Fabric Book/Journal Tutorial

First I need to clarify definitions:
One BLOCK = the 6" CQJP square as I finished it...
One PAGE  = two (2) blocks back-to-back.
One SECTION = two pages sewn together..

I ended the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012 with 16 blocks... I wasn't as careful as I should have been and there was considerable size difference between the largest and smallest blocks...  Rather than cut them all down to the size of the smallest block (which was certainly a viable option) I chose to add a border to all the blocks and then trim them to  common size...

I then cut a light piece of felt to the common size of the blocks ... A piece of lightweight cotton batting would have worked just as well.  I wanted this filler between the blocks to give the page some body... no limp pages for me....  At the same time I cut two pieces of heavy interfacing for the covers...  They need to cut about 1/2" larger on the outside edges....not on the side facing the spine of the book.

Then I sewed a strip of 2 1/2" binding around each page (2 blocks back-to-back) by machine...  I made the binding out of material to coordinate with the blocks... I highly recommend making a BIAS binding.... it is much more pliable and forgiving than binding cut on grain. There are numerous sites (and even videos) which show how to do this but I really liked this site... http://cynthiashaffer.typepad.com/blog/2011/05/turning-a-corner-making-a-point-binding-tutorial.html.  She did a much better job of explaining this step than I every could.

And then I neatly turned the binding to the back, pressed it, and sewed it by hand..

When all the pages were bound I sewed two pages together to make a SECTION!

Then I cut the spine a little wider than I thought I would need from the same heavy duty interfacing.  I marked lines about 1/2" apart... I cover one side with coordinating fabric by using double sided interfacing...

 I then sewed down the lines with a bobbin thread that would show easily on the fabric.

Then by hand, I sewed each section to a line....in order of course..

When open you can see that the sections are about 1/2" apart on the spine but because the pages are so thick that is necessary for the book to open properly and lay flat.

At this point (without covers) you can see how it looks...  There are 3 SECTIONS of two PAGES each.   So there are 12 blocks for the inside to the book,

I trimmed the spine to just leave enough seam allowance to add the covers and covered it with a piece of felt...  I then assembled the covers exactly like I did the pages except I added both the felt and the interfacing.

I then sewed the covers to the spine by hand.  This was the hardest part due to the thickness of the layers...  So I used a very long sturdy needle, extra heavy thread and a pair of pliers to make the task go easier..

Then I covered the black felt on the spine with the dog paw ribbon using again double sided interfacing.

Done....  I struggle with writing tutorials as it is easier to do something than write directions on how to do it... I strive it to make the process easily understood.  If there is any point that needs more clarification, please write me and I will update it....

Look...A BOOK!!!!!! and it truly is......

Here it is .... my official 2012 Crazy Quilt Journal about my dog Morris.... Except for a bead or a charm here and there it is done and I am so pleased with it... I wish I could show it in person to each and every one of you...

Except for one tiny thing I wouldn't make any changes on future books....  Remember when I said the cover needed to be larger and I would remember next time..... WELL it only needs to be larger on THREE sides... a pretty critical point but I managed to recover...

It lays nice and flat like I wanted it to. And I had this lovely little rainbow leash to use as a bookmark....

Here is how it looks standing on end... 16 CQJP blocks in all and a year of work.

and finally all the pages open fully and flat..  In the next post I will show  assembling of the pages, sewing to the binding and attaching the covers.

Freda wrote that it would be wonderful for someone in the family to inherit some day....NO WAY!  I'm taking it with me when I go...  I want to be buried in my red shoes with my chatelaine, Gingher scissors, Fritz's ashes and my tambourine...and now my Morris book...

Here are all the pages except the pocket page....

Look...a book!..well almost.....

Today has been the most wonderful day since I tried to rearrange my face with an immovable object.  It's snowing, I'm home, I've been almost pain free all day,  I've some foot-stompin, honky-tonk country music on Pandora, and I've been working on my Morris book for about 5 hours... mostly at the sewing machine...

If you look closely as you pass my chair while I'm on my sewing machine, you will see a little fat, black butt sticking out from under the chair... He dozes with his nose right next to my foot.  My dog loves me!!!!!

Of course the first problem I ran into is that the 16 blocks weren't all exactly the same size...  In fact there was a considerable difference from the largest to the smallest..  The obvious and easiest solution was to cut all of them down to the size of the smallest block... BUT I liked the larger size so I trimmed out all the  blocks (on the left) and then cut them all to the same size.

Heaven knows I didn't want limp pages so each page is lined with a piece of light weight felt...  The front and back covers have the felt plus a piece of very heavy fusible interfacing. You all know how great hindsight is ..right?  Well I get to this stage and realize that I want the cover pages larger...  I could have planned for this in the beginning but didn't.... but I'll remember when I make my next book...

You can see I trimmed the covers out with the tiny polka dots and I'm preparing to sew  on the bias binding.  It will take me several days to get all the bias binding sewn by hand...

