The Art of Making Books

      What do artists do for fun? They go to art workshops. This is what I created on my recent  trip down to Phoenix from my studio here in Sedona. I have been a member of the Calligraphy Society of Arizona for over 30 years. Every once in a while I like to take advantage of one of the great workshops they sponsor, including this one making a Long Stitch book , hence the name.                                 I like to think that Lewis and Clark wrote in their journals that were made similar to this. A soft leather on the outside with " signatures" of paper , a grouping of pages, sewn into the spine. This is book format and what you read today does this made with machines. But how much sweeter to see it all made by hand, which is where the book artist comes into the picture. Also, instead of just some stitches showing, I tied them together with some red, waxed linen thread, and added a touch to the closure. A little adornment to catch your eye.

I will be teaching Not this book, but an equally fun "Envelope book"   on November 16,2024,  at the Sedona Arts Center, here in uptown Sedona. In only three hours, you will leave with your own magical book. There is still time to sign up, so be sure to contact SAC and enroll in a great adventure! Comments? I love to hear from you.  

The Long Stitch Book

Here I am back in the wonderful world of handmade books . This long stitch book was used by clerics and travelers alike as early as the 14th century.
I chose to use leather for my cover, but paper or cloth also work well. The  soft outside  allows the book to open flat, making the signatures inside easy to write or sketch upon. A signature is a gathering of pages sewn together and then bound in some form to the spine. Historically,it was one page folded in four, or its multiples, and then bound together.That was for printing purposes. A book buyer would then have to cut those folded pages.
Today we choose how may pages to include. 
I chose three sheets, folded in half, nestled one inside the other, thus creating creating six pages. This book has six signatures, i. e. thirty six pages. I had to measure and hand punch each hole in the leather in order to get my linen thread through.Each grouping then connects to the next, making it a solid book.
I chose a handmade button and cut a long strip out of the leather to create a thong to hold it together. I have seen historical examples like this. Along the spine, I added three beads for ornamentation and a bit of color.
This style feels good to me. I want to create another long stitch book.

How to Make a Handmade Book

       In this photo is one of the handmade books I have in my show entitled Rock, Paper, Fire at the Jerome Coop.  Alas,  the show must come down this  Wednesday. It has been interesting to see how people react to these books I have created.

 I think the first thing  people notice is the outside cover. I like to pick a handmade paper with some sort of a design that sets the color theme.This paper came from England. I have a large flat file with  my large sheets of paper, and I am all about using what I have first. So I have my blue and brown and tan theme. Then I want to pick my inside sheets, which  here are a white shade. I add a " ghost page " to each of my signatures, and in all of my handmade books. This is a translucent piece of paper made from a natural source. Must give  credit to a fellow calligrapher, Joyce Bank on this style.

 These pages are then sewn together into a signature,  an even number of sheets, because  your stitches are down the center of the paper, which get folded over for your book pages. This is exactly what they do for any  book,where the binding covers the  stitches. In this book I leave the signatures, which I do sew together, showing out the back side, for decorative purposes. I always add beads and decorations to my books.  I like   each one I make  have its own "home" to live in. This  is a decorated  cigar box with a tarot theme. It  can be harder than making something from scratch, because you want to insure it closes properly. So, this is what I wanted to share with you today. Comments ?