Ink Stained Book Arts

Exciting book news!

I have book news of a different sort--it's not the craft variety this time, but still very exciting. My husband's book, "Battlefields of Honor: American Civil War Reenactors" is being released this September. This is an amazing photo essay book about people who reenact the American Civil War both in the U.S. and abroad.

My very talented husband, Mark Elson, did the photography, and I wrote the text. Included are his modern photographs as well as wet plate photography--the exact same process of making tin types and glass plate negatives that was used during the Civil War.

Above is the catalog page from Merrell Publishers, and you can read more about the book on my husband's site. The book also available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I'll post updates soon on appearances and signings. 

Bookbinding classes in Los Angeles!

I'm thrilled to be part of a week of bookbinding classes being offered here in Los Angeles May 7th through 12th. The amazing bookbinder and book artist Karleigh Jae Heywood and her husband Daniel are putting the event on, and there are eight classes being offered.

Before I give more details, TOMORROW, April 14th, is the deadline to purchase the entire week of classes for a discounted price of $550. That's a steal! Check out the classes here and then go sign up. I can't recall when this many bookbinding classes have been offered in L.A. in this amount of time. 

If you don't know Karleigh's work, check out her Etsy shop. Her books are amazing. Also on the bill is the incomparable Kelly Kilmer, a phenomenal artist and instructor.

I'll be teaching two classes--one is the miniature book necklace, or "booklace," that you see above. I've become somewhat obsessed with these little treasures of late. They're so much fun to make and don't take very long since they're really small (about 1" by 1 1/4"). 

After making the book--which is fully functional and constructed just like a larger book--we'll make the necklace, using new and vintage pieces that you'll put together. No special bookbinding or jewelry making skills are necessary, and newcomers are welcome. If you do sign up for the class, please be sure to check out the materials list, which is not extensive.

The other class I'm teaching is a Romanesque stitch book with 19th century cabinet card photographs for covers. This binding is not well known but it's absolutely gorgeous and is one of my favorite open spine bindings. I've developed a few tricks that make it super easy and fun, so if you're looking to expand your bookbinding repertroire or just want to dive in and make a book, this class is for you!

Remember, tomorrow is the deadline for the discount. Don't miss this great opportunity! I look forward to seeing you there!

 

 

Vintage sewing pattern journal

I can chalk up my fondness for vintage sewing patterns to two things: an appreciation for the gorgeous illustrations that grace the covers, and my mother's love of sewing.

My mother was so talented at sewing that she could have sewn a car if she wanted. When she was young and working at I. Magnin in San Francisco, she and a friend used to try on clothes in the dressing room in their down time, sketch the designs and then make patterns from the sketches. I can't even wrap my mind around that.

That's a photo of her above. My sewing talent pretty much begins and ends at sewing a straight seam. But these patterns remind me of her and the photos I have of her wearing stylish clothes, many of which she made herself.

This journal's cover is an actual vintage sewing pattern envelope laminated to book board. The cover is lightly waxed, making it durable and waterproof. The inside pages are nice, heavyweight drawing pages and the signatures are wrapped with cardstock that's been pinked at the edges. The book opens flat, making it perfect for writing or drawing or sketching your own fashions.

The book is sewn using a French stitch in waxed linen thread. I love the vintage Bakelite button that forms the closure--the detail on it is amazing.

If you'll be at Glitterfest on Saturday you'll see this book up close and personal, and it can be yours! I'll also be doing a free make and take there from 1:30 to 2:30. The project is a pretty little book that's sewn with vintage-esque seam binding and has a little surprise inside. Hope to see you there!

 

Tintype book

Since I can't resist vintage photographs it stands to reason I can't pass up tintypes, either. I use them both as books and to embellish books, and these were made into a four-needle coptic stitch book using waxed linen thread.

This diminutive journal is small enough to fit in your hand, perfect for jotting down poems or secrets or love notes. The parchment-colored paper inside was handmade by Andrea Peterson of Hook Pottery Paper. I met her at Paper and Book Intensive last year and purchased much of her beautiful paper. She is truly an artist and I hope you check out her work.

Some of the signatures are wrapped with cotton rag text pages from a French book dating back to the 1700s.

I bet you're wondering: Hey, do people still make tintypes? So glad you asked. They are, and one of them is my husband. Click on "wet plate" on his site and you'll see what contemporary photographers are doing with this incredible process.

This book is bound for Glitterfest, which is now only days away! I hope you'll come by and say hello!

 

Excavation

I purchased this 19th century spelling book at a flea market with the intention of repurposing it. Since its cover was well worn and the brittle pages were turning a light amber, I thought it would be nice to include the text in collages. I never thought I'd find what was inside.

With a sharp blade I carefully extracted the text block from the covers. When I did, I discovered a binding I had never seen before. The pages were arranged into signatures, but there was no sewing and no glue.

Instead, the signatures were wrapped tightly at the spine with a piece of super, then held together with a 1/4--inch wide piece of (now rusty) metal on the front and back and riveted together.

Judging from the look of the rivets on the underside of the signatures they were most likely hand-hammered. I can only guess this binding was created to make the pages less likely to be ripped out by small hands. If anyone has any information on this binding, please let me know!

I love discovering odd bindings like this. When I took Ann Frellsen's Book Doctor 101 class at the Paper and Book Intensive last year someone found a 19th century binding that included thick staples and sewing. Its Frankenstein-esque appearance was bizarre and fascinating, and Ann explained that this was part of the evolution of bindings as binders tried different methods of constructing books.

I also found this patent notice. I wonder how long this binding was used. And now I can't wait to go back to the flea market and find more books like this.

