A long overdue update.

To be honest, I haven't made a book in almost 3 months. I worked and worked to be ready for a show at the beginning of June but that day and being in a wheelchair did not work out at all and discouraged me a bit. So  no new books.

Then we found out that my mother has to go for open heart surgery this week. We have known for a bit but its coming up soon so we are all going around tired and not thinking straight. Besides the aortic valve needing to be replaced, she is in great shape. Its going to be a long journey of recovery but she is strong so she is going to be great. With this on my mind, no new books.

Ive had a bit of a rough patch with having multiple sclerosis. Migraines, aches etc etc (I wont bore or possibly depress you lol) and feeling like there is a serious lack of sleep. Again, no new books.

I am looking forward to the day coming soon where I can wheel into the studio and get something done. I'm looking forward to feeling inspired.

For now, no new books. They are coming soon though! I have two custom orders and then if all goes well I'm back :)

I just wanted to make it known that I'm still here, just in a rough patch.

New listings!

I have finally made it and photographed the books I made and are keeping for myself to sell. As per usual I wanted to photograph the books I sent to the Unique Creations Artisan Outlet in Niagara Falls. Yes, my books are there but it really is a great place to find great gifts. Im honoured to be a part of a store that has such great items!

You can find these and more in my etsy store!

This cover paper is from Iceland.

Japan Chartreuse.

Floral from Florence, Italy.

Address Book with paper from Iceland and eggplant bookcloth.

Silver, grey and white paper from France.

Coptic stitch book with gorgeous paper from Nepal.

Japanese covered Address book.

Paris book with elastic closure and rounded spine.

Coptic stitched book with a hint of Nepal, take a look inside!

I will post more when I have more photographs. Special thanks to Tracy at the store of all of her help and support.

My personal policy

 While discussing the books I make with a visitor to the First Sunday Stroll
event, the motivation and focus of the books I bind came to me. I make
books the way I make any art, I focus on the piece and only the piece I'm
working on. Each book is it's own piece of art.

I don't plan that I need to make X number of this kind of book, same size,
same binding technque. I just find inspiration from the paper I have to cover the book. The size of the book and the number of pages aren't really planned.
I find that with books that aren't custom orders, I just sit in the studio and one thing leads to another and a book is made.

I am lucky enough to have friends that travel and send me papers they found through their journies, I also lucky to be able to get my hands on such great papers.

 Whenever I order paper or receive paper from someone, I purchase only one sheet of each design. I do this so even though I may use the one sheet of paper with more than one book, there isn't enough paper to make more than one of the same sized or style of book.

I like that each of my books are one of a kind, just like the experience I had making the book. From the size, type of page paper, what style of sewing and binding, to the choice of whether the book calls for a bookmark or bookends, I go with the flow and just create.

Product Review...of sorts

I've decided to do a product review of sorts. This is't a review of a particular brand, but of a general round curved needle.

I've had a package of needles that I found in my mom's stuff but the only needle I had used from the pack was the "bookbinding" needle, because its eye was larger than the needle I was using. The package as you can see is old. The store Towers doesn'y exist anymore, nor has it existed in quite a long time here in Ontario Canads

I asked another bookbinder/friend if she used these needles and she loves working with a rounded needle. I have only used the needle for a coptic stitch journal, I don't even know if it is a needle I would use with any other stitch.

Now, as I've mentioned, I have MS. My hands have taken a toll, so when I'm using them for too long (whatever that means on any given day) they want to curl up. There are stretches the physiotherapist mentioned but I don't feel they work. Having said that, I still do them.

I found the round needle to be great for the two coptic stitch books I've bound with it. However, I found it hard to hold without it turning around when between my fingers. As the sewing went on, it became more difficult, but that was because of my hands, not the needle itself.

I chose to work on a series or collection of journals, coptically bound, covered in book cloth with a small sample of the featured paper. Here I used a burgundy (for lack of a more eloquent colour name) bookcloth, and a Baroque style golden paper that I originally ordered for a custom order portfolio.