I hadn't shown you the inside of the back page...  It is a "pocket" page..  It will hold the laminated narratives for all the pages...

The blocks are back to back in groups of two pages.. twelve pages besides the covers. Since my book will be so thick I will need a spine and I marked it so I can evenly space the pages...  But I didn't want the interfacing showing on the inside of the book and it's impossible to mark the black  polka dots...  I stitched along the marked lines with white thread in the bobbin so I can see where to stitch the pages..

My garden is always full of critters and it supplies food for them throughout the winter... I walk to the window often to watch them... After a fresh snow like today I see little tracks everywhere.
And by the way this post is a milestone of sorts...it is #1200.

Soutache + Painted Button.... Surprise

I spend hours huddled over a magnifying glass at a work table and then my tiny painted buttons venture out into the world and I seldom get to see what happens to them...  But when I do I am always amazed at the next level of creativity...

Here is a prime example.  Kathy bought this gold finch button to make a necklace for her sister who loves gold finches... Using soutache braid, crystals and tiny pearls she has created a stunning, totally unique pendant. I was ecstatic to get to see it in person when she came to do CQ yesterday.

I fell in love with soutache jewelry about a year ago and wanted to adapt it to crazy quilting.  I even bought a bunch of soutache braid at one point... After seeing this I am all inspired again...

Here is my post about soutache which has a link to a french soutache tutorial sent to me by one of my very best button customers who is French.    http://olderrose.blogspot.com/2011/12/fantastic-soutache-tutorial.html I googled images today for soutache and was amazed at what's out there now...apparently it's hot stuff now.... When I first looked into it about a year ago there was very little information.

Another of my stitchers, Sherrie, likes to add  exquisite tiny monograms in the corner of her work to personalize it... Here is one on her current piece.  It is  absolutely joyful little "S". When I said tiny, I meant only hardly more than an inch.  What a lovely touch to add to your needlework...

I cut what seems like miles of bias binding and am starting to assemble my Morris book.  I will take pictures as I go along for a tutorial...

Morris and a 38D

This page is a last minute addition.... but now I'm glad I included it.... Anytime Morris can snag one of my bras he whisks it away to his bed...  There he either buries it in his quilt or tucks it under his chin for a snuggle.  Whenever I start to dress and can't find my bra I know exactly where to look.... I must confess that it is not all that often I wear a bra anymore.

I actually found a pattern for this tiny doll bra on the internet. The bra is lace and a bit of flat cording and stitched.  I also can now thread a needle with one eye.. I do everything CQ now with one eye closed. I would use a patch but Dr. said not to cover it while it's healing..

Update: No change in double vision but some sensation is returning to the nerves on the left side of my face.  Unfortunately the sensation returning is pain... And only 15 days until the days get longer.  I live for that day.

Well one more Morris and eye surgery update

At one point I decided that I wouldn't have a page for Morris's obsession with my bra....rather quirky on his part.   but Susan Elliott thought it should be a must... I do have room because I was leaving a blank page for  "coming adventures" and I am rethinking this option. Then I could do the pages attached to a spine  rather than eyelets and laced together.

Whenever Morris can snag my bra from the bed or the laundry basket, he whisks it away to snuggle with... If I can't find my bra, the first place I look is in his bed where he usually hides it...

The surgery went well yesterday.. They put  an implant under the eyeball to keep it from sinking any further into the sinus cavity...  I still see double with that eye but that may or may not improve over the next 6 months...   Same scenario for the nerve damage to face...

My advice to everyone is to not try to fly through the air as it doesn't end well... AND if you have propelled yourself through the air, DO NOT hit anything immovable face first.

CQJP blocks are finished...

All my CQJP  blocks are finished... well except for the pocket page... I  have 14 pages.  I will use the month of December to assemble the book.. It was really a fun project but I definitely got tired of black and white.

This will be one of the last pages in the book.. I used my new ribbon book to learn how to do the little prairie points.

Under the lift-up tab..... Morris likes hugs...

My favorite page... Morris in the skunk trap...

And the back cover.  Both dogs watching the wild turkeys at the feeder. If there is a deer or rabbit in the garden the dogs want to rush out and chase it....but not the turkeys..
I took all the pages along to Olympia for Thanksgiving and my 5 year-old granddaughter loved  every page... It was a delight to watch her explore each page...

In a self-destruct mode last week I caused myself serious injury and will go into the hospital Friday morning for eye surgery...  Morris will be called on duty as my caring nurse..AGAIN!!!!!

4 blocks, 1 bag and a sore foot!

In preparation of our road trip over Thanksgiving I'll have all the last 4 four blocks ready for the final fancy stitching..  There'll be plenty of time to stitch in the car and in the hotel...  Lately I have been dreaming of various ways to assemble the book . decisions!!

