The chicken and the egg Mo17
H 11cm x W 10.5cm
egg shell & chicken leg leather over bookbinder’s board, wishbone, waxed linen thread, vintage glass beads
inside the covers
back cover
outside & inside
this was a lot of fun to make, inspired by the English bookbinder Mark Cockram’s videos about making an eggshell cover back in January and the chicken leg leather was just waiting for the right book for a few years!
the chicken and the egg
Posted: May 4, 2017 by Mo Crow in Braille for the Soul, It's Crow TimeTags: bookbinding, magic
Comments
It's Crow Time 
Chicken leg leather? I must admit this is the first time I’ve seen those words put together in that order. Whatever it’s made of, this cover is exceptionally exquisite; I wish I could touch it, though!
(((Sharmon))) it was a 12″ square of tanned chicken legs stitched edge to edge in three tiers, one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen!
i had no idea chicken leg leather was a Thing. Surprisingly beautiful, and surely pointing up the prehistoric connection that chickens have with dinosaurs!
(((Arlee))) isn’t it wild!
After all, I eat chicken eggs, why then to thee notion of chicken leg skin leather creep me out?!
As always, you are nothing less than brilliant and surprising.
(((Michelle))) there is something decidedly strange about those legs but in this context they just make me laugh!
And I eat chicken and I, too and slightly creeped out by chicken leg leather. I’m obviously a hypocrite. Cool book, when I get over myself. 🙂
(((V))) it’s taken a few years for that very strange leather to find the right space!
Oh Mo, Mo, Mo…fantastic!!! What gorgeous, interesting work you’ve done here. And I love the little wishbone 🙂
(((Nancy))) the wishbone was a bit uneven so I added a white bead for balance
You blow me away Mo……that creative mind of yours always coming up with the most unusual…but very beautiful way of putting things together. ((((( hugs)))))
(((Eliene))) it’s so good to be making again!
Absolutely brilliant Mo and that’s some of the best and nicest egg shell work I’ve seen. And those weird chicken leg leathers are perfect!
(((Fiona))) Mark Cockram’s videos about the process are wonderful, the only thing he omitted sharing was his grout recipe so I used grout whitener and it worked perfectly!
weirdly beautiful chicken stuff. I love the eggshells.
(((Jude))) part of me wanted to embellish the edges with stitching or needle lace or knotted string or whatever but it works fine as is
Really surprising, Mo. Absolutely new to me, never heard about it. And it looks so great! And a very interesting binding too.
(((Doris))) for the binding I played with some spare cardboard with a few variations of those red x’s until the arrangement worked and looked reasonably neat
Beautiful. . . and I appreciate the link. Of course now I’m wondering about chicken leg leather, where to find it, how to tan it. Curiosity is a wonderful thing.
(((Wendy))) good luck!
Giving a new layer of definition to “what is a book?”
(((Liz))) and the idea that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover!
Oh, Mo, this is fascinating! Especially love the puzzling together of the shell bits & the dangling wishbone. (the added bead looks like an extra kiss of a wish)
(((Hazel))) this one has improved my state of mind no end, have been grinning ever since!