one-of-a-kind

forget-me-not blooming in Winter, this makes me so very happy; as they're blue & small they are one of my all time favourites

snowdrops everywhere


in the background the 2 accordion books and a new one: a fabric booklet about a dead shrew, as drawn below


instructions for a Basic Instant Book, yes got that and tried a paper version before trying out the Cloth Instant Book, hurray
Or so I thought.....

the folding and ironing, not a problem, neither was the layout, but.....as I wanted to try out printing the photo's and text onto transfer paper which had to be ironed onto the linen, it all went pear-shaped.
What happened was while - carefully! - peeling the protective paper away text was removed as well and it was all rather wasteful, after two botched attempts with print transfers onto one instant book, I decided to use what pages I still could and make a different kind of book, which I'm not sure has a name.
In future I will have to rethink this working with cloth for a book, maybe even embroider the text, although I'm not sure I want to do that.





for the original tale, link here


The Dead Shrew




On the left a successful photo-transfer of the dead shrew onto thin white cotton, which was then hand stitched onto the gorgeous, golden linen book cover.

Yet again I lost a letter, the capital 'A' and just a little bit of the 'p' - phew, there was quite a lot of cursing and mumbling by this time, I'm not proud to admit - not wanting to waste yet another page I stitched an 'A' and the 'p' 

I can be very impatient and am very result-driven, so this transfer business with all it's pitfalls is a challenge, as they say in newspeak

below on the left you can see the threads



again, a successful transfer print of the ink drawing onto the same thin white cotton, which was sewn onto a green linen page; there's a pocket space above the shrew for a delicate find, a feather perhaps, dog hairs or sheep fleece, something soft


to add a little interest to all the bare pages, an old weave experiment from one of Jude's classes; I never was able to find a suitable use for it as I wanted to keep both sides visible; I think it very appropriate here as a kind of gateway between the world of the living and the dead


Another perfect transfer onto the same white, sewn onto the blue linen page



measures 11 x 14 cm, closed

to conclude: I like the look and feel of a cloth book, however it's highly unlikely I'll be producing these by the dozens in this fashion; I feel if I want to make books in cloth I'll have to come up with something else, maybe without words, just (transfer-print) images, or lino prints, or embroider the words, but again I'm not sure that's where I want to go??? Also the transfer is delicate and easily damaged, therefore not suitable for a child, hmmph a conundrum*

music from one of my favourite singers/musicians  Radie Peat, performing 'Dark Horse' 





