Making progress with my Textile Art Journal

On Saturday it was back once again to a ridiculously busy Leeds city centre - can't abide it when it's busy! too much noise, too many people - and to the Art Gallery for the second of four classes on making a fabric covered book. (We'd the option of making a fabric cover and paper signatures inside, but I've opted for a wholly textile book.) With this second session people had more idea of what their individual journal might look like, and it was great to see how many different interpretations we had.

Some were working on their embroidered covers, but I opted to concentrate on making my pages. I've four double pages in total, slightly different sizes & mainly made of upcycled upholstery swatches. I began adding extra smaller pages, like this lovely cream coloured material, and more pockets. There's only so much you can sew in a two hour session, so I carried on over the weekend.

This material was originally curtain fabric from the look of it, and I used it to make a pocket, particularly liking the selvedge which is emphasized by using it at the opening.

I used another cream coloured swatch to make a double pocket, machine sewing it on to the page. (By the way, their sewing machines are Berninas, and it's the first time I've used a Bernina. Oh my giddy aunt! I want one! It's like the Rolls Royce of sewing machines, a real contrast to my basic workaday Brother. If I ever win the lottery - unlikely as I never play it - I'd shell out £1,500 for one of those beauties.)

I later added one of my homemade boho style beads to the double pocket.

This cream insert has a piece of braid added over it. I used the back of the braid as I liked that as much as the front. I sewed this braid at the top and base of the page, so it acts like a band.

Here's the front of the braid on another page, where it forms yet another pocket.

Finally, I've started embroidering the front cover. So far, there's fly stitch, seed stitch, lazy daisies and running stitch. My library of stitches isn't that extensive, but I'm learning gradually and am pretty pleased with the cover so far.

Hope you enjoyed that glimpse of how my book's being created, and I'll be back in a week or so's time with the third class and how I've got on. Bye for now.

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