A great company called Lineco, Inc. who sells awesome book binding supplies and kits, sent me some tools and materials to work with for this project and the demo I'm doing in the Craft Studio. I'm posting the basic instructions for this project, just incase you'd like to make one of these for yourself or for your valentine.
This innovative use of an artist canvas provides a clever display for a hand-bound book. The Japanese stab-bound book fits snugly in the center of this altered canvas.
Materials
• Artist Canvas: 6” x 8”
• Test tube
• Vintage book pages
• Soft Gel Medium: matte
• Dry flowers
• Decorative paper: heavy, doubled sided
• Text weight printer paper: 5-10 sheets
• Waxed linen thread: 1 yd (LinecoTM)
• Various rubber stamps and embellishments
• Chalk Inks: (ColorboxTM) in Chestnut Roan and
Warm Red
General Supplies
• Foam brush
• Craft knife
• Awl
• Ruler
• Paper cutter
• Binding needle (LinecoTM)
• Bone folder (LinecoTM)
• Strong adhesive
Instructions
1. Lay canvas upside down on cutting mat. Using sharp craft knife, cut an X through canvas from corner to corner on inside of frame. Fold canvas around inside of frame toward backside and adhere securely.
2. Using a foam brush and gel medium, apply pieces of book pages to completely cover canvas front and sides; allow to dry.
3. Ink edges of canvas and embellish with stamped images and words, as desired.
4. Embellish test tube by wrapping with a narrow strip of inked and stamped vintage text. Position tube on side of canvas securing with several wraps of waxed linen thread. Add embellishments to thread, if desired.
5. Cover backside of canvas with chipboard cut to size. Complete canvas opening by covering exposed chipboard with vintage text.
6. Insert dried flowers into test tube vase. The following instructions are for cutting the covers and pages needed for this project.
Making the Book
1. Measure inside of canvas frame to determine cutting sizes for book covers and pages.
Finished book will measure 1/4” narrower and shorter than opening in center of canvas.
2. Cut two covers from double-sided decorative paper using measurements in step 1 i.e. If opening is 3” x 5” then covers should measure 2 3/4” x 4 3/4.”
3. Cut 15-20 pages from text-weight paper. Cut pages the same width as cover and twice the length. Fold all pages in half and crease with bone folder. (Note: in Asian bindings, the folded pages are opposite the spine, The edges are left folded to strengthen the page.
4. Use an awl to pierce four holes through all pages and book covers, 1/2" from edge and equally spaced across end of book.
5. With binding needle and waxed linen thread stitch book together following the illustrations below.
(These binding instructions are copyrighted by Lineco, Inc. and used with permission for this project.)
