Trying New Things

I meant to post this earlier in the week but got distracted. I'm still working away on books, and this photo represents several days of trying out some new things. And for a change, they were all successes! I know it doesn't look like much but as I've mentioned before, things take longer than one would think, having to be very meticulous in measuring and cutting and factoring in drying time for the glue. And just like in quilting, I end up spending time searching stashes for coordinating papers and fabrics. It rather delightfully sucks me in. Anyway, here are my trials and triumphs:

I made wheat paste so that I could try making my own book cloth from a commercial batik in my stash. Wheat paste is archival, reversible, and has a longer open time than PVA glue. It adheres a light strong paper like rice paper to cloth to stabilize it and protect it from the glue used to adhere the cloth to bookboard. Worked like a charm! The bookcloth went on the spine and as end paper of the boards for the next tutorial - secret Belgium binding (bottom boards).

Then I mixed a little of it into my PVA as our instructor suggests to extend the PVA's open time, using this to glue on cover papers and end papers - what a difference! Since I am still learning, I tend to work more slowly so having the glue dry more slowly is really helpful.

I also tried putting the glue on the board rather than the cover paper as we'd been shown in previous lessons and liked that method a lot better than putting the glue on the paper. We were shown this alternative because of that narrow spine board which otherwise would be more difficult to cover and again, for the benefit of us new to all this as a perhaps easier way to get the board centered on the paper and leaving the corners to be mitered free of glue for that cutting.

I had read a suggestion from Kaija at paperiaarre.com to punch holes in the book board BEFORE covering them for a more professional look (follow this link and scroll to the end, but she gives many of the same good tips that our club teacher does before this one) https://www.paperiaarre.com/7-tips-professional-looking-handmade-books/ I didn't actually shave off the bumps as she suggests but did sand them down some, and found that glue does go down in the holes when putting it on the board rather than the cover paper and that seems to help the paper and end sheet pushed into the holes stay in place. I felt I got a much neater look.

The smaller boards along the top were extras I cut during the first coptic binding tutorial. I reworked some of the cover paper I made (wet scrunched paper bags rubbed with Art Graf), stamping the grass motif over it and then sealing it with matte medium. That layer of matte medium really made a difference in handling as I glued and pulled it around to the back, giving the paper more durability.

I generally like to work on one book at a time, but I'm doubling up right now as I signed up for this year's Sketchbook Revival course and realized I did not have to order a sketchbook but could make my own. So the next post will show you how I am going about that.