Tome, Tome, Tome

Have you ever worked on a project and reached a "sweet spot" almost by accident? When the piece turned out even better than you expected? Or maybe it was just a little remnant that you almost ignored and it became THE one?
I was practising  with some cotton organdie - thinking that these were definitely PRACTISE pieces and that I'd continue on with the 'good" stuff in a bit.....
and WOW ! I love that fabric! It is crisp, yet has a gentle drape without being stiff - mind you, its the good quality organdie - not the cheap stuff and so hard to find....I had bought a metre a while back and now that's its almost gone, I'm starting to panic if there's no more at my favourite store...

I tore the fabric into strips and began with some mark making - using Dye Na Flow paints - they don't change the hand of the fabric and are easy to dilute and can be heat set - perfect for this work. I also added some finer lines with gel pens - a little asemic writing!

I folded the strip, intending to press the folds flat into pages as you might find in a book, but stopped myself in time and fell in love with the gentle folds. I set up the table with a paper drape and take what I like to call my "glamour" shots -

The next strip I tore from the opposite end of the fabric and because it wasn't cut straight off the bolt, ended up with a long triangle - not one to waste, I folded it lengthwise and dipped the fold into Old Brass Dye Na Flow and let it dry in place. I then folded it up and stitched down the centre.....

I love the centre line where the fold was and think one of the best qualities is the way I can manipulate the curves of the book and move it into slight variations....

The third tome is  slight variation on the other two - it hasn't been stitch down yet, one corner of folds is held together by a small clip - I'm not certain how I'll manipulate it yet but I also like the "rosette" quality of the middle photo. I'd also like to add some stitching, perhaps in a fine black thread. the nice part of the series, even though they are so simple and basic - there's endless variations.....

So, there we go...more ideas for consideration in my Iceland Narrative - BTW, have you signed up yet? Just hit the top right button on the side bar and see what awaits you....

Another Textile Tome

Be careful what you start working on...it can become slightly obsessive! but I'm making these books as research for my Iceland residency so I think I can be excused....all in the name of research, right? Check out my residency: https://www.susanpm.com/an-iceland-narrative/

The accordion book can be made in any number of formats and layouts and there are plenty of ideas on Pinterest and other websites....just try looking!

I had a piece of linen that was painted but I added more "text scrawl" with black Derwent Inktense blocks - oh I love those so much! They are highly pigmented and very, very intense. After drawing I put a water wash over top to make the marks spread. Let the fabric dry and then fused an old magazine page onto the back.

For this one I had in mind a spiral version where the cutting started from the outside and gradually went into the middle. My page was 9" and I was going to make the folds just 1", but decided that might be a little small so I scored the folds every 1 1/2".

I didn't worry about making the folds until I had cut the spirals with an art knife along the scored lines.

After the cuts I began folding from the outside edge, going back and forth and squeezing with my fingers. Once its all folded it looks so small! Another Teeny Tiny Textile Tome!

It's fun to have it uncurl and be rather flippy-floppy to take the photos. I'm still working on how to take the best pictures but am so happy with this little book! I want to make them much, much larger but not sure how I'll handle the size!

I'm considering how I'll add stitch to these, maybe before, maybe after fusing and cutting. I also think I could create collage with fabrics and/or paper, paint afterwards or even dip edges into a dye pot....