Saved by Grace – Coptic Stitch Journal

Sold!

I am real excited to share with you a commissioned coptic stitch journal that I just finished up today.

The purchaser wanted a pink journal in similar fashion to the Imagine coptic stitch journal, and in a larger format, as well.

This was a pure joy to work on, although it certainly took time to put together. Each page was watercolored front and back. The cover was, as well, and I hand-lettered the sentiment on the front of the cover with the client’s chosen phrase.

For this journal, I purchased a few special materials to complete it, including actual pink watercolors, pink ribbon and a special gradient embroidery thread for the stitching. I also invested in a curved needle and I cannot sing enough praises for it.

Preparing the pages

Preparing the cover

There is a reason, my friends, why coptic stitch binding is also commonly referred to as curved needle stitch. It made a world of difference in my approach with the stitching of the signatures – because it curved right around the binding points, I didn’t have to continuously open and close the pages while I worked, which meant I was able to achieve a much tighter stitch as the end result.

Curved needle in action

If you are currently doing any coptic stitching with a standard straight needle, I implore you to give yourself a much-needed break and shell out that minimal amount of cash for some curved needles. You can thank me later with a simple sharing of this page with your friends on your social networks. ;)

I am looking forward to handing this over to the client, however. The artist in me loves it, but the insecure artist in me is biting her nails thinking “oh, what if she doesn’t like it?”

I suppose if that happens then you’ll see this journal up for sale in the near future. Haha.

Real happy to have this complete, however. Now I get to move on to my next creative project.

If you are interested in purchasing another journal or commissioning a custom piece such as this, please contact me. Other available journals can be located under the “Shop” section on the left-hand side of this web site.

Saved by Grace – Coptic Stitch Journal
5.75″ wide x 9″ tall
Acid-free watercolored bristol paper (100 lb.)
48 pages
SOLD

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment below or like the page and share with your friends. :) Thanks for reading!

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List of materials:

Strathmore Bristol paper
Book board
Winsor & Newton Watercolors
Kuretake Gambi Watercolors
PVA Glue
Embroidery thread
Bee’s wax
Recollections Bone folder
Martha Stewart scoring board
Curved needle
Awl
Utility knife
Fiskars ProCision Rotary Bypass Trimmer
Recollections cutting mat
J.A. Henckles Scissors
Ribbon
Uni-ball Signo pen