Monday, January 20, 2014

The Glass Book

Here is my latest creation, "The Glass Book." The covers started out as drinking glasses. They were fired in a kiln to a high enough temperature  until they  melted flat. They measure approximately four by six inches. Although my decorative lace hides it, the bottom section is heavier, because the base is thicker and rounded.  
     This was a real technical challenge, having never done this before.I chose lace for the outer covers, because of its transparency . Choosing to put a pastel blue paper gave a dimension to this creation.A lace piece floating on the inside served as a  decorative front page. I used the long stitch style of sewing the pages right to the lace, and then gluing that right to the glass itself. Herein lay the problem.The weight of the glass  made the book move when turning the pages. This was not what I wanted. 
So I had to do what  all artists do. Take the challenge to invent a solution that looks like part of the design. I realized I had to strengthen the support system. Since my theme was white and lacy, I used additional ribbon, both thin and more decorative, to create hinges, and make a tie closure. More cut out flowered pieces made the symmetry of the front and back more pleasing.
I am happy to say it worked. Below is the finished open book. Lots of lessons when undertaking something never tried before. I am pleased with my glass book.

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