I finished the altered book I started at Squam Art Workshops last month. The book is inspired by my teacher Colleen Attara and her beautiful style and spirit.
All the pages included machine stitching and rubber stamping and below I’ve included a few details about the different materials used on each page.
On this page: tea stained manilla tags, glassine envelope, vintage vocabulary card, fabric and pieces from an old calendar.
On this page: magazine images, handmade paper, photocopies of old journal pages, carpet tape, stitch marker used in knitting and hand stitching with embroidery floss.
On this page: old dictionary pages and sheet music, rick rack, acrylic paint glaze, dripped watercolor paints and a stencil.
On this page: threads embedded in moulding paste, tissue and handmade paper and fabric.
On this page: watercolor crayon, small vellum pocket, magazine image, recycled clothing tag and found words.
On this page: packing tape transfer from magazine, metal flower, old ribbons, trim and buttons, vintage glassine envelope, tea dyed manilla tag, sheet music, dictionary paper and old postage stamps.
Behind the glassine envelope:
On this page: moulding paste, gesso and watercolor crayons, strips of fabric and a transparency stamped with a butterfly.
On this final page you’ll find many of the items already seen in the book, including recycled clothing tags, a glassine envelope, vocabulary card, strips of fabric, stitch marker, postage stamps etc.
If you have any questions about the book, just let me know in the comments!
Ali…this takes my breath away. I know this is about your journey…and it so beautifully told. It whispers to me, but it also shouts. And your original intention truly shines through here. You have many more of these books in you. And I cannot wait to see them. xoxoxox. Feeling blessed to have had you in that magical class…..
This looks amazing Ali, you must have had so much fun constructing it
Your work is very inspiring. I admire the way you put things together.
Do you use your regular sewing machine when you see these things together? I love the look but not sure my machine would go through the layers.
Thank you for sharing your work.
Hi Cheryl, use a regular Brother sewing machine – super cheap from Walmart about 15 years ago – but I use a denim needle which is tougher and I have to change it pretty often because the paper makes it dull. Hope that helps!
love love love this book
This is wonderful! I’ve always wanted to do an altered book but have difficulty with the idea of working in a book (I work in a library). It’s like a sense of guilt.
Did you assemble your pages using the sewing machine and then glue them in, or do you sew while holding the book up to the sewing machine?
I sewed the pages while they were still attached to the book. I used glue stick (less expensive than gel medium) to stick a couple of pages together and then machine stitched down the side. I went as far towards the middle of the page as the sewing machine would allow. It was a bit awkward but worth it because i love the look of stitching and loose threads.
Go on try it – you’re giving new life to an old book!
Thank you so much, Ali! I’m going to give it a whirl. The book I picked out measures about 4″ x 6″ so getting the pages into the sewing machine shouldn’t be too difficult.