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.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Book 167 - Pamplet Stitch Hand-Made Book with Hand-Made Paper

For today's hand-made "book-a-day" we have something... dead simple. The basic pamphlet stitch book is surely the quickest, simplest stitched book structure you can make. But done with nice materials, it can still be very pretty and functional.

For this pamphlet stich book I used a lovely piece of hand-made paper for the cover. (Note: I didn't make the paper. I actually bought it at an Office Depot in central Mexico.) The book has a single signature of 10 sheets folded into 20 pages (40 counting both sides), stitched with burgundy colored raffia and tied at the spine. I added a narrow strip of Tyvek to the spine area of the cover for strength, and the knot/bow has a drop of glue on it for stability.

The end paper is a piece of hand sponge-painted paper I did years ago. It's been sitting around the studio ever since asking for a function.



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2 comments:

  1. RitaJuly 12, 2011 at 7:58 AM

    Gorgeous! Love your hand sponged paper inside, too!

    I make (assembly-line) little pamphlet style what I call "bookcards" that I write letters in. I only use five sheets (20 pages both sides). I started out with my own handmade paper for covers, but write too many letters to keep up with the paper making so I switched over to printed scrapbook papers for covers--which take less postage, anyways.

    I'm a sucker for handmade paper. That is some pretty paper you got in Mexico! :)

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  2. RachelJuly 12, 2011 at 6:17 PM

    Wow, Rita, those letters sound amazing. And Donna, that is such a sweet and simple book. I do love me a pamphlet stitch.

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