Sometimes I make blank books to practice a structure and sometimes because I just feel like it. Sometimes there is more of an intention to create an actual journal, notebook, sketchbook, etc. Here is a selection of my blank books.
I made these books for my friend Nathan. It's an interesting story. See my blog entry and follow up for more details. |
This is my first commission. My daughter, Betsy, asked me to make her a journal. She asked for a hard cover book that lies flat, so I chose a Coptic binding. The boards are covered with a paste paper design that I made on a copy of the surveyor's map of "Stoots," the Potter vacation home in the mountains.
In January, 2015, I took a class with Linda Rollins at Pyramid Atlantic to learn the Secret Belgian Binding. This is the result. The large boards are covered in Nepalese Lokta paper and the spine in my own paste paper.
Having gotten the hang of it from this example, I'm making more Secret Belgian Bindings:
I learned Long Stitch Binding from Robin Harper. Here are a few examples
A button hole book that I embellished by weaving twine through the threads on the spine and then sewing it to the covers.
Another long stitch variation, Italian long stitch, which I learned from Kathy Steinsberger. The limp leather example is from her class. It's hard to tell from the photos, but the second book is much smaller. I made it as a purse-sized journal for my wife to carry on a trip to Spain. See my blog entry for February 27, 2015.
Case-Bound Books. The first example is from a Kathy Steinsberger class.