Your Hobbies, Collections, and Obsessions

[lunababymoonchild]

58 minutes ago, niko said:

Wow! I love the scale of this!

Hi Niko

 

Actually they are just about the size of a human hand, it's the way the photo is taken that makes them look large.

[Madeleine]

My next two paint pouring efforts,the one on top is actually more purple in colour, and the one on the right is my favourite so far.

Edited October 2, 2024 by Madeleine

[lunababymoonchild]

18 minutes ago, Madeleine said:

My next two paint pouring efforts,the one on top is actually more purple in colour, and the one on the right is my favourite so far.

Very nice indeed!

[Hayley]

On 10/2/2024 at 11:35 AM, Madeleine said:

My next two paint pouring efforts,the one on top is actually more purple in colour, and the one on the right is my favourite so far.

Wow, I think that one is my favourite so far too! (Although I do love purple!)

[Dellumi]

Hahaha wait till you hear mine.
I like collecting shift knobs.

[niko]

On 9/30/2024 at 1:38 PM, lunababymoonchild said:

Hi Niko

 

Actually they are just about the size of a human hand, it's the way the photo is taken that makes them look large.

Wow, who would have thought!😁

[Shin]

Everyone is so talented.  I love all your work! 😍

 

I have done a number of creative hobbies over the years but the one I have stuck to the most is crochet.  

 

I have done cross stitch, wedding stationery, jewellery making, wax melts, knitting and of course crochet.  I did craft fairs years ago for my jewellery and then recently for my crochet pieces but after about 2 years doing that I gave the markets up this year.  I hope I can post some pics soon.  I do have an Instagram account showing my makes (but I haven't updated it this year and also not sure if I am allowed to post the link).  But I had focused on baby wear and hats etc.  Now I just focusing on making blankets and getting back to my reading. 😊

[Madeleine]

Trying to get back into crochet now the nights are drawing in and the garden is starting to fade away.  I've also ordered a couple of jewellery making kits,something I've wanted to try for ages.

[Brian.]

Over the last few years I've taken an increasing interest in bookbinding. I have made a few notebooks for myself and others but wanted to learn more so I signed up for a bookbinding and restoration course. I recently picked up some books that have seen better days with the intention of either restoring them or rebinding them with new covers. One of the fascinating parts is the stuff that I sometimes find in books. Here is what my next project will be, a collection of Rudyard Kipling poetry from 1918. I'm not sure what approach I will take as it was originally bound with a softcover. Luckily while my course is running the instructor is always on hand to help and give advice.

 

 

[lunababymoonchild]

Do tell us how you get on

[Madeleine]

That looks really intriguing, good luck.

 

 

 

[poppy]

That sounds very interesting, always thought it would be a great job to have. Have you seen Christopher Shaw on The Repair Shop at work?

[Brian.]

16 hours ago, lunababymoonchild said:

Do tell us how you get on

Will do. I’ll post some more photos of my bookbinding adventures.

 

9 hours ago, poppy said:

That sounds very interesting, always thought it would be a great job to have. Have you seen Christopher Shaw on The Repair Shop at work?

I’ve watched a bit of The Repair Shop but I haven’t seen any episodes he’s on so I’ll have to search them out. There are some great channels on YouTube, DAS bookbinding, and Four Keys Book Art in particular. There seems to be a growing trend for people rebinding paperbacks into hardback on YouTube at the moment with A Crown of Thrones and Roses being really popular for some reason. The problem with these rebinds is that although they look great the spines are really weak so won’t last the test of time. Despite that I have rebound Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan in the same way for a bit of fun. 

[Brian.]

I thought people might be interested in the process of making a traditionally bound book, in this case a notebook. The first notebook is one I am working on at home in parallel to my classes using what I have learned. The second is one I am making in my bookbinding classes. I don't have many of the tools used in class at home so I am improvising where I can.

 

The groups of folded pages are called signatures, in this case these are made of sheets of A3 folded in half twice. It is important when doing this that when finished the grain of the paper runs from the head of the book to the tail. If you do not have the grain in this direction the paper is much weaker and the book can deform when pasted. Once folded the signatures are put in a press for a period of time to make the folds as tight as possible. This reduces the swell which occurs when using folded pages. Holes are pierced in the folds and the signatures stitched togther using a kettle stitch. Tapes are sewn in loose which adds strength to the spine which makes the book much more durable.

 

 

Once this stage is complete the spine is pasted with PVA and allowed to dry. This helps hold the spine square in readiness for a process called rounding and backing. Once the PVA has set the edges are trimmed using a plough to ensure they are all cut to the same length and in square of each other. The next stage is rounding and backing. Rounding is when the spine is gently hit with a hammer to change the spine from square to a rounded shape. Once is has been rounded the spine is backed, this process involve hitting the egdes of the spine with a hammer to produce a shoulder the same thickness as the cover boards you will be using. Looking at the book along the spine it resembles a mushroom shape. This isn't my book but gives you an idea of the shape.

 

 

 

 

 

In this picture the spine has been rounded and backed. Headbands have been pasted in place, the spine re-inforced with a material called mull and then further re-inforced with kraft paper. The next step here is to cut the cover boards to size but I ran out of time last night so it will have to wait until next week.

[lunababymoonchild]

Absolutely fascinating @Brian.. Thanks for posting.

[Madeleine]

Really interesting, careful with the hammer though!

[poppy]

Very interesting, and quite a process!

[Madeleine]

Just made my first pair of earrings, bit fiddly but not too difficult, but I need good light which is in short supply at the moment!  There's also a matching necklace but that will have to wait, and I have another set in a different colour, so I might do the earrings as they don't take that long.

[lunababymoonchild]

They are lovely!

[poppy]

13 hours ago, Madeleine said:

Just made my first pair of earrings, bit fiddly but not too difficult, but I need good light which is in short supply at the moment!  There's also a matching necklace but that will have to wait, and I have another set in a different colour, so I might do the earrings as they don't take that long.

 

So pretty, Madeleine! What are the stones? They're a lovely blue 🥰

[France]

Wow! Those are so pretty.

[Madeleine]

Thank you. I think the stones are just paste, not a gem.  I've got another set to do in a sort if irdiescent purple/green so might try to do those today.

[Madeleine]

My first attempt at making a bag, crochet - next time I'll use double crochet all the way through, rather than changing to treble crochet for the lighter colour, and I made the strap way too long!

 

 

[poppy]

7 hours ago, Madeleine said:

My first attempt at making a bag, crochet - next time I'll use double crochet all the way through, rather than changing to treble crochet for the lighter colour, and I made the strap way too long!

 

 

 

That's excellent for a first attempt, Madeleine 🤩

[Madeleine]

Thank you!  I'll try to make another one in a different colour, probably purple, but will leave off crochet for a bit, as I want to try mosaic now.