*yes I did add that word just because I like it

Comments

Mo Crow said…
printable cotton is available, used it for the magic feathers I sent to Jude for her Magic Feather Project, also Golden Digital Ground White (Matte) "is formulated to enhance the print quality of traditional and non traditional surfaces processed through the ink jet printer" things like cloth, wood, metal, feathers, hog gut, etc will go through flat via the back of my 11 year old A3 Canon printer (best to try out these sort of materials on an old printer just in case it totally breaks it.
Have a look at the work of Dorothy Simpson Krause
a big challenge, but so worth it, yes?
Saskia said…
thx Mo, lots to consider, I would like to use the linens I have, and most probably for the covers (either loose as they are or stiffened with f.e. cardboard) I want to continue the book-making as it works so well combining my stories and drawings....have to discover what works best for the tale I'm telling....will google Dorothy Simpson Krause
which is also part of my answer to you Grace, yes it was worth the effort...and I have come to realise I must think about what kind of medium the story needs, as it were; I think the cloth book adds an extra layer to the shrew story and is therefore worth the hastle of the transfer paper issues...but it's perhaps not the perfect solution.....much more to explore
Mo Crow said…
if you want to retain the integrity of the hand of your linen, screen printing or embroidery are your best bets, any of the digital grounds or transfers will stiffen and change the hand of the fabric, an ecologically sound ground is rabbit skin glue makes and/or gesso as painters use to prepare linen or canvas for paitning
Saskia said…
ha, rabbit skin glue and gesso are what I used as an art student to prepare my linen canvases from scratch....seems like I've come full circle....what a great idea Mo, I love that you are thinking with me on this ....my mind's whirling with ideas now namasté
Patty said…
I think your fabric book is beautiful! I know how frustrating it is
to learn a technical process. It stands between me and what my goal is.
Also feels wasteful. I use InkJetPrinting sheets (cotton, not silk)
by Jacquard and have been pleased with results. Love this new direction you've taken! (UPC 74372980209)
Saskia said…
oh the waste is so frustrating Patty! not what I want to be producing, having said that I will continue experimenting.....I'm on to something very meaningful to me (and I hope to others)
I sense a coming together of so much of what I'm about as an artist, a maker and storyteller.....
Ms. said…
What a treasure...I am so touched by this story and your lovely effort to bring it into a cloth book. Also love the way Mo and you are parsing together AND the music!
I love where you are going with this . I like to make books too. I haven't tried a fabric book yet. Have you cancidered Spoonflower to print your words onto cloth? Maybe not what you want , but check it out.
deemallon said…
I have used commercially prepared ink jet fabrics to good effect too. It eliminates that platicized finish of the transfer. I might try the organza because the sheer quality would allow the base linen to come through. But I will say that doing a transfer onto a big weave linen disguises the ugly edges of the transfer. So that’s good. What’s so so exciting here is the marriage of your two native talents — visual creation and story telling. I look forward to seeing more! If the link below doesn’t work you can go to my blog and search “photo transfer”


https://www.google.com/amp/s/deemallon.com/2019/10/12/photo-transfer-four-ways/amp/
Nancy said…
Wow. That cloth book is such a treasure, like an artifact from eons ago. I'm lovin' watching you playing around with your ideas.
I will only add that I used prepared sheets in my home computer when I made my traveling quit many years ago. It is now so badly faded the words and images barely show. So, guess that may be something to consider?
xo
Saskia said…
thx Michelle, yes learning from Mo is a big bonus! Radie Peats' voice is amazing

hi Sue, I'll now go and check out your books, how very exciting....have had a quick look at Spoonflower, am interested to see they also operate from Germany, making postage etc more within my financial frame;-) Thank you for the tip!

Brilliant post Dee! wow I have learnt so much by now...it is nice when others have gone before and done the hard research, hahahaha (however, I'm not fooling myself into thinking it's gonna be easy) and I am happy that 'stuff' is merging and moving forward!

prepared sheets, Nancy?? like Dee mentions in her post maybe? not to worry, I will go forth and be prepared;-) I see a collection of smallish books on my horizon

love to you all, thanks so much for your words of encouragement and great feedback





buysse maria said…
hey saskia , bravo de vernieuwing is fris en top !!!! pc is niet mijn beste ding omdat ik daar weinig naar omzie ; Wel hou ik van het experimenteren en uitwerken van ideeën vooral met textiel , heb meerdere projectjes lopen , sommige worden zelfs niet echt afgewerkt , soms later .
Wens je véél vreugd bij de creaties , die kleine boekjes vind ik top !!! hertelijke groet M
jude said…
this seems like a good direction for you and your storybook mind. I used the printer on cloth way back when I started this blog, but was using a make shift method and taping the cloth to printer paper. You know me! I can see many beautiful things happening for you. Your blog looks great!
Saskia said…
hi Maria, dankjewel! wat leuk dat jij ook aan het experimenteren bent, dat geeft toch zo veel voldoening; ik wens jou ook veel vreugde Xx

thanks Jude, and thank you again for letting me use your quote!! I am so full of ideas and have boundless energy now that I feel all my 'stuff' is merging; I like your make-shift method, very much how I do things....Xx
Liz A said…
fascinated by where you are headed with all this ... and I share your love of the word "conundrum"
Saskia said…
you & me both Liz....certain words can hold so much can't they?

tungsten

tungsten

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