Weaving and Bookbinding

It is raining today, not heavily but steadily and the gutters are all gurgling away. I have spent the day working alternately on weaving and bookbinding.

I am getting faster on the Voyager but, even using spray starch, I have to check the shed each pass but I am approaching the end. The photo does not show up the pattern but it does exist and I can see it from certain angles and lighting angles.

This is what it should look like. I am soldiering on wondering what will happen when I wash it.

As to the bookbinding. Late last night I got enthusiastic and set about creating endpapers for the Sweet Thames book. It contains a lot of engravings and I took two of them and turned them into this.

This is as far as I got. The idea was to repeat this across the paper. Firstly, when printed, the motifs are too small and secondly, A4 paper does not quite fit the book - by about 5 mm so that was all wasted effort. I then turned the stash over and found this.

This was bought in Kyoto and is Japanese tissue paper printed in gold with two cranes and a pond scene. I have four sheets like this so have enough in case of accidents. I do not want to see the cover behind it and will put some red brown pastel paper behind. Last night I pasted a 4 inch square of the tissue brown (without the gold!) on a similar  square of pastel paper and examined it carefully when it was dry. I need to be very carefully when folding it in half as it might crinkle up.

I did decide to complete the Carol book first and have just about finished. Text block resewn, tapes sewn on, scrim and paper added to spine, book covers cut and covered. It is currently in the press. This evening, I will assemble the text block into the cover and tomorrow I will paste on the title and spine from the old copy which is currently wrapped up in a damp teatowel waiting to be pulled apart.

Tomorrow first thing, I am meeting my daughter, Ruth, at New Street Station, Birmingham and we are going to the Rag Market. It will fun even if it rains.