Binding Books

I have been to my bookbinding class today and am a happy bunny. In the past years, I have been to several 5 day courses at West Dean College to do bookbinding and have mended books and made books. I did make some books which were bound with my own weaving. But it was always double cloth and I quite fancied trying with a thinner/finer cloth.

Being a retired lady now (as of October 2009), I decided I could go to the local Technical College in Malvern to do book binding so I go every Wednesday afternoon. It is wonderful. We have a wonderful tutor, one Angela Sutton, (do look at her web site), a lively class and all the tools, clamps, presses that you need to do bookbinding.
In September I went to West Dean to do a three day course on Block Printing Fabric and produced five pieces of cloth which were suitable for book binding.

This is one, printed and over printed and with copper foil rectangles which are also  overprinted with the same pattern.

And here are two more.  The top one is big enough for an A4 book and I have spent all afternoon, tearing and cutting handmade paper to make a sketch book for that fabric to cover.  I have an A5 book all sewn and ready for the second piece of fabric. I doubt if I will get more than these two finished this year and I want to do a leather book next term.

I did bring home today two completed books which are below.

I do love marbled paper. In fact I love paper. As I was tearing up the handmade paper today, I was saying to myself. "I remember that shop - Philadelphia. The only bright spot in our trip to an Exhibition there. Oh and this sheet came from a lovely shop in the Hague. I bought two glorious notebooks there and a sheet of paper with cocktails in rows all over it"   There is not enough of it to act as end papers. I did use up some with flowers on it and also cats, making two notebooks for my grand children and using the paper on the outside

The other cheering news is that I did a tiny piece of weaving with 16/2s cotton on a handheld loom. It was then painted with SEKA Paint. Ironed at the hottest setting and washed. Colour Fast!! So my plans for a weaving with Michael's enamels have not run into trouble - yet. I have ordered up the 12/2s unmercerised cotton in the colours I need from William Hall and a friend is going to pick them up this weekend.