Book Art: Review Special

Book Art Studio Handbook: Techniques and Methods for Binding Books, Creating Albums, Making Boxes and Enclosures, and More

By Stacie Dolin and Amy Lapidow

Quarry Books, 2013

£16.99, paperback

Playing with Books: The Art of Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book

By Jason Thompson

Quarry Books, 2010

£16.99, paperback

Book art is having a moment. Perhaps the emergence of the e-book is making crafters appreciate and value physical books more (sometimes in kitsch and unusual ways). Book art can encompass both making books and making things with books. Deconstructing them, as it were.

The idea of books as craft materials used to make me flinch.  But it is true that unsold books are sent to be pulped. And library books are retired. And you just can’t keep everything. So I’m OK with chopping up books for craft purposes now – as long as the book is carefully selected for its expendability – and the end purpose is worthy.

With book art in mind, I am reviewing two craft titles. The first title, Book Art Studio Handbook, is about constructing books (as in bookbinding). The second, Playing with Books, is about using books as a craft material. The first book is just published. Playing with Books came out in 2010. (The companion volume to Playing with Books, Playing with Paper, has recently been published. It is reviewed here.)  Playing with Books has lots of craft book competitors now – it’s a hot topic – but it is one of the best on the subject. 

Book Art Studio Handbook is a primer that covers the fundamentals of hand bookbinding. It is not a title for the casual crafter – it is for the individual who seriously wishes to acquire a new skill. Bookbinding is a very meticulous craft. Spending time with this handbook offers a glimpse into the bookbinder’s world – I feel as if I have attended a weekend bookbinding retreat. 

The authors are both practising bookbinders. They generously share their knowledge including info on tools, terminology, techniques, and tips of the trade. All are covered here – in beautifully photographed step-by-step detail. There are suggestions for setting up a studio space; advice on how to choose materials and calculate paper quantities;  plus techie details on how to sew the textblock and glue the cover. There are also how-tos for making your own renewable tools, like a punching trough and a sewing template.

In addition to the practical bookbinding info, there are some lovely projects (grouped by difficulty), and an attractive gallery section.  In the project section, the Woven Album with clever and colourful Jacob’s Ladder-style binding, and the 5-minute Slipcase, a one-piece origami-style book enclosure stand out. Both have wow-factor.  The Gallery section features variations on featured projects – so it is aimed at extending the reader’s newly-acquired skills.

This is an American title, and the resource section only has U.S. listings. (In the UK, Shepherds Falkiners, 30 Gillingham Street, London SW1V 1HU, is a major bookbinding supplier.)

Playing with Books, as the title suggests, contains a collection of quirky and fun papercrafts made from books. (Here, too, the author is a bookbinder by profession.) All of the projects are doable (with the notable exception of the books shaped by power tools – and here the author provides handmade alternative versions). The projects are beautifully photographed – and have step-by-by step photos where deemed necessary.

There are plenty of really good ideas here. Things that you want to rush out and do – like the postcards from paperback covers, and the retro-style handbag actually made from a book. The child’s matching game is a great idea. It requires two identical picture books. One stays intact. The other is cut up into picture discs, which can be matched to the original.

The author gives instructions for making shaped books. You’ve probably seen these – they are very popular. The book cover is removed, the pages are contour-cut, and the book is fanned out into a circle.  In a similar vein, there’s a handy little Rolodex-style Business Card Holder made from a folded and fanned paperback which has had its cover and spine removed.

Some of the ideas are very familiar territory for papercrafters – like origami kusudama flowers and paper beads. But they look just great  made up in printed pages!

The gallery section at the back of the book is exceptional. The contributors, from around the world, are pushing the envelope where book art is concerned. I have seen the work of one of the featured artists, Su Blackwell, at craft exhibitions. She transforms books into amazing 3-D papercuts that reflect the content. Most of the work in this section exists in the netherworld between fine art and craft. It may not be easily categorized but all of it is amazing food for thought and is very worthwhile.

Book Art: are you a constuctivist or a deconstructionist? 

Note: I was provided with review copies of these titles.

