A little book

I was in Ottawa last week visiting my daughter and I met my sister there as well. We had a great time together, but of course, none of us remembered to take photos.

Once home, I realized I could take some pictures of my purchases. This is a large print wool knit with just enough fabric to make a gathered straight skirt for next winter.

I love this other wool knit. I have enough for a long sleeved t-shirt or tunic. Hopefully, it will be cover as far down as my bottom, for a tunic look.

Then, I started a little book for my sister. It is a combination of collage and pages with stitching. What follows are images from the eight pages and inside covers.

These are slightly pointless booklets. The pages are fine for writing on, but I have trouble writing on a pages that has decorations on it. I'm not sure if my sister has the same inhibitions.

This is the second page with an insert of music paper with lace and some stitched torn paper glued behind. In the upper image, I thought the music paper looked too bland.

Page two with a glued collage of fussy cut cherry blossoms and daffodil overtop an upside down cloth house.

Between page two and three is an inserted calendar page with stuff glued on. I was never convinced by this page, it just doesn't click. But it has a hidden edge a few folds over that I love.

The stitched edge is the hidden side of the calendar page while the grassy bit is the continuation of the rooster page. I've added grass style stitches and a button to the flower's centre.

The third page. Collage with three circles of seed stitch and french knots.

Closer view. The grass area had a rooster image that I used elsewhere. I used some cross-stitch pattern paper behind it and added an eye and coloured in the beak.

The centre fold. The three dots are the back of the seed stitches and french knots on the rooster page. The Japanese paper in the centre fold is where the stitching is to hold the pages together and where the pages join the cover. Thin grey/green DMC cord has been used for the binding stitches.

Page 5. A simpler page. The left side is the continuation of the Rooster page. The right hand side of page 5 are two strips of seed stitch, french knots and the grassy stitch.

The music page insert appears again with some free motion embroidered lace, embellished with a variety of stitches in white DMC coton a broder. The back of page 5 can be seen on the far left.

Detail of above

Page 6. I left this plain. There is a small cut out on the bottom right edge that gives a glimpse through to the back cover.

The inside back cover. I've used two calendar pages for the covers. They are stiff and should protect the pages if the booklet goes into a busy purse or bag. If I had planned this better, I would have placed the brown japanese paper in a different location. Then the little cut out from Page 6 would have been in a different location and when the page is turned, as it is in this image, there would have been an option to place something to look through from this side. As it is, it poorly placed for that to happen. Next time.

And the end.