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. 

Paris - The Bookbinder's Tour

These are the bookbinding highlights of my three day trip to Paris in April.  Yes, I did the usual things and saw the sights you have to see when in Paris but I also had a chance to enjoy the bookbinding side of the city.  First stop, The Louvre with their exhibit, open through June 11th, Livre/Louvre.  An interesting and interactive look at how reading stimulates the mind.

Next stop, Musée de Cluny, the museum of Medieval Paris.  The highlight of the museum are the Unicorn Tapestries.  However, for a bookbinder, this hand painted fencing book  is a work of art.

On the last day in the city my husband Eric and I visited Relma, the family-owned bookbinding supply company.  They have a huge selection of papers, leathers and tools.  I was thrilled to discover that they employ a Scottish manager, Alison (on the right), saving me the embarrassment of attempting to order supplies in French. Plus I lived in Scotland many years ago and have a special place in my heart for all things Scottish!

My favorite purchase is this double pass, hand marbled paper.  It was marbled with one pattern, dried and then marbled on top of the first pattern with a second pattern.   I can't wait to make extra special books with this paper.

Last Coptic Class

I tried something new for me this Winter and taught a five week Coptic Bookbinding class. What is coptic binding you might ask? It is an ancient bookbinding technique that was developed in Egypt in the 4th century. The cover is sewn directly onto the signatures of the book and the spine is exposed. The thread becomes a design element in the binding.

Ten students came to class every week for 2 1/2 hours. I was impressed with how quickly they picked up this tricky bookbinding form. Everyone finished at least one book with one student completing six!

This one has covers made from wood veneer with an old book cover printed on the cover.

I like the complimentary bindings in this colorful paper.

All metallics! This dynamic duo took the class as a date night - great idea.

Great colors!

I like the design of the covers on these.

Live - from the Middle East!

In April of 2009 I was contacted by the Alhurra Network about a piece on my bookbinding for their Almajalla show. Alhurra is an Arabic language T.V. station, funded by the U.S. Congress, that broadcasts to the Middle East. The all female crew descended upon my small basement studio and went into full production mode. It was amazing what they did in such a cramped space.

I am thrilled with the results. The how-to section is my personal favorite - watch me fast forward through the bookmaking process. I was particularly impressed with the Associate Producer of the piece, Nasreen Alkateeb. Her amazing artwork can be found on her website.

My part of the show starts at minute 13:00.

Vintage Green Road Plates

Thanks to the keen thrifting eye of my friend Katie, of See Katie Sew fame, I was able to make these large journals out of green LEGO® road plates. The plates are no longer available for sale so these will be available while supplies last!

All the journals in the road plate series come with a LEGO® car to add to the fun.

Yes, I will be bringing these to Crafty Bastards!

Summer Digressions

To me these buttons represent the fun and fascinating twists and turns I take as part of my creative process. I picked them up thrifting with my friend See Katie Sew. They sit on my workbench and tempt me to come up with a fun and creative way too incorporate them into my work. A Langstitch/Kettenstitch binding with a button accent on the spine? A book with a button closure?

Sometimes things that I purchase for inspiration sit for years before I actually put them to use. I usually come up with something eventually! Feel free to share any ideas you have for them....