MAKING ART BY SEWING PAPER, AND BOOKBINDING MADE EASY

As fibre artists, we tend to work with fabrics, occasionally adding alternative materials to our creations. But the past couple of weeks I've been drawn to working with paper. Paper is fibre too, after all, and accepted in the fibre arts world. 

The papers I selected for my first project - all soft in colour - were each meaningful in their own way: old sheet music, pages torn from an old book, tissue paper I had embossed then gelli printed, gampi paper previously embellished but never used, a vintage looking paper bag, eco & rust printed white paper bag, and used tea bags (yes, I'm a tea drinker, not coffee) to which I added some alcohol ink. After tearing and laying out the papers until I had a pleasing arrangement, I tacked down the papers with a gluestick onto Kraft-Tex fabric paper which I had just recently discovered and purchased. 

Using my usual sew 'n slash technique, I machine stitched through all the layers of paper, using a "jeans" needle 100/16, cut between the sewn lines, then folded back some of the papers to reveal the layers below.

This was a great way to use up a bit of my paper stash, hoping to one day find a use for them. We can sew any papers - flyers, newsprint, magazine pages, paper bags, food bags, cardboard, anything that could end up in the paper recycling bin - and even if the papers have been previously painted.

I'm delighted with how this piece turned out - it has wonderful movement, a quiet area, soft serene colours, and strong contrast between the dark, square tea bags and the light, curvy background

My 2nd project was bookmaking, which I learned several years ago. I love the feel of handmade books, and  I think each has a purpose which will one day be revealed to its owner. They can be public or private, bearing silent witness to your thoughts, ideas, sketches, or what have you.  I've sold several soft cover, single signature books over the years, each with a uniquely decorated cover - and often used for sketching or journaling or when traveling, and can be tucked easily into a bag. 

But I had never mastered binding multiple signatures into one book. They always end up wobbly and floppy, and no amount of practice or viewing of videos has helped me overcome this challenge. Until now.

A recently purchased a copy of fibre artist Sandra Meech's book "Connecting Design to Stitch" (Sandra also has a background in graphic design and art) included instructions for making a bound sketch book. Her binding method is the simplest I've seen, and with a slight modification, I tried it. It was perfect. 

For the book cover, I used 2 small canvas art boards (4x6) which I had painted, collaged with leftover papers - torn tssue paper, sewing patterns, and other emphemera -  cheesecloth for texture, and more paint until I had lots of layers and was happy with the look. Yes, there were stages where I thought the boards were ugly, but the key was to just keep playing and layering. 

Each signature is individually handstitched. To bind the signatures together, Sandra outlined a simple weaving method. A photo is below - not great work for me just yet nor have I tidied up the thread ends -  but with a bit of practice I will have this mastered. I used gel medium to glue the first page and very last page of the bound book to the canvases.

I'm happy with this new-to-me technique and I know now there will be more hard-cover handmade books in my future. 

MORE FAUX CHENILLE - AND A CONNECTION TO THE PAST

My husband and I visited an architectural salvage company recently who sell wonderful treasures from old rural homes: doors, shutters, spindles, windows, doorknobs, lighting, hardware, and much, much more, and keeping these items out of landfill. As I was seduced by the atmosphere in the barn and shop, I found 2 items I was compelled to purchase for use in an art piece.

One was the frame-like part of a vintage floor grate, measuring roughly 18" x 25, and the other a section of backplate for an old fashioned doorknob.

Once home, I got busy choosing colours from my stash of used textiles that would complement the floor grate frame and the door hardware, with the intention of sewing and slashing the layers of fabric to create a faux chenille look.

My vision was to put the doorknob backplate in the middle as the feature, with the slashed fabric lines radiating out from there, symbolizing stepping through a doorway to the unknown, to some connection to the past. The grate frame would be used as, well, a frame for the art. But after finishing the sewing and attaching the backplate, I felt something was missing. I added a few light green button-like beads, a few sequins, yet still needed something. Playing with other colours, twisting fabrics to add texture didn't yield any answers. I then put this project aside until the answer presented itself.

A week or so  later I was with a friend practicing free motion sewing, and was experimenting with sandwiching and sewing silk sari threads between 2 layers of water soluble film, forming small circles which I planned to fashion into small bowls.

On a whim I placed a completed circle on my doorway piece. It was exactly the right look! The circle complements the curves of the hardware and plays off the green buttons. Deciding that 4 more circles of various sizes would complete the piece, I quickly sewed them up using a granite stitch over the sari threads and water soluble film, rinsed them to dissolve the film, and voila, this piece was almost done. Once the circles were dried, I could then stitch them on and touch up other areas to reveal more of the hidden fabrics and colours.

Aha moments such as these don't happen often, but it was just the discovery I needed to finish this work. The sewing of the fabrics and circles may represent a nurturing side, an energy, a connection to others in my life, and the fabric layers the depths of our selves. I've realized that the timeframe for making this has been around the anniversary of my mother's passing. Perhaps my Doorway is a connection to her and to my past. This creation was meant to be I think.

RECYCLING FABRIC AND OLD TEXTILES INTO FAUX CHENILLE

I have a stash of old fabrics and thrift store textiles I've collected over the years, not sure what they would be used for but knowing they would get used up one day. I'm pleased to say I've now discovered the purpose for all these gems: a technique known as "faux chenille", also called "fabric slashing". 

