste butterfly a la christie. Second are some printouts of vintage butterflies from the Graphics fairy and third are a few different sized of die cut butterflies from papers and some from angelina.
And this is what I came up with. Parts are out of focus because it is too deep for the scanner with the spine.
So here's a slightly better one of the front cover. I made a stencil from the cut out moth and used it to make a moulding paste one, which I put under to give the cut out some depth. Some of the text is handwritten, and some is stamped and some are stickers. 'Changing' is black embossing.
There are lots of layers and I created a lot of texture with scrunched tissue but it's hard to see.
So here's a bit of a close up. You can see the cutout, some doodling, the raised embossing, and at the bottom the handwritten 'you' and stamped 'are'.
Here's the back. I have written a lot of related words and done a lot of doodling. The butterfly here is just stencilled modelling paste on the book, which I colured and doodled on.
Here's a close up of that.
I used a lot of gold paint and rub on on the book and it looks very old and distressed.
I am really pleased with it, although it is quiite dark, compared to those of many of my classmates. It is lovely to look at and to touch. I am looking forward to working in it.
Not much textile work to show today as this has been my main focus for a few days.
Monday, however is another story.
Sunday US time is the reveal for Tangled Textiles, So it will be Monday for me here.
My piece is nearly finished.
A very short blog today.
Although I am busy with several projects at the moment, I only have one that is at a stage where I can show you today.
I also felt it was time to show some finished work - well, almost finished.
Here are five of the entrapped fibre journals - OK, one is fabric paper, I know.
I haven't made up my mind about the edges of a few of them and also some closures.
I have couched around the edges of two and beaded around one. One has a tie closure and one has a bead/button closure. One has a tassel and one has decorative loops.
Sometimes choosing how to finish something is the hardest part. What do you think?
The instructions for making the journal covers can be found here.
I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up.
I am presently turning the samples from the last post into book covers. Here's how I went about it.
This is one of the notebooks I am covering. I have opened it out to make a pattern.
I have drawn around the opened journal and added extra for turn unders and a little extra for the spine.
The pattern. I used this under my fibre fabric samples to make sure I made them large enough as well as to make the covers.
I have folded under the extra outside the pattern,
I have placed this on my lining fabric and used my ruler to cut an extra 1/4 inch all the way around.
Then placed it over the cover fabric, right sides together.
and sewed around using 1/4 seam (I have actually sewed more than this at the ends, as my cover fabric was a bit short.)
Leave an opening at one end so you can turn it inside out.
Trim the edges and crop the corners, making sure you don't cut through the stitching.
Turn inside out, then use something like a knitting needle to push out the corners and edges. Press.
Open out your book on top of the cover, lining up.
Fold the excess at each end into the front and back covers, then close the book. Finger press the folds into place while the book is closed (otherwise, your cover will end up too tight)
Pin down the folds if required. Stitch each fold down at the top and bottom. This is best done by hand, as is most of the rest of the construction. The cover is basically finished, but needs a bit of embellishment, I think.
I couched a piece of cord from the centre front to the centre back along the top of the cover.
And the bottom. This creates ties for the cover. We could leave it at that, but...
A little bit more couching with the cord and the addition of a button or bead add just a little style. You could also add a motif to the front cover, or an ATC, but I like to put those on plainer covers, so they don't look overdone.
Of course I still have quite a few left to make and they will all be different, so I will post those designs when I have finished all of them.
OOPs - For those of you who are very observant - yes, I did change samples half way through the photographs. The earlier cover was made from fabric paper (which is why it was not quite long enough - it was made before I bought the books), whilst the second half showed a cover made with one of the samples from my last post.
I have started a scrap journal. I often feel the need to have something to stitch that I can play with and where I don't have a particular end in mind.
I cut up some canvas to use as backing for the scrap collages.
Above, on the left, are the pieces for the papges. On the right, is the piece for the cover. As you can see, there is extra space between the front and back for the spine. At present, the pages are the same size as the front and back, but they will be cut own after they are finished.
