Still January

 I have decided to try to post at least once a month, very different from the once a week that I used to do. 

So here I am at the end of January. I have just finished a two day workshop with Ro Bruhn at the Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, which now has Australia added to the link so that we don't accidentally go to Canada!

Ro makes fabric books. And other things. The workshop was about the fabric books. It was a two day workshop with the two days a week apart. 

It was great to be able to get back to the guild rooms. There are Covid protocols in place but they weren't intrusive, especially as we do not need to wear masks indoors at the moment. Long may that last!

Most of the people at the workshop are hand embroiderers but there were a couple of us free motion machine people. However, I ended up not doing much free motion, I didn't set up my fabric properly for that so had to keep the feed dogs up - motion but not free. 

I had gone to the workshop to start making myself do something. It has been a very quiet year creatively. So I didn't really have a theme in mind. Not sure it mattered, it might have helped. 

Because I had lost my blackwork folder (don't ask!!! I have just done an intermediate course in blackwork embroidery) and had searched through all my folders, I had found lots of samples from past textile courses that were never looked at. I pulled them out and put them in a box. The lack of theme meant that I just pulled stuff out of the box and used them. So I suppose I do have a theme - stuff I had. 

I thought we had to make lots of 'pages' for the book between classes, not the case. This led to some rather boring pages. However, I was able to put together two pieces of fabric to make a signature ( two pieces of fabric stitched together to make a page). In fact, I made two. The class today was about how to make the cover and then put the signatures into the spine. I will be able to make more signatures and sew them into the book. Then I will have a book to put in a box, or on a shelf, full of stuff that was in a box. 

I has been interesting to get out samples, some of things I will never do again, and to utilise them. 

I will spend time this week (and in coming weeks) putting pages together and making more signatures for the books. AND I have finally begun using the sewing machine again!

All good. 

Back cover.

My cover has pieces of fabric that were used inside the book.

One 'page' sewn into the cover.

Another couple of 'pages'.

Front cover.