It’s here!!!!! It’s so beautiful, @a-gay-old-time!!!! I had to place it in a stack with my very favorite books by authors I admire so so much, just to see it there. My God.
Emma, you have given me such a gift. I can’t tell you what this means to me. Thank you is not enough. I get to read my own words in print.
I got sent an ask and whoever you were I am sorry I pressed send way too early. This post is for you if you ever see this blog again
It takes me anywhere from 2 days to about 3 months to make a book! I am a very bad procrastinator. Wild took me about a week start to finish, and Far from the Tree (the first version, not the one I posted here) took me 2 months. The actual process of making the book is only about 2 days but most of that is drying time for the glue, or pressing time for the textblock. The longest part of the process for me is designing the text for the inside and deciding what colours I want it to be/what I want the title to look like
Binding resources
For typesetting, armoredsuperheavy’show to make a book doc was invaluable! I just use word to typeset because it’s what I have. Omfgreylo also has really great tutorials and they’re all available on her patreon.
For videos and actually making a book, I really like DAS Bookbinding. He does really in-depth stuff, and it’s great seeing the history of bookbinding and how things have changed/stayed the same. I also have used Sealemon’s vids! They’re really accessible, and I found they definitely took some of the stress out of it when I was first starting out. The books I’ve done on this blog have all been casebound books bar reverb sound, but I am trying to branch out lol
This teal and gold Lokta paper has gotten lots of attention in the past, but unfortunately I only bought a single sheet of it. The original journal I made sold nearly instantly, and I thought I had used all of it. But recently I found a piece just big enough to make this pocket sized journal.
Blank sheets make it perfect for sketching, writing, collage, or imagine a new way to use it. The coptic binding means it lies flat when open too!
Find it and many others on my site, just follow the from my profile!
Want to learn Japanese stab binding? Join Booklyn on Sunday, June 26th for this beginner’s course. This class will cover basic materials and techniques of Japanese Stab Binding.
Stab binding is one of the earliest binding techniques. It is also a great method for students and beginners, because artwork for the pages of the book can be created in advance as separate sheets. We will cover several variations and each student will leave with two completed books and one instruction sheet.
De Will C. Peters. The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson, the Nestor of the Rocky Mountains From Facts Narrated by Himself. W.R.C. Clark & Meeker, 1859. 2nd Ed.
Here are a few pages from an ‘alchemy’ book that I made for my boyfriend for his 21st birthday. It is based upon the potions found in the video game, “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”.
Each in-game potion comes in varying potencies and colors. I took these potions and assigned them to real-life alcoholic cocktails that would be the same color as the in-game potion. I also took into consideration the proof of each alcoholic drink, pairing higher proof drinks with the stronger in-game potions. Thus, I created a sort of alcoholic potion recipe book based on the video game from scratch.
I aged the watercolor paper pages with black tea, illustrated the potions with watercolor, ink, and colored pencil, inked the recipes by hand, and hand-stitched the book together with embroidery thread. The cover is watercolor and a paper cutout.
Another handy little DIY beginners kit by the author of At Home with Handmade Books. If you are interested in giving book binding a try, but don’t quite know where to begin, this kit is a great introduction.
Included are all of the supplies that you need to make one 3” x 4” book and complete instructions for four different Japanese stab bindings. The instructions are written out as well as illustrated to make each step clear. Choose to make one of the bindings with the included supplies and once you get the hang of it, you can make the other bindings with your own materials.
