Friday 11 December 2015

End of Bookbinding Course

For the last five weeks I have been commuting by train into London centre to go to a bookbinding course. All I can say about the pricing system is that it is weird beyond comprehension. The class runs from 1030 to 1630. So the first week I took the bus to Reading Station and then a return to London. But cheap day rates and anything other method of reducing the cost is not allowed till after 10am. So it cost £50.50. Next week I got a lift to Theale which is 5 minutes in travel time west from Reading and was taken aback to discover a return to London costs £15.50. This includes global travel on London underground. The reason is that the cut-off time for cheap day rates is 0900am and it is only five minutes beyond Reading!! And another thing. The cost of a single ticket in the reduced period is £18.00. So it would be more economical to get a return and throw away the return half. How daft can you get.
 
I was attending a class on soft cover book binding which I was interested in. Today, the last day, I was particularly interested as we were doing Coptic binding.
 
All four of the books I made. The dark one, second from the right is leather, the other three are paper.
The leather book by itself.
The above is a photo of Books 3 ad 4 by the whole class.

I have decided what to do about Convergence. Firstly I have moved the Megado and when I get back from Spain next week, I will install a valet system and have it working so that I can start warping up after New Year. I will only have two weeks to weave five yards. To which end I am not using fine silk but 2/12 cotton. A lot can go wrong with this plan. I will try to get the warping up completed before Christmas.

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I am weaver and - -. I dye my yarns with acid dyes, I paint my warps, put fabric collages and stencils on my weaving. I have three looms, a 12 inch wide, 12 shaft Meyer for demos and courses, a 30 inch Louet Kombo which is nominally portable but has a stand, two extra beams and a home-made device containing a fan reed. And last a 32 shaft Louet Megado which is computer controlled, has a sectional warp and a second warp beam and I am the proud owner of an AVL warping wheel which I love to bits and started by drilling holes in. I inserted a device for putting a cross in. I have just acquired an inkle loom and had a lesson from an expert so I can watch TV and weave at the same time. I am interested in weaving with silk mostly 60/2 although I do quite a bit with 90/2 silk. I also count myself as a bookbinder with a special interest in Coptic binding.