And Lots More Books: The Commissions Update!

My previous post had an update of some books - and one more business card case - that I made in the last few weeks, for my online shops.

I've also worked on several commission books and this post is to show you those.

Commission One - An Italian-themed Holiday Journal: 

Anne chose raspberry red leather, ivory binding thread and a wide ivory ribbon to tie her book.  She specially wanted the ribbon to tie vertically, as shown in the photo.  I used a variation of a traditional Italian Longstitch binding to stitch the pages.  It looks rather nice...

Inside, the leather is lined with red mulberry paper, but each cover has half of a map of Northern Italy, from a vintage atlas.  The map was chosen online by Anne and I purchased it for her.  

I made a label for the inside of the book, using a copy of part of the map, printed onto vellum paper, with the title "Italy 2015" (the label is not attached in the photo). 

* * *

Commission Two - An Artist's Sketchbook: 

Danielle and her twin sister have their 18th birthdays in May.  She asked me to make a special sketchbook for her sister, who is a keen artist.  

Danielle chose a rich brown leather for the covers.  This was lined with red mulberry paper and we decided on a fastening with a simple red cord to wrap round a metal button.

The pages were of Murano paper, which is an artists' paper designed for drawing with pencil, pastel, charcoal and other dry media.  It has a slight texture, giving it a good "tooth" for the drawing media used.  Danielle chose several shades of ivory, cream, grey and charcoal for the page sections.  I also added some loose sheets of glassine tissue paper, to be used between pages, so the drawing doesn't smudge, until it can be fixed with spray.   

The pages were sewn with a cross-stitch, in red linen. 

* * *

Commission Three - A Book of Shadows: 

I was commissioned to make a book, by my sister.  She asked for a Book of Shadows, for her friend's birthday.  

The covers are black leather, lined with purple mulberry paper.  The book ties with a black organza ribbon.  The cover is hand painted in silver, with a traditional Book of Shadows design, of a Pentacle, along with a black cat and symbols to represent the four elements.  

There are forty pages of hand-made Indian cotton-rag paper inside.  The book is sewn in a decorative longstitch, with purple linen.  

* * * 

Commission Four - A Present for Jen: 

Finally, I commissioned myself!  I wanted to make a gift for the birthday of a very lovely lady, who is a skilled artist and produces the most beautiful papercut art.  She goes by the name of Jen and you can see some of her work here - My Papercut Heart. 

Jen designs large and complex paper cuts, which are all hand-drawn on plain paper, before being copied to the sheets from which they are cut.  We chatted about drawing paper recently and she commented that she'd been sticking A4 sheets together, to make a sheet large enough for one of her commission pieces.  So, it was pretty obvious that I should make a Large sketchbook!  

A3 (16.5" x 11.75") Sketchbook.  This has hard covers, in a Nepalese Lokta paper with a screen-printed "Kongpo" design of a garden - a very special sheet, that I bought some time ago and saved for a "special project".  Well, this was just the right project, as I was able to show the whole of the wonderful design on these book covers.  

The edge trim is a saffron yellow silk and the covers are lined with a matching saffron coloured art paper.  The book is sewn with a Coptic style binding, in double rows, with ivory linen. 

The pages are sewn in several sections, so there are plenty of sheets that open out to A2 size, for Jen's large and complex planning drawings.  Hopefully, she won't have to keep tearing out sheets and sticking them together, to have enough room to plan her next masterpiece! 

I wrapped the edge of each section with brown art paper, to give a bit of space inside the book and also to add a nice contrast to the golden silk edge-trim.  I added a small hand-tied silk tassel to the front of the cover, along with a silk-mounted label, with "Jen" printed in an oriental-looking font. 

I'm happy to report that Jen was very pleased with her birthday present - and I'm still smiling! 

Update Report: Lots More Books!

I haven't posted for weeks again!  It's been busy and I have neglected my blog, in favour of working on quite a few new books.  Here's a photo-summary of what I've been doing:

Firstly, another Business Card Case.  This time, it has a hand-painted design of flowers and birds.

It's lined with two colours of mulberry paper.  I quite like this one!

Then, here is what I did with the leather and dandelion-print paper that I showed in my previous post:

The dandelion paper is a lining for the covers of a new journal. 

The covers are a honey-beige coloured leather.  

There is a hand-made ceramic button and matching linen thread tie fastening.  

Sewn in longstitch, with aqua linen thread, to match the button.  

Pages of my favourite cream text paper.

Next, a Spring themed journal, in golden wool-felt, with purple suede lining and edge-trim, with a green satin ribbon trim and tie-fastening.

The cover is made of suede-leather and felt, so it looks and feels very rich and soft.

 The two sections of paper are stitched with a cross-stitch, in purple linen. 

Then a Sketchbook:

Blackcurrant leather sketchbook, with 30 pages of drawing paper and 10 pages of watercolour paper. Sewn with a decorative longstitch, in light grey linen thread. 

The sketchbook is lined with a deep pink paper, patterned with birds. 

I also made two more rainbow-themed hardcover journals. 

Pink Indian paper, with a gold-printed scalloped design, highlighed with purple glitter. 

There are ten page sections, each section having a different colour on the outside and white pages inside.  

This journal has a collage design paper on the covers... 

