Tackling the cell phone "problem!"

There's just something about mixing 18th century attire with modern conveniences that photographers love.  It's really cliché to see pictures of re-enactors with their cell phones or Starbucks cups.  Such was the case a couple of days ago when a photographer from the Philadelphia Inquirer snapped the above picture of me.  He asked if I minded, which I didn't and this picture ended up at the top of an article about the opening of the Museum of the American Revolution.  

Now I typically don't have my phone or other modern items out at events--particularly regimental events.  In this case, I was taking pictures and in the process of uploading them while waiting for a ceremony to begin.  Sometimes there is no one else to take pictures of my group so I do what I can, typically snapping pics then hiding my phone in my pocket or basket.

This picture prompted a Facebook discussion about possible ways to conceal the phone with a friend suggesting a Book Book phone cover.  Since I don't have an iphone, this isn't an option.  Plus, I keep my phone in a Mophie Juice Box which is a wireless battery case.  When taking pictures, my battery goes quickly and this case will give me a full charge while keeping my phone safe.  Thus, I need to be able to conceal my phone while it is in the case.

I decided to make a hide away book to keep my phone in while I'm working on it.  I'll have to take it out to take pictures, but then it will go back in the book. Here is what I did:

First, I found a small hardcover book at the thrift store.  My Juice Box case literally triples the thickness of my phone so the book had to be big enough to conceal the phone inside.  Without the case, I could've used a much smaller book.

It's important to see how the phone will fit and to make sure there is enough of the page left for a border.

It's also important to check the thickness of the book.

I gathered some of my paper crafting supplies:  hand marbled paper, book cloth, craft knife, safety ruler and Diamond Glaze glue/medium (my favorite paper crafting glue/sealer).

I measured the book cover and cut two pieces of marbled paper about 3/4 of an inch bigger on 3 sides.  I then cut the corners off of the paper right up to the edge of the book cover corner.

Time to glue on the paper! Using a sponge brush, I spread a very thin coat of diamond glaze on the outside of the book cover then I laid the paper in place smoothing out any air bubbles.  Then I folded the paper to the inside, first brushing a thin coat of the DG on the paper.  The nice thing is that this glue/sealer grabs immediately.  I did this to both the front and back book covers,

Here is the outside of the book.  I put a weight on the book for about 30 minutes.

Now the book looks perfectly fine the way it is but I wanted to cover the spine. This is simply a matter of personal preference.

I measured the book spine and the section on the front and back covers that needed to be covered by the book cloth.  I cut a piece of book cloth that was 2.5 inches wide by 8 inches long--just a bit longer than the book itself.

I brushed a thin layer of DG on the book spine and centered the book on the book cloth.  Then I brushed more DG on the book and smoothed the book cloth onto the front and back covers, making sure to really work it into the contours of the book spine.  I snipped the book cloth at the edge of the spine and turned the cloth to the inside of the front and back covers, cutting the cloth in the center flush with the book spine.

Next I took some hand printed paper and cut it to the measurement of the inside of the open book, adding about an inch.  This paper needs to cover the inside of the cover and I chose to have it also cover the opposite page.  Covering the opposite page is really optional.  I brushed DG on the inside cover first, lined the paper up with the edges and smoothed it in place.

Next, I brushed DG on the opposite page and smoothed the paper in place working it into the crevice at the center.  I trimmed the paper even with the page. This is only done inside the front cover of the book.

I used the directions at this site for making a hollow book.  Note--the directions tell you to drill holes in the corners of the pages where they will be cut.  I highly advise doing that.  I didn't and it makes it difficult to cut clean corners.   Be prepared for a mess when cutting the pages!  This is what my family room floor looked like!

I sealed the inside of the "box" and put another coat of glue on the outside of the pages and let the book rest for a couple of hours with a weight on top.  Then I took black craft felt and lined the "box" to make it neater.  

The final step is to protect the cover.  The historically accurate way is to coat it with bees wax which is what I chose to do.  Basically you just rub the wax over the entire cover.  You can buff it to get a little shine if you wish.  You could also spray it with an acrylic sealer but I prefer the look of the wax.  

Here's the front of the book:

And the back:

My phone is almost too long to fit, but it is wedged tightly in there with enough space for me to reach the buttons on the sides!

And if a photographer should come along, well--just close a couple of pages and they'll never know that it's not a regular book!