Seeing this binding got my wheels spinning, and now I'm thinking of trying to modify this version of a stab binding into something viable for a journal. Hmmmm......

 

 

Vintage Photo Journal

Among many flea market finds I find hard to resist, vintage photographs may be number one. There's something about an old photo that is both beautiful and haunting, fascinating and mysterious. 

When I make these photographs into books, as I've done here, I like to think that I'm honoring the subjects in some way. No, I don't know who they are, and I'm sure they weren't all saints who led exemplary lives. But they captivate me just the same, and although they are anonymous, they are not forgotten.

This is an open-spine book with a modified long stitch binding sewn over lavender grosgrain ribbon (sorry I didn't show it, but I had a limited time with sunlight that day). The cover is accented with vintage buttons and lace pieces, and the closure is made from strips of natural linen. The back is covered with linen bookcloth (a great find from Hiromi Paper) and the six signatures are wrapped with vintage sheet music.

The book is bound for Glitterfest on March 10th, and I hope someone admires and appreciates this lovely woman as much as I have!

 

 

Leather and lace

This book was made from a pair of vintage cowboy chaps circa 1940. I found them at a flea market and couldn't pass them up. I love using vintage items for books because they have such a history to them--I wonder what the cowboy (or cowgirl) who wore these was like, on what ranch or farm they lived and what horses he or she rode.

I wanted to add a touch of femininity to this book so I sewed on a piece of antique, hand-crocheted lace to the flap. And although the cheesy lyrics to the Stevie Nicks/Don Henley song kept running through my head as I made it, I really like the combination of the tough leather with the soft, graceful lace.

The pages are great for writing or drawing, and it closes with a hand-plied cord made from waxed linen thread that wraps around an antique button. A small silver heart charm dangles off the end.

This book is bound for Glitterfest next month, along with others I'll be featuring in the next couple of weeks. If you live in the Southern California area, check out the show, which is in Santa Ana on March 10th. I'll be sharing a table with the very talented jewelry designer Jan Lindstrom, so please come by and say hello.

I'll also be doing a free make and take at the show, courtesy of my publisher, Quarry Books, and Craftside. A photo of that project will be up soon.

See you at Glitterfest!

 

I'm interviewed on Artistically Speaking Talk Show!

I hope you can tune in to Artistically Speaking Talk Show on Sunday, Feb. 19th, when I'll be interviewed by host Rebecca E. Parsons. I'm thrilled and honored to be a guest on her show, which will air at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, 5:30 p.m. Central time and 3:30 p.m. Pacific time. 

We'll be talking about my new book, "Adventures in Bookbinding," and all things relating to books and book arts. So please join us, I'm sure it will be a lot of fun.

CHA Winter 2012, part 2

Let's jump right in with more highlights from the CHA winter 2012 show. I'm always excited to see what new things 7 Gypsies has come up with, and they never disappoint. But their displays and sample projects are also terrific. This mood board caught my attention as I walked through the booth.

I love needle felting, but most projects I do are two-dimensional, like the needle felted book in "Adventures in Bookbinding." I've made some attempts at three-dimensional things like flowers, but I don't think I'd ever attempt anything truly sculptural on my own, since I'm sure I'd make a cat with five legs or something.

But EKSuccess has come up with an ingenious way to make sculptural needle felted projects that even someone dimensionally challenged like me could do. The kits are called "Little Felted Characters" and they're due out in May, according to the company's website.

Instead of leaving crafters on their own to concoct a cat or dog, they've made two-part molds that are also felting blocks, so you can needle felt right into the mold. When you have the two sides of the animal you felt them together and add other details such as ears, spots and stripes. So darn smart.

I can't wait to try this. What great gifts these would make, too. After all, what animal wouldn't love to see its likeness made out of wool felt?

Also at the EKSuccess booth were these beautiful embroidered projects. Not sure if these are kits as well, but I hope so--they're gorgeous.

I spotted this clever display that used just a vintage book and empty frame to create something eye-catching. Can't wait to try this idea.

And last but certainly not least, I met a bunch of great people at my book signing on Saturday and caught up with some old friends. My signing was right after Jenny Doh's, and she was so nice to give me a copy of her great new book, "Creative Pilgrimage."

It was great to see Amy Barickman again and Kaari Meng and Kim Caldwell. I haven't seen Kim since Sweetpeas & Snapshots days. I also met some terrific bloggers, crafters and authors who came by. It all went so fast but was so much fun. Thanks to Quarry and the always fantastic Stefanie Girard for setting that up.

And then there were these two funsters, Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil, sisters and authors of the new book "Steampunk Chic: Vintage Flair from Recycled Finds." Not only are these two women incredibly nice and fun to be around, but they're also amazingly talented. Please check out their book, it's got some fantastic projects in it.

That's it...in the next few weeks I'll be posting photos of books I'm making for Glitterfest in March. The workshop is busy!  

 

 

Craftcation make and take

We interrupt our regularly scheduled recap of CHA 2012 to bring you this Craftcation-related message.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm teaching a bookbinding workshop on Saturday, March 24th at 2:30 p.m. at Craftcation, the upcoming four-day indie business and DIY conference in Ventura, California March 22-25. 

But wait...there's more! I'm also doing a free make that's being hosted by my publisher, Quarry Books. We'll be making this little mini-book with four pockets that can hold business cards, receipts, or anything else you need to organize.

No bookbinding experience is necessary, all materials are included, and a good time is guaranteed. Did I mention it's free? So if you're considering attending Craftcation, go to the registration page and sign up. You know you want to. I'll see you there!