Bookmaking lately
My bookmaking group “Handmade Book Club” led by Vintage Page Designs, challenged me with a poll asking how many books I had made in the past six months. Off the top of my head, I chose the option 16-20.
Later, feeling uncertain and being pathologically averse to lying, I pulled out the books I’d made and counted them. One is missing – not sure where I put it. And there are several pairs, which maybe should really count as one. But, counting them as two, there are 22! I feel better that my guess was close.
It was fun to lay them all out like this. I won’t try to name them in order, just a list to provide commentary:
- Two Shrigley bindings with little art pieces from earlier classes installed in them for display. Learned these from Byopia Press’s blog.
- A sweet chunky hardbound book, red bookcloth with coptic binding. Filled with collaged pages from a large sheet torn down into signatures. This was from the first Handmade Book Club retreat day.
- A small accordion serendipitously assembled from pieces hanging around. Two watercolor-toned ecoprinted covers and a fragile walnut-dyed interior.
- A fabric concertina, “Slow Spring.” Probably the most time-consuming and most inventive project of the lot.
- Several accordions – red floral covers, purple cover, white cover, and yellow cover. These were hastily assembled based on a video shared in the book club. They were meant to be used as handy note-taking books, to inspire drawing and doodling, but I’m not sure how or if I’ll use them.
- A matched selection of six pamphlet bound books with eco-printed covers. I was trying to use up my eco-prints from last year. Three each have the “String of Pearls” binding and three with the “Chain” binding, from the book Bound by Rachel Hazell.
- Two Japanese Stab Bound books. A project from the Handmade Book Club.
- A rustic accordion, assembling some eco-prints from this year on rough khadi paper.
- A very nice beige double pamphlet using papers that I’ve had around for many many years. I love how the double pamphlet stitches nestle into the spine and almost disappear. This binding was taught by Ali Manning of Vintage Page Designs.
- And last but not least, a pair of slim case-bound books, a project from the Handmade Book Club. Featuring homemade bookcloth made from eco-prints on raw silk.
- Missing from the photo: little folded book as taught by @livrosgabrielairigoyen on Instagram.