Tuesday, November 29, 2016

sustainability

one pair of pants
retired and worn out gramicci cotton twill climbing pants
all seams ripped opened,
"natural shibori" covering a small coptic bound book. 
(the waistband)
i just finished my first rag paper in years.
a post of paper, 
41 sheets, 11" x 17"
2 sheets of badger paper.
 restraint dried and lightly pressed
 41 sheets
a bit textured and irregular in formation
 the two wild badger sheets containing gramicci cotton rag
hosta 
kozo &
honeysuckle.
 there are two half pockets left,
made from a lighter fabric, part synthetic.
also the nylon belt and mesh strap, elastic bits, thread.
i've used these belt pieces to hold stuff together,
even my old mailbox.
not bad.

18 comments:

  1. love the soft colors of your land & this intimate book that knows your appetites

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  2. mo, yes, the pants blend in with late fall colors, and i love what you said about the book knowing my appetites!

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  3. i'd like to "read" that book!

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  4. glennis, your hands would love this "natural shibori"!

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  5. the ultimate recycling, a precious book filled with earthly treasures.

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  6. jean, i forgot to write that the thread went into the compost heap! the book's paper is mohawk superfine, it was constructed a good while ago.

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  7. A sort of ridiculous but sincere response:
    I'm SO impressed.

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  8. michelle, it's not really that impressive, merely using up, but thanks!

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  9. just so fabulous V - love it to pieces!

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  10. I so wanted the Badger Paper to have bits of real Badger hair in it. Though now my brain is whirring with ideas
    Love this

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  11. fiona, thanks, it's full circle
    trace, badger paper is traditionally the end of the day/week whatever period of an english mill's pulp--throw all the partial vats together and make mottled or badger paper. no hair (that's just narsty)
    india, the book came along years before the paper.

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  12. Hi V - love that recycling story and such beauty. B

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  13. Do you do this with a home-style blender, or do you have a pulping machine type thing?

    Also

    You said a post of paper - 41 sheets - and I wondered if that is a unit of measure. (A post of paper like a murder of crows.) (it isn't, I checked)

    Lovely to visit here and see your gentle creativity.
    xo

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  14. good questions, judy, i do have a hollander beater, as well as blender and a hydropulper; this rag was first cut in 1 inch squares, soaked, and then beaten in the hollander. it took around 3 hours of beating to get it to break down into a decent pulp. a post is the stack of paper that the papermaker makes, in this case i was not entirely accurate as it was made in two sessions. when the papermaker is done making sheets of paper and is going to put them into the press, that is a post of paper. this whole project was one pair of pants, using the one 1 pound beater that was full of completed hydrated pulp equalling about 2 5-gallon buckets). all of this is relative of course since i am not calculating water. i did not add any chemistry (sizing, etc) to this paper so it is waterleaf, another wonderful word. several of the sheets are not very good sheets, but i've included the whole batch, for fun.

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  15. Natural shibori--this is first rate. What a great idea for book covers & more.

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  16. alice, thanks! i have quite a collection of cool pieces.

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