I first tried this technique about two months ago and made 6 cushion covers (see photo below) (the first 2 were test pieces) with a 7th that I framed instead. And I'm now working on 3 different pictures using this same technique. 

Faux chenille includes several layers of fabrics stitched together, then cut between the stitched lines with sharp scissors. But it's the friction of machine washing and drying the sewn & cut fabrics that creates the frayed fabric edges, giving it a chenille-type look. The first time I washed the bundles was a bit nerve racking, but I was thrilled with the result. And it's a great way to recycle fabric scraps and old clothing and textiles. 

I'm learning the different looks that can be achieved based on the various fabric types, and the importance of colour choices - high contrast is most effective for this technique. I thought the spotted fabric shown at right would be great as a top layer, complemented by layers of pink, green and blue, however these latter colours overshadowed the spotted fabric, dulling what had been a fun piece of fabric. But this was part of the learning process, and a reminder to keep colour theory top of mind.

The orange piece below turned out spectacular, with some red, black and blue layers peeking through. As the top layer was from an old orange blouse with delicate embroidery and sequins, which did survive the washing process, I decided it would look best framed and for long-term protection.

Sewing line after line spaced about 1/2" apart and without a guide is great practice for one's spatial vision, and one's machine sewing skills too. Of course the distances don't have to be exact, and some variation adds interest to the overall piece. 

After completing all these cushion covers, I had decided to try making some pictures using this technique.

I chose this photo of a hosta leaf from my garden. After studying the colours in the picture, I selected several fabrics in shades of greens, blue-green and some fushia and purple to add to the edges, then carefully planned out the layers. The stitching and cutting were the easy part, following the veins of the leaf. 

Next came the washing and drying, again a bit nerve racking but also with great anticipation. I could not have been more pleased with the result.

I embellished some of the edges with pink tulle, couched on yarn for vein lines, and handstitched some beads and sequins to represent water drops. 

I'm so inspired by what I've learned so far and with the potential for this technique. It lends itself very well to nature images, and I now have a list of pictures I want to create. I'm part way through one of a Japanese zen garden and another of moss. And perhaps there will be more lichens in my future too.

If you're interested in learning this technique, there are lots of great tutorials online. Just google "slashing fabric technique" or "faux chenille".

SAVE PAPER THIS HOLIDAY SEASON: IDEAS TO MAKE YOUR OWN GIFT TAGS AND WRAP

I was shocked when I learned how much paper we go through each year for gift giving at Christmas. Some gets recycled, but much of the Christmas wrap has foil that can't be recycled. Think about how much paper your household may use this holiday season, multiply that by the number of homes on your street, add in your neighbourhood, the city, the entire country. Hard to fathom isn't it. The experts say we send the equivalent of 100,000 elephants to landfill each year in gift bags, paper and ribbons. 

This year I thought I would try to reduce the amount of gift wrap & tags we'll use in our household. We have several of those reusable gift bags. And after being given some pretty Christmas fabric, I sewed up a few gift bags which I've added to what we already had. Other wrapping ideas include decorated or painted kraft paper, newspaper, maps, tea towels, scarves, bags made from old clothes. 

My sister cuts up old Christmas cards into unique gift tags. This year I gathered up torn Christmassy tissue paper, colourful scrap papers, old book paper and sheet music, and turned these into collaged gift tags. 

If you'd like to make your own collaged gift tags, I've included the instructions below. 

 You will need:

• a variety of pretty tissue papers and scrap papers in various colours. I chose mostly reds, but also some purples and blues and yellows to add interest. Tissue paper is great as it is transparent once adhered to the collage. 
• heavy paper or cardstock, or art paper (paper that can handle water-based media is best)
• gel medium (I use Liquitex matte medium) and brush
• cutting board and knife, or a gift tag punch, or a package of pre-cut plain shipping tags, hole puch
• iron
• parchment paper

Instructions:

1. Select a heavy background paper that can take a few layers of collage. Begin to lay out scraps of the papers and tissue, overlapping and placing them at random. Tear them, don't cut, to add interest. Don't spend a lot of thinking time on this as the papers will be cut out later into the gift tags.
   
2. Adhere each paper down with gel medium, adding gel to the right side of the paper as well. 
3. When dry, cut the pieces into gift tags in the size you wish, or with a tag-maker punch. I have this great punch I purchased years ago from Creative Memories which also punches a hole in the top to add ribbon or cording.
   
4. At this stage I like to add a coat of gel medium on the surface to ensure all the papers are sealed. Let dry.
5. For each collaged tag, cut out or punch one plain tag - this will get glued to the back of the collaged tag, providing an area for writing and adding strength, especially if you find your tags are curling.  
6. Add a coat of gel medium on the back of the collaged tags. Let dry. Make a small pencil mark on one side of the plain tags, add a coat of gel medium to the marked side, and let dry.
7. Carefully match up the back of a collaged tag with the marked side of a plain tag. Keeping the edges aligned, place between 2 sheets of parchment paper and iron on high heat for several seconds on both sides. The heat on the gel medium will fuse the 2 tags together into one solid tag, and eliminating any curling that may have occurred with lighter weight papers. Let the tag cool before handling.

Have fun with this - and I'd love to hear your ideas for reducing paper and making your own gift tags and wraps.