Fabric Book of 2019 Stitch Meditations-Part 3 and Done!

Ok, so I'm calling this book done, at least for now! This is the 3rd, and last, post about this book or this set of stitch meditations. See the other two previous posts for the beginnings.

All of the sewing is done by hand with no perfect expectations, hoops, or rulers, which accounts for the wonkiness and sheer pleasure! The book is about 71/2" x 8", has 23 meditations total, uses recycled fabrics, has 14 double pages, including both covers, and the stitching is intuitive. I just followed the needle around the scraps!

The left page margins have been marked and three slits cut for binding, and several torn fabric strips, lace, ribbons, etc., gathered for ties.

I bound it first with a few strips of laces, etc., attaching them to a safety pin and pulling them through the cut slits and tying them in double knots. Wasn't happy with it, as it seemed to overpower the book, but let it sit for a while.

I tried in vain to print my information on a piece of linen torn from an old blouse. My printer wasn't having it and made a mess, so I wrote the info on another piece of linen and temporarily attached it to the inside front cover. 

I'm not going to show all the pages, because I've already shared the meditations several times in previous posts, but here are a couple of shots of the book open to pages.

I took another piece of linen with failed print on it and attached it to the inside back cover, making a pocket and adding a little interest.

The back of the book with the first binding, which I still didn't like.

I tried adding a brighter colored ribbon, but it still didn't sit well with me.

So I pulled the strips out and rebound it with torn fabric strips tied in bows. Now it fits! I like it much better, and this is how it will stay, simply shabby.

The back cover is still really plain, and I may change that sometime down the road, but, for now, it is what it is. Sometimes less is more.

I have pushed on trying to finish this book this week to the point that it was getting tedious and on my nerves, which takes the fun out of it, so I'm stopping where I'm happy with it and moving on. I have a book full of my meditations to reflect back on when I choose and that's enough. I'm proud of myself for not letting myself get distracted onto something else until it was finished and proud of what I've accomplished, but my paint brushes and stitching are calling to me. Color me happy! 😊