BOOK 365!!!! A FULL YEAR OF BOOKS!

I did it! This is book 365 in my year-long book-a-day challenge.

OK, I will admit right here that it took me just slightly longer than 365 days. I am 6 days over my exact year. But I am trying to be easy on myself here. I am celebrating anyway. I hope you will celebrate with me.

This final book is a leather journal for my friend Michael (because he called dibs), who I've known for over 40 years. The base leather for the book is a putty-colored cowhide. Around that, I have wrapped another piece of leather that I think is ostrich. I can't be sure because I pulled it unmarked from the scrap bin at the leather store. I saw it an pounced. It's a rich deep purple.

The pages are Neenah Sundance 70 lb paper in crushed cream, a lovely paper for writing or sketching with pencil, pen, ink, markers.

The journal is bound with a long stitch binding (also called a Medieval limp binding) with medium brown waxed cotton thread. It makes an interesting stitch pattern on the spine. The unusual closure is made from a found object I picked up at a flea market. I think it might be some type of faucet handle. A thong of the purple leather ties through it and around the journal to keep it closed.

This is a rich, elegant journal and I hope Michael lives it.

Book 323- Burgundy Leather Journal/Blank Book w/ Long-Stitch Binding

The leather for this leather journal/blank book is simply yummy. It's soft but not too thin. It has some natural wrinkling that gives it great character, and it had a nice natural raw edge from the hide I wanted to keep.

I cut the leather so the raw edge would be at the front edge of the wrap-around. The 112 pages are hand-torn 70 lb paper in a creamy off-white with a subtle fleck through it--very nice.

After reinforcing the spine with an extra strip of the leather, I punched the holes for sewing stations and bound the pages with a long-stitch binding using lavender waxed linen thread. I used an x-stitch pattern for a nice effect.

To close the book, I added a thong of the burgundy leather long enough to wrap twice around the book and loop through in front. I tied a triangular piece of jasper stone at the end as an accent.

Nice journal.

Book 320 - Green Leather Fat Journal with Silver Clasp - Long stitch binding-1

Another leather book today, a fat journal. I like fat journals, myself, so I find it hard to make them skinny--though, of course, they would be faster and cheaper to make when making them for resale. This is fatter than some, partly because the paper is a nice thick artist's paper, like printmaking paper. There are 80 pages (160 counting both sides) of this rich paper perfect for writing or sketching with pen, pencil, charcoal, or colored markers.

The leather is a rich dark green with a lightly pebbled surface. The journal/blank book is bound with a long stitch binding with pale green waxed linen thread with a diamond stitch pattern showing on the spine.

The clasp is silver-colored metal and works by turning the flat center bar, then lifting the left ring off the clasp. I think it gives the book a very classy look.

A standard, but I love making these leather journals. I'll never stop.

Book 318 - A Blue Leather Journal/Blank Book w/ Button Closure - Long Stitch Binding

Back to the leather journals today. This one is made from a really beautiful piece of leather in a deep royal blue with a surface that has been polished to a soft sheen. To complement the blue leather, I used light blue waxed cotton thread for the stitching. I also used a step pattern when I punched the holes for the sewing stations to create an interesting pattern on the spine.

After I folded and punched the signatures, made of 70# Neenah Sundance paper in ivory, I wrapped a piece of blue mulberry paper with newsprint flecks around the block for end papers.

The back cover wraps around the front where I attached a pretty hand-made ceramic button. Then I added a thong of the blue leather to wrap around the journal then wrap around the button to close it securely.

A pretty, useful, and salable book.

Book 278 - Hair on Cowhide Journal - Long Stitch Binding

Here's one of my great stand-by books - a long-stitch bound leather journal. And not just leather, but hair-on leather. This is from a full cowhide I bought and cut up, in a wonderful brindle color.

I probably shouldn't tell you (though if you've been following me awhile, you've surely dropped to this already) but these leather journals/blank books are my fall back position. When I just can't seem to be very creative, don't have a single idea what to make, am too tired to think much, am sick, distracted or just plain being lazy, I can always make a leather journal and fulfill my commitment to make a book that day. I've made so many of these that they are almost automatic. The only real creativity is in picking the leather, the thread and the end papers.

For this journal, I picked a soft-focus camo design end paper. I wanted to make it more masculine, since so many of my books appeal more to women. The long-stitch binding is sewn with black waxed Irish linen thread. The pages are 70 lb Neenah Sundance paper in ivory with a felt finish. Very nice paper.

Book 259 - Gray Leather Journal with Yellow Belt Closure-Long Stitch Binding

Yet another leather journal today...  This one was inspired by the cool retro-style yellow elastic belt I found in a thrift shop. I knew right off it would make a great closure. Then I just had to find a piece of leather in my stash that was in a good color to go with it.

I came up with this piece of warm gray cowhide and I love the combination. The journal is a standard long-stitch binding journal, also called the medieval limp binding. I used yellow waxed linen thread for the stitching to compliment the yellow belt, with a pair of sewing stations near the center of the book to hold the belt in place.

The pages are 24 lb classic laid paper in cream, 112 pages in eight signatures. For the end paper, I used a gray plaid print paper that seemed a good match for the gray leather.

I think I'm going to be looking for more of these elastic belts on my next thrift shop run...

Book 258 - Red Cowhide Leather Journal-Long Stitch Binding

Found another scrap of nifty dark red leather from the scrap bin for today. This is almost certainly cowhide, embossed and dyed. The scrap had a nicely angled cut on one edge, so I used that for the wrap-around at the fore edge.

