Fabric Art Journal (or Cloth Book)

This looks like being an interesting thing to do.

I started by making a small try-out cloth book with  blank pages, just to understand the method.  But it won't be thrown away after all, it will probably become a store for hand embroidery stitches in a format easy to find and to look at.

Then I went on to make another one with more care and in a larger format.  So far it only has one set of four pages (or signature) as it is apparently called in America.

Here you see the beginnings of a double page.  It is backed with stabiliser ready for embroidery stitches and is marked around the edges and the centre.  After it is decorated with stitching It will be backed with another similar pair of pages with low loft wadding in-between.  They will be sewn together and edged with zig-zag stitches.  This then becomes a 'signature'. It will be joined to a cover at the centre point with stitching.


This is the signature with stitching completed.  The back has rows of fancy stitches as well and you can see the gap at the centre ready to attach to the cover.

I haven't gone too far with this one as I want to develop it with the Quilting Arts membership. 

I have made the outer cover but not decorated it yet.



Here you see the cover being prepared for quilting.  It has a fabric outer and lining with a low loft wadding in-between.

I marked a diagonal line and then quilted diagonal lines evenly spaced apart.

If you have a guide included in your sewing machine accessories this is most helpful in getting the lines the same distance apart.

I have written up the method and will send this out to Quilting Arts members shortly.  This cloth book is work in progress and another signature (or four pages) is planned for next month and will contain examples of labels to be attached to our work.

The content of this first cloth book is quite practical as you can see and mainly designed to be a means of learning and hopefully an inspiration to anyone feeling unsure or apprehensive about this latest project.

In due course the cover will be decorated and the other pages completed. 

In the meantime there is an alternative method and a completed Fabric Art Journal which I will put on the next posting.  the next one is quite different in appearance and method of making up.  This will be posted in the next couple of days.