I now see that when I took this photograph, one of the cover loops was loose. Luckily I did spot this post photo but pre completion of the book. *phew*

I found the needle allowed super easy kettle stitches (looping around stitch in previous signature), a nice in and out, and I found that the needle went smoothly between the signatures and I didn't catch any pages with the needle (big huge annoying pet peeve)

Now the fact that the signatures do not perfectly and neatly meet up at either end of the book. Each page is hand torn so therefore each page, and in turn each signature is a slightly different size. Part of me hates this, part of me likes it. I found the binding was stronger than books I have sewn in this fashion in the past. Which reminds me to re-sew a book I felt was too loosely bound.

This is a photo of the finished product. The sample pattern of the gold paper adorns the front as a hint of what is to come, both end papers (inside of the cover) have the same paper. The first one I  made didn't sit super well with me as a favorite book of mine, but as I add to the collection or series I'm loving the idea.

My hands are decent today, I think I will go into the studio and finish the book I had started and left the bookcloth in the press to flatten. I say they are decent now but I've been typing all this. You are damned if you do, damned if you don't. What can ya do but smile?

Listening to: The only living boy in New York by Simon & Garfunkel

I feel like a bit of a jerk

I started off a post proclaiming my love for books and taking the one book a day challege. I gave it a go but it didnt last. Booo

Then I had to think and re-evaluate things. I have MS. I cant do everything, everyday. Thats ok. Just means that my books are more precious (ha ha ha, nice try I know).

So its not going to be a bo0k a day. Some days will be two books, and other will be none. Thats ok. I have to stop stressing out about hurrying up.

Like I say: Life gets in the way of life sometimes
I should listen to myself more.

Peace and love
Beth


Listening to: Ordinary Man by the kinks

What I've been upto lately

You should have seen the mess the studio got into again...today is cleaning day and then tearing paper.

Clean clean clean

I've been working on cleaning my studio/office for a week now. I thought it would take a day.

I am determined to have things organized and neat and efficients. I get in there and work on one area at a time, making my way right, starting with the extra chair in the room in which I drape sheets of paper over that I used when I'm gluing. Someone suggested to go to ikea and get newsprint on a roll. Seems like an ok idea but I can't just throw out paper after using it once. Too much garbage for my liking.

I made a nice pile of the gluing papers, cleaned off the table and the awful corner where the small scraps of eska board and scraps of paper that I was too tired to care about at the time. Guess what? It adds up.

Today I tackled the top of the drawers. You can see that there is furniture under there! Ok it was not that bad, but it was close. Later tonight I am going to tackle the top drawer which holds some tools but mostly packaging items (envelopes, bubble wrap, thank you notes, little gifts with purchase). It is the second drawer that I am afraid of.

Tonight and tomorrow: the complicated second drawer *dun dun dunnnnn*

Leap Year Journal

This journal was custom made with exactly 183 sheets of paper.....366 pages...one journal page per day of the leap year. The pages are lined and bound with white bookcloth and a tie dye paper from India, and a white ribbon bookmark finishes off the book.

The text blocks were only 40 sheets each, and with the custom page number needed, I chose some text blocks that were whiter and some that had a light yellowing to them so I intermingled one white and one yello, then one white....etc

Book-a-day continued

A custom coptic stitched recipe book.
Covered in Japanese pearlzied Mango paper, coptic stitch bound with yellow waxed linen thread.

I've been in denial

Im in a funk. Give me an order to do and its done quickly but there are no creative juices flowing right now.

I usually find inspiration in everything. I even watched part of Amelie today and nothing.

Im not used to this and I dont like it. Perhaps if I start planing ahead it will give me focus. Definitely an idea.

Im craving kale chips right now. Super healthy and taste great.


I have tons if drawing paper begging me to make a journal. So thats what Ill do.






tomorrow

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