the "first" of the last of the edition

Here's the front view of the boro quilting / sashiko stitched edition of First Fall (see last post).  I thought I'd better sew one up to make sure it looked okay before completing the remaining copies in the edition. 

Back view with wooden button and a tie made from the same kimono fabric.

Interior view with the foundling token pinned to the inside - a stitched felt heart with a vintage button that still has a fragment of fabric from a little girl's dress attached to it. 

The foundling tokens are an important symbolic element of each book. They refer to the practice in London in the 18th century of leaving a small token of identification with a baby that was being given up by a destitute mother in case she was ever in a position to be able to return to the Foundling Hospital and reclaim her child. In most cases the mother would cut the token in two and keep one half. In most cases the child was never reclaimed.

Anyway, I'm really pleased with the humble look of the boro / sashiko quilted book. It's a strangely comforting object to hold and I love the fact that the design utilises Granny Jenkins old darned blanket (follow link in last post) and operates as a fitting memorial to the mend and make do attitude of a previous generation of New Zealand women.