A Book a Week 2014. Week 34

Week of 25 August

Little books class.

I planned this class to be one in which we used found paper and the bindings were simple.

Here I found these cool paint chips at the store, and did a modified Japanese Stab Binding, with eyelets.

Here I used pages from an old Readers Digest book, paint chips, and a fake flower stamen from the craft store. Can't find an easier binding than that:

This binding was probably too hard for this class. I used playing cards as covers for this Coptic Binding.

This might be in competition for the easiest binding. I took store bought notepads, and glued pretty paper on the cover.

Kind of a match book style, I folded in half a paint chip and bound it with a Japanese Stab Binding with small washers.

and I lined it with pretty roses and cute roller skates paper:

A Book a Week 2014: Made, Altered, Repaired. Week 18

Pretty Papers
week of 5 May

One of my favorite things about making books is choosing which pretty paper to use. I collect and use (and try to find storage for) large sheets of hand decorated paper from around the world:

Here are some Italian papers:

More Italian, and some hand marbled:

Here are 3 journals I made using the Coptic stitch binding:

I also like to use Reader's Digest books because you don't need to cover them; they're already beautiful!

This is a Coptic Stitch journal I made using a Reader's Digest set of covers.

I like to cover each signature with coordinating scrapbook papers to add color.

And one more. I love this cover and the color coordination of papers and string and cover.

A Book a Week 2014: Made, Altered, Repaired. Week 17

Week of 28 April

Blank Journal from vintage book cover.

My daughter tried her hand at altering a vintage book. She loves the French language (and anything French), so was attracted to this volume. She removed the text block, but kept the Title Page and Vocabulary with which to attach a new blank text block.

Emy sewed the signatures together with a Coptic stitch and attached the block to the covers by gluing a line on the front edge and back edge of the text block.

It came out great!

A Book a Week 2014: Made, Altered, Repaired. Week 12

Week of March 24
Emy's Journals

I have been making journals for Emy for a few years. What I like about doing it is that she fills them up. They are jam-packed! They are filled with all kinds of cool writing and ticket stubs and memories.
I made them all from 1950s-1960s-era Readers Digest covers, and used a simple Coptic stitch. I have determined that with all the use these books get, cotton crochet thread tends to break. So the last one I made, I used chartreuse nylon thread, and it wears really well!

 Sometimes I add beads:

 A little washi tape: