A Weekend in the Workroom

The weather in Indiana is as usual - too hot and humid, so I stayed in and made some books. (I probably would have done that anyway, no matter what the weather.) To streamline the process I cut some templates from chipboard. Someday I'd like to make these out of plexiglass. I make most of my journals in the same format - 8.75" X 5.5" - so having templates makes a lot of sense.

I used the last of the Peacock-feather book cloth I made earlier, which is a little sad. It's so beautiful. Maybe I can find some more later. I found it in the local antique mall, which is sometimes a trove of fabric remnants. I recommend antique mall and thrift-shop lurking for interesting fabrics.

The text-block is of my favorite Mohawk Superfine paper, which is heavy and has a wonderful writing surface. I use it in my personal journals with fountain pens. I sometimes wonder if my shaky handwriting is worthy for such good paper. The paper is by far the most expensive part of one of my usual journals.

The stitching is Coptic with French-link inclusions, nothing too fancy. When I make the covers out of some beautiful fabric I don't feel the need to get extra-complicated with the stitching. Not always, anyway. Sometimes I feel like going all baroque!

I have a full-time day job which keeps me from working in the shop as much as I'd like.

Darn my need for food, clothing, and shelter!