May Day Greeting and Project

 

Unite and unite Now let us unite! For summer is a-comin' today.

Here's a PDF to print and directions for making the book Watch a British Pathe´reel from 1932 of the song being sung in Padstow, Cornwall And in 1953 from the Alan Lomax Archive

Wishing you a Happy May! Susan

Poetry Month-Quote from Adrienne Rich

Here's a quote from Adrienne Rich for Poetry Month. It is one of the pages in a fan book called Women's Words that I made for a friend's birthday. I used Shizen paper from Artist & Craftsman and Dr. Matin's bleedproof white with a Speedball nib. I love fan books—easy to make and dramatic in presentation. You can find directions at The Joy of Making Books on my youtube channel.

Studio Sunday-Gift Book

I have placed this fan book given to me as a birthday gift by friend Anne Mulvey near my computer. I love the delicate drawings which remind me of the ones she did for Morning View Haikus, the book project we did together. But even more I love that she made it for me. She told me that as she was working on it which was after my Open Studio, she was asked if she were intimidated by the thought of giving me, who had just shown off my best work from almost 40 years, her little book. She said I know Susan will appreciate it. And I do. I love that she took the time to make it for me, that she used things she had learned in workshops with me, and especially that she embraced my message that all creative work is valuable and important and to be treasured. Thank you Anne!

If this inspires you to make a fan book of your own, you can learn how in this Joy of Making Books video.

Fan Book on youtube

Here are two new videos in The Joy of Making Books series on youtube. I've embedded them in the post and also added the links to the youtube pages. 

FAN BOOK: the basic construction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Bh5T1Zncc

FAN BOOK-made with garden plant tags

https://youtu.be/R-yY3GG6yEE

Book Arts Tuesday-Garden Fan Book

After a hot day in the garden the most I can muster for a post is a link to a fan book made from garden tags that was published in Rhythm of the Home.

Garden Tag Fan Book

Book Arts Tuesday-Books for Halloween

Here are two simple books for Halloween that I developed for a family workshop at the Pumpkin Patch Halloween at Wolbach Farm in Sudbury, MA on Saturday.

GHOST FAN BOOK:

you'll need:
printed ghosts from the pattern or white card stock
hole punch
two buttons with holes
twist tie

1. Cut out the ghost patterns or create your own.
2. Punch a hole at the bottom of each ghost. It doesn't matter if the holes line up exactly.
3. Thread the twist tie through two holes in the button.
4. Make the two ends even.
5. Put both ends of the twist tie into the holes at the bottom of the ghosts.
6. Thread the two ends into two holes of the second button.
7. Push the button against the ghosts. Twist the twist tie ends around each other tightly against the button.
8. Trim off any extra.

Ghost Book Pattern

HAUNTED HOUSE BOOK

you'll need:
1 sheet of recycled copy paper with writing on one side only

1. Fold paper in half the short way (like a hamburger).
2. Keep it folded and fold it in half the other way.
3. Open and fold each edge into meet the middle.
4. Fold it in half to get to the front cover.

Book Arts Tuesday-Fan Books Workshop

On a rainy day in May, I'm enjoying remembering a bright Saturday morning Gathering of Gifts Fan Book Workshop at the Center for Creative Wholeness in April. Here are a few photos of the space set up and ready for the workshop.

We used old postcards, cereal boxes, buttons, and twist ties. We started by making a book from strips cut from leftover exhibit postcards to learn the simple construction. This book was made from that original structure and adding images from a garden catalog and hand lettered words that I had provided.

Then we all played with different shapes—petals

and circles—the last one uses one of my favorites from the collage box, patterns from the insides of security envelopes.

We're off for the summer but there will be more workshops and new books to make at the Center for Creative Wholeness in the fall.

Poetry Month-A William Blake Excerpt

Several weeks ago my daughter was given a collection of scarves, earrings, and pins which we enjoyed sorting through—finding ones we liked, ones that would make good gifts, and ones to pass along to a local charity shop. And of course I am always looking at everything as possible material for handmade books. I got the idea that some of the post and hanging earrings would work as the binding of the fan books. Today I got around to making a sample as I prepare for the Fan Book Gathering of Gifts Workshop on Saturday.

The pages of the book were cut to match the shape of the earring from cereal boxes and covered first with images from a catalog and then with tracing vellum with the words of a poem excerpt by William Blake written with a flair marker. The backs were covered with brown grocery bag paper. Holes were punched with a punch that makes tiny holes and the pages threaded onto the earring.