FLAG BOOKS & BIMA EXHIBIT

 Flag Books are a favorite structure of Carol DuBosch and now they might also be favorites of those of us who attended her workshop. First she demonstrated her technique for making a flag book and then she shared many of the books she has made using that structure. Some of her books had as many as 50 or 100 flags! Thank you Carol for sharing those wonderful books with us.

Sherrill Story sent in a few photos of the flag book she made after the workshop.

Cloth, Paper, Stitches is the title of the current exhibit in the Sherry Grover Gallery at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) on Bainbridge Island, Washington. This exhibit has been up since July 3 and will end on September 20. Here are photographs of some of the books in the exhibit. These books, from the extensive collection of Cynthia Sears, showcase "processes such as sewing, weaving, cutting, and folding. These works expand the idea of the book beyond a purely visual or text-based object into something materially intimate and physically engaging."

She...,
 by Hazel Monte

Indian Couture: Book of Dance & Dress
by Teri Greeves

Surfing with Hokusai
by Samuel Spurrier

The Travels of Marco Bull
By Lois Morrison

Erebld/Materia
by Michelle AM Miller

The Book of the Five Cursed Moons
by Halah Kahn

Cotton's Flora
by Carletta Carrington Wilson

Dante's Woods
by Lois Morrison

Dante's Woods - a spool book

kNot human kNot free
by Carletta Carrington Wilson

SIMPLE FLAG BOOK

The flag book is one of the most dramatic book structures and yet it is quite simple to make. For our September workshop Carol DuBosch will share her experience with making flag books. The book has an accordion folded spine, and the flags are attached to the sides of the accordion folds. She will provide instructions for a small simple book and demonstrate making one in our class. Carol also plans to show many of the flag books that she has made over the years with a wide variety of content, subjects and materials.

Materials:

• 1 1/2 sheets of 8 1/2" x 11" card stock
• ruler
• pencil
• scissors
• scoring tool
• glue stick

When:   Saturday September 12 at 10 a.m. PDT

Where:  On your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom

RSVP:    By Sept. 7 to Dolores Guffey to receive the password

Questions:  Carol DuBosch  abcdubosch@frontier.com

Zoom questions:  Bobbie Hayes

Contact information is in the newsletter

 ATTENTION LOCAL NORBAG MEMBERS

At the next local in-person meeting on September 26, Dolores Guffey will teach a "Drum Leaf Pocket Structure" inspired by Hedi Kyle. The workshop will be held at the Eureka Center for Spiritual Living, 239 Buhne St. Eureka from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PDT. An email with all the details (including photos) will be sent to local members a week or so before the workshop. We will also have "Show & Tell" as well as the ever popular "Freebie Table". Please come so that we can start planning our local workshops for next year.

FOLD & CUT REVIEW

 The August NORBAG workshop was quick and easy thanks to Donna LaVallee's great instructions. The Fold-and-Cut Book structure is a variation from Michael Jacobs book, Books Unbound. It's a one page wonder with a cover. Donna shared several more variations for making the book that also included different closures. Several members shared the books they created.

Stephanie Weigel

Stephanie's book closure

Margaret Beech

Three books with different closures
 made by Margaret

The September workshop will be a simple flag book taught by Carol DuBosch.

FOLD and CUT BOOK

 This workshop, to be taught by Donna LaVallee, is a variation of the Fold-and-Cut book from Michael Jacobs' book: Books Unbound. The following photos will give you an idea of the versatility of this structure. Make the structure in the workshop and then come up with your own ideas on how to personalize it by changing the size, closure, decorations, etc.

Materials:

• 4 1/4" x 9" cardstock for cover
• 8 1/2" x 11" printer weight paper
• Odds and ends of papers or pictures for decoration
• Optional closure(s) choose one. See photo above for ideas
• 8" length cardstock for belly band (any width is fine)
• Tiny Velcro dots
• Tiny brad, one inch and 1/2 inch
• Cardstock circles
• Colored thread

Tools:

• Bone folder
• Scissors
• glue stick or double stick tape
• Ruler
• Pencil and eraser
• Embossing tool (or use a bone folder)
• Awl
• Markers or colored pencils

When:   Saturday August 8 at 10 am PDT

Where:  On your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom

RSVP:   By August 3 to Dolores Guffey to receive the password

Questions:  Donna LaVallee  donna.lavallee@gmail.com

Zoom questions: Bobbie Hayes

Contact information is in the newsletter

PULL UP STRUCTURES

 NORBAG members were treated to a fun and easy workshop to make "pull up" 3-D structures that will also lie flat in a book. Many thanks to Mary Conley for sharing this technique with us. Here is an example of one member's book.

Sherrill Story's triangle pull-up

Sherrill's book of pull-ups

In recognition of the 250th anniversary of the United States, the kiosk at the Humboldt County Library in Eureka, California is all decked out in red, white, and blue. Thanks go to Kenzie Mullen for arranging the display and Dolores Guffey for providing the books that are past exchange books made by our members.

PULL UP NET

Our member from Victoria, B.C., Mary Conley, has a wonderful new structure to share with us. She recently learned that the template for a 3D figure is called a "net" and this mechanism is called a "pull up net". The idea is to pull on a string and create a 3D sculpture from a 2 dimensional template. Participants in our July workshop will be sent five templates to cut out of cardstock and score before the workshop.

Here is an example of one of the figures. 

To see examples of more of the structures, go to the NORBAG Flickr gallery under the March 2026 exchange books.

Materials:

• 10 cardstock circles - 1" diameter
• Five lengths of string, each 20" long. Mary uses #8 (medium) Perle cotton
• 1/16" hole punch (large enough for the string to pass through)
• Five Velcro dots and Five foamcore dots
• PVA and a small brush
• Scissors, knife, cutting mat and bone folder
• Have prepared an accordion book made out of heavy cardstock with six pages each measuring 5" by 7". Covers measure 5.25" by 7.25".

When:    Saturday July 11 at 10 am PDT

Where:   On your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom

RSVP:    Dolores Guffey by July 6 to receive the password

Workshop Questions:  Mary Conley sculptsster@gmail.com

Zoom Questions: Bobbie Hayes

Contact information is in the newsletter

Here are some photos of the latest display of our exchange books in the kiosk at the Humboldt County Library in Eureka, California

JUNE WORKSHOP REVIEW

 Thank you Dena Bliss for sharing your "Cabinet of Favorites or Travel Portfolio" book with us. It may look tricky to make, but it was not, and could easily be adjusted to a different size. We liked the way there are pockets for small keepsakes as well as booklets for journal entries or drawings. And then to top it all off Dena showed us how to make a Turkish map fold that could  go either in a pocket or under a belly band on the cover. Following are some examples of the books made by our members.

Margaret Beech
Pockets on the sides for journals and two on the bottom
 middle for the map and/or other collectables.

Book cover with a belly band.

Michele Kamprath

Michele's cover

Everything in the pockets

Sherrill Story
Cover of book with Turkish Map under the vertical belly band

Sherrill's book opened up

Sherrill's second book

The cover with the map fold under the belly band