Recycled Fabric Journal

Happy New Year! January isn’t over yet, so I think I can still wish you a happy new year, right?

Today, I’m sharing a book I created over the Christmas vacation. I based the cover on a design by Mary Ann Moss in her online class Remains of the Day. I’m a regular reader of her blog, Dispatch from LA and I highly recommend it, not just for the projects but a great sense of humor.

I sewed strips of recycled fabric together to form a slipcover for a one-piece watercolor paper book cover (scored in 2 places to form the spine). I then added paper signatures using a simple 3-hole pamphlet stitch.

Here’s a side view of the stitching. I used waxed linen thread to attach the signatures and a paper template to make sure that my sewing holes were even.

This is a front cover with a fabric flower and vintage button detail:

And the back cover with some vintage glass buttons:

I love this scrappy look with all the loose threads and frayed edges – it’s a departure for me, but it was very freeing to make. Perhaps that should be my new year’s ‘creative’ resolution – to loosen up a bit! What’s yours?