Morgan Conservatory Workshops

Just a few photos from the workshops that I taught last month, at the Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland, OH. I had a great time at the Morgan, as usual.

First, I conducted a miniature bookbinding workshop with a dozen participants. Everyone made at least three different kinds of miniature books. We started with a pamphlet stitch, binding a little copy of A Visit from Saint Nicholas or A Model Millionaire. Then we all made a really tiny blank book, about 20mm tall. We finished by each binding a copy of Kipling's tale of How the Leopard got his Spots, as a miniature hardcover book. Certainly a very productive workshop for everyone.

The second workshop was making two different Crossed Structure Bindings. We made the first structure with a paper cover (using lovely Sainte-Armand handmade paper). The second structure was made with a leather cover. The students' previous experience ranged from some who had never made a book before, up to folks with years of experience. These are wonderful and versatile bindings so I hope they will all try these bindings again in the future!

Unfinished Project #1

I have shelves full of unfinished projects! Sound familiar? With a bit of extra time this weekend, I decided to finish some of them.

About a year ago, I made several books for someone who needed them to be a particular size and style. They all had plain covers made from Saint-Armand paper - here's a stack of the blue ones from that project:


There were also some done in red, navy, brown, and green.

While I was making these books, I made three covers that were the wrong size. Remember, measure twice, cut once! It's good advice. If I'd been more careful, I wouldn't have had three covers that didn't fit the contents. But - I did. I laid the extra covers on the shelf with the intention of using them for something... later. Later finally happened. It was awkward getting started, since normally I made the textblock first and then make a cover to fit it. This time, I was working from the other direction - the covers were ready and I had to make a textblock to fit into them.

The extra covers have been transformed into three blank notebooks, and the plain covers have been spiced up with some of my hand-marbled shipping tags and labels. The covers are made with turn-ins so they are quite strong. The binding on these notebooks is the "longstitch through a slotted cover" sewing.



Available on Etsy, of course.
One unfinished project finished... many more to go.

Happy New Year

Somehow it has become 2010 already. The last few weeks have blown by in such haste that I hardly noticed the passage of time. In spite of my near silence here in blogworld and my little hiatus from Etsy over the holidays, I was working on a few things. So until I get some new projects underway, I'll share some books that I did in the Autumn and leading up to the holidays, for customers and friends, which didn't get mentioned here previously.

This custom steampunk journal was made for a writer who wanted a special journal in which to write her own steampunk-style fiction.


A model Nag Hammadi blank book, with exposed papyrus in the covers (although I used some Old Masters paper from Saint-Armand for the pages, rather than papyrus).


Two hardcover autograph books for my niece and nephew who are planning a trip to Disney World.


A red leather journal featuring the High School Musical cast on the inside, a hardcover chain-stitch journal with a soccer motif, a tan leather journal with a bead closure, and a set of box-board notebooks made from a Don Julio Tequila box.


I have big plans for the new year... well, I resolve to finish some of the projects that I started last year, and the year before...

Spanish Ledger Replica

I was asked if I could make a blank book in the same manner as a particular limp vellum ledger binding from 1670, which can be viewed online at the Conservation Studies website for the University of Texas at Austin. Of course, I said yes.

Using an old parchment document for the cover (above), I was able to make a very old-looking replica.


On the original book, the decorative stitching was most likely done with narrow alum tawed strips; but, lacking a source of alum tawed skin, I used pigskin leather for the loop and toggle, and artificial sinew for the stitching.


For the blank pages inside, I used Old Master paper from Saint-Armand. Needless to say, that project ranks among my most favorite. If only I could have kept the finished book for myself...but alas it is gone off to the person who commissioned it. But I wish I got more requests like that.

Margarita Journals

The first crossed structure binding that I ever made was the CSB Solo, and it is still one of my favorites. It works best with a paper cover rather than leather, so I don't make it as often as some of the others. But I recently got some new Saint-Armand handmade papers which are perfect for making the covers. I've used creamy Mohawk Superfine text paper for the pages and attached pretty ribbon bookmarks too. I'm calling these my margarita journals, since the colours reminded me of margaritas... Blue Curacao, Lemon Lime, Strawberry, and Green Iguana.