Egg Carton Book

Kelly bought me this amazing book, where books are made from recycled materials. And we both decided that this was the one to make while visiting the greatest city across the land. And I didn't even have to leave her house. It took me a whole day and I had Hannah to watch movies with, so not a bad way to spend a vacation. I just split the carton in half, cut off the top and made the signatures from grocery paper bags. I had to cut the bags down to size, and I think that took the longest time in the whole process. The famous multicoptic stitch, carefully, to sew it up, and on the front end, i kind of sewed on the part that latches the carton shut- with some of the wax linen string to keep it shut. So it looks organic but the latch is totally fabricated. And there you have it- a book without a practical purpose- unless you happen to know a charming young lady named Stacy whose new project is to document her huevos rancheros experiences at restaurants across the Southeast. Report back lady- with photos and notes- and a festive book to put them in. Just try to beat out SunnyPoint, just try...

Cookbooks

This one was made to order. A large cookbook. Multicoptic stitching. Cover is made with this fabric I found that tablecloths are made out of. Think of picnic tablecloth material. She wanted something that would be easy to wipe down, so it is quite wick. Inside is made of standard pocket folders, multicolored.. My friend, Becca, is a real cook. She experiments and collects recipes from all over, so there is not a lot of writing, but there is a lot of compiling- and sometimes a mess... hence the wickness. And I really don't think that is a word, but it sure is fun. ok, back to it- I did add two signatures of plain white paper- one to the front and one to the back- so writing can be had. And I think that I sleeved the paper signatures in handmade paper that I was given at Bookworks for helping out on a mask making homemade paper project. textured paper makes me feel at peace... The black band there is a piece of elastic that I sewed into the spine- first time I did that and it worked out well- except that I had to do it a few times to get the right amount- and I still think I made it a little too big. i will just have to count on Becca to make it grow. That reminds me- I added spacers to each signature so that it could expand comfortably and not break the binding. Wish I had a photo of the spine... Anyway, now I am hungry because Becca is a damn fine cook.
I also made one for Nancy- with a black and white cover- but I don't have a picture of that one because I moved to NY too fast. Happy cooking ladies! It was a pleasure.

This Place

Last weekend, I dove into the art of letterpress, and let me tell you-it is a lot of work. Setting your type, cutting your paper, inking the press, proofing, messing up and doing surgery on your type, proofing, washing your hands, printing many copies, redistribute type, clean up. And repeat. This little 4 page book took me a whole day to make-on the last day of the class. March 7, 2010. Edition of 30. Inspired by my rickety, housemate filled home in West Asheville. Simple binding with a pamphlet stitch- green wax linen. White Italian Velata paper on the inside. Frank's homemade paper for the cover.

Thanks to Frank of Speakeasy Press at Asheville Bookworks for teaching me all I know. And to everyone in the class for making it so fun!

For Scott

Scott is my friend. He is off to a new job, working with farmers, so I made this for him. Similar to the multicolored journal, it uses green/brown tones in colored cardstock for paper. Multi-coptic stitch binding. I pasted collage from his new job onto the inside covers for added personality and the cover opens up so you can see a giant tree across both sides. So nice.

Multi-Colored Journal

I had a travel journal once that had multi-colored paper thick enough to paste ticket stubs, etc in and it is still one of my favorites. It was the inspiration for this one and I have come to love the multi-coptic journals made with hard colored cardstock. Cover is bookboard and decorative paper. This one went to Hillary, which makes me happy. I am going to make more of these!

Birthday photos

My first 'landscape'. It was made to store photos for a birthday in addition to personalized comments. Hand ripped Italian Velata paper. Multi-coptic stitching, and inserts so the book can grow. Some of the inserts were made from the cover material- it makes the spine pretty!

Baby Book

My sis is having a baby! This one was made to fit in an old, beat up cigar box I had (fitting). I realized while doing this one that I am more of a structure girl than a content girl (what a statement). Anyway, I used acid free paper that I ripped down myself to make those nice rough edges- so it can last forever. And, I did add in some 'baby book' things like family tree, parents' story, foot and hand prints, lock of hair?, significance of a name, basic facts, etc. Plus lots of room for being pensive and pasting in photos. I added small, mini folios to each signature so that it would not bow (when you add a lot of external stuff to books like photos, the book tends to bow outward). And a button theme for cuteness. Now, maybe a book for the baby?...

Biology Book

This is just a journal but I gave it to a biologist so I made it with gorgeous leafy paper. Don't ask me where the connection is- I just like it. It is that nice, acid free paper that I ripped down myself with fancy edges, and I used the Multi-Coptic stitch. It takes a lot of time but it is gorgeous and sturdy!

To Rant and Rave

A friend of mine just had a very hard thing happen to her so these journals were made rather fast to give her something to rant in, remember with, and reason around. Both longstitch with leather covers. Two different patterns. I am realizing that it is easier to sew through leather when you punch the hole through the leather with the awl just before sewing through it. One at a time, not all together in the beginning- I break less needles this way.














The pattern on the blue one I just kind of made up while looking at a photo. I need more longstitch patterns...

Book Press!

This is one of those great, epic book presses so I had to show it off. It is a lease from my boss and her mother, whose it was originally. Thanks for starting me off in style on my book making adventures!

So beautiful!