Printing, proofing and a bit of old tat

We went haring up the motorway this morning to meet up with Michael, the other half of our d4daisy publishing venture. The printer’s proofs of Lynda Monk’s new book, Fabulous Surfaces, were ready so, to save time, we met at the services to do the final proof. I have to say that the printer has done a great job and the colour is breathtaking.
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Here we are, spread over a picnic table, as it is always a bit dark in the restaurant. Luckily the weather is mild. I think I’m very brave taking a photo of a photographer – shan’t show him this.
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Clive is next on the production line.
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Proofing is very nerve-racking and it’s so easy to read what you expect to be there, rather than what is. We always involve Katherine James, a professional proof reader, and it is amazing what she finds. If anyone is thinking of self-publishing I would really recommend a proof reader (the cost is not great) and Katherine is a textiles person too. I know from my time editing Embroidery magazine that the bigger the heading, the more likely a mistake!

We’re all delighted with the book as it is the first one in our new ‘Workshop’series. It should be available on the d4d site around the 24th. www.d4daisy.com

This is subject to the vagaries of printers, of course. We once published a book around election time and found out, too late, that they were printing all the manifestos. Guess who got priority?

I shall be doing some Lynda book give-aways on this blog and on Facebook later in the week.

What do you do with old work? Do you recycle it or chuck it out in horror? I’m giving a talk in Bristol next week and needed a piece of metal threadwork to fit a theme. Looking at this City &Guilds piece, I can see all the errors but I can also remember how much I enjoyed making it. I had never done anything like it before as I came to C&G from a machine embroidery and drawing background, unlike most of the others who were familiar with more traditional techniques. Perhaps it’s good to revisit work from the past. What do you think?
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We are planning our local Christmas Party in Christchurch. There are always more people wanting to go than there are tickets, so this is a reminder to the usual suspects (or anyone else who fancies a fun day). It only costs a fiver and a plate of grub and we have Ruby Lever, always a popular choice, for the speaker, plus trade stalls etc. Email me if you haven’t got a ticket yet. maggie@workshopontheweb.com

Btw, regarding the collagraphs in the last blog, I used Daler Rowney Georgian Block Printing medium but Jenny Bullen tells me that oil paints on their own work very well. Thanks for that tip, Jenny.