How to Clean Everything

I have had this book for about 30 years perhaps more and it is fantastic - but out of print. It was a paperback and disintegrated into sections of pages. It is too valuable to discard so I rebound it this week. I started by clamping the text block and slicing off the glue from the spine. Then saw cuts were made across the spine at one inch intervals deep enough to take two thicknesses of linen thread. The thread was then wound in and out all the cuts and the spine plastered with PVA. After that it was treated as a normal text block, mull, kraft paper, endpapers and then a cover of black bookcloth. The original cloth was untouched. It seems to be of cloth immersed in plastic - very like book cloth. I cut it up and glued it on to the now completed book. It is now a very solid hard back and good for another 30 years!!

There was the problem of what to do about the endpapers. I was searching through the paper stash looking for a paper with cupcakes on it (has to be a domestic paper) and came across a sheet of wrapping paper printed with chocolates. What better I thought and here it is.

Another good job done. I am also getting on with the Jules Verne. I had forgotten that I needed the endpapers for the two volumes before I could do anything more. So when I got back from the bookbinding class yesterday, I immediately set to on Photoshop. I had considered using Japanese chiyogami patterned paper but could not find one with fishes on. I did find (in the stash) a sheet of koi carp but that's a bit too tame for the contents of the book.

So here is a whirlpool. It will be across the whole endpaper.The edges will be trimmed somewhat as the book is not A5.

I went to Nature in Art yesterday evening under the impression I was going to a lecture by Lisa Hooper. It turned out to be a demonstration in a studio - which was very good. She showed us how she prints a woodcut of a sparrow - Japanese style woodcut. It used four different blocks, one for each colour. and she explained the technique very well. She is eclectic in that the pictures on show included lino-cuts, monoprints as well as the Japanese woodblocks. I particularly liked her lino-cuts and must go back to that technique. I thought about it all the way home!! Time!! Give me more time!!!

However I do have the Voyager all warped up and ready to go to Wokefield Park for the weekend.

Power Cut

I woke up this morning to a power cut which immediately filled me with alarm. I have reduced Michael's collection of computers from 17 to 5 (not counting the laptop) but the system is horrendous. Three of them are LInux and two are Windows and they are all linked together and have the names of Greek Gods (don't raise an eyebrow at me. It wasn't my idea) So we have Diana, Iris and Apollo as Linux and Vulcan and Bacchus as Windows machines. The problem arises from the fact that we have a comprehensive firewall and all internet traffic is through that and that is on Diana. So if I can't get Diana to work, then I have no internet. Even the laptop goes through that firewall.  

Last year when I was reducing the number of computers, I wrote copious notes and the first thing I did this morning when the power came back on was to re-read the notes, then take a deep breathe and start each computer up one after the next - and they all worked, following my notes!! I am astonished and mightily relieved. Last year before I sorted all this out I was without internet for ten days while I found out how to do it.

You might ask why wasn't I following Michael's notes - because there were none. I had to have one of his Linux friends round last year to help me. As I showed him out the door, I remarked that it was a real pity that we could not find Michael's notes and he laughed at me and said, 'I worked with Michael for 15 years and he never made notes about anything. He carried it all in his head'. This of someone who ran a Government software group?

Anyway there was no gradual waking up this morning.  I am wide awake and will now go and warp up the Voyager for next weekend. Although I think a bit more reduction in te enumber of computers would be a good thing.

Coptic Headbands

This is one of the three books in a Coptic Binding to which I have added a Coptic Headband. It is the stitching in gold silk thread at the top and bottom of the spine. All three look fine although not perfect. They are more secure than before.

Yesterday I taught the first class in 'Create your Own Drafts'. Not sure my explanations were clear enough. And even more unsure what to do about it. Fortunately we have the Guild residential weekend next weekend and I will have a word with the students and see what I can do to improve the presentation and help them. The next Drafting class is not for four weeks.

For some months, I have been bothered by the topic of fonts, particularly for text associated with books. I have bought lots of books and delved into websites and now I have got round to doing something and you can see the results on the left. I like Trajan - but it does not have any lower case. Forum which is very like Trajan does have lower case but, although it is very like Trajan, it is, on close inspection, poor. Caslon is a famous font and Garamond and Plantin are very like but Caslon is better. So the decision  is to use Trajan for titles in Upper Case and Caslon for text. And all the fonts are now installed in Photoshop.

