Arrival...

 We have landed safely at the cottage and are settling into our rhythms and routines. Spring is being tempestuous and still hasn't settled into a reliable sense of warmth or steadiness, but we are enjoying the moments in all weathers.

Here is a compilation of our first week - some of the things we love and enjoy.

As we drove North.

The cottage.

The daffodils - one (or more) of every sort that is flowering at the moment.

The first of the lambs are arriving...

Hanging with our friends...

A drive along past Ben Hope.

And as ever, the light, the light! 

Morning walk sun showers...

'tis good to be back...

The second book of silences (2)

Once again, the light is hard to get right here at home and the book looks duller here than it does in real life. In real life there is a softness, not a heaviness.

 And we begin again from the middle - where the silent pages rest quietly.

This spread gives such contrasting silences, with much to ponder.

More silent pages, slowing us down, making us feel and listen to the silence.

And yet more silences.

And yes, much gratitude once again.

I like how the soft Japanese paper almost muffles the book at the ending.

And further evidence of the lighting issues - here is one packaged looked light and bright and beautiful!

So, the books of silences are complete. I have enjoyed having a self-initiated, not-for-profit, community collaborative project to pursue for the past year or more.  It has been a gentle thing to be doing; it has tested my brain and made me practice a lot of things which now feel less daunting each time I do them. I will take a break from this sort of project for a bit now, and turn my mind back to making some jewellery; and a couple of ideas and works I have had burbling away in the back of my brain. 

The second book of silences (1)

 So... the second book of silences is complete!

I have also managed to wrap, pack and post those that need posting. Once again, posting to the US proves challenging as we negotiate tariffs, non tariffs and all the rest, so I have sent them off with my very best wishes and hopes!

I wanted to show the books in full, so have created two blog posts; this one and the next one so that all of the pages can be viewed without creating a single, huge post of almost 30 images!

This is a book of silences and a second book of silences, side by side. I had thought at the last minute that I might add a second line of pen 'stitching' to the bottom (or the top) to differentiate them, but when I tried to do it it looked really awful, so I quickly retreated from that thought. Instead, they look the same on the outside, but differ on the inside.

Siblings.

I tossed up between a book of silences ii; and a second book of silences and went for the latter. So many decisions.

And straight away, the book offers you silence.

And little bit more silence, then a perfect silence.

I can feel myself in so many of these silences. Either acknowledging a shared silence; or seeking one I am yet to experience.

And we reach the middle of the book, we pause, with silence.

The rest of the book can be seen in the next post. It is nice to take time and read the silences slowly as well.

The silences

 I had such a lovely time making these books and spending time with the thoughts and words of my friends.

One of the most delightful things was the constant loveliness of the edges and the light and the pages and the covers...

Here is list of all the silences within, and a few images of some of them within  the book. In terms of design decision-making, I simply went with the silences in the order in which I received them. It seemed impossible to make a selection or decision based on anything else.

the silence of being awake at night beside a sleeping love

in our marriage a silence meant something needed to be addressed

quietly sitting in companionable silence with my lover and friend

as children we were told that if the radio fell silent, then someone had pressed the red button

the silence between the notes is also music

the hollowed-out silence of grief

a political silence (from most of australia)

in moments of silence i can hear myself gently exclaiming that i'm proud of you

when the silence of the inner world meets that of a cold moonlit night, i am at peace

moments when silence is all that i have to give

silence can sit quietly amidst noise

silence is a warm comfort blanket between the very best of friends

the silence o your own eyes in the mirror

the companionable silence when reading alongside each other

the silence of insults in the face of righteousness

i find my silence in stillness and inner quiet

One of the things I found most powerful and most moving about this project, was that each of the silences I received was one I would not have thought of, known or imagined.  It seemed to me our silences are unique and as a result quite personal and intimate.

I have collected and collated enough silences for there to be a second book, and the covers and pages are all cut, ready for when I can get around to setting type and printing. 

Completion - all stitched up!

In many ways, it is so hard to think that all of the work that has been happening around these wee books has finished and this couple of small piles is all I kind of have to show for it!

In the edition of 21 (such a nice number), I have 16 that will go to the people who shared their silences with me. Then there will be 5 extra. Across the back here are the 16 and to the bottom left are the5.

Half way through stitching the stash, the late afternoon sunlight appeared.

After stitching came the trimming. I had known from the beginning that by using quite a number of folios which would need to be nestled within each other in order to do the simple pamphlet stitch, that I would need to trim the centre folios quite a bit. And that proved to be the case.

You can see how much the internal folios protruded in this before and after shot.

I had to fold the covers back on each book, line up the ruler along the first page and then slowly slice through the remaining layers. Several slices per book!

The widest slices in the centre of the book were about 5mm (0.5cm) wide. This has rather an impact on where I had placed the type on the page and I was glad I had left extra room in anticipation. Although I have thoughts for the next one!

Before trimming, you can see how much white space there is on that left hand page along the foredge. After trimming, the words sit far more comfortably on the page. Although as I said, I have thoughts about the next one!

Inside my rubbish bin was a lovely layering of strips.

After stitching and trimming it was time to sign, and edition. From 1 - 21.

And now to send them out into the world to the wonderful folk who shared their silences...

Just how I will handle the other five remains open - please get in touch if you might be interested!