grand sewing expedition

Took to the sewing machine and sewed and sewed. Now have 11 pages on the go and two book ends. I am finding my stitch writing and drawing is getting stronger, so am having to return to earlier pages to bring them up to standard. Here are some pages in their various degrees of completion.

But page 6 - decided to keep this one plain apart from the coloured heads of the pins

colour needs to be added and broken notes

cut the original and sewed it on to fresh background and improved writing



Glad I improved the design of this - one of my favourite pages.
A bit of colour to be added and tidying up still needed

Have made the But button to fit on, but this is almost completed

 

Went over the writing to make it stronger, now adding colour. Gold needed for the button

Developing pages and applying colour - the button tin

Having had chance to experiment with materials, I wanted to combine my drawing, use of rich pigmented water colour pencils, felting and stitch to portray what the button tin is - a feast of colour, textures and surfaces. I will add But on top as well as stitch on a few buttons from my own trusted button tin. I broke three felting needles in the process, but it was worth it. It is by no means finished, but it is another page in the making. Just wish I had more time!

taking my drawing and applying stitch and material to
 reflect the inside of the button tin (same as the end papers)

With some felting and watercolour pencil in place

 

 Whilst I was in the felting mood, I took the part-stitched page 9 and applied colour and texture to it. I want the Lego brick and tennis ball to stand out. I will stitch on top once I am happy with the colours.

 

 

 

 I coloured the Lego brick, but decided to felt the tops to give it an extra dimension. The But button is now waiting to be cooked.

 

Bringing the drawing, water colour, felting and stitch together is quite exciting. I have never done this before so this project has been a huge experiment, but one which will result in a very interesting product, I hope.

 

I do need to decide on where the button ends up - I am thinking of the Queen at the moment. So that But gets the one up on the Beefeater button in the end!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

completing pages - trying white on black

Decided to see if white on black gave a dramatic effect to page 10 and made the spider stand out by embroidering it in gold and bronze thread. It took ages, but I was pleased with the result.
This is it in progress without the frightened But in the corner, who has yet to be baked!

before the spider had more layers and ends sewn in
 

With a brighter glistening spider. But will sit in the left hand corner



Also hand felted some colour on to page 12 where But is inside the matchbox. He still needs to be made for this picture as I overcooked him on Sunday in too high a temperature.

pencil sketch of But getting used to his surroundings

Page completed - media used pencil, pencil crayon, hand felting, free embroidery stitch

Adding colour and texture - the first completed page

This is a bit of a mission impossible and I am not sure how I will complete But's book in time, but  managed to complete the first page. It was a labour of love as the purple thread kept breaking in the machine as it was so fine and the needle kept getting caught in the material. I hand felted the tape measure and re-stitched on top to make the lettering and tape measure stand out. I then added But on top.

 

the final design

felting in process - I broke a needle in the process

the page completed....But's leg can be moved to reveal the I better

Developing more compositions for pages

Spent the day trying to sort out a few compositions so that I can get going on the stitching. I relooked at my thumbnails and developed the layout until I was happy that I could achieve the scene in stitch.
Starting with page one, this is how the layouts changed:

The original thumbnail

developing the composition

decided to go with this and see what happens when I stitch it



I then looked at page two and wanted the viewer to be taken inside the button tin, where But's story starts.

thumbnail of page 2

design preferred with lid which will reflect the end papers of book



 

 

 Pages one and two together

 

 

 

page 9 thumbnail

 

set up a tennis ball and lego brick with FIMO But and drew from observation with shadows

 

observational drawing and added text later

 

 

Page 10 - decided to use the idea of cobweb and spider

 

 

flipped the image as it looked better as a composition next to page 9

 

 

 

 

Pages 9 and 10 together - think it looks more effective if I embroider white on black

 

 

We'll see what happens when I start to sew.........

 

 



Sewing more pages and a discovery with adding colour by felting

Back in the UK, I returned to the sewing machine and had a go at some more pages. I have discovered my hand is more steady and I can get a more accurate finish compared to two weeks ago when I started free hand stitching.

I tried using some dotty material for the end papers and for fun decided to make my publisher for this instance, Thimble Press.

the circle will be a pin cushion and a thimble button will be added



I also had a go at stitching But using a stamp as a boat. I will make a Fimo shape and attach embroidery thread for arms and legs to give a three dimensional factor. The blue is felted on to the fabric - an experiment which I feel adds texture to the surface.

But making the most of his new surroundings - machine stitched, drawing
and felted on to teabag and Calico material

After visiting Mother Goose in Nailsworth, a great little sewing shop, I was given a lesson on felting, which has solved my problem as to how I can apply texture and colour which will make the book tactile.

Using a felting needle I attached materials and paper to Calico and a teabag

And now with the fimo three dimensional button and threads attached

Making a mini prototype box

Decided to have a go at making a box, so using a wool jumper I had shrunk in the wash by mistake, some cotton and some interface material, I made a template, cut it out and blanket stitched the edges in gold thread.

Cutting out the pattern on to interfacing

Adding cotton on top of interface

Add caption

Blanket stitching the edges with gold thread

this was sewn up on the Euro Star on the way to Euro Disney!



stitching the main outlines for more pages

Stitching with the machine, especially when I go back over something is a nightmare to unpick so it is important I put the lettering in the right place. In the gymnast scene my daughter pointed out that the G of amazing looked odd, so I redid it, but it took an hour to unpick the stitches.

where the G was...

 

 Where the G ended up. The stitched lines will act as a reminder as to what I want to make sure stands out. I will add colour with other cotton stitches as well as collage texture, vibrant fabrics etc to make the three dimensional But and his bland colours stand out in the story line.
 

The gymnast button reverse - I quite like the simplicity of line. I wanted a record of this before it got covered

 

 

But standing on a dress maker's pattern wondering where he is

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Taking inspiration from visual artists who make books

In researching how others have made boxes or used them to hold their artist books, I came across these two artists.

This one caught my eye. It wasn't the box so much that inspired me, rather what she did with it. Visual artist Lesley Patterson-Marx's Radiant Paint Box opens up to reveal miniature books, each one unique which contains words and images.

Radiant Paint Box 2012

mixed media,  9"x3"

Lesley Patterson-Marx

The box is a familiar object as are the paints within it. The artist has taken something that is familiar to us and put an additional twist to it.

Through the process of making prints, drawings, artist’s books and mixed-media work, I express wonder at the connections between human life and the natural world, order within chaos, and the sublime mysteries that lie within the mundane. The subject matter in my work arrives from the process of collecting. In poring over old magazines, sifting through jars of buttons, arranging stacks of sepia and black-and-white photographs, and collecting bug-eaten leaves, four-leaf clovers and cicada wings that I find on daily walks, I arrive at the images and textures that move me to make something more of them than they could be on their own. Arranging them within my work reminds me that I am a part of something familiar and cyclical that would otherwise seem vast and unknowable. Lesley Patteron-Marx

Embroidered box-type form of book Janet Edmonds



This exquisite design by Janet Edmonds features in her book Beginner's Guide to Embroidered Boxes, published by Search Pr Ltd, UK, 2002. 

 

A box to contain a book, Janet Edmonds

And I came across this one too by Aileen Clarke which was on Etsy. It has inspired me to have a go at making a fabric box for my But book to go in. It may take a while, but I will try and see what I can do and what materials will best suit it.

Embroidered box by Aileen Clarke