Establishing/Returning To A Practice

Since getting "serious" about art quilting and later starting up yoga lessons, I've been bombarded by this idea of "a practice". Usually it has been presented as more than just setting a schedule or routine, but more of a focused dedication. I've never been able to sustain this kind of practice, and in fact joke with my yoga teacher when she talks about "our practice", saying "Practice? What Practice?" I only seem to be able to maintain my yoga one when there are weekly sessions to attend, and my art one when there is a deadline of some kind. I get discouraged that I can't seem to maintain what I think others mean by a practice. Then a ran across this: 

"But if there’s anything I know about practicing it’s that it isn’t about rules or consistency or scarcity or god forbid optimizing: it’s about coming back. A practice is built on the movement of return." (Mandy Brown and the A Working Library blog)

So that is what I determined I'd do during my week of semi-isolation and contemplation, come back to my studio practice, a little at a time but steadily. And that is how the Mixed Media Challenge Journal above got finished. It's a good size book (6" x 9") filled with Fabriano 108lb mix media paper, and with its bookboard covers, heavy in the hand. And a good thing I wasn't making it as a gift. The first (and smaller version) of this journal gave me fits ( so many awkward parts to master and I was not happy with my straps), but I was confident I'd avoid these second time around, which I mostly did. Instead, different issues cropped up, ones I've never had before. The cover paper is some that came wrapped around an order with the encouragement to recycle/upcycle, and the color was just what I was looking for to go with the strap material which was the real reason I wanted to try the book again in a larger format. That's a leftover piece from a silk papermaking or fusion experiment after cutting the full piece into Japanese Stab Binding covers. Waste not, want not, and really too big just to toss. Anyway, the paper appeared sturdy enough for gluing to bookboard so I was stunned that it wrinkled and bubbled across the PVA-covered board. I worked and worked with my bone folder to smooth it the best I could, and some of it disappeared while drying under weights but there is a spot you may be able to see about a quarter of the way in along the top of the cover where the paper is no longer attached to the board. For now I am ignoring it, but at a later date I might be willing to try slipping some glue under there. The big button is out of my grandmother's/mother's button collection, probably off a coat, and I adore it. I really didn't want to do a lot of stitching down of the strap (nor had I wanted to split the strap into two narrower pieces) so this was my solution. I fashioned a closure from what I trimmed off to shorten the strap.

Only one of those lovely buttons but I rather like this one too which is the same size but not as thick, a bit better for the back of the book. I should have used this cover for the front but it really did look worse to me, but in fact the paper now looks less wrinkled etc. for reasons I can't fathom. And why did I think the strap should overlap so far over the covers? Well, I think I meant to leave more of a gap over the spine but even so, it probably should have been trimmed even more.

With the strap and closure sewn on (through holes worked into the covers with an awl), time to glue on the endpapers which will cover where the threads come through and are tied off, and where the accordion spine now glued together attaches its end flaps to the covers. These are from another piece of wrapping paper which was brown paper bag-like on one side and this slightly glisteny green on the other. I was ready for the worst and I got it. The paper started curling as soon as I started applying the glue and was a real challenge to position in place. When I started smoothing it down with a bone folder, I found many places along its edges where it wasn't sticking down and I struggled to get glue on those areas without it ending up on the right side. Back under weights until dry, hoping the wrinkles and bubbles would disappear and for the most part they did. But you can still see dark places that I don't understand and the paper not really heavy enough to mask the underlying threads and knots.

The other thing that became clear as I worked with that accordion folded spine was that I really should have heeded suggestions for a sturdier/heavier paper than my signature paper. But since that signature paper was the size I needed (so no cutting) and supposed to take wet medium, I opted for the easy way out. The paper didn't stay flat when the watercolor paint hit it and when you flip through the book, some of those painted peaks are not stiff and flat. But they do add the bit of color I was looking for. The book itself opens pretty flat and there is minimal rocking from the strap and buttons. It should work well for collaging and experimenting with the Posca Pens I bought.

There was slack time between steps while waiting for glue to dry while under weights, so I forged ahead with prep for the next books. Remember when I experimented with eco printing paper? I've used quite a bit of the product of those sessions but 7 of these smaller ones were still waiting for me to figure out what to do with them. Then the Handmade Book Club lady gave directions for this coverless Little Link Stitch book where the signatures are wrapped in a slightly heavier decorative paper. I checked my eco prints and although they were a bit larger than what the directions called for, I could just up-size my book. Have had this idea floating around for ages and now its going to get made. My signatures are cut to size and paired with a wrapper, ready for folding and punching.

In the meantime, here's another "use it up" project that will take no time as long I get the pieces together. And so I did that too - an orphan piece of eco printing and trial printing of lined paper teamed up to make a notebook for recording info on wine and beer. Right now that info is scribbled in a falling apart spiral notebook that is awkward to use when I take it with me to the store. This will be much better - holes punched and ready to sew those signatures in!

So yes, a productive week, returned to my practice which I plan to continue with renewed enthusiasm but remembering it is the returning part that is important. And partly fueled by the young neighbor girl who generally shows up at my door to borrow an egg, then bringing me a sample of whatever it is she's baking in return. But this time she just offered up the plate of cookies on the left, then returned the next day with the two cookies and selection of teas on the right. Can't she see I don't need more fattening up? :-) She is a very good baker, I must say, and since cookies are not my forte, these are much appreciated.

By the way, here's the link to the post where I ran across the "coming back" to a practice. It is actually about keeping up a blogging practice which was of interest to me, a die-hard blogger while so much of the social media world has moved on from that. Read it here: