Hunting, Finding, Creating, Enjoying!

You can make a book out of anything! The Lubec Historical Society annual 4th of July Yard Sale was always great for an eclectic find or two. They always have great stuff at that yard sale, and the arrangement of the items adds to its charm. The workers put out boxes of stuff on the lawn. No attractive display designs, not too many tables, though there are a few. Just boxes put out right on the grass. Yay! You hunt, you browse, you never know what you will find. That year among other items, I found these 60s placemats. What struck me about them is that the fabric was thick. Towels, blankets, placemats these days are not plush. They are thin. These, though were thick as anything and felt pretty good to the touch.

The other thing that struck me was the daisy. When I was 8, in 1968, I begged my mother to allow me to pick out my own wallpaper for my bedroom. We lived in a small, 100-year-old Cape Cod style home and my bedroom was upstairs, under the eaves. The roofline came down to within 3 feet of the floor. Being a kid that is exactly where I put my bed. It felt like a fort. The wallpaper my mother reluctantly allowed me to choose was garish yellow 60's daisies. Flower power, you know? The wallpaper color also included orange. Lots of it. It was bright. The daisies were huge, their petals extending out inches and inches from the nucleus. As I drifted off to sleep. I'd reach up my hand and trace their outlines. The ceiling being so close, and the daisies so bright and cheery, I fell asleep a happy girl. This daisy on the placemat is very similar, if not as blindingly bright.

Here, the front cover is partially turned so you can see the inside cover page.

The binding was a simple one-signature pamphlet stitch.

Here is a closeup of the pamphlet stitch

I had wonderful 8 1/2 by 11 legal sized paper, which worked perfectly for a one-signature book.
A pamphlet stitch is a simple, single thread so you cannot make too heavy of a signature (bundle or set of pages) or the thread will not hold the whole book together! It is also wise to match the amount of paper and each pages's weight to the cover material. Once, I made a handmade book using cardstock pages and tissue paper cover. Duh.

And, as I was exposing the center spine inside page with the tied signature thread (which I deliberately left long) and readying the camera for the photo, my cat who has THREAD RADAR at 4000 paces clued in. STRIIIINNNNGGGG! AAARGH! ATTACK! sigh

Happy book making! You can make a book out of anything. Even a placemat!