Book Arts: Beautiful Bindings for Handmade Books (Design Originals) Concertina, Piano Hinge, Exposed Spine, Star Binding, and More

Learn how to create your own handmade books with amazing bindings!

People have been making books for centuries using a handful of traditional binding techniques. Author Mary Kaye Seckler's work combines these time-honored book making traditions with today's materials and tools to create a look that's fresh and new!

The term 'book arts' is used to describe handcrafted books of all types. When we think of books, the standard case binding is usually the first thing that comes to mind. Those are the books that you find in libraries and bookstores everywhere. They have a charm and richness all their own.

Book art encompasses much more varied structures. Books can take on a variety of shapes and sizes, from triangles and hearts to hand-shaped, from small and chunky to tall and thin. This art form is limited only by your imagination!

This 52-page booklet is a step-by-step guide for creating these homemade books with a variety of bookbinding techniques. Use the instructions in this book to learn the ins and outs of a particular structure and then let your imagination take you to the next step. Try to experiment with different sizes and shapes. Book Arts includes instructions and materials lists for creating:

• Tag Flag Book
• Chinese Star Book
• Raven's Foot Binding
• Serengeti Piano Hinge Book
• Two-Needle Coptic Stitch
• French Tunnel Vision Book
• Asian Serenity Book
• And more!

You'll learn how to cover book board, prepare signatures (pages), bind with ribbon, create hinge templates, make an accordion spine, sew signatures over woven tapes, add embellishments, and much more.

The Book Arts world is waiting for your creativity, so let it fly!

Mary Kaye Seckler's introduction to books arts came a number of years ago in a series of classes taught by Gayle Burkins and Pam Sussman that she took on a whim. Her passion for books and the creative arts made her an instant connection as she toiled her way through one new stitch after another. Pam and Gayle revealed a whole new artistic world to Mary that fall week-end in a way that was clear, logical and at the same time great fun. Over the years, Mary has learned many of the basic structures you will see in this book from them, and she is grateful for their creativity, patience and humor. Mary urges you to take a class with them if the opportunity arises. You won't regret it!