Fabric Covered Coptic Stitch Sketchbook - Six - "A STITCH IN TIME, FINISHES THE SKETCHBOOK"

"A STITCH IN TIME, FINISHES THE SKETCHBOOK"

****NOTICE!! I just now fixed some "bugs" in the instructions. I hope I cleared them up! If this still isn't clear, or your threads get crossed (in the wrong way), 

please let me know so I can fix it further!!!! 

SO SORRY!!!****

And here we are at the end. Time to finish this up. Retrieve your TWO THREADS and the FOUR NEEDLES attached to them.

Check the tips. You may have one or more needles with a sharp point. You have to be very careful with these because they will split your thread as you are stitching. Pulling your thread gently to the left as you exit a hole and holding it with your free thumb will open the hole and help prevent this. More as we go along. We are going to start by making our first stitches in the BACK cover. So you need to get that. 

Be sure you know exactly where the top of the cover is, and always keep in mind the direction of your arrows.  The holes are numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4, from the TOP to the BOTTOM, or from the LEFT TO RIGHT as you are working sideways. If you have to, make a cheat sheet that shows them in the right order in relation to the cover as you are viewing it. 

Place the open cover FACE DOWN on the edge of your table. Using your first thread, push NEEDLE ONE in through HOLE 1 and then out through HOLE 3, from the inside of the cover to the outside. Pull the threads through and let them hang down evenly over the edge of your table. Repeat this for the second thread, NEEDLE 3 in through HOLE 2, then out through HOLE 4, from the inside to the outside, evening the threads and letting them hang down. 

On the inside of the cover the threads will be crossed. On the outside the colors will alternate. Now close the cover so that the INSIDE BACK is facing UP, the OUTSIDE BACK is face down and the threads are hanging down with THREAD 1/HOLE 1 on your far LEFT. 

Pick up Signature #6 and place it FACE UP on the cover. Be sure the holes are aligned (that the signature is not flipped). Pick up the needle in position one  and put it through HOLE ONE in the Signature. On the INSIDE of the cover, grab the needle, CROSS OVER and exit the needle to the front through HOLE 2. Tighten the thread, pull it slightly to the left and hold it with your thumb. 

This action should clear the hole of the thread and help you not split it.  

Come up through HOLE 2 with the second needle and thread, cross over and exit through HOLE 1. 

Tighten the threads and let them hang down. You should have double threads, one of each color, side by side, laying in the crease. Repeat with NEEDLE 3/THREAD 2, crossing over to HOLE 4 and exiting, and with NEEDLE 4/THREAD 4, crossing over to HOLE 3 and exiting.

When you tighten the threads they should look like this - double, two color on the inside of the Signature, and hanging straight down on the outside in alternating colors. And the signature should be hooked securely to the back cover. 

Now we will begin to make the chain. The first stitch is a "half chain" to secure the stitches. 

 NEEDLE 1/THREAD 1 is hanging down on the far left. Run the needle between the cover and Signature 6, from the right, loop around the thread to the left and exit out on the left side of the thread. Do not tighten the thread yet.

 Come up through the loop and gently tighten the thread, forming a half chain securing stitch. Let the thread hang down. Repeat all the way across.

You may find this process easier if you keep the signature on the table, and let the cover hang down, opening the gap between the two. You can then just drop your need through loop around, pick it up from underneath, and poke it right up and grab it with your fingers.

Place Signature 5 on top of Signature 6 with the T5 mark visible in the upper corner. Repeat NEEDLE 1 into HOLE 1, cross over and come out HOLE 2. NEEDLE 2 into HOLE 2, cross over, come out HOLE 1. Make your chain stitch by dropping your needle down between Signature 6 and Signature 5, cross under thread from right to left, come out the left around the thread and tighten. 

Lay the thread out over the top of signature and continue on across.

Add Signature 4 on top of Signature 5, sew in the same manner - into the signature from the outside, cross over on the inside, come out.  

From now on, each time you finish, COUNT DOWN TWO SIGNATURES, make the chain around, tighten the tension on the thread, add another signature on top. 

***From now on your chain should always hook two signatures together.*** 

Be sure to stitch your chain from the right, around and under the thread and out the left side each time. Always check your holes alignment. Continue until all signatures have been added.

Add the front cover the same way. Count down two signatures, and make the chain. Come back through the cover again, cross over on the inside, come out, then this time count down ONE Signature to end and secure the chain. Loop around and go back into the cover again. Tighten the tension on the threads. 

Open the cover. Tie THREAD ONE to THREAD TWO. Tie THREAD THREE to THREAD FOUR. Clip excess thread so it does not stick out, but leave a little tail. 

 Apply PVA glue with a brush or credit card spreader from edge to edge on one side of the cover. Be sure to cover the loose thread ends. Try to get as close to the edge as you can without getting glue on the outside. Fold the cover closed. Be very sure all the corners are well aligned, the edges match up and all loose threads are tucked in between the two covers. Wipe off any excess glue. 

