This workshop brings together two of my great passions .stitching and book making. We will begin by making a beautiful cover, stitched and embellished to your own design, and then well go on to create the fabric pages to go in your book.
You will learn a very simple binding method, which will allow you to bind the pages into your book at any stage of the process. I will supply specially chosen materials to make the basic book structure, which will form the foundation for your experiments with cloth and stitch. You can try out several of my favourite techniques for creating interesting effects with your materials, and begin to build the content of your book.
You will need all your usual tools of the trade. Bring any of the following that you happen to have:
Sharp pencil, good ruler (in mm), a set square, scissors, craft knife (snap blade) a cutting mat, a couple of sewing needles (I use size 18 or 20 tapestry needles), a dead ballpoint pen or a knitting needle or a bone folder (for scoring),
Bring fabric to use for book covers, inside and out . Fabrics that are not too heavy are best :- calico or cotton as a base to work on to, colour and pattern to create with, also silks, synthetics, glitz, lace, trims, braids, ribbons
Transparent fabrics such as organza can be very interesting, especially if layered over other fabric or images. Piecing and patching is great fun and leads to more stitching.
Bring threads and suitable needles to stitch on your fabrics.
The embellished fabric will be bonded and/or stitched to a base which I will provide.
Additional decoration can be achieved by stitching or gluing on objects such as beads, feathers, leaves, found objects, whatever you like. Give this some thought and bring stuff.
The aim is to begin to build cloth collages for the pages as well, so bring a good selection of fabrics to play with. ( but you only need small amounts ) Go for variety, or collect for a theme.
I will provide all the construction materials you will need for the books: the base to build your covers on, textile for pages, fusible web, threads for binding, etc. . .
I also provide the essential equipment, and notes on technique.
There will be a charge of $15 to cover all the stuff I provide
The main requirements for a workshop venue are: Ample table space for all participants and appropriate seating
An extra table or two for me and my stuff
Access to water, but not necessarily a sink in the room
Good lighting Power points