I've been mulling over the comments I wrote about Sample 5 on Bindings, which was my last post.
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| 11:1 |
I'm happy for the most part with its structure, but know I need to size it up. As I mentioned in my comments previously, I want to integrate both colour and style. With this in mind I was looking at my board which now contains a concentration of all the best pieces from this module and I'm leaning towards using one piece in particular for the front cover.
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| 11:2 |
This piece is roughly 17cm x 13cm, double the size of the sample book and would give me just over an A5 finished size front cover. This is allowing for half a centimetre larger than A5 on each side.
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| 11:3 |
Learning from my earlier use of different card thicknesses I plan on using cereal packet card: it has the right weight, strength, flexibility and feel. The back cover will be longer to accommodate the two or three longer sets of pages.
Covering the Card:
As the stitched piece I'm using is holey the card will need to be covered and that covering must enhance the fabric layer. I think using lightweight handmade paper dyed the mid-tone blue of the cover and with wax markings, as in the small book, will be right. I plan on applying a PVA and water wash to seal and strengthen the paper before ripping and randomly applying it to the top cover. This is a technique I used to cover the box in which the Book on Boro was housed. I want the markings to echo the movement of the stitches rather than just appear randomly through the holes. I need to make plenty so that I have choice! This paper, or a same colour plain version will be used for the endpapers. A final thought, if the ripped paper is only roughly glued down it should create a seemingly rough surface. The back cover will be treated in the same way as the front but with the pieces fully glued down. Scoring this layer so that the book opens completes this phase.
Attaching the Stitched Piece to the Front Cover:
Attaching the stitched piece to the front cover presents a number of issues. The paper frame is not completely attached to the fabric; this could be rectified with machine stitching but the frame is narrow too, only 2.5cm and not really flexible enough to fold over the paper covered card. I'm therefore inclined to remove the paper frame before carrying out this process..
Paper Pages:
I particularly want to show the loveliness of handmade paper and its edges. As two (or three) sections of the paper pages will be longer than the size of my deckle I plan to overlay part sheets to create the length I need. These will need careful pressing. The top sheet of each of these two or three sets will be coloured and stitched or marked with wax.
Edges and Fastening:
The edges and fastening will evolve as I assess just how successful the stages above are. Colour balance is important and I'm also aiming for a "lost at sea" look and so that too will come into the equation. Reapplying paper pulp along three of the edges might help give that effect.
As to fastening the book, holes will be punched at intervals ( five in all achieved with the largest size punch) and a rough looking machine cord looped through both cover and pages, in the manner of my lobster pot image. There is another possibility here: sari silk could be space dyed, randomly zigzag stitched then looped loosely through the holes and knotted on each loop. The looping process going through alternate holes to the top and filling in the empty ones on the way back. It might be necessary to apply wire if sari silk is used. In the book sample (see below) I used raffia.
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| 11:4 |