Washi Bows

Washi tape bows... an ideal combination. They look great in mixed prints. Use them as embellishments for cards, scrapbooking or gifts. They make pretty hair ornmanets when attached to hair grips. 

These are the paper templates you need to make the bows:

Cut-around templates.

Print out the bows on photocopier cardstock and cut out the templates.(Remember the the file is for cutting out the bow templates not the bows themselves.)

Here are the files:
Washi Bows.pdf

The thing about washi tape, of course, is that it is adhesive. But to make bows, the adhesive property is only needed for the centre  bow wrap.(Can't wait until a bright spark craft manufacturer makes non-adhesive washi ribbon, as a companion product to washi tape!) So, in order to make the bows, I have stuck the tape onto a backing of wax paper. Wax paper is translucent and compatible with the waxy, translucent look of the washi tape. If you don't have wax paper, tracing paper will do. (Many of you already have wax paper on hand as a die-cutting aid. The That's Crafty online shop stocks wax paper, if you need a roll. Here: That's Crafty).

To make the bows: stick lengths of washi tape onto wax paper. Place the templates over the washi tape and fix in place with magic tape or cello tape. Cut out the washi tape bow shapes. Form the barbell shape into a loop, narrow bits centred. Secure the loop centre with a snippet of clear tape. Layer up all the bow elements and wrap the bow centre with a strip of adhesive washi tape. As you can see from the picture above, many bow looks are achievable using the templates provided. A narrow strip of wax-paper backed washi tape (cut freehand) makes a lovely accent when knotted around the bow centre. 

Why not make up a washi tape bow stash? The bows are handy to have on hand for dressing up cards and gifts. A gift of washi bows presented in a cello craft bag is attactive and is sure to be appreciated.

Garden Trellis Gift Bags

You can make the big gift bags up bag-style (left) or box-style (right).

There's also a smaller size.

You can customize the shape of the trellis by cutting-and-gluing.The bag top (on the big style) can be rolled to desired height.

Just in time for Mum's Day - and Easter treats - pretty Garden Trellis gift bags decorated with paper flower garlands. There are free print-and-cut .pdf downloads for the Bags, Tags, and for the the "magic loop" which is used for the foundation of the flower garland. These freebies are my gift to you in recognition of my first "blog-iversary".

The trellis cut-outs are crafted with Ruth Hamilton's lovely Trellis Wall Die from her Pick of the Bunch Range for Tonic Studios (No. 239E). And the flowers are all made using Tonic Studios Petal Pairs Punches. As you can see, the bags are engineered to fit the die size perfectly.

Here are the freebie printable file downloads: 
Box-style Gift Bag 1 of 2
Box-style Gift Bag 2 of 2
Smaller Gift Bag
With Love Gift Tags
Petal Pairs Garland-Maker Loop 

I have trimmed some of the Trellis Wall dies to make new shapes. You can cut and patch to make ovals, circles, and squares - don't be afraid to have zig-zag overlaps - these will be camouflaged when you add the flowers. 

A note about the big bag: you can make it up as a bag, or you can make it up as a more box-like container (a "bax"?) - simply by folding a horizontal fold (as indicated on the pattern template). To fold the bottom of the big bag: first fold down the slotted side, then fold the side flaps, finally tuck the tab into the slot. You can glue the folds to secure them, and also add the optional liner to the base of the bag.

The flower garlands are attached to the bags with 3D Foam Squares from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L. Don't stick down all the flowers - just use a few strategically-placed foam squares. Place the foam square directly under the flower head.

Here's how you make the flower garlands using the Petal Pairs Garland-Maker Loops:

Glue the Petal Pairs flower onto the circle-end of the loop (the flower centre is a coil of quilling paper). Then link the loops to make a garland.

Step 1: the flower head catches at the wide end of the loop.

Step 2: straighten the loop after it has been inserted.

Step 3: build up the chain.

The Petal Pairs Garland-Maker Loops work with all the Tonic Studios Petal Pairs shapes - the original shapes and the Petites.

So that's it. Have fun playing the chain game.  

Stuff I used: the paper for the bags and Petal Pairs is by Craft Creations. The trellis dies are cut from American Crafts Cardstock.