Well, the book is done and already in the hands of its happy owner- but I still owe you the rest of the story of the creation- so here goes!  While the covers stayed in the press (a bit extra long since the humidity has hit its stride here in Atlanta and I don’t want the boards warping) I started working on designing and printing the text block.  Since this is a side bound book I want to make sure the pages turn smoothly and lie flat for wedding guests to sign, so I scored each page with my trusty English bone folder, once along the spine edge and again along the hinge.  With the pages scored it was time to get the covers out of the press and ready for binding using another favorite tool of mine, the crop-a-dile.  The Crop-a-dile has replaced my (also beloved) Japanese screw punch for most heavy hole punching, as it easily punches thru boards (even double thick!) and full text blocks.  It also looks like some serious equipment and sounds like a gun going off- it makes me feel like a bit of a bad-ass when I use it : ).  With holes punched in covers and text block, it’s time for the final step- binding!  I had a lot of fun (and challenges) binding this particular book.  I knew the customer wanted the brown as an accent color, but didn’t want it to overwhelm the soft pink cover.  I bound and rebound this book a few time using different patterns until I found one that I thought complemented the structure best- a light corset bind with a minimum of sewing lines (to keep the spine from being too dark and busy).  And voila!  The final book as seen here was ready to ship and start its new life as a wedding book and treassured keepsake for many, many years to come!

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The covers are done and in the press for my 100th Etsy book sale, and while they dry I thought you might want a peek at the process!  Step one is often the most fun- shopping!  Supplies for this book came from a variety of sources, including lovely soft pink book cloth from Paper Studio and the adorable eyelet paper and coordinating brown ribbon from Paper Source.  Next comes the skill part, getting those covers built!  Step one with this look is to cover the acid free davey boards in the book cloth, making sure to run the grain of the book cloth in the right direction for a smoothly folding spine hinge.  Mitred corners also give a clean finish to the book, removing excess material bulk from the corners for a good, clean look.  Next up, placing the eyelet paper over the book cloth on the front cover for a sweet peek-a-boo effect.  This is the most challenging step of this book for me as glue tends to want to seep up through the eyelet holes and get on to the cover.  BUT with my trusty bone folder and a damp rag at hand it’s easy enough to keep the glue where it belongs!  Next, a bit of a color accent as the brown ribbon is placed between the end of the eyelet paper and the pink spine on the cover, secured inside with some acid free artist tape.  Over that goes the endpapers and then into the press to dry!  I’m working on the page layout now, stay tuned for some pictures of the binding process and the final book!

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I tackled resolution #1 and made the lovely book you see here, using the secret Belgian binding. I adapted it a tad from the instructions that I found online; instead of weaving in and out of the lacing on the inner spine I ran a chain stitch over each lacing, negating the need for a kettle stitch on the 3rd and 4th signatures. The binding is nice and tight sewn this way- and I love that the book not only lays flat that the covers can be bent back! More new projects as I tackle them. . .

PS- keep your eyes open here for information on my upcoming bookbinding class at the Atlanta Printmakers Studio- I’ll post the flyer and details as soon as they’re ready!

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Check out the latest edition of The Chick’s Guide for a tutorial by yours truly! There’s easy step-by-step instructions for making your own leporello or concertina scrapbook. Be sure to check out the rest of the site for instructions on other fun projects while you’re there.

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