Wednesday 27 October 2010

It's finished.

There are one or two minor adjustments to be made, such as moving the hook of the clasp a little further onto the fastening flap so that it wraps around the book properly.

A detail showing the bottom right corner of the front cover. The back cover just has the outer stitched border and inner braid border but no other decoration. I've had those funny brass buttons for ages and knew they'd be useful one day. They are stitched through the little squares of gold metal shim.

I found this metal tassel on a cheap necklace and took it off to stitch to the fastening flap. I took the book to the gallery yesterday when I was stewarding and began stitching the pages together, back to back, to hide all the untidy reverse sides. I'm there again from 10 until 5 on Friday but my hands are tired as the stitching is quite arduous so I may take some knitting instead. I have been playing with the embellishing machine and experimenting with embellished knitting. I have in mind to use the results as the background for small stitched landscapes and have found that the wrong side of the surface after embellishing gives a beautiful impressionist painting effect. I'll take some photos and post them next time.
Talking of time, it has flown. It seemed an age before the exhibition actually started, and it's been on all month which stretched far ahead at the beginning, but now we are almost at the end and on Monday it will all come down. A short breather and then we must turn our thoughts to North Somerset Arts Week next spring. Time to make another book maybe?
I'll leave you with a nice restful picture of two old codgers taking their ease! It's amazing that that position is comfortable for our poor old cat who takes ages to sit down sometimes - his joints are so stiff. Obviously his back is the most comfortable and pliable part of his body and he'll lie like this for as long as my husband will put up with it.




15 comments:

Doreen G said...

What an amazing book cover Heather--well done.

Carol Q said...

Just beautiful Heather. It immediately looks like an aged tome with all the braiding and stitching that you've added and those unusual buttons just add a perfect final touch. You must be very satisfied with the finished result. Love your old cat - he looks very cosy.

Julie said...

Your book is fabulous, Heather, wonderful work. Your cat looks so sweet and very comfy!

Ann Christy said...

Your book is beautiful Heather, a tru work of art.

Maggi said...

This is such a beautiful book Heather and the cover is just stunning. The cat and his cushion both look very comfortable.

Robin Mac said...

You must be standing about 10 feet tall with pride in what you have achieved with that book. It is just marvellous, especially the cover. The cat looks very comfy. Cheers, Robin

Helen said...

totally amazing Heather. It has such a wonderful look to it. A treasure for sure.

Lynne Moncrieff said...

This is incredible. What a sense of satisfaction. Amazing. Lynne M

The Weaver of Grass said...

I can't keep waxing lyrical about this Heather - but the cover is just wonderful.

That dear old cat - and dear old husband holding him - what a lovely photograph.

Look forward to getting somehelpful notes - I'll let you know when they arrive.

Heather said...

Thankyou everyone for your kind comments which are always so encouraging. I think this is one piece of work that even I am quite pleased with, though I know there are parts of it which could have been done better. It has been a good learning project and hopefully the next one will be better.

Ro Bruhn said...

What a fabulous heirloom you've created Heather. The cover looks very regal.

Totalfeckineejit said...

Wonderful!Worth all the painstaking hard work, Heather. This should be in a museum for future generations to see and touch (with white cotton gloves on!)

BTW The Poetry Bus had a little outing the other night and someone who bought the magzaine said they liked your poem best and he couldn't believe it when he read that you were 74 and thought that was a fantastic inspiration to everyone. So pat yourself on the back!

Raph G. Neckmann said...

What a fantastic book, Heather! I love all the detail, and the 3D effects. Glorious!

Your cat looks very contented!

Jackie said...

This has turned out beautifully Heather. well worth all the effort and thought you put into it. I love your embellished knitting as well..its a good change for you after all that stitching and measuring!
I want to thank you for your supportive comment and all your comments on my blog. I feel a bit embarrassed this morning now the wine has worn off! I shouldn't use my blog to solicit for sympathy should I ? But it really helps!
x

WendyK said...

A fantastic book cover Heather, love it