This little journal has eight signatures of 24 lb parchment-like cream paper. There are 104 pages (208 both sides). For the end paper, I used a leaf print paper in a gray/maroon color. I wanted something pretty but not so feminine that a man would not want to use this blank book.

The long stitch binding or medieval limp binding is done with black waxed linen thread and the journal closes in front with a circle of industrial weight Velcro.

A decent example of an everyday journal...

Book 256 - Purple Pebbled Leather Journal/Blank Book - Long Stitch Binding

 Here's another pretty leather journal/blank book. This leather is just wonderful... and I have no idea what it is. I fished it out of a scrap bin of what was called "upholstery leather" at Oregon Leather in Portland. It is most likely cowhide that has been machine embossed to add the pebbled finish, but I'm not sure. The surface effect looks quite authentic and is lovely. The color is a rich deep eggplant purple.

I paired the leather with hand-torn Arches Text Wove paper for the pages. I love this paper. I don't use a lot of it anymore because it's pretty expensive. Although it is thick, it is also very soft, with a nice tooth for pen, pencil, charcoal, ink, etc. It's so wonderful to the touch, I just want to stroke it.

The binding is done with red waxed linen thread in a long stitch binding. The liner paper is a print of an old map, printed in washed out brown. A quite nice book.

Book 249 - COZY - A Fuzzy Little Lambswool Mini-Journal w/ Long Stitch Binding

This little journal is... cozy. I can't think of a better word for it. It is made of the softest lambswool imaginable. While I was making it, the feel of the butter-soft leather and soft fuzzy wool reminded me of the balls of lambswool we used to put into the toes of our pointe shoes when I was studying ballet as a girl (a half century ago!!! OUCH!)

This little min-journal is a really simple book. I used the cut-off ends of the signatures of a book I made a few days ago-so the pages were already cut and folded into sigs. I cut a length of the lambswool leather the width of the book and 2 1/2 times the length, folded it in half and stitched in the signatures using a long stitch binding with brown linen thread.

I left the fore edge long and ragged for an organic look. I slit holes in the two long flaps and threaded a soft leather thong through them, then tied the ends of the thong in a loose knot. To open the book, you untie it, pull the covers apart and let the thong loop back over the book. That way, you don't have to keep threading and unthreading one end of the thong through the cover slit.

This would be nice to stick in a pocket. You could just put your hand in there every once in awhile and feel it's cozy softness. You could also hang it form a belt or purse, but someone might ask about the tiny dead animal you were carrying around.

Book 245 - A Classic Journal in Pebbly Caramel Leather w/ Long Stitch Binding

Yet another classic leather journal today. Since I went to my favorite leather store in Portland, OR last week, you're all likely to be seeing quite a few more adventures in leather in the next few weeks.

This one is cut from a yummy piece of caramel-colored pebbly cowhide. Again, the wrap-around seemed so clean and nice that I didn't want to ruin it with a visible closure so I used a Velcro patch glued on the inside to keep the book closed.

The blank journal has eight signatures of six pages each, total 96 pages (192 both sides). The paper is hand-torn 70 lb ivory felt finish paper. The end papers are a dark brown patterned paper with a subtle lacy print. The long stitch binding is done with dark brown waxed linen thread using a variegated stitch length for design reasons.

Yep, a nice journal.

 

Book 240-Smooth Green Leather Journal w/ Buckle Closure - Long Stitch Binding

Well, you see what happens when I get to go to the leather store? Oregon Leather, in Portland--one of my favorite spots on earth. And you get to see another classic leather journal--this time a beautiful smooth, almost polished dark green.

I've made this as a wrap-around with the back flap coming over the front and closing with a strap and a brass buckle. Since I wanted to maintain the clean look of this, I didn't want to stitch the straps to the book with visible stitches. So I used some silver colored rivets to attach the two straps, one at the spine and the other at the fore edge. In addition to the rivets, I added a drop of epoxy to make sure they are very firm.

This is really a sumptuous journal with thick creamy pages and end papers of pale green with the slightest bit of glimmer in it. It is sewn with a long stitch binding with black waxed linen thread.

And yes, I have a bag full of leather pieces I now have to pack in a suitcase to get home. So you'll be seeing even more leather books in the near future.

Book 228 - Brown Leather Blank Journal w/ Obsidian

Here's another of my long stitch binding leather journals. (This binding is also called the medieval limp binding.) I found this nice piece of leather in my sister's stash. Then I found a box of polished chunks of mahogany obsidian that I knew would look great with the heavy pebbled brown leather.

I used the natural shape of the leather skin for most of the right side wrap-over and cut the cover fore edge clean. For the stitching, I used a light moss green waxed hemp thread. I wanted to try a new pattern. I planned to leave all the exposed stitching straight, but when it was done, the very long stitches worried me. It seemed inevitable that they would catch on something and pull--or even break. So I added a center stitch that brought all four rows together and created the sort of elongated starburst design. And I decided I really liked it.

After I cut a long thong to tie the book shut, I covered the top of the roughly teardrop-shaped chunk of beautiful mahogany obsidian with epoxy, then wrapped the end of the thong around it and tied a knot. Then I added a bit more epoxy. This baby is not coming off.

The paper is a really nice 70 lb. felt finish cream paper. A very nice journal, definitely good for a man.