Before I got to stitching I had to cut the pages into pieces and then stick them together. Cutting the sheets took me two days as I had to go extremely slow with a lot of caution and care.
After cutting them I stuck them all together. To do this, I first asked if I could use a part of the print-making workshop. I laid sheets of newsprint onto the floor to protect the prints and then taped them into place. Gen made a mix of PVA and paste for me which I tested on an extra sheet of Himalayan paper and it seemed to work really well. There was no warping and the glue dried really fast.
However, perhaps because I was using the glue on a larger piece of the paper and it was quite wet, on the first sheet the glue melted the paper away. I salvaged the situation by using an extra sheet of Himalayan paper behind it, but for the rest of the pieces, I was much more careful and went very slowly. I started with the Himalayan paper prints because I was unsure of how much time I would have. After the first one Brian, one of the technicians told me he had rice paper glue and said I could use some. I used rice paper glue and the PVA paste mix for the shogi and the newsprint scrolls.
After this, Gen showed me how to use the sewing machine and I did a few tests. I have never used a sewing machine before so this was also a very new experience.
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