Wrap the cover all around in plastic - either plastic wrap or some other other wrapper. You want to make sure any glue that is squeezed out during pressing will not get anywhere but onto plastic. Do the same glue and plastic wrap procedure for the back cover. Carefully place the book under weights. A book press is wonderful if you have one. Most of us don't. I use a stack of heavy books (a book press made of books!) Let the whole thing set over night.

 When you open the press in the morning and unwrap your book, it should feel a lot like Christmas! What a gift! I am WAY happier with this second go'round than with the first. Everything worked MUCH better.

The end wraps are better, the chains are tighter and the alignment is almost perfect. I am doing a little Happy Dance !

So, how did yours turn out? Send me some pics to #fabcopsketchbook.

I hope this worked well for you and the instructions were clear enough. Be sure to comment with any questions you have.

This has been a blast, but I haven't even BEGUN my SBK homework yet! Guess I'd better hop to it!!

judi

Fabric Covered Coptic Stitch Sketchbook - Five - "FABRICS! IT'S TIME TO BREAK OUT THE FABRICS!"

"FABRICS! IT'S TIME TO BREAK OUT THE FABRICS!"

Well, it has taken a while to get to this point, and we've all worked very hard. And, if you are like me, you have already made several dumb mistakes, causing you to consider throwing in the towel. Trust me, those mistakes were nothing. Many bigger, more stupid and exciting mistakes are looming just over the horizon! We will all laugh about having made them when we are finished. But then, after, WE WILL NEVER MENTION THEM AGAIN TO ANYONE! What most people can't see never need concern them. Our secret blunders will die with us!

It is now time to drag our fabric stashes out and make some decisions. Because I have so much left from my first go-round with Gypsy's Fabrics, I am for a do-over. Only this time I'll try to get it right! I really feel the need to correct some of the epic secret blunders I made that even YOU don't know about, and hopefully, can't see.

Here's my stash from Gypsy's Purple Month packet. So much from which to choose! More than I can use on a smallish book. So, again, I have to pare down my choices, even though I want to use everything! (MORE GLITTER! I NEED MORE GLITTER!!!)

Probably you will want to start with one main fabric for each cover. To do this make a paper pattern the size of your opened cover, with a one inch border all around.

Cut the pattern off at a 45º an angle about 3/8" above each corner. This will be your guide for your base fabric, or (or fabrics, if you want to use a different one for each cover). In either case they need to cover this pattern. Be generous. You will be sorry if you skimp, especially if you are doing quilting. Terrible things happen.

I guess this would be a good time to say there is no reason at all this project needs to be done with fabric, other than it is so pretty. From here you could layer the covers of your sketchbook using handmade paper, an old watercolor, a sheet of collaged photos, paper painted with acrylic in wild, abstract colors, or old newspaper clippings. If you do chose something other than fabric, you might want to eliminate the batting layer. Or not. Your choice.

So, fabric it is, you say? Then I suggest you open those book covers up and start laying and layering fabrics samples all over them to see what looks best. When you get something you like, draw a little thumbnail schematic guide, so when you take it apart you can put it back together again. 

And I am hopeful everyone has been patient and allowed the glue under the thin layer of batting on the covers to dry well. It makes a big difference. It really does.

My package from the Gypsy included beautiful sari fabrics. I want to use them, as well as the satin brocade, so the base fabric on the back will be different from the one on the front. But they coordinate very well. The back is covered with two layers of sari fabric - one glittery gold and the other sheer embroidery. Both are a nightmare to work with, by the way. You may very well have the same fabric front and back. WONDERFUL!!

To start I taped both layers to the board lightly to hold them in place.
I need to say here that I wish I would have sprung for a good piece of heavy tag-board. It has a clay surface that is much more tape friendly, but this is working out OK. *(See Post 4 - Under the Covers - for a revised explanation of board material.)

Because I wanted to have some quilted effect on the covers, I placed the base fabric on the batting, secured it with tape and pins and added my trim pieces over it. I sewed through all the layers, including the tagboard. If you are going to do any sewing you should test our your machine for this now!  Surprises at this point are frustrating and bad! (If the glue is still wet it gums up the needle, and worse!)

Sew and glue as much as you want, leaving those one inch borders loose and free for the time being. But test all the parts that "turn under" to be sure there is enough fabric to make the turn. Again, mistakes here are bad and hard to fix. If you are not sewing anything to the tagboard cover you especially need to secure the fabric with tape on the backside before beginning the gluing process. You don't want it slip-sliding around.

Then flip your cover over and secure one long and two short sides temporarily with tape. Brush glue on the fourth (long) side, on the tagboard. Turn the fabric edge over onto the glue and secure with more tape, clips or grippers. Repeat this for the other long side, then the two short sides. Apply just enough tension to pull the fabric down, but not so much that the cover curls!

