Noela's Book - ALAW 1, 2012

Yes, it's all finished.

I wanted to prove to myself that I could do the formal calligraphy style letters.

I wanted a 'classical look' for the presentation, and thought a standard book with turning pages might be a tad boring. Always wanted to try the 'flag book', so here it is.

Not being a 'book maker', I was confronted with major construction issues - tried the concertina bit 3 times before I got it right and nearly ruined the letters in the process.

I had a bright idea - I wanted to fasten the covers with magnets - hmmmmm

- this time at least 6 attempts to get it right.

Gave up and went for a simple slip cover instead. It was too big, so more modifications and extra layers of card.

Painting the ABC for the cover was the fun part - the rest was pure tedium.

...playing with the concertina,

...letters in place,

...book opened up with small slip cover,

...all closed up and looking very formal!! [Thanks Fiona for the cover paper]

...detail of ABC on cover.

Once again, this has been a great project, especially the sharing with others across the miles, and seeing how others' creativity is expressed. It's also great for me to have the opportunity to try new things without the pressure of exhibtions and public scrutiny.
Thanks Fiona.

susan's final letters .....

Phew - just a couple of days left in June and I have finished my 'dotty' alphabet.  I am now suffering from alphabet envy.  This is my first alphabet book and I am quite pleased to have it, however now I am wishing I had begun this project in 2010 when others did and the completion of this dotty book would mean I had completed five alphabet books!  How marvellous would that be .... having five of them bonding on the shelf ......  ah well, in another few years this book will have plenty of playmates.

This photo next is included as I am still quite partial to the 'bits' I had to cut off my letters as I had not made them the correct size for this project.  I may try and include them somehow when I house my book in perspex.

I will be making a perspex box for my book, and maybe a perspex sleeve for underneath the box and that way the reflections will add another dimension.  This is a borrowed box - you can see all the scratch marks from the pens which usually inhabit the box.  Thought I would just borrow it momentarily for the photo shoot!

And so, my 'dotty' alphabet is complete, apart from its box and now I am working out ideas for the second alphabet.  Something less dotty this time for sure .....  It has been fun though.  Looking forward to all our books meeting.

circle alphabet - the end

all the letters are on accordeons which have been binded with the cross stich binding system, and here is my new very little book :

Deb - finally together

After trying several options I finally decided to go even more 'dotty' and used buttons and a spot fabric to put all my letters together. I will put this piece away in anticipation of another grandchild one day! I think it would look nice hanging in a nursery although my school teacher daughter will say that I have used the wrong lower case form for the letter 'a'.
I have really enjoyed this challenge and am looking forward to seeing all the final pieces. Now to really start thinking about the next alphabet .......

last ones

and here are my last 4 letters :

by the end of the week, I'll post the finalized work I'm binding.
and I'm thinking of my next alphabet ...

Lyndell - Jacob's Ladder of Letters

Well, what a struggle but on the whole enjoyable.  I didn't realise when I started out using bleach to show up the letters that my cat is addicted to it.  So there she was, each time I  finished one she would lick them all over! Yuk!  So then I had to hide them.  Sometimes I hid them so well I couldn't find them again.

I decided to make a Jacob's ladder to display the letters.  It was extremely hard to get all the letters in photograph.  Instead of ribbon I used plastic so that the letters could be seen.  The ladder works perfectly with a nice click clack sound.

here is my finished book!  it took 3 goes, but i am happy with it now.  (it also took 3 goes to get these photos on!)  i'm thinking about the next alphabet...

Eithna's Last Letters

Can't believe I'm finished. I really enjoyed this project, I rarely take six months to do anything and it's interesting for me to see the different "creative moods" I was in over the period.

The only part I planned at the start was to have both my "A" and "Z" Black.

I like them individually but as a group I don't think they work well together, so I  will give a page to each one or two letters. Book making is another first for me so I feel an accordion type would be the simplest to manage!

Noela's last letters, alphabet 1, 2012

It's nice to be ahead of schedule.

I have finished my book as well and will post the pics of the finished product at the end of the month.