Earlier in the summer, I took part in a 30-day sketchbook event with artist Karen Abend in which I stitched a small vintage-look fiber collage (see some others at the link) each day. I knew my goal was to include many of them together in a journal, and at last, I've compiled the collages and completed the journal. It's awaiting a title, so make a suggestion in the comments if you have an idea. This project is another "crinkle" book, meaning the pages have a wonderfully crackly sound as they are turned. A noisy journal!
And the reason for the sound is that the pages are made using recycled plastic liners from cereal boxes. I learned the method from Kristen Robinson, and showed my first journal in this blog post last March. Interesting bits of paper, lace, and trim are encased between two sheets of the plastic, covered with parchment paper, and briefly ironed to adhere them together- thus embedding objects.
You can see the doily in this photo is embedded in the plastic. Then I stitched the collages on the fronts and backs of the pages. Some of the collages are made with free-motion stitching on paper, while others included used and dried tea bags, thread bits, and lots of other quirky things lying around in the sewing room!
This vintage girl photo is sewn to a tag with beads and faces a free-motion cityscape stitched on cheesecloth and a tea bag. Once all the collages were sewn in place, I stitched a line of decorative machine stitching around the edges, and bound them together. The book is lying on a lovely piece of rust-dyed fabric gifted to me by a quilting friend.
Burlap, sheet music, old postage stamps, buttons, even corrugated cardboard bits found their way into the pages. So the pages are very tactile and just invite a touch, but then they make the most satisfying sound to boot. What fun.
There is something so appealing to me about vintage photos. This wedding couple is a pair from one of Tim Holz's series of paper images you can purchase if you don't happen to have old photos of your own relatives. You might think this book put a dent in the large collection of found materials in the sewing room, but I can't see a discernible difference- there is lots more! Another book may be in order.
The back cover gives you a glimpse of images from the other pages inside along with the random threads embedded inside. Transparency is another bonus of using these recycled materials in bookmaking. So think "handmade crinkle book" before you toss out another cereal liner, and upcycle!
7 comments:
This is so interesting, nancy... I like how you can see through one page to another! What popped into my head for a title was - A Wrinkle in Time. Vintage stuff, wrinkly crinkly cereal bags! You make the most creative journals. I did get a couple photos of my Donna Downey journal that you introduced me to up: https://www.creativelenna.com/blog/2018/9/13/hello-i-have-found-my-way-back
:O)
I adore this - love the mixing of stitch with other media...my head is percolating similar ideas at the moment ♥ Gorgous work xo
My crinkle pages weren't nearly as well done, or as exciting as yours. I tried to put too many elements on a page, but I know better if I ever decide to do mine again.
I remember the lovely scrap bits you made earlier this year. I may have to make one of these for a Christmas gift. Sadly, about all I have are cracker liners. Of course, if I'm serious about a book for a friend, I can always cheat and use waxed paper. Mine certainly wouldn't look as good as yours, though. Yours is out of this world, and your scraps don't look like scraps at all. I love everything about this beauty.
BTW, at first, I thought you HAND sewed the edges. That is quite a fancy sewing machine you must have. I've never seen a stitch like that before.
This is just WONDERFUL, Nancy! I remember you showing me a journal using the cereal paper...how clever...this journal is fantastic! You are having way too much fun making these!!! I love it!!!
Just love this. the sound is great as Ihave heard this in person. Very creative.
Love, Love, Love!!!!
Fabulous! Turned out absolutely fabulous! I may have to try this except I just used all my saved cereal bags to put my raspberries into the freezer. Well, there will be more. I better start eating more cereal because there is a never ending supply of "stuff" in my studio that I could put into a little book like yours.
Today I did some eco dyeing on paper. Never have done it before but I am highly pleased with the results. I'll blog about it one of these days. You would love it if you haven't already done it. Now I have even more "stuff" to play with!
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