A Book a Day? What's Up With That?


Hi, and welcome to this year-long project. So what's this all about and how did it happen, you might ask. In mid 2007, artist Noah Scalin decided to make a skull out of anything he could find, every day for a year. It stretched him in ways he never imagined, as an artist, a writer and a person. His experience turned into a blog that went viral, and then a book.

Others have picked up on the idea: 365 Hearts, 365 Masks, 365 Bears drawn on a cellphone, 365 paper napkin mustaches.
I wanted to play, too, and I chose books. I love books, I know a bit about making books (thanks to my talented book-maker sister, Marilyn Worrix), and they're broad enough in definition to give me a lot of creative leeway.

The whole point is not really the books. The idea is to stretch myself in many ways as an artist and a person, to set up a discipline, stick with it and see what that teaches me.

I hope you'll join with me and follow along on the journey chronicled here, and let me know what you think.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Day 85 - Belly Up to the Bar - A Bar Coaster Book

Here's another in my series of "found" books -- books I've made from odds and ends I come across in my daily life, packages from our store, things like that. Tonight, we went to dinner at Chili's. As soon as we sat down, I noticed there were the usual pressed paper bar coasters on the table. Ahhh, book covers, obviously.

These play on the Chili's chain reputation for great margaritas. I simply cut the text paper into pages, folded them and nested them into eight signatures. The signatures are sewn together and attached to the covers with a single-needle coptic stitch with beige thread. I'm still having a bit of a challenge with the coptic stitch. I find it tricky to get the tension on the stitching right and my books often tend to not lie completely closed. Apparently, I'm pulling the thread too tight, but when I try to loosen it up, it gets sloppy/floppy. Guess I just need to keep at it until I get the feel for it.

Not much more to say about this particular book. A nice, simple little book with found covers.




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6 comments:

  1. MishaApril 23, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    Your stitching looks great to me. I haven't a clue how to go about it, too tight or just right.

    I really enjoying seeing what you will come up with next.

    Wonderful project!

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  2. francesj14April 23, 2011 at 4:53 PM

    I think that happens all the time with thicker signatures. Try to loosen only the cover stitches. Love your books.

    I designed a book from a slinky. I have yet to see it in public. Try to think of a page design to fit in and nest against one another and you have it.

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  3. DonnaApril 23, 2011 at 5:23 PM

    frances - Fascinating idea. I'm going to have to let that one stew for awhile before trying. Thanks.

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  4. aline C.April 24, 2011 at 5:39 AM

    I found your blog there soon.
    I admire so much inventiveness daily

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  5. RachelApril 24, 2011 at 11:19 AM

    Ah, but before the slinky, perhaps a *snake* book, where you cut around inside of a circle and then it expands...am I making any sense, if not I will try to find a photo. It is a pop-up structure, but I am now wondering how it could also be a book.

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  6. AmmielorisApril 25, 2011 at 12:37 PM

    I picked up some of these coasters at lunch today, thinking that they would make a great something or other. Now I know what one great something or other is! ;)

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