On this "Morris and Me" page I made tiny prairie points with some 3/8" plaid ribbon to frame the picture... I thought a pattern would emerge from the plaid... it didn't... But I know how to do it now but 3/4" ribbon or larger would work much better..

The image on the back cover (upper left)  is quite large so there's very little left to do on it...I scored when I found that giant yellow button in my stash.. It will have a special center.

 The skunk trap page is ready for fancy seams.  I'm trying to stick to black and white on that page with the exception of the rainbow.

The block bottom forefront is the "pocket" page in progress.  There will be a narrative for each page on a laminated card  and they will be in this pocket page.  I have an image ready to put on it... I'm also starting another fancy ribbon trim from my ribbon book.  There are so many interesting ways to fold ribbon... I want to try them all.  Now that the end is in sight I want to be done, done, done....

This pile of stuff is going to be a tote for my display blocks which I now carry around in a very large beach bag which is about as ugly as you can possibly imagine.... but...the perfect size.. So since I will be toting the blocks out and about more when the classes start (yes, classes are going to start in January...more later)  I would be embarrassed by the beach bag for my beautiful blocks.

This will be just fancied up tapestry because I need it quick...  I can do the hand work while I am soaking my foot.  About 3 weeks ago I dropped a frozen leg of lamb on my foot... big bruise on foot and a black toenail but now the toe has developed an infection and I'm supposed to be soaking it... as good an excuse for extra stitching as I can think of.

Progress on Morris and the Skunk Trap -CQJP

I did the skunks off block and then appliqued them on...stuffing them a bit for a 3D effect (stumpwork).  Obviously Morris in the trap is a re-enactment. I do have a picture of him actually in the trap but the light was poor and I knew it would never transfer well... All I have left on this block is the seam work... Don't miss the key in the skunk's paw...

Several years ago in one of my less lucid moments (and there were many) I made a slipcover for my ratty old desk chair.  I used a white bedspread.  It was absolutely gorgeous at the beginning but easily became soiled with use and every time I washed, it became grungier and grungier... So a new slipcover is on my winter list..  I brought these two pieces of tapestry in from the barn and have taken turns with them draped on the chair to decide which I will use... The one on the right won...

I need a new slipcover on my work stool also so the other piece can work there. Both are good-sized pieces from the thrift store.

The Ends

ROFLOL   When I added extra pages to my Morris CQJP book it turns out that I need  a back cover ... Since I was printing the images for the last two pages I'm working on, I was looking for something appropriate to print  for the back cover.....

This picture of Morris and Molly watching the turkeys seemed perfect.. "The Ends"

Have I mentioned I love photo editing.....

While I'm working on the November block for CQJP, I'm also looking forward to the Dec. block  on which I want  an image of Morris and me..  I have dozens of pictures of  DH and Morris but none I would want to use of Morris and myself.. Since DH has a propensity to cut off heads when he uses a camera I enlisted the help of a friend who came to dinner yesterday...

He took about a dozen pictures and in almost all of them Morris was moving his head.  I only found two of me that I wanted to think about using.. I loved this one of Morris so I moved him into one of the pictures I liked of myself.

I also moved Morris into the other picture of myself which I liked...the one on the left but the photographer had cut off the top of my head in this shot.  So I took the top of my head from another shot and added it on the right and cleaned up the background a bit...

Since Morris is handsome in both pictures, the final decision  will come down to me with "teeth showing or no teeth showing".  I prefer the one on the left but DH likes the one on the right. I've plenty of time to think about it as Nov. block is going slowly.

I hate to admit that DH might be right but at the moment the comments (+ emails)  are me (0) and DH (16)

Morris is a two-pillow dog - CQJP block No.11

Morris loves his creature comforts and pillows are at the top of his list... He is a Corgi so is a very long in the body...  He really needs two pillows to be comfortable..  But in a pinch he will make do with one..

Yesterday   I vacuumed the couch and I piled the pillows in the corner... Morris was there in a minute or less.  If I hadn't had this block almost complete I would have loved to use this photo....
Maybe I'll use it on the story cards that will go in the back of the book.

Anyway it's done and here it is without the peek tabs........... On a good day Morris tries to make do with five pillows... Of course he has his own pillow on my bed but he prefers mine...

And what it will look like with the peek tabs.

I've had little in the way of embroidered motifs on the last two pages but will make up for it one the next one... I had been mulling over this coming block for some time...

 The story is SO Morris but the only picture is not very good and it would be impossible to retake... But while working on my current block at Mom's therapy session a possible solution came to me and now I'm eager to start... I'm also going to make a slight departure from my ongoing color scheme.... in fact no other colors except the black and white on this coming block..

Big winds brought down the remaining plums on our four plum trees and deer and other critters  are eating non-stop...  It look similar under all the apple trees... The freezer is full of plums, I've made about a dozen plum tarts and cobblers, and given away plums to everyone I can... But our deer and other critters  will go into winter well fed...