Valentine Palooza

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have experienced some love today, whether coming from a friend or loved one or coming from yourself. 💖 I've finished that book I previewed which was the structure offered by the Handmade Book Club I belong to. Twice a year, a workshop is offered to the public for a small fee to give people an idea of what the club has to offer, and us members join in as part of our membership fee. Since this workshop came at the end of January, the theme became Valentine Palooza featuring hearts stitched up the spine. I'm not much for putting hearts on things, but I have a quilting friend who is moving out of state at the end of March, and I thought this would be a perfect going away present for her. So what's going on in that photo up there? It's the start of the cover for my book.

I have a small stash of large pieces of handmade paper which was one of the options for the cover of this book. Directions required applying a sturdier piece over the spine to strengthen it and I wasn't sure what I might use for that. The workshop includes several zoom meetings where people can share their books and ask questions. It was there that I learned about making a four fold cover. It not only doubles up the front and back covers but triples up the spine. And it is so easy to make. The end folds are the same width as the spine, and folding over each side in turn to meet the edge of that fold marks where the spine folds go. One more fold in and you have your cover.

Double stick tape like Scor Tape placed along various edges holds it all together, ready to add signatures. 

Because the handmade paper has a slight purplish tinge to it, I chose lavender thread for sewing in the signatures. Tip your head to the left and see the hearts!

I'm really pleased that I had paper for the signatures that matched the handmade paper so well. It's a 24lb Southworth Granite specialty paper in gray with such a nice texture for writing on. Even doubled up, the handmade paper cover may lack some staying power, so I might use the trick of gluing the first and last pages of the first and last signatures to the inside of the covers. I'm going to go look through my button and bead collection as well for a possible closure. It's done, but may get a few tweaks before I give it away.

I know many of you are struggling to stay calm while so much seems to be blowing up around us, so I will share that one way I have managed to not let it steal my light so to speak, IS by getting in the studio and losing myself in my work. Once I get going, the world falls away and my focus stays steady. So I was pretty delighted to run across this quotation attributed to Picasso because it sure had been working for me; I think it will work for you if you let it:

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."