My client was looking for an unusual gift for a member of her family who was about to celebrate a ‘special’ birthday. We decided upon an album in which messages, photographs and cards of the occasion could be kept.
We discussed several ideas and, as the birthday treat was to be a holiday on an exotic island, a desert island theme was decided on. The only stipulation was that her age was to go on the cover but, to be tactful, rather than put the lady’s age in numerals, I preferred to sew on the year of her birth.
As usual, I started with a whimsical sketch which was transferred on to a hand painted background. Strips and snippets of fabric were then layered and fused together and secured and accentuated with stitch until the desired effect was reached.
The book comes with a quilted bag to protect it although I design my books to be tactile, to be well-used and well-loved and, above all, touched. The fabric will inevitably fray but this adds to its charm.
With any remaining background fabric I also made a greetings card to accompany the gift.