Summer Whimsy -- 18th Century Peeping Fan: A tutorial

I've always loved hand fans -- ever since I can remember.  I recall visiting the 1964 World's Fair in NYC as a kid and the first souvenir I bought was an Asian silk fan in the China exhibit. Love them. Fans were not only fashion accessories in the 18th century, they also served a very real purpose since there was no air conditioning.  Ladies used fans as a non verbal way to flirt as well.  Fans of the 18th century were quite decorative--often made of vellum or silk with the frame being ivory.  Fans were often souvenirs, decorated with paintings of famous people, places or events.  My favorite of the 18th century fans, however, are the peeping fans.  I've read that these fans were created so that proper ladies could watch scandalous plays without being embarrassed.  I've also read that they were used for flirting.  A number of these survive today in museums:

French fan, 17th century

 18th century Spanish, Met Museum

 1770 of unknown origin

Being a crafty sort, I decided to embark on making my own peeping fan.    I had made some souvenir fans using pre made white paper party fans using this tutorial and they turned out quite well so I thought I'd try this starting with a paper prototype and if successful, making a silk fan for the final project.

I realized that I would need to cover the entire fan with images and to create a face for the center.  I also realized that I would need to cut holes in the fan and that those holes needed to be placed between the fan spines so as not to cut them.

Here is the process.

Step 1:  Completely flatten your fan and trace the paper part.  This will mean tracing the outer curve and measuring the depth of the paper to get the inner curve.  I needed larger paper as the entire fan did not fit on 8.5 X 11 inch copy paper.  I decided to divide the fan in half so that my final images could be digitized and my printer won't handle 11 X 17 inch paper.

Step 2:  I cut out the left and right templates and laid them on the flattened fan to check for fit.

Step 3:  I scanned the templates and made several copies.

Step 4:  Next came the face.  I sketched some rough shapes and played with sizes.

Step 5:  Check the eye placement to make sure the eyes can be cut without cutting the fan spines.

Step 6:  Creating the face.  I traced the outline of the face and eyes with pencil and created a watercolor prototype.

Step 7:  Scan the face into a graphics program--I used Photoshop Elements.  The color and detail often washes out when scanning so adjustments will most likely need to be made to the color.

Step 8:  Print a copy of the face to check your corrections.

Step 9:  Collect appropriate images for the rest of your fan.  I did several Google searches like "18th century arts,"  "18th century theater," and "Roccoco images" to find some that I liked.  I used images that were from paintings.   I saved the images to my computer and resized them in Photoshop Elements to sizes that I thought would work.  I then just placed them all in a word document to print and save for future use.

Step 10:  I cut out the pictures in random shapes and laid them over the template, making sure that the face was centered (I had a line drawn at the center.)  It's important to make sure that the outline of the template will not cut off the faces or main elements in the pictures.  This is probably something that could be done digitally using Photoshop or Illustrator, but I'm not that proficient with doing things that way.  I centered the same theater graphic on both sides of the face.

Step 11:  I glued the images in place and cut out the templates, checking for fit on the fan as best I could.

Step 12:  Scan the cut and paste template so that you only have a single thickness of paper.  If you've done your cut and past digitally, then you can probably skip this step.

Step13:  Apply a fixative to your printed graphics to protect them from moisture--here are two possibilities.  I selected a gloss finish.

Step 14:  Cut out your templates and glue to fan using paper glue.  You may have to do some trimming.  I found that my face was off center and I ended up cutting the spines to make the eyes.  It was okay as the added layer of paper stabilized the fan. Paint a gold trim on the edges of the fan and face and when dry, carefully fold your fan and rubber band in place for a while. 

While I was happy with the result in paper, I didn't care for the thick, bulky feel of this fan so I decided to go ahead with my original plan and reproduce it in silk.  Since all my templates were digitized, this was an easy task.  I purchased silk fans that were the exact same size and had the same decorative frames as my paper fans.

Step 1:  Print images on printable silk, peel of the paper backing and apply very fine fusible web on the back of the silk.  Then cut out your templates.

Step 2:  Pin your silk fan flat to a padded surface.  

Step 3:  You will need to line up your images. This time the face must line up as the silk graphics will not have enough support for you to cut the wooden spines of the fan.  I lined up the center first and started pressing my images moving toward the sides.  I ended up having to trim the graphics at the sides by 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

Step 4:  Trim both the top and bottom of the silk with gold and outline the face and eyes with gold.  I started with Decoart fabric paint markers which were okay but they bled a little when outlining the eyes.  I went over it with Martha Stewart acrylic paint in gold that was much better so that's what I'll use from now on.  I also painted the two wooden ends of the fan with the acrylic gold paint.

Step 5:  Refold the fan and rubber band closed for a day or so.

Voila!  Finished project!

Over all, I'm pleased with the end result.  Since I digitized my templates, these can be made quickly and I won't have the paint issues.  You can add sequins and crystals to your fan to make it as fancy as you want!