Sunday, April 7, 2013

Fabric Collage Book - Anna

I am so excited to show off my first fabric collage book!  I have been inspired by the beautiful fabric collage books and creations by Nancy James of  Sugar Lump Studio for several years now but just never seemed to get up the nerve to make that first cut into the fabric to get started. I had even emailed Nancy to ask her a few questions about constructing the books. She was so gracious in her suggestions and support. Well, Nancy, I finally did it!!

The book itself is made of mostly re-purposed materials and lace. The cover fabric was a sample piece.....the kind that often ends up in the trash if not rescued.  Some of the lace has been salvaged from vintage pillow cases, dresser scarves, tablecloths and hankies.  A few pieces were made by my grandmother and mother as sample pieces to try out a new pattern. I also used a piece of fabric from my mother's wedding gown.

Front cover.
The picture on the first page is a copy of a watercolor painted of my grandmother in 1912. 

The picture on the left is of my grandmother's class at a school in Pennsylvania. The two cards in the pocket are copies of end of year gifts and achievement cards dated 1902.

Beautiful wedding picture of my maternal grandparents - 1921.

Top picture - my grandmother sporting the latest maternity fashion. Lower picture - my grandmother with her first born (my mother).
The next page is of my grandmother and her 3 children. The tags have other pictures of the children.

On the left is my grandmother wearing an unusual fur coat.
These are the only pictures that I have of my grandmother and I wanted a special treasury of these to share with my aunt for her birthday. She just turned (shhh) 84 yrs. young!

Here is the full cover - front and back. Dyed and crinkled seam binding finishes the spine.



Lovely layers of lacey goodness.

I am submitting this heartfelt creation to the following challenges:
Try it on Tuesday where the theme is recycle.
Anything But a Card where they are asking "Who are you inspired by?".

20 comments:

Barb said...

Oh, I'm the first to post! You did a wonderful job, can't believe this is your "first" fabric book, it's a gem.
Thanks for sharing. ♥

Robin said...

Absolutely gorgeous book, someone will be very happy to get his!

Hugs,
Robin

Astrid Maclean said...

This is totally stunning Sarah, what a fantastic first effort! Amazing, - the end result is so beautiful!!!! I bet this won't be your last one. So glad you took the courage to give it a go!

Sugar Lump Studios said...

Sarah
Your book is breathtaking! I am so excited to see what you created (and honored too)...what lovely fabrics, lace and family photos you have incorporated into the whole project!
thank you for sharing this masterpiece with all of us!

Nancy

Louise (KardKrazy) said...

Sarah, this is a masterpiece as Nancy said. I love the way you incorporated paper into it as well with your pull out cards and tags.
Well done!

Red Rubber Designs said...

Beautiful! Aren't you glad you finally took the plunge? Lucky you to have those family photos and you framed them so well!

Claudia N. said...

Yes, this really is one heartfelt creation!!!! Lovely lace and images! And so beautifully combined into a wonderful piece of art!

Thank you for sharing this with us at TioT!

die amelie x

Meggymay said...

Wow, a stunning project, it must hold so many memories for you and your family. Thank you for sharing it with us at TioT's this time.
Yvonne

Susan said...

Wow, gorgeous book! What a treasure of special people and memories!

Unknown said...

Oh Momma!!!!!! It is so beautiful! Aunt Bunnie's cup will run over!!!!

Lori said...

Wow! This is truly a labor of love, and it turned out FANTASTIC!!! I see you have a new calling! lol...wonderful!

Laurart said...

WOW! This is amazing! This is such a wonderful collection of family photos - I especially love the wedding picture. This is certainly a treasure and has been beautifully put together! Lots of love from Laura xxxxxx

Mrs.B said...

This is a stunning project and such beautiful images and embellishments.
Thanks for sharing with us at TioT
Avril

AlteredArtifacts said...

Oh my gosh! It is just sublime and what a keepsake too! I am sure it will be treasured by you and your family for years to come!
Artful hugs!
Inka

Gaby Bee said...

WOW, what a treasure! This fabric book is absolutely amazing and belongs in a magazine! LOVE it!!!

Hugs,
Gaby

Lynn Stevens said...

Sarah your fabric/lace book is exquisite. What a wonderful keepsake and will be cherished for year's to come. Must be hard letting it go.
Hugs Lynn

Anjas-Artefaktotum said...

WOW that is a breathtaking work, really exquisite!

Julia S-W said...

This little book is absolutely stunning. I adore each and every page and the fact that you've used family photos makes it a work of love as far as I'm concerned. Thank you so much for joining us at Anything But A Card for this challenge.
Julia

Words and Pictures said...

Hi Sarah, thank you so much for your lovely comment - as you can imagine, I'm still beaming from ear to ear!!

So sorry that I missed this beautiful piece of work last month - almost slipped through my fingers - so glad to see it now. It's absolutely stunning - what glorious feminine textures, but with a golden autumnal colour palette perfect for these wonderful photographs of your family history.
Alison xx

Sharon xx said...

I was blog hoping this morning here in the Uk, and landed on your blog. I just wanted to say wow. I am sure I am about to spend quite some time looking at your beautiful work. This little book is gorgeous, and I love the fact it is made with love and personal items and pictures that mjean so much to you. Gorgeous. New follower here x