A Yen For Paper

INCOMPLETE BOOKS .....

don’t have their covers on yet, so you can’t judge them at all.

As you can see I have been busy doing some sewing ready for binding, using some of my new tools (more about that later). For me, there is something VERY satisfying about the alchemy which occurs when some large sheets of paper are magically transformed into books by a little judicious tearing and folding of paper, followed by  a little stitching.

Like the initial stages of most projects, it’s important to work carefully and methodically as this process constitutes the real foundation of the book and if this stage is not completed satisfactorily then the finished book will never function well. In other words the structure has to be good and strong,  before you start adding any embellishments.

In fact, I really enjoy this stage of the binding process since the repeated movements of folding and stroking the paper with the bonefolder become almost a meditation. If paper therapy existed - then this would be it!

NEW JOURNAL WITH A PENCIL COSY!

After a little break from binding. I thought I would just have a little bit of fun. So I decided to make a little journal with an exposed spine showing the french style stitching onto tapes, in red. The french stitching involves looping into the stitching below and so makes the whole structure stronger and more stable. Here is the work in progress.

Here is the finished book block with the end papers sewn in.  I left the tapes quite long as the strength of this binding depends on the tapes.  I decided to use three tapes to make the book stronger and because I like odd numbers :-)

The finished book has hard covers, finished in a lovely strong mossy green bookcloth, also french - and even although they say "Red and green should never be seen except upon a gypsy queen" - I think they look pretty good together myself.

And then I decided to try out an idea I had seen on Etsy, but now unfortunately I can't find it anywhere, so am unable to reference it properly, sorry, my memory ain't what it used to be. I used a length of blanket trimming, purchased from the wonderful VV Rouleaux (which I have posted about previously), to make a little pencil cosy.

This is just a length of trimming doubled over to form a pocket and stitched onto a piece of elastic, which is slipped over the cover of the book.  The image above shows the finished result - a little journal with its own little comfort blanket!