Olivetti Lettera 32

It's that time of year when I should be telling you about new products and holiday craft fairs.  However, I've recently purchased an Olivetti Lettera 32 so I'll talk about that instead! The Lettera 32 was produced by Olivetti, the Italian typewriter firm, from 1963-1977.  My serial number is relatively low (2294387) so my guess is this is a 1963 model.

Close-up of the Olivetti Logo 

Carriage Return Lever

I love the design elements on this machine.  It was designed by legendary Olivetti designer Marcello Nizzoli as a follow-up to the Lettera 22.

I like that this particular machine was made in the original Ivrea factory at the foot of the Alps.

I found this 1962 exhibition catalog at work, "Stille Olivetti:  Gescichte und Formen einer Italienischen Industrie" with this stunning photograph of the Ivrea factory.

It types like a dream.  Purchase something from Moonlight Bindery and you just might receive a typed thank you note!

Analog

As a furloughed Fed I found myself with ample spare time to explore the Arts Walk at Monroe Street Market specifically a new shop called Analog. Monroe Street is located in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C. across the street from Catholic University.

Melissa hard at work

Analog is the brain child of Melissa of Craftgasm and Lisa of Beltway Vintage. The shop has a great look and feel and lots of unique items for sale. The space is Melissa and Lisa's studio and retail shop.  Monday through Wednesday they work in the studio and Thursday through Sunday the retail shop is open for business.

Fashion magazines, postcard notebooks & vintage treasures

Analog is decorated with vintage furniture and luggage as well as Melissa's maps.  The feel is funky and fun. The shop also carries some great alternative fashion magazines including the local Lurie & Wilma "an eco-chic lifestyle publication" and Worn, a Canadian magazine that offers in depth articles on the history of fashion.

The librarian side of me was very fond of these library card notecards as well as the card catalog display shelf!

My Purchases

I came away with a fabulous vintage dress, issues of Luri & Wilma and Worn, library card notecards and an array of Girl Scout merit badges. I will definitely be back for some holiday shopping!

Screen Printing Bookcloth

This year I've concentrated on product expansion. For years I've screenprinted (specifically Gocco printed) onto notebooks and cards. I thought why not bookcloth?

Step one is burning the screen.  I chose a new image for my first experiment in printing cloth, this hedgehog print. Here is the Gocco screen ready to go.

The bound books are too thick to fit into the Gocco press so I print on the cloth and then bind the books after the printing process. You have to leave just the right amount of space to make this work.

Here are some bound examples.  If you place the image too far to the right or left it will be off center on the final product.  Tricky but the results look great.

The screenprinted journals go nicely with my other printed products rounding out the line.