What to DO with a Mini Fabric Book

So, you bought a vintage fabric mini book.  Just what do you DO with one?

Think of it as a work of art to store your little works of art, ephemera, photos and such. 

To fill the pages here are a few suggestions of "how-to":

1. Mini-collages, photos and other items: I use Gel Matte media (either medium or heavy) brushed onto the back of the piece then mount it in the book.  Cover with a piece of wax paper and place under a small weight press to let dry.  The media dries clear and is not overly stiff so it keeps the soft fabric texture.

2.  Writing in the book:  The back sides of the fabric pages are layered with a piece of tissue paper or teabag paper and can be written on.  Below, the photo on the left shows examples using a Micron pen (0.5) (left page) and a regular ink pen (right page).  The photo on the right is the flipside showing the fabric. Neither of these pens bleed through.  The flipside of the Micron pen reminds me of the style of writing on a page with graphite then painting over the words with gesso to create a layered look.  I love how that looks! I caution pressing too hard and/or using very thick, heavy ink pens such as regular tip Sharpies as those may affect the fabric side.

3.  Stitching in the book:  The books are tiny so require a little bit of 'art' to get fingers and needle in the spaces between pages.  Some of the books have eyelet or other lacy pages that can be directly stitched onto as well.  Samples of stitch work or slow stitching done outside of the book can be mounted on the pages using the same technique as with photos (see item 1.).

Here is a video flip-through of one I am working on for myself:

Be creative!  If you discover new ways to use the book, share it with me!