This is the cover, in process.
Above, I have added scraps, in a basic landscape, which will be the theme for this first journal.
Next, I added just a bit of yarn in the sky and on some of the hills.
Finally, I pinned down some tulle (I think I must have cornered the market on tulle as I use it so much)
I did some free motion scribbling all over the piece. I used a multicoloured thread, with green, brown and orange in the bottom section and just "scribbled" (which is really all that is neccessary). Later, I used a multi toned thread in blue for the sky (not shown here)
And here is the finished piece for the cover. It is a very simple, abstract sort of landscape.
In the next post for this project, I will construct the cover and in further blogs, I will do the pages. Remember, this is an on the spot, make it up as you go along project, so I intend to surprise myself!!!
Well, this has taken me all day! but the video is finally uploading. In the video I will be making a journal cover using a fibre entrapment technique to create a gorgeous surface.
As this is my first video, I hope you will excuse the fact that I accidentally clicked stop when I was supposed to click go and lost the second half of the binding section. So I have embedded a you tube video about binding below to assist if you need it.
If you want to make your own butterbox journal, you can find the tutorial here on Gwen Diehn's blog, although I heard about it from Melanie Testa.
I can honestly say that this was not my best sewing and next week's tutorial will be a little simpler (sigh) and use a better camera. My web cam is OK for face to face and hands on stuff, but not for sewing and tiny stuff, so I have glossed over the sewing bits.
Zippered Journal
Materials
Journal - all measurements depend on your journal, so make sure you have it handy before you start
A piece of fabric and a piece of tulle at least 2 inches larger on all sides than the opened out journal for the background
As you can just see here, the opened out book has been traced in chalk on the background
A piece of heavy interfacing at least 1 inch larger on all sides than the opened out journal
Double fold bias binding (this was left over from quilting) and a length of zipper by the meter
And of course lots of yummy embellishing thread I have used a selection of black, white and silver is varying textures)
Adding fibres
Back your Background with the interfacing. (because we are going to free motion over the tulle, we need a firm foundation so we don't need to use a hoop.)
Add your fibres, I added a light amount of feathered merino tops first.
Finish by layering and pinning the tulle over the top (pin outside the main area of the background)
The tulle is not strictly neccessary, but it will make the journal more durable. Free Motion
Set up your machine for free motion, with the feed dogs down, a darning foot on and any other tools you use. I use a silicone mat to help with slip during free motion. Just remember to take it off when you put the feed dogs up, or the dogs will not work!
Take your time and just sew swirls and circles all over the tulle until the threads are anchored
Cutting
Next, cut your fabric to an half an inch larger all around than the opened out book
Also cut two pieces half the size of your fabric and fold them in about a third on the long side
these will form the inside of the front and back. Place them with the fold to the centre and raw edge underneath and staystitch
Adding Zipper
After making this a few times, I think it would be easier to put the binding on first, then the zip, however, in the video I did it the other way around.
Using a zipper foot, start stitching the zip at the top right of the spine, and follow around, snipping at the corners to fit. Stitch only half way around, to the bottom right of the spine.
Unzip the zip, leaving the two sides in place and flip the unsewn half to the other side of the cover. Sew in place the same way
Slide the zipper head back into place, and bar tack each end of the zipper. Binding
Open the zipper out again and sew the binding tape to the inside edge of the cover, folding to form a mitre at the corners
fold and overlap the ends before stitching down.
Open out the cover and fold the binding to the front
Secure either by hand or using a straight stitch, folding the corners into mitres as you go
Add a journal, zip it up and off you go!
I have not had time to write detailed notes and put a PDF together for you, but will during the next week. I just hope my friend, whom this was made for likes it. It is her birthday today!
Without further adieu, here is the tutorial
And here is a short video on binding to help you if you need it.
This is from daystyle designs which is an excellent site.
Don't forget to check in tomorrow for how to use up all those scraps of thread and get some new fabric out of it!
