I have again been absent from blogging, owing to home duties [read cleaning/tidying my terrible mess], and preparing lunch for long time friends who decided to pay us a visit yesterday. Thankfully, I had finished fiddling with a new journal cover, and have another interesting surface to share with everyone. This was made using recycled teabags, coloured in various ways after being fused to a piece of pelmet vilene. The odd looking trim on the front was created by using PVA glue in a embossing mould. It looked like a clear skin after the glue had dried, and simply peeled off the mould, which is plastic. I painted it, rubbed over that with some Treasure Gold, smudged that a little with White Spirit and then quickly sprayed on some Moonshadow Mist, which left it looking a little bit second hand, but that is the look I was trying to achieve!! I learnt about this PVA skin making via online lessons from Lynda Monk. The three little brads are a copper colour, quite bright compared to the rest of the surface.
I hope the back view will show some more of the teabag treatment. There are a couple of layers, going in different directions. I added some simple running stitch/quilting lines in a Papillon metallic copper thread. The whole piece was given a coat of Mod Podge to seal it. It looks and feels a little like leather, but definitely smells like glue......LOL.
The PVA skin trim was initially attached with craft glue, and then I added some uneven straight stitches. I was afraid to stitch the outer edge with very close machine satin stitch, as I feared the whole surface may tear away, so I used a very large, open zigzag to attach the lining/sleeve to the outer surface.
I hope this view will show the inside lining fabric with the very open zigzag. This lining was fused to the back of the outer surface, and hopefully that fusible webbing will help hold the fibres and prevent fraying - after all, it won't be laundered.
This view should show everyone how I finished the outer surface. I started with a piece of tea stained fabric, fused to pelmet vilene cut to the required journal dimensions. I allowed the teabags and fabric to protrude over the edges of the vilene, and after all the surface preparation was completely dry, it was pressed back, with corners mitred. The lining fabric was then fused to this, making sure it was taken to almost the very edge. I feel this has given me a neat and serviceable finish.
This did take quite a time to make, but it is rather a unique surface, and I'm already preparing more teabags for use in some other way. At night, instead of knitting, I am picking teabags to pieces!!!
