Saturday, July 10, 2021

Finishing The Blank Book Journal

I was a bit disappointed that I got so close to finishing this blank journal yet didn't get those final steps done before eye surgery compromised my vision. I'm still not able to see sharply nor focus on small details without the help of a magnifying glass, but I'm only a little over a week out from full healing and hopefully getting fitted for glasses that will give my, as the eye doctor said, best vision. Can't wait. But there has been progress and I decided that surely I could thread up a big needle with perle cotton and stick it through the pre-punched holes. Well, it was more difficult than I thought it would be, so now I definitely know my limits in the studio! But I persevered, got those signatures sewn in and a button/elastic loop closure added. I'm very pleased with the results.

Here you can see better some of the quilting which just follows random texture of the hand-dyed fabric which I think came from friend Susan. It didn't strike me as anything floral until I was done, and then the spiky blooms were quite plain. The button is an old one from my mother's/grandmother's collection and the colors in it match those of the fabric perfectly. I have 2 more of these button in a smaller size and have used at least one more of the set someplace else. I've always wondered what piece of clothing these came off of, as that was definitely a thing to save pretty buttons off clothing that was worn out.

I just sew the signatures in with a simple long stitch, copying Michele who made me my first such blank journal, and using perle cotton, although sometimes I can find a different kind of strong but decorative thread to match the fabric. It holds the signatures well enough for how I use the book.

Usually the fabric I choose is a little heavier than quilting cotton but this time not, so after some dithering, I decided to cut another slightly smaller piece of the hand-dye and fuse it to the inside of the cover (a bit like end papers) before sewing in the signatures, just to give it a little more stability. I've already started writing in it and it is working perfectly, such a feeling of satisfaction when I pick it up to use.

6 comments:

The Inside Stori said...

Love the colors…..glad you stuck with it!!

Anonymous said...

That's a beautiful piece of hand-dyed fabric & the button is a perfect match for it! Saving buttons from clothing is probably a lost habit, so you're lucky to have your family's collection! You're rightly satisfied with finishing this project! Cheers to you for persevering! Jan in WY

sylviaweir.wordpress.com said...

Your book is lovey--and I'm envious that you have started writing in it. I have made several but find it difficult to draw or write in any of them.

i had cataract surgery too---a bit disapointed; I need to use 'cheaters' to read and the glasses I had made afterwards don't work as well as I had hoped.

Nancy said...

Sheila, hi. I just found your blog. Completely by accident. I’m enjoying reading and love the details of the sewing and dyeing you do. Hope to be able to find it again. You’ll heal quickly be patient. Hugs, Nancy


The Idaho Beauty said...

Jan, because of those button collections with some of the ones from clothing still attached to a strip of the original garment, I found myself doing the same early on. But really, not many garments have interesting buttons on them anymore, and the ones I do save might be from a garment I'd made and picked out special buttons for.

Mary, yes, aren't those colors wonderful? I just love them and it has taken me so long to find a project for this beautiful fabric that is best not cut up too much.

Sylvia, I got to work so quickly writing in this journal because its completion was the only thing holding me up from finishing a 5-day journal prompt series! I certainly don't write every day, and have an embarrassing number of blank books and sketchbooks, some bought some made, that lie untouched. But I do find that the ones I've made tend, often for a specific purpose like a class, have the greatest draw. As for your cataract surgery experience, I don't think your experience is that uncommon as I check in with other people having had it done. I knew I'd have to still have glasses but that my sight would be so much better, probably about like it was when I first started wearing glasses back in junior high. Plus, they keep making improvements in the process. I'm just happy that it is not like when my mother had her surgeries back in the 80's when there were no replacement lenses in the eye and she had to wear those thick cataract glasses.

The Idaho Beauty said...

Welcome Nancy! So nice to see a new reader of my blog. I do hope you keep coming back, and maybe sign up for new posts by e-mail or pop me into a feed reader. Thanks for encouragement about healing quickly - I've definitely been impatient about that!