The last night of the ninth month of September, and I am here to share my latest journal made with some very grungy fabrics, laces and papers. I included a few pages from an old Edith Holden book.
She writes that ' The Anglo-Saxons called this month 'gerst monath' - Barley month.'
'Rusted'
I am so fortunate to live here in St. John's county, below Jacksonville, and above St. Augustine. There are so many charity shops, thrift stores and estate sales that I hit up every weekend, searching for the thrill of finding some torn, tattered fabrics for my journal obsession. The canvas for this cover was found one Saturday afternoon rooting around in an old barn. I came upon some old canvas bags that I think were used to transport coin between the banks - the other side says Federal Reserve -. I love this piece, I knew it would make a cool cover for a rusted journal.
I've made a tradition of creating a journal for myself every September where I can write my thoughts, plans, dreams, and challenge myself to try to tell my story using images, maps, pieces of book pages, antique magazine ads, illustrations....and all of the most textures papers I can find.
So dying with rusted metal and dark tea seems to be everywhere these days, what beautiful warm colours are achieved by simply combining neutral linens, cottons and canvas, with a few very rusty pieces of metal and plain white vinegar. Roll it all up leave to dry in the sun and the results are magical. There are a lot of tutorials out there if you'd like to try your hand. Very easy to do and I've made several batches now, and I was quite surprised at how well they turned out. I love the different patterns on the cloth and the deep rich ochre colour, seems so right for a cozy fall journal. I will definitely be making more with these dyed fabrics.
This journal took me so many hours to complete. There are so many steps along the way, first I create a batch of collaged, torn, ripped and dyed papers, then I organize them into signatures, lastly I spend hours adding bits of textiles; faded sheer blue from a vintage handkerchief, bits of antique striped silk, and trims from any type of antique ladies clothing. I have been collecting a lot of hand crocheted trim and doilies, I can't get enough of them. It all comes together in a decayed, worn, stitched and collaged journal that I can capture my mood in the long waited for autumn.
The collage I made for my back cover...torn, rust-dyed swirls of fibers echo the the colours of the autumn leaves changing from greens to fiery golds and toffee browns.
Thank you for visiting, take care,
Lisa xoxox