Tuck in the loose bits of the corners that are sticking out with a bamboo skewer, toothpick, or straight pin. You do want them snug and secure. Use tape and weight to get all the little frayed end bits tucked in. Having this done now is very helpful when it comes time to assemble the book. 

This is also a good time to punch the holes in the cover for our next step - sewing the book together. Use the template. Be very careful that the UP arrow is going in the right direction. Also, the cover is 1/8" bigger at the top and the bottom than the template. Place the template so it is dead center between these margins. 

At this point it would be a good idea to check to be sure that the outside/front and outside/back orientations are correct. How do I know to tell you to check this? You don't want to know. 

Right now the covers look pretty nasty, from the viewpoint we've been working. But flipped over, and folded shut, they should be looking quite lovely!!! I can hardly wait to see them with their beautiful, end-wrapped signatures and nifty braided Coptic stitching!!!

WOWZA!!!!

Fabric Covered Coptic Stitch Sketchbook - Four - "UNDER THE COVERS - THINGS ARE GETTING COMPLICATED NOW!"

"UNDER THE COVERS - THINGS ARE GETTING COMPLICATED NOW"

The FIRST thing you have to do when you start the day is get your HUGE Supervisor off your tiny worksurface! Things will go better from there . . . .

Okay. Now that I've packed her off to her "nap chair", I can get back to the task at hand.
When my shipment of Strathmore Mixed Media paper arrived from Dick Blick and I got it open, I realized it was like a compact little bookmaking kit - inside was the paper, of course, but also a great fibreboard that was nearly (but not quite) perfect to use as the cover material, a piece of thin cardstock, and wrapper plastic to use as glue shields! All that was lacking was the cover material itself, and glue! Such a deal!

And now I need to say something about choosing the material for the cover bookboards. I chose the one above because it was availabe and free. However, if you need to make a purchase, what you are going to look for is TAG BOARD, POSTER BOARD or RAILROAD BOARD, preferably with the slick clay coating.   Please try to get 4 ply or 6 ply. 2 is too thin. You should be able to make your purchase at a hobby, craft or art store. Even grocery stores and hardware stores carry some form of poster board (but it is often the thin 2 ply grade.) The material should be like HEAVY cereal box or clothing box weight. 

So, how big is the cover going to be?

Stack the signatures as precisely as you can and measure them across their widest and longest edges. If those edges are clean cut this should be easy. If, as mine are, the edges are deckled, allow for the longest or widest deckle piece sticking out. Because I lost some paper to the deckling process, my measurements are 5 1/2" by 7 1/2". Yours will likely be different. That is fine. 

For the actual measurements of the cover we are going to add about 1/8" to the side opposite the spine, and 1/8" each at the top and bottom. 

This is the template I cut for the exact measurement of the cover. Notice (another bonus) I used the insert that came with the packet of paper. I am an ex-art teacher. We save and re-use anything that can even remotely be considered art supplies! Waste not, want not, that is the art teacher's mantra. 

Anyway, here is the layout. 

DUPLICATE THE SIZE TEMPLATE, MARK THE INSIDES AND THE OUTSIDES AND THE FOLD LINES.  THEN CUT APART.  

Be very careful here. Check your work. I just flipped my cut lines with my fold lines and ended up with a very nice set of covers in LANDSCAPE orientation for a future book. 

  Cut out your two covers ON THE CUTTING LINES, and fold them on the FOLD LINES. Keep the writing on the outside of the covers for easy reference (Yes. The writing on the back cover is upside down. Don't worry about it). Hopefully you end up with two covers in PORTRAIT orientation. Stack everything up nice and neat to be sure you are headed in the right direction. 

*A note here about the big blue rubber band with the clip on it. The next time you go have blood drawn, ask the phlebotomist for the nice, big, blue rubber band they just used on your arm. And for a couple more from the trash, while you're at it. Best art helpers EVAH! Remember, waste not, want not. 

 Now we need to do some gluing. Open up the two covers and lay them flat. We are going to make the covers softer and puffier by putting in a layer of the micro-batting. You need pieces exactly the size of the OUTSIDE FRONT and the OUTSIDE BACK. 

 Mark an area on these two sides about 3/4 to an inch inside the edges. The inside area is where your glue will go. 

Use an old credit card, a bristle brush or foam brush to spread your PVA glue inside the glue area in the centers of the covers. Gently lay the pieces of batting on the glue, but don't press them down. Pat them a bit, maybe, but don't press (we don't want to lose that little bit of loft!)

Let the glue dry completely. For the next couple of hours, or overnight, just relax, think about your fabrics and how you will put them together, touch them, fondle them, play with your sparkly trims, and tomorrow we will start putting them all together. 'later!! 
(this is starting to get tricky. I hope I haven't lost anybody. If you have a question, raise your hand. I will get 'round to you!)