Cottages Finally Finished.... CQJP 2014

 When I started this cottage theme in 2014 I originally intended to finish it as one book..

But after the thrill of the suffrage quilt being accepted in Houston I began thinking I may finish it as one piece (See possibility at left) so the project sat on the shelf until last winter.  But after waffling back and forth I knew I book/books would be best as I wanted to leave them to granddaughters.  It was pure vanity wanting to enter them in a competition and I knew I would be sorry down the road. 

The Morris book was 16 blocks counting the covers  and I did them back to back so there were 8 pages.  All the pages were facing each other and they were so heavily embellished that it didn't work  well.  I knew that this time I wanted each page to be backed so the embellishments on the cottage blocks would have some protection.



So that meant that there would be 14 pages including covers...which would be too thick and unwieldy.   The Morris book is over 2 inches thick with just 8 pages.

This meant 2 books instead of 1 which is fine as there will be one for each of the oldest granddaughters.  I had already finished the CQJP 2015 into 2 books for the youngest granddaughters.

So right away I had to start another lace cottage for the second cover.  It was much less complex than the first one but I liked it just as well.















Once that was done I started the blocks that would back each cottage page.  I did different adages about home on each page and kept them quite simple.

I was really happy with the way they turned out.  They not only protected the embellished pages, they added to the whole cottage theme.



Then began the long process of binding each page and edging each page.  In one book each page was edged differently with lace and trims and in the other they were edged with all lace.  The adage pages and the finishing of the cottage pages took months.

I knew for absolute  certainty  that when assembled I wanted the pages to open flat and began looking at alternative ways to assemble them.  I have done several books finished with buttons holding the pages together but they do not open flat.

The Morris book is assembled in "signatures" with a spine and it opens fairly flat but I wanted to explore other methods.

To the left the top example is called a "French-Stitch" method based on a traditional book-binding technique.  The reference showed doing it with cording but I chose to use multiple ribbons. 

The second technique was using beads and ribbons.  I will add some more rows when I find more beads the right size that a ribbon needle will pass through. If you look closely at the photo above you can see the ribbons and beads when the books are flat...  I am really happy with the results of both methods.

The "French-Stitch" method was a bit complicated and I learned too late that it is important to hold the piece facing the same direction when you start the next row..  My error is not that noticeable but I will know better next time.  This method has a lot of possibilities combining  various cordings with beads.


And I finished each book with some pictures of myself and a little bio about the importance of needlework throughout my life.  I bought a good-sized lot of knitted lace on e-bay last winter for this project and used most of it... I love the look of it.

This is the  book I used for information and inspiration and I never found anything better.  I can highly recommend it.

 This was my last really large project and could quit now and rest on my laurels (whatever my laurels are....) but I'm going to really try to complete as many of the CQJP 2016 as I can  and assemble the anniversary hanky piece which is 90% done.

Crossing the finish line soon...

Once I started noticing that how blocks are finished is as important as stitching the blocks, there is no going back.  I am compelled to go a bit further with the finishing of each project now.  When I finished the pages in the corset books I trimmed each page with the same lace.  This time each page is receiving its own unique edging.

I'm having to really dig deep into my stash to find just the right thing... but I already know that I will love it.  It just seems the appropriate way to finish these pages.

 



And I did get the knitted lace on the front cover.  I bought that knitted lace to use on my vest but I really didn't like the way all the tips on the points curled up and recurled no matter how I pressed them... But on the cover of this book  I love the curly tips...it gives it a sort of whimsical look... And it proves once again that if you save something long enough there will be the perfect spot for it.

I have a special vision for the spine of this book but it will be a bit before I get that far.

Progress and Peonies

Making progress on the cover for the CQ cottage blocks.. I'm loving the ruched ribbon... it is just pinned in place here.  I can't believe this ribbon  languished in a drawer for years.... Soaking it in boiling water really did the trick to soften it enough to make it useable and I had to candle flame the raw edges.  The knitted lace is going to be great..  I have a lot of it in various sizes and lengths...enough anyway for this project.

