PLAYING THE ACCORDION & HUMBOLDT KIOSK

At our September workshop we played with an accordion structure from Keith Smith's book, Non-Adhesive Binding Vol. 1. Many thanks to our instructor, Becky Luening, who also showed us some variations of other accordion spines. The plan was to make two different books, but the time went by too quickly so we only finished book A. Becky introduced us to the book B structure that added a spine guard, and she demonstrated a great way to finish the covers that can just slip onto the edges of the spine. Thank you again Becky for a great workshop.

Kiosk Photographs

The Humboldt County Library in Eureka, California has a kiosk near the check-out desk that they have allowed NORBAG to use for many years. Sometimes there is a theme for the display of books and sometimes it features books by one of our artists. This month the books are by Donna Gephart. 

Thank you Donna for showing us your lovely books and Kenzie Mullen for arranging the display.

Happy Birthday & Playing the accordion with Becky

* HAPPY BIRTHDAY NORBAG! * 

It doesn't seem possible that 30 years have gone by since NORBAG was founded in September 1995. Shereen LaPlantz gathered together 14 fellow book enthusiasts to form a guild. Book arts was a relatively new medium at that time. Just prior to the founding of the guild, Shereen's book, Cover to Cover (1995), was published, followed in 2001 by The Art and Craft of Handmade Books. Shereen also founded Tabellae Ansatae (1995) which, due to her illness, was sold to John Neal in 2002. He renamed it Bound and Lettered in 2004. Although Shereen was a member of NORBAG for less than a year, without her we would not have North Redwoods Book Art Guild. Sadly, Shereen passed away in 2003.

By the end of our first year we had 48 members. Of the original 15 charter members, four are still members. Today we have approximately 165 members with 75% living outside Humboldt County, California. Our members live in 20 different states from Alaska to Maine, as well as Canada and England. In March 2020, the pandemic forced us to cancel in-person meetings and workshops. In June 2020 we found our way to Zoom, and have been "Zooming" every since. Here's to continuing our tradition of monthly workshops and get-togethers, both on Zoom and in person.

Happy Birthday NORBAG!!

September Workshop

 No, don't expect to be learning how to play a polka at our September workshop.😀 Instead, long-time member, Becky Luening, will begin with a visual review of some common uses of accordion spines. Then we will have a discussion about a menu based approach to book-making inspired by Keith Smith's classic Non-Adhesive Binding Vol. 1. On registration, you will be sent the list of materials for making two variations of an accordion book with signatures pamphlet-stitched onto the spine. Please prepare the components ahead of time. Book A features a soft cover that is an extension of the spine. Book B features an attached, wrapped hard cover.

When:    Saturday, September 13 at 10 a.m. PDT

Where:   On your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom

RSVP:    Dolores Guffey by September 8 to receive the password and supplies

Workshop Questions:  Becky Luening - becky.pdx@gmail.com

Zoom Questions:  Bobbie Hayes

Contact Information is in the newsletter

*Members* 

Remember to send in 1-3 exchange theme suggestions for 2026!  no.redwoods.bag@gmail.com

DIAMOND X WORKSHOP

The Diamond X binding stitch is an eye-catcher, especially with the addition of a bead in the middle of each X. Becky Luening led us in a very informative workshop to create wonderful three section journals with a pleated spine that showcased this stitch. More than 40 members from across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. participated. Many thanks go to Becky for her detailed instructions and for showing many variations that can be used with this binding method. Thanks also go to our Tech Coordinator, Bobbie Hayes, for keeping the workshop running in an organized manner.

Becky Luening

Becky demonstrating the stitching pattern.

Here are some examples of journals that were made during the workshop.

Mary Conley's very lovely colorful book.

Edge Gerring used different colored accent beads.

Michele Kamprath

Michele used her beautiful eco-dyed paper for the cover.

Margaret Beech demonstrated the stitch without beads.

Bonnie Julien included the instructions in her book.

Emmy Nelson

Emmy's gorgeous wet cyanotype covers.

DIAMOND X BINDING

Becky Luening, our member from Portland, OR, will teach us a 3-signature journal at our November workshop. This structure has a pleated spine with the "Diamond X" stitch described in Keith Smith's 1-2-&3-Section Sewings: Non-adhesive Binding Vol. II. Becky will present a few variations before leading participants in preparing their covers and signatures, and then executing the Diamond X binding. Please prepare your cover and signature papers in advance. 

Supplies:

For the cover, choose heavy paper (e.g., watercolor or printing paper) that can be folded easily but is somewhat stiff and sturdy. Something colored or decorative. Cut to 18" wide by 7-1/16" high, grain short. (Note: If your scraps aren't quite big enough, the width can be reduced by a few inches; 18" allows for a full turn-in.) Optional: Line your cover with decorative paper using adhesive and overlap 1/4" to create a decorative edge on outer cover, top and bottom.

For the three signatures of five sheets each, start with 16 sheets of 8-1/2" x 7" paper (i.e., 8-1/2" x 11" paper, trimmed down); the one extra sheet will be used to create the jig for the binding holes. Note: you can use fewer sheets or more sheets per signature, depending on how many pages you want in your journal. Just figure the same number for each signature. 

Tools & other materials (plus papers above):

• pencil & eraser
• ruler
• sewing cradle, or alternate, such as a phonebook
• awl
• linen or embroidery thread (5 to 6 feet)
• beeswax
• scissors
• tapestry needle (apporx. size 22 = big enough for your thread, but small enough to pass through your beads, if using)
• 12 beads (optional; if using, make sure your needle and thread are able to pass through the bead hole twice!)
• bone folder
• X-acto knife or similar

When:    Saturday, November 13 at 10 a.m. Pacific time 

Where:   On your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom

RSVP:     To Dolores Guffey by Nov. 8 to receive the link, password

              & Becky's instructions 

Workshop questions: Becky Luening

Zoom questions: Bobbie Hayes

Contact information for everyone is in the newsletter   

February Workshop Variations

Many guild members participated in Becky Luening's all day workshop. Becky has been a long time member and it was good of her to come down from Portland to visit and provide us with an opportunity to explore this fascinating and challenging structure. After a morning of folding the origami pages for the structure we took a break for the annual Valentine exchange and lunch. In the afternoon the origami pages were sewn to the straps and covers created. The structure was inspired by Keith Smith's Non-adhesive Binding: Books Without Paste or Glue, Volume 1. Becky explained that she was a big fan of Keith Smith's intricate, clever structures mainly because he encourages book artists to vary aspects of the structure to come up with something uniquely their own. You can see some of Keith's books and read his interview on the TJ Book Arts website. 

Becky's exchange and exhibition books are always an inspiration and so is her teaching. Thanks for a great job, Becky. 

Straps stitched to the covers with endpapers as extensions of the accordion spine.

These straps are woven into slits in the covers.

Woven straps with added embellishment.