Stitch Book

At last I have managed to post pictures of my Stitch Book. After taking the photos editing them then finding Blogger had changed its dashboard its taken two or three goes to get my head around that still havent mastered it. It took me long enough to to sort out how to set up and manage my blog and then they change it I wish I knew someone who would pop around and show me these things instead of having to mess around by trial and error yes I did read about it but my head isnt into all this and I soon get confused its my age but I have to say none of my friends have a blog and look at me in a strange way when I say I have one.
Back to the book its a cloth book I have dyed some of the pages.  One side is the stitch done in several different ways the other side is where I have used it in a pattern. Five of us get together to meet in my house once a month to encourage each other and help out if someone has difficulties with a stitch and of course there is lots of chat. It took just over a year to complete the books and they are all different we are now doing crazy patchwork I dont know if I will turn it into a book or a wall hanging.

Stitch Book

Winter Handmade Paper and Fabric Book

This book which includes white embroidery handmade paper and painted sewn paper didnt start out as Winter it just seemed to come about. I really like the cover its collaged with different paper and I rubbed in some paint and sparkles.
After taking apart a water colour book I hand stitched it up again I think this makes it your own
My friend Jacki took it to show her class they liked it very much so she is taking it back again
It didnt photograph very well there isnt any pink

Fabric Book of Roses

I love making fabric books I like to see how I can make each page different. This one has embroidery stamping printed images and fabric collage and its a good way to use up all the supplies I have stashed away. In between the pages I have placed compressed wadding but I wont be using it again I found it quite hard to machine on. When the pages were machined together I hand sewed them into a cover. I shall soon be able to open a library of handmade books I feel one about Autumn colours coming on.

Coptic Stitch Book

A book I have made from covers received in a swap . I have used coptic stitch as a binding it came out more or less right it works so thats ok
Coptic stitch always looks complicated I followed it one stitch at a time although some instructions are clearer than others. The signature covers are papers I used to stamp out some home made stamps that I will improve on as I use the book. I intend to use it as a doodle book.

Fabric Book

At last Iv'e made a fabric book. I kept saying I would but never seemed to get around to it. There are quite a few out in blogging land this is my version. It includes hand and machine embroidery with some of my own hand dyed lace. The finished size is 10x8" I cut the pages out of cotton materials and machined the embellishments on then sandwiched thin wadding in between each set of pages and sewed it up like a bag turning it out the right way and hand sewing the open edges. I was going to stitch it together with a fancy stitch like Coptic but didn't exactly figure out how to do it so I just back stitched down the center of the stack of pages. I did find this the easiest way to line up the page edges. I will put it on my craft stall but dont expect to sell it customers wont like my asking price so I will probably keep it myself or give it away as a gift. I think I will have to make a paper book and practice Copic stitch I have seen some very nice versions about

Altered Book

I have been quiet on my blog lately I have joined an altered book swap with mixedmediauk- see links. I have never made one before I always thought it was a mystical operation I wouldn't be able to do. Becky on the group explained all to the new ones and yes I have done it. There are eight of us in the swap and we post the book off to a new person every month so it wont be back to me

until next year. We all chose our own themes mine is The Lady and the Garden I like anything to do with flowers and gardens. Some of the themes are a bit more difficult than mine I will tell you about them as they come to me. I hope you will be able to follow my instruction for making the book and please leave me a comment I would love to know what you think.

This is the last spread I did. Its painted stamped collaged with paper napkin poppys and worked into with paintstik and other crayons. The lady was put into photo editing and turned into an oil painting this sounds as though Im good at photos but Im not I just played around with this its just a matter of clicking and using a slider. I havent yet worked out how to do layering its probably quite simple if someone shows you how to do it

I use a free programme called paint.net just enter this into search and its a free download. I have

now posted my book onto the next person.

Fabric Birthday Card

A card with a difference for Sandra on her 50th Birthday I expect she will tell me off for putting her age here but I did have a lot of photographs of a part of her she wouldn't like to see. I haven't made any paper cards for sometime and have got out of the habit. It was mostly made of felt with some glazed cotton and fabric flowers. I couldn't draw very well on the felt that is why there is a very wobbly glass didn't think it through properly. A lot of sad quotes about getting old were stamped onto tags and the beads are papier mache. We all had a good time at the party and the food was great all made by Sandra's husband John.

Book Page Swap

Before Christmas I hosted a fabric book page swap at mixedmediauk yahoo group see my links. The pages were all very different and all well done. I have now made the pages up into a book. I used one of those pliers with the eyelets to make the holes but I don't get on with this tool very well I'm not sure exactly how its done and the instructions on the packet are not very good I expect its all very easy if you see how its done. I am not very good at figuring these things out but its all very scary when you are doing it on some sewing you have spent some time doing. I did just about manage it but it could have been done a bit more expertly.

Book Page Swap

Blooms in the Garden

Some pages from a book I made at a Francis Pickering workshop. The pages were made with wall paper lining paper which stood up to all the inks we used. It was just like being at play school throwing all the colours on to the pages, we all had a great time. I finished the book at home with photos taken by my husband in the garden. I seem to have made a lot of books this year, this one was done last autumn time