Still Headin' East, And Getting Closer

Remember this?

Yep, the cover of my then unfinished journal for an upcoming round robin.  The paper I ordered came, I created my signatures, did my sewing, completed the back cover and even worked on an art page to get the party started.

I totally copied Sox's great idea of wrapping a strip of colorful paper around the fold on the outside page of each signature.  That way, when you look at the spine (this is, after all, an exposed spine technique) you don't just see boring white.  I used some very beautiful origami paper.  Here's the spine:

And this is what the pages with the origami paper look like inside.  Whoever works on these pages can incorporate the papers into their art or work right over them.  Up to the artist.  I only did this to further decorate the spine.  Though they do look pretty, don't you think?

As for those stray red strings in the first photo, they are what's leftover after binding the book.  They can be tucked into the spine, but I read somewhere that one of the book binding gurus said that those strings are the sign of a handmade book, so I'm leaving them alone.

Here is my inside front cover.  I used more of the origami paper to reinforce the book tapes.

Same idea on the inside of the back cover:

The back cover itself is all fabric, lightly padded.  Here's a secret and a tip for any fellow lazy efficient workers out there.   I didn't feel like moving a dozen boxes to get at my fiberfill or whatever that stuff is called (since I didn't get to it I can't read the name on the package).  So I just took some fabric I really don't care for, folded it a few times and used that as my padding.  Works well and I never would have used that ugly cloth for anything else.  The fabrics that do show,  I found in a shop in Bar Harbor on last year's Tim Holtz cruise.  I think they're beautiful.

Since everyone in this journal group will be doing a two page, side by side spread, I did the first (single) page myself.  It may or may not be finished.  I'm still meditating on that.

The very last page is also a single.  I just used some paints (the scraped paint technique....apply paint, use plastic card to scrape it into the paper.  Apply more paint....etc.), some text and a coat of glaze.  Depending on the final total of artists it may stay as it is or become a sign in page.  We'll see.

The funny thing is, when Elena first suggested this journal I said I'd love to but only if it started in October, because I just KNEW I'd not have time to get it started any sooner than that.  And here I am, in August, all ready to go.  Well, if everything turned out the way we imagined it that would make for a pretty predictable and boring life, no?