I just finished making this journal it has a few finishin touches and it will be good to go. The stats:
150 pages of 80lb Strathmore drawing paper- hand torn on one edge
Dark Distressed Sheep hide
Backed with street map and map of US
Pocket in back for loose odds and ends
Raw edge flap with strap- extra thick
Natural linen thread to sew
Linked long stitch in a diamond pattern- I call it a spider webbed diamond.
Eyelets to reinforce the stations on the spine

The one thing that it needs is the artists collage which will be attached to either the front or back cover.

Here are the pictures:

One of the thigs that I really like about this sewing style is that it is not difficult to do per se- it’s is after allat it’s heart JUST a long stitch. It’s the linking that causes the issues. If the sewing tension isn’t kept just right through out the sewing you get lopsided diamonding, which can look like hell. You have 2 choices when you screw up- either go back and fix it OR suffer with it. I can’t suffer with it. I screwed up the tension on a signature and pulled it way too tight. So the next section I couldn’t pull the thread tight enough to make the diamond the same size as the last. Of course i didn’t realize it until I had finished and TIED off the book. So I went back in and cut the thread and reworked it. i’m happy to say that all is well and the fix isn’t noticable. And the spine is 100% better with it fixed than without. I’m very happy with the patternign and the way that the book shaped up!

I just finished an order for a custom journal and I’ll put up it’s stats and pictures.

240 pages of hand torn kraft paper pages
12 signatures
Quadruple Spine braid and double false end bands in black linen thread
Chestnut brown distressed leather
Blue marbled paper backing
Raw edge flap and long thick strap to close it
It measures 5.5X5.5 inches and a fat inch and a half thick

It’s perfectly sized for a bag or just for regular use. I’m quite in love with it and am jealous of its new owner. (I’m so practical I rarely have trouble parting with my work, usually paying rent makes up for it, but this time it’s a little more difficult- because I just like this journal.)

Pictures:

This deep reddish brown journa is now up on eBay HERE!
It’s a nice size, I’ve been using one this size for a while now to record the basics about the books I’m making- color of leather, inner paper, pages spine sewing style along with it’s number.

       

 

I’ve got the small red-brown leather journal up on ebay now, it’s HERE!

I like this leather a lot, it’s much tougher feeling than much ofht eleather I work with. It’s quite nejoyable.

       

   

So this smooth leather journal is up on ebay now. It’s HERE!

 

I have a couple of journals ending today. One is a large 6×9 200 page journal with a distressed leather cover. It’s here:

ON eBay

Here’s a pic of the large journal:

I also have a small really reddish brown colored journal done today. It’s a very cool texture and the color on the screen isn’t right. I had such issues getting a decent shot of it. It’s here:

Also On eBay!

And here’s a pic of the small reddish brown journal that is much less red in person:

After that I have a couple more auctions ending soon.

I’m pretty excited about this sketchbook. It’s perfect landscape size, but also can be used verticle and I like it a lot. I’m sad that the lady whom I orginally bought the paper for backed out- leaving me with 30 sheets of very expensive Cold Press paper- my favorite but most people like hot press in their journals. (With good reason, though I love CP it IS hard to write on!)
The stats!:
5″hX5.5w
24 papges of Fabriano Artistico Antique white MouldMade cotton rag paper
140lb paper
Long stitch with end wrapping or “false headbands”
Natural linen thread
Backed with handmade Lama Li paper in pale blue
Dark Distressed Chestnut Brown Sheep hide cover

It’s a fantastic little sketchbook/journal and I plan on making something similar for myself for when I travel to Maine at the end of this month. It is also very similar to a journal that I’m making for another special order- the dimensions of hers wil be a little different, but it will be much the same- but with 100 pages.

Things have been going pretty well book wise!

I finished up the pastor’s order last night and allowed myself some extra quality time with my bed this morning- I got up at 8:30 instead of 7! The pastor’s order looks great. I must say that it as a collection is beautiful, separately it’s not as impressive but each individual books is unique and is a great example of how a running stitch can look elegant and yet be so darn simple! I’m pretty happy with the results. Hopefully the pastor likes them as much, and hopefully the kids will like them too.

I have a journal up on eBay ending today. I’m not sure how I managed to list one last Saturday, it must have been after the DayJob. It’s the golden deer hide joural with the continuous figure 8 stitch in 2 colors. It’s afat rich spine. I hope it does well, it took a lot longer to sew than most of my eBay journals!.

Here’s a link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6966286759&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:1

I’m thinking it’s a great day outside; I may head up to the Breakheart Reservation and take a little hike. I’ve got a few journals to work on and I should be near the phone incase the DayJob calls- I’m sort of on call.