Project Prototype 1-Odds and Ends Redesigned Book Purse-Part I

The first project I undertook was an odds and ends book purse, redesigned from an old book which I got from a second-hand shop. It was to be the prototype for my first NETTLE FASHION design! I took a book and began gluing the pages together. This went on for a while before I finally began to suspect that it was failing. Eventually it was a large swollen, gluey pack. I almost wasn't sure if it had even been a book, it was so in-recognizably mutilated. Needless to say this first attempt was so graphic and horrible and I botched it so badly that I would have had to give it an R-rating if I had posted it, so I made the decision not to. {I try to keep my blog posts at the PG-13 level}

So I abandoned it in the trash, and started over with another book. As bad as this sounds, I actually enjoyed cutting it up! In a way it was satisfying, maybe because it felt sort of naughty.

 Above are the materials I gathered to make this project: Some spray adhesive, cloth craft ribbon, a ruler, two clips, and a knife.

So the first thing I did was use the ruler to cut four lines in the paper, leaving a margin, like above.

I kept doing this, cutting as deep as I could, and pulling out the loose sheets from the middle, so what was left looked like a frame:

 As I continued, it became more and more difficult, as the margin near the spine was difficult to hold down while I was cutting. So I used the clips to clip the already cut sheets down, and out of my way. It took about an hour to cut all the way through, and eventually became very painful to my hand and arm to apply the pressure that was needed to keep slicing through the paper. Ouch! Since this was a prototype, I didn't expect it to be perfect. So one thing that I learned about this is that I'll never be doing this project using a box-cutter again. Next time I am calling on a mechanized blade! One amusing thing I noticed after I had cut out all the paper from the middle: The book smells like a book, it looks like a book, but it is unnaturally LIGHT for a book! Even the cheapest books don't come that light! Here are some looks at what I did to the inside flap of the book:

I embellished the outside with some buttons !

And then let it sit out to dry. Tomorrow evening I will finish it, and upload part II. Cheers!