Tiny Tutorial: Cloth Covered Journal

 detail of handmade journal by Jane LaFazio

I created this journal with unprimed artists canvas, spray gesso, Luminarte twinkling H2Os, hand carved stamps, grommets and my sewing machine. The interior pages are watercolor paper.

I used purchased stencils and spray gessoed them on the canvas. 
      
After the gesso was dry, I used a variety of Luminarte Twinks to color the canvas.
     
The color is bold when wet, and dries lighter.


I put it outside to dry thoroughly.


 
And sprayed it again with spray gesso and a stencil or two. I love the heavily layered look.
  
Back in the studio, I stamped directly with the bottle and my hand carved stamps over the surface.

hand carved stamps by Jane LaFazio

 


I stamped on commerical fabric too. I added batting to the back of my canvas cover, and  cut out the flower and free motion stitched it to the canvas.





I stitched around some of the stamped shapes too.



Above is the cover, then a layer of batting and at the bottom, a piece of fabric for the interior of the bookcover. I stitched them all together, down the center binding.

in progress~ detail of handmade journal by Jane LaFazio

  
I stitched around the edge of the cover, then zig-zaged stitched a few times around the edges.
  

 detail of handmade journal by Jane LaFazio

This elephant is another journal cover in progress.

 detail of handmade journal by Jane LaFazio

handmade journal by Jane LaFazio

I added grommets in the center spine and the edge of the book cover, and cut watercolor paper to fit, and attached it to the spine with ribbon.

handmade journal by Jane LaFazio

handmade journal by Jane LaFazio

handmade journal by Jane LaFazio

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