Bookplates

We are continuing our ride in the Way Back Machine today; this time to take a quick look at a couple of personal library stamps that I carved for my two brothers and my niece. I apologize for the quality (or lack thereof) of the images. Since these stamps are not in my possession anymore, I can't do any better.

The image in the center is the Master's Seminary logo, where Paul graduated from several years ago.
Eric just asked for a Celtic knot design. I'd really like to redo all three of these since my ability has improved drastically since then. But we can't recarve all of them, can we?
This last stamp was commissioned by a friend of Eric's and he asked for the Egyptian Ankh symbol, although I'm not really sure why.

Curiously, although we are constantly tripping over piles of books here in our house and the shelves are stacked every which way, I have never carved a book plate for myself. I really should, since I have lost track of all of the books that I have loaned out and then promptly forgotten where they went. With the gazillions of books in the world, I figure that there are only a few that I would take the time to read more than once. However, I think my bookplate would probably read "This book stolen from the library of..."
Books I would read more than once? Watership Down, Count of Monte Cristo, Les Miserables, anything by Robert Frost or Rudyard Kipling, and several theological tomes. Holy Scripture might seem obviously missing, but in my mind, it doesn't even belong in the same list with secular literature.

The Other Hobby, part 2

The second submission for the Bibliophiles ring was Magpie Magic, a fantastic wordless picture book, by April Wilson. As far as I know, Magpie Magic is the only children's story she has ever written, which is a tragedy. You can check it out at your library, but I would recommend that you buy it. It's a great pick-me-up book for rainy, gloomy days or just for when you need a smile.
Of course, there was a bonus stamp too. The Magpie is about 5 1/2 x 3 inches and the feather was about 1 x 3.
These stamps have also lived a very full life both as postals and as traveling event stamps. They hold some sentimental value as well for several reasons, but that is a story for another day.

The Other Hobby

For as long as I can remember, I have been a voracious reader. When I am absorbed in a book, my body might be in the room, but the rest of me is gone. For some time now, I have been in a season of life where finding the time to read has been difficult. However, both of my girls are turning into book lovers as well, so that season is happily coming to an end. We love reading together; out loud to each other, or just in harmony. There is nothing more pleasant than a book house: books in piles on the tables, in boxes, and overflowing the shelves. The sound of pages turning and the smell of books old and new make reading a rich sensory experience. Don't talk to me about Kindle.
Another one of my first postals was the For Bibliophiles Only ring. Since I will never be able to pick just one favorite book, I created two stamps. Watership Down was my "grown up" submission, although the story is a wonderful tale for young people as well. Think of it sort of as Homer's Odyssey, but with rabbits. If you have never read Richard Adams' Watership Down, then you need to go to the library today. Seriously.
The stamp is a reproduction of the cover art from the first American edition of the book, and is quite large at over 4 x 4 1/2 inches. It has done a ridiculous lot of traveling and even been divided into two stamps with the compass rose going on it's own separate journey for awhile. In spite of all of that, both pieces are safe at home and still in perfect stamping condition. Who knows where it's next adventure will take it?

Beginner Bookmaking

Want to try something new? Here are the instructions for hand making your own books. They are easy, fun and fast. Once you've finished your first one, you will be amazed at how many of them you can knock off during one episode of NCIS. They make inexpensive, yet personal gifts and can be designed to fit any occasion, personality, or size requirement. Are you sold yet? Then lets get started! Here are the basic things that you will need:

