The Berg Project

Here are the unfolded "hot off the press" sheets. I learned the hard way that the paper was too high a poundage; so these books are going to be "tomes" as my husband said.


These are the rough folded signatures. There are 5 pages per signature and the ruler is 2 inches ... that's a lot of book. I hadn't pressed the book yet so I was hopeful.


This is just one section being pressed. I divided it all up into four parts then emptied my shelves of heavy books to press everything. There were three Shakespeare anthologies, a Milton anthology, several art history textbooks, an encyclopedia, and a couple of boxes of old hardbacks. I then left it all for two days.


The books are smaller after pressing, but they are still too "oversized" to do my original binding design. I spent a couple of days working out other designs before settling on doing a case-in (glad I got 2 yards of the silk). I really wanted an exposed spine, but I don't think it would be stable enough as the books are about 3 inches thick.


I'll take more pics and post them this week. The marbled papers arrived and I've been hand tarring the sheets to size.

The Arg of Bookmaking

I've come to understand that some projects are cursed. This one seems to be. Printing problems, folding problems, paper problems, cover issues, embroidery problems, the linen tapes have problems, the marbled papers (actually the credit card) had issues, etc. I'm just waiting for the Boo to draw on some of the signatures when I'm not looking. I'm about to shelve the whole thing. *laugh*

It's a lovely slightly rainy day out. I think I need to go do SOMETHING else.

When You Know Too Much

Have you ever known too much about something? I know just enough about paper to make things difficult in printing the signatures for my latest project.

Paper has grain. It's a bit like a good stake that way. You can cut it along the muscle fibers or across them. Paper has pulp fibers that do the same thing. So, when making a book the grain should run the same direction as the spine.

The difficulty arises when you need 17x11 paper. NO, not 11x17. The second number tells you which direction the grain runs and I need it the 11 length to be the grain.

unfortunately the local prints shops have no idea what I'm talking about...I seem to remember this same problem with the local Joann's store and hook and eye tape...Ignorance isn't bliss, but it makes like a little easier when you don't know enough to care.

Rebinding Favs

I have rebound a couple of my favorite novels and last night I realized that "Breath and Bone" has surpassed "Sunshine" as my all time favorite book.

I have decided to design and *crosses fingers* rebind a copy of it. I've already got a few ideas and I'll need to do some sketches...and find some bones. I'm hoping that I can find Pheasant, or some other amazing flying birds bones. Maybe I need to do two copies and take one to Carol Berg.

We shall see.