Things didn't work out for a return to Pine Woods this week. My "Goldilocks" inner self couldn't find a just right day. Too wet. Too cold, Too windy. Too much stuff to do. Like finally finishing this French Link handmade book with cover made from a recycled cereal box and salvaged tissue paper. I'd gathered materials about a month ago as shown in this post which also mentioned the issues I'd met the first time I made this using cereal box pieces for the cover. Happily, I did a better job with the glue and the covers look pretty perfect.
You might remember that I had a choice of pink or blue of this two-tone ribbon and was so convinced that the pink would work the best that I cut three pieces to length before changing my mind and cutting some blue. It was the lighter side of the pink that I realized didn't look good against the pink of the tissue paper.
I decided to see if I could make this from following the written directions rather than watching the videos which I always do when making a binding first time around. In the Handmade Book Club we are often encouraged to quick make a second book when learning a new binding, quick while we still remember how and can kind of get it into muscle memory. Well, I rarely do that and as I stumbled along trying to remember the various steps with written prompts, I could tell that would have been a really good idea.
But soon I got the hang of the stitching (first link stitch I did thread the needle through the lower stitch incorrectly but was several signature additions along before I could see my mistake and decided not to take everything out to redo it.). Oops - I forgot to be making the stitches OVER the ribbons so had to take some stitches out and thread ribbon under stitches. French link does not have to be done over tape like this but it is a lovely way to show it off, which it does here so much better over the dark blue than it did over the tan tape I used on my first book.
Because the cover folds over to conceal and hold in place the ends of the ribbons, the inner cover is the same as the outer cover.
And there's not much gap between signatures. The book lies nicely flat in use, as I can attest to while I take notes in the first one I made while watching a webinar. Very pleased with this and am looking forward to hearing what the recipient thinks of it.
5 comments:
What a lovely book---and lying so flat. I think we are all spoiled with spiral bindings that let everything lie perfectly flat---but this is so elegant. I will ahave to put it on my 'to try' list. I am still a very new beginner at this book-making---and I am sure I would get better if i did more than one----but it has been a lot of fun.
That turned out really well! I can see the value in making another one right away! Jan in WY
That came out really well. The cats on the covers are so cute. I’m impressed that this type of binding allows it it lay flat. The bindings I’ve done don’t allow that. Another great job, Goldilocks!
Pushing through this new binding technique, never mind using cereal box and tissue paper as your materials was well worth the effort in this reader’s mind. Really terrific!!
Love Love Love IT ...that is the kind of book one would love to write "diary notes" into. (Sewmdtx)
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