My son-in-law, Robin, has been busy framing pictures this weekend and complaining loudly about the way I store the mount board and the framing. So this morning we took all the mountboard upstairs and stored it flat, put new Spur shelves in the garage and shifted all framing out there. There was already some framing in the garage. We now have three times as much out there.  I need to do some framing myself but must do the warp for Stacey's course first.  

A new kind of book

For the last two days I have been at Lori Sauer's learning how to make a new kind of binding - the Pompidou. The white straps you see are of vellum (A first for me) and the boards are covered with a very nice handmade handmade paper from Holland. This is so nice that I managed to buy two sheets from Lori. Ialso discovered the names of several places around the UK where I can buy handmade paper.

Making the book was not easy and I had to take out some of the stitching and redo it. In a perfect world, I would spend next week making two more books of this type but that is not going to happen.

Here is another view. I can see all sorts of ways of doing the spine

At the beginning of the week, I finished threading the Megado and started sleying it. On Wednesday I went to bookbinding twice, morning and afternoon as I have missed two days being in Washington. I finished the headbands for three Coptic books and started on rescuing a paperback called 'How to Clean Everything'. Absolutely essential to my wellbeing. The spine has been redone. What you do is remove the glue on the spine - this was done by putting it in the guillotine and taking off about 0.5 mm!!  Then you clamp it up, all squared upand then put saw cuts across the spine which have a depth of two thicknesses of linen thread. Linen thread is then wound in and out all the way up and down the spine. A good application of PVA and voila. it can be treated as a hardback. It should get completed next Wednesday.  My son-in-law, Robin is here, framing pictures and complaining about the way I store the mountboard and theframing. So on Sunday  we are going to tidy it all up..

A major urgent job for Monday is to warp up the Voyager ready for Stacey Harvey-Brown's course next weekend at Kennet Valley Guild's residential weekend. The other thing that happens on Monday is that I am visiting a furniture maker with a view to getting covers for Coptic books from him!!!

The other thing that is happening is that my son-in-law, Robin, is here

Current Status

Current status is looking better. I have caught up with a lot of paperwork. I have some more to do but I have adopted a habit of working on paperwork from first thing in the morning until elevenses and then stopping no matter where I have got to. It is very odd that I seem to have more paperwork without the business than I ever had with the business but I think that is due to two factors. Firstly Michael used to do a great deal of the paperwork while I concentrated on working on contract. Secondly I am still trying to clear up Michael's affairs and am about to try and sell some of his stuff on Ebay and Amazon. I am also trying to amalgamate the current five computers down to three. But progress is being made.

Yesterday (Saturday) I was at Kennet Valley Guild. This month's Challenge was Tetrahedra. I attempted to create a Diversified Plain Weave which would look like tetrahedra and I did not succeed. What was submitted was very very interesting (I don't have any photos which is a great pity). The items included - a folded book in tetrahedron shape, a piece of braiding on wire (I didn't understand how she had got there), a knitted scarf which somehow folded into three tetrahedra (!!)  and a pile of tetrahedra bean bags which formed into a teddy bear. All I can say is that all the submitters must have advanced 3D perception. Staggering!

I also discussed with Rosie Price the use of a length of Takedai braid with a woven book I am making. We think it can be done - all I have to do is to weave the book!! It is next on the list after Michael's enamels on the Megado.

Last night and today I concentrated on two pieces of writing. It is that time of year when the CW Japanese Textile Study Group wants an input to its Newsletter and my contribution is on Hana-ori which is a weaving technique from Okinawa. It took quite a long time to write as I had to look up references, find the correct photos and get jpg files from the drafts. I have created two drafts which mimick the piece I own very well. I am waiting for the yarn to arrive from Sweden and then will weave  a sample for each Study Group member. I am wondering if I should have a website so that such articles could be put on the web in one place. The background yarn is set at 40 epi and is 30/2 turmeric yellow cotton. The ground weft is three strands of the same cotton plus brightly coloured 10/2 cotton as pattern.

I have also written the first presentations for the four classes on drafting. I have not done this before and wonder how the class will take it. Back to Powerpoint. I used to do a lot of Powerpoint presentations when I ran the business and it has all come back to me. I have gone back to my old ways which is to finish the presentation completely and put it aside for several days. So come Wednesday I will spend a few hours going through it.

Tomorrow I will get back to threading up the Megado.

Busy Busy!

