Calgary calling...

Well yes, my absence from blogging is due to the fact that we have travelled to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for Barry to do a metal fold-forming course. Whilst very happy to be a handbag; I also sought out a few opportunities to do creative stuff and develop more skills.  I was really lucky to get in touch with Susan Kristoferson a paper artist of great renown.

She offered me a tutorial in her home studio, making itajime paper. This is a Japanese form of 'board clamp' dyeing using paper.  We spent the day happily folding, dipping and dyeing and I was really happy with the techniques I learned and how some of the papers worked out.

I expect that in the first instance these will be used to make book covers and interleave pages within books; as well as coverings for boxes and for cards and collage.

Here are a few examples of the day's production - lots of variety! None of them portray 'classic' itajime patterns but I will practice that some more at home.