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The very beginning of the next artist book. Paper has been cut, an extra, extra wide spine and pages...there may be more of those. Small samples, small stitched scraps have been gathered...there will definitely be more of those. This is my starting point, my ''jumping off'' point, it should all flow seamlessly from here.
I have made you a short video about this one. I will show you that tomorrow.
The last of three pockets, you saw the first two here. Gimp fastenings, (purely decorative), embroidered lining, vintage white cloth, silk velvet, applique and more gimp than you can shake a stick at. The list has been ticked, pockets are done.....for now.....
Black and white patterned wallpaper, two different scraps of lace, hand embroidery and a few beads....more little scraps, mini pieces of stitch for my artist books. (then there's the centre piece in the last image), a scrap of cream paper, silver running through it with added bullion and French knots. I think I could do this forever. A production line has never appealed to me but a production line of these little bits would maybe capture my attention.
This book is now finished, every page decorated with stitched paper or cloth or both. I will make you a short video show and tell of that later this week.
Two finished pockets with the third one almost complete.....the list has been ticked and that's very satisfying. Three will be my limit for embroidered pockets......for now. I am too excited about artist books to start another one. Then there's class, sampling to be done, ideas to explore, cloth scraps to stitch, paper based design work to extend and develop.....the list is still long even though two things have been ticked off.
Today will be about creating surfaces for my London gathering which is fast approaching. It's highly likely that snippets for pages, for artist books will spring from that work too.
Lots of images today....and you're seeing this again but I can't apologise because I could look at it forever. A simple white pocket now keeps this safe when I'm not drooling over it and there are a couple of new pages, tiny samples which you haven't seen before. And still it's not finished......four more samples I think. To be honest I think I got a little carried away, I never intended it to be this crammed, this much work, this many hours of stitch but I am so happy it's evolved like this...I wouldn't have it any other way. Next task? Start another one.....
Two fronts, two backs....two pockets almost made. They need to be put together now and lined. My extra titivation's arrived for the piece with the white gimp fastenings. Pom poms, I was waiting for pom poms. Two rows of those have now been hand stitched into place meaning it's good to go, to be finished. For the reverse of the piece with the soft pinks and green I have applied a strip of vintage cloth which is secured with bullion and french knots and has gimp spilling from underneath.
Next time you see these they will be finished, hand edged and lined. Now I'm off to try and make a cloth pouch for this....a trial piece, a sample. French seams will be involved.
It's a marathon not a sprint.....this artist book, this artist book in a new format and with an initial plan to make four. My artist books usually have six pages and twelve sides, eight stitched samples and other titivation's. This one has twelve pages, twenty four sides, up to now there are twelve stitched samples with plans for more. The new format was intended to allow these little books to close easier, a wider spine facilitating a cover which would close. I think I'll have to forget that plan....I get carried away with stitch, beads, ribbons and scraps. This is crammed already and it isn't half finished yet.
Will I be able to achieve my goal of having four of these finished in six weeks? I'm not sure. It's looking unlikely. I love how this one is evolving though so I won't compromise on content, on attention to detail. I would rather have two books which I love rather than four books which disappoint me.
A completed front....now there's the reverse to attend to. Said reverse still needs to be pieced, the cloth needs to be found and pressed and pinned and basted but for now I am content with the front. And the fastenings.....another addiction.
My pieces, fronts and reverses are stacking up. This one needs to be finished too, lined and titivated....I make plans for finishing, for the sewing machine part and the edging by hand but then I get distracted. Mostly it's artist books distracting me at the moment. Tomorrow it will be something else.
Yesterday afternoon, in an effort to achieve clarity I played a little. Stitched paper pieces, stitched paper and cloth pieces, laid out, moved around, all the time thinking and gleaning ideas. How many more of these do I need? Which ones appeal, which are calling to be included in workshop packs?
With reference to the ''how many more do I need'' question.....I can never have too many. There's no limit is the answer to that one. Regarding clarity on which pieces fit the workshop pack bill....I don't have any..... clarity that is. I think I need to be ruthless. Get my head down and stitch like a maniac then divvy up the results.
I then got to thinking, wouldn't these make great wall pieces, just like this, collaged, joined together....paper wall art. That's set off another train of thought, another idea I didn't need. (remind me of that next time I have creative brain freeze)
Meanwhile.....the offending white pom poms are no more.....
Late night embroidery on a scrap of lace attached to an piece of stitched paper......with added pom poms. In the dimness of my midnight oil, my nocturnal embroidery hours these pom poms looked amazing. In the light of day, when photographed, not so amazing. Too white....
They don't look dreadful, I could actually live with this, leave it as it is. Trouble is I have more pom poms, more suitable pom poms and I can't ignore them, can't ignore them saying ''I would look so much better on there''. It's not a huge chore to remove five white pom poms and replace them with old, aged, vintage, (quite possibly grubby looking) pom poms.
I am mindlessly playing with bits of paper a lot recently. I have no idea what I am going to do with all my finished sampling from this. Initially this play was supposed to inform contents of workshop packs for a London cake day which is fast approaching. Has it? Not that I'm aware....it's time to get the playtime head off and replace it with the workshop pack head.