Making a Custom Portfolio

Look at this! I actually had the fore site to take process shots for once in my life. I'm not going to lie, large scale bookbinding is intense, precision is key and the glueing...not for the weak at heart, but I'm very excited about how this turned out. Please enjoy the making of a custom hidden screw post portfolio for the very talented Rush Jagoe: Photographer. 

 :: figuring out the hardware ::

 :: positioning the letterpress nameplate ::

 :: drying the book under weights, many weights ::

:: pressing the screw post holder ::

 :: finished cover ::

 :: closed portfolio, with slipcase behind it ::

:: open portfolio ::

The End

A Book and Ore

I would start this off by saying, things here have been hectic, but that line is getting old, isn't it? So I will focus on what has been accomplished, and what's coming up.

:: custom guest book ::

I made a wedding guest book for my friends Tina and Robert, who's wedding I had the pleasure to attend last weekend. The bride requested a fresh spring green for the cover, and I was able to use some of the linen bookcloth I made several months ago. It was a perfect fit. The inset cover was designed and hand lettered by my friend Beth Schaible, calligrapher and printer extraordinaire. Inside, was a mix of handmade, lined, and recycled paper.

I've also been making many new books, some of which I will be posting in my Etsy shop soon.
While sorting through my paper, I found this illustration of "ore deposits" from a vintage encyclopedia. I haven't decided what to do with it yet, but you might be seeing it again soon.

:: ore ::

May has been designated Press Month, meaning I will be working in earnest to get my new Chandler & Price up and running, so expect to see some updates regarding Junior (aka Indiana Jones) soon.

Linen

A few weeks ago, I found out that my favorite bookcloth, a chocolate brown buckram, had been discontinued by its maker, which made me so sad because it had become my go-to color, the one that seemed to work with everything.

On the bright side, it was motivation to start making my own.


I'm using the instructions from Japanese Bookbinding: Instructions from a Master Craftsman, which are the traditional method of making bookcloth using kozo paper and wheat paste. This book is fantastic! My other favorite is Books, Boxes and Portfolios.

I'm excited to have a new palette of colors to work with, and to be able to use actual linen as a covering material for my books. It's such a wonderful material. So wonderful that Benoit Millot made a film about it.

BE LINEN MOVIE from Benoit MILLOT on Vimeo.