I have done a lot since October 1st including abandonning the attempt to do a triple weave in no time flat. I had got to the stage of having the Megado a third threaded when I realised that I had miscalculated the number of ends and would have to start again from scratch with the threading, taking out everything I had done so far. The warps and winding on are okay. It was 1030 pm on Sunday when I realised this so I decided it would have to be abandonned as an entry to teh MTF exhibition at West Bromwich. It will do for an exhibition next spring.

Since then I have been to my first class this session at bookbinding where I got to grips with headbands for Coptic bindings. I prepared three books over the summer and am doing them one after the other in the hopes I will a) get it right b) remember it. I have got it right or it looks fine to me.  As to remembering it, maybe I have to make another three books in a week or two!!

Friday (today) I taught the Bournville class how to make a Japanese-style bound book using fabric they had created. Mostly okay but I have never done any teaching on this topic which was not a full day when I would aim - and succeed - in getting everyone to complete two books in 6 or 7 hours. This time I aimed to do one in 2 hours - and missed completely. Noone completed a book and we are going to have to finish them next time. I feel depressed about this but I don't see what I could have done except recognise it was not going to get finished. What with that and the Megado I feel that a little less optimism about timing might be a good idea!!

Last Friday, I stopped by Needle Forge Mill Museum on the way home from Bournville to see an exhibition by SIX and friends (aka the Kemshalls) which I am not enthusiastic  about. It seems odd to say so but it was too representational. In the abstract, I have no objection to representational (what a horrible pun) but this included doing pictures based on Japanese woodblock prints by making a collage of the correctly patterned fabrics. And somehow it jarred. I did like some works featuring kites which were representational but -- - -. Oh well.

I spent last night at Leamington Spa minding the grand children while their parents attended a grand affair in Tate Modern!! This morning at breakfast Anne showed me some of her photos from China. They had 2 weeks there this summer. The above is from a series taken at an indigo factory! So I promptly acquired  copies!

There was also this - which is a simple loom from the Han Dynasty (200AD). I assume it is a 21st century copy!! The blurb says they also had drawlooms at this time. It is a complciated version of a vertical loom. Note the lease rod so it could  only weave tabby  or tabby with pickup. Interesting!

Now I am off to think about the drafting class next Saturday. I have made lots of notes on this but need to prepare from now on.

MTF Exhibition

I am preparing for an exhibition by Midlands Textile Forum at The Public, West Bromwich called 'Celebrations and Festivals'. It runs from 7th November 2012 to 3rd Februray 2013. This piece  is  'Candles for Diwali' done on 32 shafts in Diversified Plain Weave. I then overpainted all the candle flames with gold textile paint - made from powder which is stirred into textile medium. It had to be lined (white cotton) and have a sleeve similar to a quilter's sleeve attached at the back. The gallery wants everything screwed down using mirror plates and I have a suitable length of wood which will be held in the sleeve.

This is the second DPW piece, 'Fireworks'. It has caused me some grief. The Catherine Wheels are okay, but the Roman Candles were not good and the woven rockets at the top just disappeared. So I overpainted three of the Roman Candles with gold paint and then machine stitched the two rockets at the top in white/red and gold. More gold paint and sequins finished them off. In the end the piece was quite effective. And I even like it. I was not too happy about the lining on the Candles piece, so I found some black fusible knitted lining in the box of linings and fused it to the entire back of the fabric. Then sewed the black cotton lining on. It is a much sturdier, tidier piece than the Candles and I am pleased with the way it has come out. 

I have still to warp up the third piece on the Megado which is a triple weave. The cotton warps are wound and ready. I have to wind the silk on  to the sectional beam and thread up and complete by Wednesday!

The teenage grand children were here over the weekend and then everyone came to lunch on Sunday so there was a lot of cooking and running about. Madi is doing a good job using a slide scanner I bought this summer. We are turning all the slide collection into jgp files to be shared round the family. There are even slides of my wedding which was 51 years ago in Edinburgh in December and it snowed. I reckon there are 3000 slides and she has done about 600. Chris planted up a section of garden where we have removed a large conifer and also helped clean up the  garage - and take a car load to the tip.  So things are looking up.

Michael's musical instruments are now listed on the web for sale. I have got rid of a lot of stuff, plastic recorders, music stands but still have to get rid of a lot more.   I am thinking about taking a deep breathe and trying to sell some of the remaining musical stuff on Ebay. My son-in-law asked me if I had any removable drawers with hard drives installed. The answer was what sort would you like! There are lots!