Tapping into an inner sanctuary for clarity.
And finding a longing for change and growth in my bookbinding practise.
LONGING FOR CHANGE & GROWTH
I'm longing for some change and growth in my bookbinding practise. As much as I now feel confident to teach all I have taught myself about bookbinding over the past 20 odd years, there's still so much I still want to learn.
I have this dream of spending a few months in Florence, at one of the famous Bottegas in that beautiful Italian city, learning the craft of fine leather binding from the masters along with all the fancy trimmings like gold tooling on veg tanned leather and marbling fore-edges and endpapers, all while taking afternoon strolls through the streets marvelling at human creativity; the arts, architecture and of course gelato and great coffee! On my last visit to Florence, I imagined what it would be like living there for a few months [or forever]. Working with leather is something I have not dabbled in much, mostly because of the issues I have with my elbow joints, but that is something I am working on changing!
I know the grass is never greener, but oh Florence and the surrounding rolling hills of Tuscany have my heart, and of course the language, I mean, everything sounds better in Italian, don’t you think? I’m always reminded of that line in Eat, Pray, Love when Julia Roberts says, ‘‘ Every word in Italian is like a truffle!’’ Ok, that might not be entirely true, but allow me to romance the idea for just a bit!
My dream of learning fine leather binding from the masters in Florence will have to wait a while, for now I am looking forward to a course in London next month to learn a couple of new to me styles of endbands.
Endbands [headbands] are beguiling! At first glance one may not see them as any different to the machine made stuck on type you can buy nowadays by the yard, but you just can’t beat a hand woven endband, it is like embroidery, beautiful and ever so time consuming and often confusing!
There is very little out there when it comes to quality yet simple instructions on the many ways to create beautiful endbands, there are around 13 styles that we know of today, but with so many variations coming from different parts of the world it is impossible to learn them all as much as I want to! Greek, Armenian, Monastic, Coptic, Islamic, German, Ethiopian, French and Italian styles to name just a few!
I am looking forward to adding two new styles to my practise, chevron Islamic endbands and French Double endbands. This beautiful embellishment that serves to protect the head and tail of a binding and strengthen the cover boards is the part of bookbinding I love the most.
In my upcoming course The Art of Bookbinding, there will be an entire chapter dedicated to learning how to make beautiful endbands. It is a bit fiddly, but once you get into a good rhythm, it becomes enjoyable and very satisfying! As with all things in bookbinding, endbands take practise.
If you'd like to help me realise my dreams of growth as a creative running a small business, here are a three ways you can support me…
Share this post with those you think will enjoy my work and help me spread the word about my bookbinding courses and handbound journals.
Want to learn to make a versatile journal? Join my beginners course
The Keepsake Book which gives a solid introduction to bookbinding, you'll learn how to make a multipurpose, alternative lay-flat hardback book for all your creative journaling needs!Â
If you are interested in learning bookbinding in depth, consider becoming a founding student of my new course, The Art of Bookbinding, a comprehensive course I'm working on for curious creatives like you. Launching Spring 2024.
DID SOMEONE SAY STORYTELLER PRE-ORDERS?Â
OH WAIT, I DID!
I’m so excited to announce the 2023 Storyteller Collection pre-order extravaganza begins on 31st August! Working on this beloved collection is a real celebration of creativity, one I get lost in. From rummaging through old and recent photographs I've taken to spark inspiration for the cover art to painting and printing the covers on linen and then finally binding and covering the journals, each one made especially for those who order one. I trained my husband, Brian and my Mum to help with the pre-orders each year, I'm looking forward to plenty bad jokes from Brian which have me in fits of laughter and chatting with my Mum about my Grandmother, Edna May, who inspired this beloved collection.
PAINTING THE 2023 STORYTELLER JOURNAL
H I B I S C U S
Each year a new design is added to the Storyteller Collection, this year it's a fiery vermillion Hibiscus, here's a peek at what I've been painting, the next stage is to digitising the artwork and then have them printed on linen which will be made into book cloth and finally made into a beautiful cloth binding for your art and writing! I cannot wait to make the first samples to show you so you can help me decide which one of the two designs makes it into the collection this year.
A COLOURFUL AFFAIR
My hope is that we can grow together as I explore new avenues and ideas to infuse my work with fresh perspectives which I hope brings us both inspiration to live a life filled with growth, embracing change with courage and wonder, and in which we get the time to tap into our sacred inner landscape, often.
Wishing you growth in abundance with the turning of the season.
Until next time,Â
stay curiously creative,