Embroidery Experimenting

During the critique I mentioned that the inspiration for the mandala pattern for the cover and the patterns on the double page spreads comes from mosques and asian clothing. An interesting suggestion from one of my peers was that I could use a technique in my book that relates to these things; e.g. embroidery, relating to clothing such as sari's as well as furniture/ornaments etc.

Embroidery was an important art in the Medieval Islamic world. As embroidery was a sign of high social status in Muslim societies, it became widely popular. Especially in cities such as Damascus, Cairo and Istanbul, embroidery was and still is visible on handkerchiefs, uniforms, flags, calligraphy, shoes, robes, tunics, horse trappings, slippers, sheaths, pouches, covers etc.

Additionally, a number of people in my critique said that the soft back cover looked better and is easier for travellers- I felt that the soft back cover would need something for protection as a hardback cover was my original idea. One of my peers mentioned that I could possibly create a cover/sleeve that would go around. I have created an embroidered pouch which matches the design on my front cover, this protects the book from getting ruined whilst travelling as well as relating back to asian clothing, furniture, accessories etc.

I am happy with how this pouch turned out, it was time consuming but very enjoyable. To develop this I will use a different material, possibly something even silkier for a richer affect and use gold thread as well as the red. I also think using an embroidery hoop would help to stretch and hold the fabric the place better.