Vintage Blouse & Last Week of Bookbinding!

Vintage Simplicity 4676
Fabric from yard sale
I couldn't model this because I had crazy hair, but it's a lot cuter than my dress form lets on. I got the pattern on etsy and the fabric from Tori's fabric sale. It was really easy, if only I had time to sew these days. I then proceeded to spill clear nail polish on it as soon as I finished, so hopefully I can get that out.
Here is the pattern, I wish I had the model's hair to go with the blouse.

I was hoping to make a couple more things before I move, but I might have to go on sewing hiatus for now, I barely have time to look for apartments.

Bookbinding
Hard cover book!
I had my last week of bookbinding and I made a sweet hardcover book. It was pretty easy, but a lot of work. Hopefully I can find time to make more.

I'm actually sad that the class is over, but I'll be taking preservation classes pretty soon, so there will be more bookmaking for me.
Might be awhile before any new posts!

Bookbinding- Stab Binding

I'll make this quick. We did Stab Binding this week, which involves putting a book together by stabbing some holes in the binding and sewing the covers and paper together. It also has a hinge so that the book opens:
This is probably our first "real book" as most people would imagine a book, although the paper is actually visible on the spine. . Next week is a full on hardcover.

Bookbinding- Accordion Folding

Accordion Folding

This week was the easiest week so far. But, accordion folding isn't only folding back-and-forth. But it basically is for this first book. We learned how to make a long accordion fold out of three sheets of paper and glued the end sheets to our covers. I used my paper from De Medici Ming.

And here's what I mean by "it isn't only back-and-forth folding". This book looks like little paper book with a spine from the outside and is folded to have little pockets on the inside. The paper isn't as fancy as the first one (I'm pretty sure our instructor used a Kinko's to make this paper), but it's still cute.

That little green book in the pocked is our next book, the one-page book, made out of this:

I had a flashback to making books like this in 1st grade. Our instructor, Jenny, is a librarian and does book classes for kids. Which means she has a few quick books like this one up her sleeve for times such as a bookbinding class finishing 30 minutes early.

So in the last part of our class we made these. They are both just squares when they're shut and open into un-booklike shapes. I'll have to be creative to figure out what to do with these.

Ruffle Top and Week 2 of Bookbinding

McCalls 5803

Fabric from Sundbybergs in Stockholm

I got another chance to use some of my Swedish fabric. This time, I paired it with a Hilary Duff pattern, which looks to be out of print. I may not like her acting, but I do like her patterns, I own at least three.

This one went together quickly and easily. The fabric was very narrow, but I mysteriously and luckily had about 5 yards of it (I remember asking for 2 1/2 of everything at Sundbybergs, and I can't remember if I asked for more, or if they cut me extra).

I got the buttons at a flea market somewhere between Long Beach, WA and Seattle. You might not be able to tell from the photos, but the fabric is covered in little umbrellas, which makes it awesome.

I love it!

Pamphlet Stitch Books

And it was week two of bookbinding. I apologize in advance for my terrible photography, they really are best viewed in person.

Above was our first book, a little needle case. We learned how to make a tab, and do a basic pamphlet stitch.
Next we made this guy. My instructor said she doesn't like to use glue, so we did lots of folding to get our books together. This one uses tabs and slots. We used a 5-Hole stitch to bind the white paper to the pretty paper and did a series of folds so that the binding is hidden on the outside.

And finally we did this one, a Dos-A-Dos is what it is named (although our instructor said Do-Si-Do. Misspelling? I don't know). It's actually a double-sided book. The cover folds over, as you can see, but it's held together with another strip of card stock so it doesn't fall out.
These books were really fun and simple, so I'd like to do more. The class moves so fast, I just want to keep up and in the end, my books are a little off. So even in person, they're not perfect.
Accordion folding next week!