Indeed a Challenge

I got behind this week, partly because of what you see above. It should look familiar, something we quilters do all the time, dig out more than enough options from our stashes in order to find the "perfect" one for our needs. In this case, I was just looking for a bit of blue fabric for the straps attached to the covers that wrap around the spine. I was originally going to use a piece of teal leather, but talked myself out of it as being "not quite right" and then did the deep dive into my batiks. 

Over 3 days while I tended to an out-of-town medical procedure and my usual Thursday commitments, I kept coming into the studio and changing my mind until I finally said the heck with it, I'm choosing this bubble one, convincing myself that it "coordinated" with the stamped bubbles on the inside spacers. I glued the covers to the text block flaps (not without some drama), fused two pieces together, cut them to size and sewed them with a long wrapped stitch. No sooner had I completed that step than I decided I didn't really like them, nor the thread choice for the stitching but too late!

Here's another thing that got me behind: the soft opening of a new yarn shop in my little town on Saturday. The owners have been having "supply issues" but didn't want to delay any longer. So with limited stock and offering a 20% discount on all purchases, they partied on and I joined in!. Like I need more yarn, but goodness, what an array of interesting textures and colors hung on one wall and promises of even more to come. And 20% off!!! These are mostly merino wools which I usually don't buy but oh, how luscious they are. And no, I don't know what I will make with them. But I DO know this is very dangerous, being situated about equal distance and under a mile from both a yarn shop and a quilt shop.

But I digress. Shopping spree over and I return to the studio to find my journal has sprung very open. Ack!

I'm pretty sure it is because I pulled the straps too tight around the spine, having miscalculated how long they needed to be. Ideally they are supposed to gap a bit but instead, mine are pulling the covers open I think. I have an idea of how I might be able to fix that, but for now, I just want to get the final steps done.

I'd not put much thought into a closure but now I needed to since the book would not stay closed on its own. Frustrated and out of patience, I did the quickest thing I could think of: just add a piece of elastic to wrap around the front edge vertically. Part of me wishing I'd taken the time to do something more decorative, part of me just wanting to finish. It can always be changed.

And lastly, using more of Sylvia's paste papers for the end papers, covering where the cover attaches to the spine tab and the thread stitches.

Just to remind you, the point of the signatures being sewn into an accordion spine is to create space for adding things to the pages (like cards or collage) without causing the book to bulge. With nothing in the book, the spine edge will be thicker than the fore edge.

But it is NOT supposed to do this on its own! Fortunately, the elastic closure is keeping those edges of the cover in check.

And here's what one of those spine tabs between signatures looks like. The whole thing came out a bit wonky and I'm not sure I actually like the structure as much as I thought I would. It strikes me as something that will be difficult to work in.

I had planned to make a larger version of this journal but I struggled so much with these last steps of attaching the covers and straps that I need a break from it. Not sure what project is up next for the coming week, but I don't think it will be a handmade book.