Printed Lists

Test print next to type.

18 Point Baskerville Type

As I have said before, this project has allowed/encouraged me to try other things.

The hand printed books in the Mary Greg collection enticed me to try out the letterpress room at MMU. The room was “downsized” recently but there is still a good selection of different sized and styles of letters. A wonderful technician called David has lovingly sorted all the type and keeps it all in order.

Setting type is harder than you imagine, to begin with you have to try and work out which way to set it so it doesn’t come out backwards, and the 18 point type I chose is quite tiny to keep in place..I tried to do the number 10..but it was beyond me in the time I had. The letters are kept in place by strips of metal held in place by long magnets

The trays are all set out, with a plan were each letter and space is, so that bit is easy (Thank you David). I decided to put a gap between each number to make the list easier to write on.

All I need to do now is try and finish the metal cannisters that these lists will be stored in.

Hazel

Work in progress

Some test prints of the LIST strips for the list capsules.

I spent my lunch time in the letterpress room trying to print a thin strip of numbers to put inside the list capsules I am making. I used 18 point letters, Baskerville type, and they proved very hard to set.Ideally I would have liked to put gaps between the numbers, but that proved beyond my skill.

I love the lists of objects Mary includes in her letters and the letterpress printed books in the collection. I still hope to print some cards on the printing press of one of Mary Greg’s lists. I think that might take me a while to set up.

Hazel

Damage Indicators

Ideas for Damage Indicators

As I said in my last post, the Mary Greg project has sent me into areas of work which I had never considered before. Amongst her letters were hand printed cards. I took the opportunity at MMU to join the students in a letterpress induction as I really liked the aesthetic of the cards.

Creativity isn’t aways a simple step by step process, and the idea of the printed cards has combined with another idea I had about the chatelaines and how they are often mending kits. I thought how the rips and lost buttons needed to be pointed out to the mender and how this could be done. I have embroidered red arrows onto some of my own coats to show loose seams and lost buttons and have begun to make metal arrows. The problem being that indicators will cause more damage in themselves. I have only done my first proof copy of the Damage Indicator card so I can see what to change, David in the letterpress room has offered to help me add a border and arrows. It is a trickier process than I had first thought, David has a real skill in setting up the tiny pieces of type. I do also plan to reprint one of Mary’s cards if the Gallery give me permission. (do you think it would be a problem Liz and Alex?)

Hazel