A Library of Little Handmade Books
2022 is turning into the Year of the Book.
Handmade books.
Artist books.
Little books.
Meditative making books.
I made a library of books for my recent Open Studio opening (and now you can find them in my online shop).
I loved making these books. And I’m still loving making them. Monoprinted papers, cyanotype papers, eco-printed papers, different art papers, waxed linen thread, torn edges. And I’m still enjoying the learnings from my two weeks at Summer School with Adele Outteridge at the beginning of the year.
Little Coptic Bound Books
There is something so lovely about a handmade book.
The paper.
The colours.
The texture of the torn edges.
The weight of the book in your hands.
Each book uses my own printed papers for covers and some of the text pages. I have bound them with waxed linen thread using a Coptic stitch.
Delightful to hold and flick through the pages. I never tire of the meditative task of piercing paper and pulling the needle and thread. And for me, the more pages in each book, the more pleasure I get from sewing. There are more than 150 pages in each of these little books.
These books are meant to be written and/or drawn in.
Write love notes to a loved on, including yourself.
Capture memories with words or drawings.
Write a story.
Share secrets on their pages .
A peak at some of the handmade Coptic bound books in my online shop, or click here to view them all.
Simply Stitched Notebooks
Paper and thread … these little books have unearthed uneditionable reduction linocut prints from my paper draws and given them a new life. Simple little books using linen thread and a pamphlet stitch to hold 2 sections to make little 32 page notebooks.
These little books are fun to make – and lovely to use. The pages are blank. The covers are original prints. While its hard to cut into my prints, its lovely to put them to a purposeful use. And even more lovely to use something handmade and artful to write notes.
A peak at some of my simple pamphlet stitched notebooks, or click here to view them all.
Simply Folded Pocket Treasure Books
I love the challenge of creating a resolved book structure using only folded papers.
This little book book uses folded heavy papers to make interchangeable covers and a spine to hold the structure together. For the pocket pages I use monoprinted and Japanese papers and tracing paper.
The pictures above shows my own pocket treasure book ‘Found‘. I have been collecting the small feathers I find around my home in this book. Feathers fill the pockets. There are pockets on the front of each of the pages, and behind each page. Then there are pockets in the book covers. So many pockets for so many treasures. And notes. And secrets. And wishes.
These little books are very easy to make. You can buy your own book then deconstruct it to make your own. Or come along to a workshop to learn to make this and other simply folded books.
A peak at my pocket treasure books, or click here to view them all.
