The most difficult stage of making the book came when I had to apply the leather to the wooden board. The front cover was the delicate part because I knew the effect I wanted but to achieve it meant inventing a kind of plaster relief made of modelled clay packed with tiny scraps of leather. I spent days trying to get this right and abandoned four attempts before grudgingly admitting I would do no better than this last attempt. Pressing the clay down hard on the birch, I left it to harden and when it was ready, I stretched and pressed the dampened leather over it until it had taken the form of the chalice and leaves as I intended. Satisfied, I glued it down and with even weight over the whole surface, was pleased to see the details of the clearly defined entwined cord embossed in the leathe
