Bound...

So, I mentioned before that I was interested in taking up bookbinding as a new hobby. Well, folks, I've gone and done it. As of Friday, I completely the binding of my first ever book. It's a tiny baby of a book, and it looks a little rough, but it was 100% handmade by yours truly.

Here's a picture (click on this one to see some other perspectives):



Because I don't have "real" bookbinding supplies, I had to improvise a lot. It was a fun process. The paper I used is standard printer paper in various shades. Each page is the size of 1/8 of a sheet. For the cover papers of the end signatures, I used an award certificate I'd received that was printed on cardstock. The covers are made from davey board that I salvaged from a book Andrea helped me make senior year of college. The beautiful blue thread that I used for the coptic stitch binding is blue embroidery floss, which I waxed using a scented candle.

In all, I spent between 6 and 8 hours working on this little gem. It was a very satisfying endeavor and now I have something useful that didn't cost me anything but some time and a little effort. I was a little worried that the coptic stitch would be beyond me, but it turns out that my sewing talent helped with that part of the project.

Anyway, if anyone is interested in having me make a book for them or for a gift for someone else, let me know...I bet we could work out a good deal. And, the end result would be enjoyment for me and for you.