The pages are of the same Indian cotton-rag paper as the previous journal. 

Both books are sewn with a coptic style stitching, in bright hemp cord. 

I've also been working on several commission books and a very special commission of my own. There are so many books in this post already, that I think I'll post those next time!

 
Shameless Plug:
If you'd like any of these books, they're all for sale - you can visit my online Folksy shop here, or if you prefer, find my Etsy shop here. 

Making Rainbows!

It's been a month since I found time to blog.  Time does fly!

I've been busy enough... but I have managed a bit more bookbinding work too: -

* * *

A Valentine's Journal, with covers of soft red leather...

There is an embossed heart design on the front cover

...and a fancy stitched back, with hearts in longstitch...

...black cover linings, for a good contrast and white pages of lovely textured paper.
* * *

Some 6"x4" Kraft notebooks, with windows - 

these have woodland creatures on their endsheets. 

...these have floral paper...

...a couple have African animals...

...and one with bees and daisies.

There are seven different designs and they seem to have gone down well in my shops!

* * *

I also completed the binding of a Photo Album, for a customer: 

Peacock Feather Album, with Silk Trim...

...Decorative binding, in French Stitch, with deep teal linen thread...

...The stiff white pages have linen-embossed glassine tissue between them.

* * *

And Finally... On my Binding Table Now:-

A Grey Linen Photo Album, with Rainbow Pages...

Each set of pages is individually stitched to a pleated linen spine, with coloured linen, to match the page colours...

... The Covers are plain grey linen, but they are not attached yet.  The idea is that the purchaser can choose a custom trim for the cover edges - they can have a coloured strip of silk, or a ribbon, in a colour of their choice.  And also, the covers can be lined with coloured paper of their choice (or even patterned paper!). 

I'm looking forward to completing this project, with whoever chooses it. 

* * *

Thanks for Reading!

Thoughts from the Washing Line : Changes

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It's been a while since I've posted some Thoughts from the Washing Line.  But laundry still happens and I still stand there, hanging up my clean, damp and fresh-smelling linen, contemplating the world.  

This past week, there's been a lot of laundry - the sun has been shining, but the forecast threatens rain, so I've been washing things that I might have left until later in the week - or next week - and hanging up three or more loads a day.   It gives me plenty of time to think thoughts in the sunshine...  

Such as the way things are changing around here... 

Last Friday, this man turned seventeen. Somehow it seems a more significant birthday than last year. Seventeen seems more "grown up", perhaps more serious, than sixteen.   

James sat his GCSE exams this summer and the results came at the end of August.  He did really well and now has eight A*'s, four A's, a C (for Art which he chose as a relaxation and something different to all the academic stuff), and a Distinction (A^ - for his extra Further Maths GCSE), plus an ECDL/BTEC Computing as well.  That's a lot of qualifications...   

He started back at school a month ago and has thrown himself wholeheartedly into a busy VIth Form timetable.  He is studying five subjects to "AS" Level (A-level year 1 exams) - Maths, Further Maths, Physics, History and something called Extended Project Qualification.  

For the EPQ he must choose an area of study, research it, compile information and produce a "thing", such as a presentation, a paper, an essay, a report, a short thesis - whatever is appropriate.  It's examined at A2 Level (2nd year A-level) standard. As he had a lot of heart-searching when choosing his fourth A-level, between History and Music, he has chosen to study an area of Music for the EPQ.  

Next year, he will continue all but the EPQ to A2 Level and hopes to gain a place at university, to study Engineering. 

So, you see that maybe turning Seventeen does seem so much more significant.  He's nearly grown up. Almost A Man.  He even has a 'tache - almost -  and refuses to shave it off...  He's not always finding it easy, but he is growing up all the same and starting to look towards the world beyond school.   Time is whizzing by and I'm sure it won't seem long, before he's packing up his books, clean socks and various musical instruments and heading off to university.... Sobering thought.  

Oh yes, speaking of Musical Instruments - look what we bought a few weeks ago! 

James actually asked for a piano for his birthday - though I think it was a bit jokingly.  But we'd wanted one for so long and now we have a space for it...  Two visits to the piano shop, then it was soon delivered and we are so delighted with it!  I'm polishing up my skills again and James just seems to be a natural - he plays away as if he's been learning all his life, but he's never had a single piano lesson!  

Me and James are in love with our new pet... Dave is less impressed.  He wonders why we didn't buy an electronic piano, with a socket for ear-phones - for silent practice.  That's what he says anyway, but I notice he doesn't seem to mind much when James is tinkling away in the Music Room (formerly the "Snug", but there are nine instruments in there now...).  

It's proving a hit with visitors too - here are James and Keri-Anne last weekend, enjoying a bit of together-time.  The weekend before, we had some friends up from London and they - and their little girls - enjoyed bashing away on our piano too.  It seems that quite a few people can "play a little bit" and they're delighted to get the chance to make a bit of noise.  

The cake was a bit small for 17 candles - so a 1 and a 7 were found, lit and duly "huffed" upon...  

Happy Birthday James.  We all wish you a very successful and happy eighteenth year! 

And, now that James is in VIth Form, with no more black-trousers-and-blazer school uniform, the laundry I hang out these sunny days is a lot more colourful than it used to be!