Bookbinding!
So, a number of the people I've made friends with out here in Oregon are artists of some shape, form, or fashion, and since I can't draw to save my life I figured I'd take up yet another crafty hobby that would allow me to participate.
So I got a wild hare up my ass a couple weeks ago and started teaching myself how to make books by hand.
Gathering supplies turned out to be a giant challenge (you have to use special waxed thread when you bind books or the signatures will rip and come apart), I sat down last night and started work on my first actual, from scratch, handmade book.
And here it is!
Covers are stiff matboard and are finished with found materials, ink, and gel medium. Pages are 65 lb acid- and lignin-free archival cardstock, bound in six signatures of four sheets for a total of 96 usable pages. Binding is waxed linen thread in a Coptic stitch pattern. In total, about five man-hours of work.
The leather closure strap was something of an afterthought, and I'm not entirely happy with it. Thankfully it isn't attached to the physical piece, so I can keep futzing about until I get it the way I like.
I'm gonna keep at this and make more of these, since I've discovered this is a stupid fun hobby. Woo! Go being creative!
So I got a wild hare up my ass a couple weeks ago and started teaching myself how to make books by hand.
Gathering supplies turned out to be a giant challenge (you have to use special waxed thread when you bind books or the signatures will rip and come apart), I sat down last night and started work on my first actual, from scratch, handmade book.
And here it is!
Covers are stiff matboard and are finished with found materials, ink, and gel medium. Pages are 65 lb acid- and lignin-free archival cardstock, bound in six signatures of four sheets for a total of 96 usable pages. Binding is waxed linen thread in a Coptic stitch pattern. In total, about five man-hours of work.
The leather closure strap was something of an afterthought, and I'm not entirely happy with it. Thankfully it isn't attached to the physical piece, so I can keep futzing about until I get it the way I like.
I'm gonna keep at this and make more of these, since I've discovered this is a stupid fun hobby. Woo! Go being creative!