Fabric and Paper Journal

A newly bound journal!

Yet, I started it during the beginning of the pandemic and it has sat quietly. The original amount of signatures were very wide and unwieldy so I decided to break it into several journals.

I cut an old book cover into about 5" x 5" for the cover. The pages are a true mix: acrylic painted watercolor papers, tissue paper sandwiches with string inside, felt on cardstock, a nice thick brown piece of felted wool, painted foil, a piece of an old soft t-shirt, a paper cutting, canvas, handmade paper, painted fabrics. I did embroidery on the felt pieces and then glued it to thicker cardstock papers. The handmade paper was from a paper-making class years ago.

Using my favorite sewn-over-tapes binding, I wanted to try something new by adding a denim spine from my old jeans.

Really love how it turned out and how it feels!

Although a lot of the pages are "done" there are still many blank pages inside to play with.

Fabric Journal Cover

 

Over the weekend, I was directly inspired by Mary Beth Shaw’s video about making a fabric covered art journal.

Using a large Strathmore hardcover watercolor journal already started and entitled “The Blues,” I went through my fabric stash. I have three kinds: textured fabric already pressed into paint, old clothing I’ve cut up and upcycled, and remnants from fabric stores. My finished cover has some of all.

Instead of using the adhesive Mary Beth did, I used Liquitex Fabric Medium I’ve had for ages. Some of the non-cotton fiber pieces with paint were a bit difficult to glue down but they did stay.

This is such a fun project and a great way to use up bits and pieces. Once it’s dry, the cover feels great. This technique could lend itself to all kinds of commercial and handmade journals, as well.