When I get frustrated with the eye situation I need to do something physical or I would climb the walls and this time of year it's working outside...  This morning I took this "before" picture.  I used to have peonies scattered about the property and have been gradually moving them to one area near the house.  But it had been overtaken by weeds and my lovely granddaughter Leigha helped me clear the weeds last fall and I want to get the bare areas covered with black plastic and mulched this week or it will be too late and the weeds will take it again.  Many of the later varieties of peonies are just poking through the ground so I had to wait.  Looks kind of sad here but there about 35-40 peonies in this bed and when it matures it should be spectacular.

Decisions, decisions, decisions......

 Tonight was all about decisions and more decisions as this project goes into the final phases.

Goods news is I get to use two things that have been my stash for YEARS and were never just right... First is the wide ribbon...an old thrift store find...  I love the colors but it is not the best quality.  It's a little stiff. Well quite stiff in fact. I might try boiling it to soften it and then I'll try to use some of my newly found ribbon folding skills to make it work...  There are yards and yards of it and it will take time to pull all the  wire.  Second is this jacquard trim...again yards and yards.  I've dragged it out time and time again and I've never found a spot that it would work..  I think I bought this at a closeout sale in a sari shop in Auckland years and years ago.  But it really works with the ribbon.

Should I use the lace cottage as the cover or use one of the pages as the cover and frame the lace cottage?  Decided to use the lace cottage for the cover of the first book.
Won't even think about the cover for the second book at this time.

Should I do laced binding with beads or a flat spine decorated with flowers? Decided to do the flat spine with flowers.  Since I'm dividing the blocks into two books, whatever I don't do with this one I will do with the other.  I had really wanted to trim the pages with tiny prairie points but just don't think I'm up to it.

And I do love this little green print which was serendipity as it was the lining of a pillow sham I use for a chair cover.

Onward with "Cottage"

I'm just doing the finishing touches on the linings for 6 cottage pages.  Like the corset books of CQJP2015 I am dividing the 12 cottage pages CQJP2014 into two books.  I used the same assembly technique for both corset books but have decided I want to use a different binding technique for each of the cottage books.

 

When I did my vest to wear to Houston I originally wanted to use knitted lace on the bottom.. It is so different from crocheted lace and but also very difficult to find... I bought a couple lots on Etsy and then when it was time to use it, I decided it wouldn't work... So I am using it on the cottage books.. There's plenty.  It falls into my category of "casket factor".....  If I don't use it, they'll have to bury me with it.  It does seem to have the perfect "feel" for the cottages...

 

I love, love, love this book by Pam Sussman.... Fabric Art Journals.  There's numerous ways to bind fabric pages in such a variety of creative ways and I've only used a few.  This time I want to use a couple of the more advanced ones.  If you are considering a fabric book I can highly recommend this book.  I'm always guilty of buying books and never using them but I am wearing this one out........ 

 

I'm totally hooked on fabric books ...I love that people can handle my needlework and experience it up close in a way not possible if something is hanging on a wall.

Thrift store tips for today!

 Don't forget to check the aisles with draperies, pillow shams and other bedding.  Not only do I find great cotton sheets for foundation fabric, I find yummy fancies in draperies and shams.

This was a drape and even though it is not, it has the look, feel and weight of a fine silk duponii and is the perfect color for backing the cottage blocks.

The cottage blocks were CQJP2014 and have been languishing.. I originally intended to make books of them then decided to make a quilt, then a book and then a quilt etc.  But finally it is a book again... for sure!  I got the pieces cut yesterday and made the images for the backing.  Plan to embellish backing with SRE and proverbs about home.

Update on thrift store shoe rack...  It is going to work great for my extra paints.
You see the arrow pointing to the black racks on a side table where I had been keeping them and all the space  beneath was wasted.  Now I can move the side table out and slide the shoe rack/paint caddy into place.  I will keep extra bushes and supplies in the bottom basket.  It wasn't tippy but I felt it needed a little more weight on the bottom.  So I added a barbell weight from a collection of thrift store weights I keep in the barn to hold down tarps etc.

The side table is actually one of my several wheeled bedside tables and my favorite one to use as a impromptu mobile ironing surface so I am glad to have it available again.

When we walked in the forest yesterday a heavy fog was moving in from the north when we started and completely enveloped us by the time we got to the house.  Usually the dogs romp about the forest, sniffing and peeing everywhere....but when the fog is heavy they stay close and creep along quietly.
AND when I got up this morning DH gave me a big hug and says "How's fubsy this morning?"  Grrrrrrrrrrrr....but the hug was really nice.