shibori journal cover

A cup of tea draws in a duck egg blue china cup beside me. I have filled it to the brim and watching the steam tango with the air around it warms me already. Fine wool is draped about my shoulders and the house in unusually quiet. The paper page beckons me.

It has been too long since I opened a pure new notebook and inscribed it with my whims. I've hidden myself in the virtual jungle, a safe world of backspace and delete that hems my thoughts in and keeps them from bolting like a spooked horse. The paper page scares me.

Staring at the blank canvas until the whiteness blurs into shapes and then thoughts. I pick up my pencil and this act momentarily quells the riot. With each scratch of lead on parchment feelings and dreams tumble out spewing haphazardly and barely legibly across the page. I pause to cross out words too crass, too harsh, too raw. I leave them for the rawness is the feeling. The paper page exposes me.

These thoughts, my thoughts are not for sharing and each one whether gentle and timid of vile and frightening have their place in my growth as a woman; as a human being. I sip tea and let the words wash over the page. A catharsis of sorts. The paper page nourishes me.

Steph x

And don't forget to enter my dry body brushing giveaway x

I created a set of shibori journal covers to share with the kindred spirits I was honoured to meet at The Creatives. I roughly cut pieces of cotton duckcloth larger than an A5 journal and concertina folded them. Rubber bands secured the folds and then I twisted it upon itself and folded it in half again securing with rubber bands. The rubber bands leave the white areas so you can decide whether you want to tie your bands tightly on top of each other or space them out. The concertina folds can also be quite exact or more of a scrunched up affair. Following the instructions of the dye and using an old saucepan (I purchased one from the op shop that is saved for all dying projects) each piece was submerged and left to soak for half an hour. Using tongs I removed them into the sink and removed the rubber bands. Each piece was then rinsed in warm then cool water and hung out to dry. When dry I used pinking shears to cut the pieces 2cm (3/4in) bigger than an A5 spiral book at the top and bottom and 5 1/2 cm (2 1/4in) larger on either side. Using the covers as a rough guide the top and bottom were folded over and ironed allowing some movement for the book (about 1/2 centimetre at each edge). The piece was turned over and the same thing was done on the sides folding about a centimetre before each of the edges of the book. These folds were pinned and then sewn (You can check you have left enough room for opening and closing of the journal by sliding it into the cover before you sew). The cover was turned the right way out and a chop stick was used to push out the corners. A length of leather was tied to the top spiral and small wooden beads were attached to the bottom, finishing off with a knot to secure them.