• Cover material, cut to size~Card stock is an obvious choice, but really, the cover of your book can be any number of things. The only requirements are that you can punch holes in it and it needs to be a little flexible. Leather, fabric, cereal or gift boxes, felt, etc. For illustration purposes, I am using 65lb card stock cut 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 (a half sheet of paper).
• Paper for pages, cut to same size as cover~again, you have options, but I'm using boring printer paper here. The number of pages is up to you also. For LB logbooks, I usually make about 45-60 pages. Journals or more personal books are usually about right with 75-100 pages.
• Paper cutter
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Hole Punch*~Options again! My punch of choice is usually a 1/8" hand punch, but you can also use shaped punches. Go crazy. Just remember that much of the hole detail will be hidden.
• Binding fibers, cut 4x as long as the height of your book~By now it should be redundantly apparent that your choices in the bookmaking department are unhindered by limitations. That's Fancy Nancy speak for "options" again. You can use just about any kind of fiber to bind your book: yarn, DMC thread, leather laces, high test fishing line, flavored dental floss...as long as it doesn't snap with a little tugging, will fit through the holes you punched (up to three times) and can be tied into a secure knot, it's good.
• Needle~I favor the chenille needles because they have a bigger eye and a blunter point (less chance of drawing blood). As long as the eye is big enough for your fiber choice, and the needle can pass through the holes you punch, it will work. Just keep in mind that in several of the holes, there will be as many as three layers of fiber and your needle still needs to fit. Another method is to cut a length of wire about 6 inches long and fold it in half to use as your needle.

Now it is time to make your book template (If the picture is not clear enough, click on it to go to the larger version).

• Take one of the sheets that you have cut for your cover and draw a line from top to bottom 3/8 " from the spine edge.
• Next punch the end holes. Each one should be on your line and 3/8 " from the top or bottom of the book. These would be holes A and E in the picture.
• Next punch a hole in the very center of the line, or hole C.
• For holes B and D, you need to find the point that is equidistant from the center hole and either hole A (for B) or E (for D). I'm trying my hardest to make this really confusing. If I've succeeded, stare blankly at the screen. Good. Moving on.

Once you have your template made, you can use it to punch the holes in the rest of your paper, multiple sheets at a time, if you like. When you are finished, stack your book pages in the order you want them bound. If you flip your template over and use it as the back cover, all of your pencil marks will be hidden inside.

Remember the sewing cards we used to do as children? Then, thread your needle and get ready!
Starting with your needle on the back side of the book, come up through the center hole (C), leaving a 4-5 inch tail behind.
Down through hole D, then wrap the thread around the binding and go down through hole D a second time.

Up through hole E, wrap the thread around the binding and come up through hole E a second time, then wrap the thread around the top edge of the book and come up through hole E a third time. Down through hole D for the last time and one end is finished!

Take your thread across the back of the book, skipping hole C for now and come up through hole B.
(This part will mirror what you did with holes D and E) Wrap the thread around the binding and come up through B a second time. Down through A, around the binding and down through A a second time. Around the bottom edge of the book and down through A for the third and last time. Your thread should be on the back side of the book now.

Now for the big finish...bring your thread up through hole B and then down through hole C, making sure that you are on the opposite side of the binding thread from the tail that you left in the beginning. Wrap around the binding and go down through hole C one last time, again on the opposite side of the tail (see photo above).

Tie a secure knot around the binding thread and trim the excess off. You can glue the knot for added security.
You are now officially done with your hand made book! I hereby send you forth to wreak havoc on the the unsuspecting literary world.

Once you have become familiar with this technique, you can make any sized book that you want. You can also modify the number of holes that you punch, as long as it remains an odd number. In the photo above are a couple of books made with 3 and 7 holes.

Another modification that you can make is to cut your cover material 1/4-1/2" wider than your pages and trim the open (non-spine) edge with decorative shaped scissors. Or trim all of the inside pages with a deckle cutter or scissors (or hand tear them) for a nice effect.

*It is also possible to use an awl or Dremel tool to bore the holes for your book. However, it is messier, more difficult to be accurate with your hole placement, and only pushes the paper out of the way instead of removing it; which makes the spine lumpy. Obviously, it is not my preferred method. However, if you choose to try it that way, make sure that you secure your paper in a vice between layers of wood to prevent ripping or creasing the paper.