TWIG BOOK REVIEW

Our April workshop was very fun and easy making Twig Books with Kris Nevius. I'm sure we're all familiar with Japanese stab bindings, but these African and Asian styles are just a little bit different. Since we had our papers prepared with the necessary holes punched in advance, we were able to get right to the stitching. Kris' examples and instructions were easy to follow so we were able to make all three books. She also  showed ways for us to change the patterns slightly to create even more individual designs. Thank you Kris for sharing these bindings with us. The finished books make wonderful little gift items. Below are examples of some of the books that were made.

Margaret Beech

Donna LaVallee

Dolores Guffey

Annette Hansen

Michele Kamprath

TWIG BOOKS

The April NORBAG workshop will be taught by Kris Nevius, our member from Sonoma County. Kris describes these little African/Asian Twig Books as being great to give as gifts or to use for collecting poems, quotes or notes. Depending upon time, we will make two or three books.

These two books are "Out of Africa"

These two books are "Crossovers".

These two are "Zig-Zag" books.

Supplies:

• 6-10 pages for each book, 5 1/2"x 4 1/4" (a quarter of an 8 1/2" x 11" paper). A total of 18-30 pages to make all three books.
• 2 covers per book: 5 5/8" x 4 3/8". Canson Mi Teintes, Watercolor paper, or card stock for example. A total of six covers for three books.
• Twigs, one per book. These need to be about 3 3/4" long, a minimum of 3 1/2". Bamboo skewers, chopsticks, fancy toothpicks, and twigs from the garden all work well. (You can cut them down and paint them if you wish.)
• Awl, paper clips, needle, scissors, something to use as a punching surface such as corrugated cardboard, mouse pad, phone book etc.

Please prepare your materials ahead of time. When you sign up for the workshop you will receive instructions for a template for punching the holes.

When:  Saturday, April 11 at 10 a.m. PDT

Where: On your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom

RSVP:   Dolores Guffey by April 6 to receive the password

Workshop Questions: Kris Nevius krispaperstudio@gmail.com

Zoom Questions: Bobbie Hayes

Contact information is in the newsletter

If you happen to be by the Humboldt County Library in Eureka, CA check out the kiosk near the checkout counter to see the current display of NORBAG exchange books.

FLAG BOOK WITH ENVELOPES REVIEW

Thank you Kris Nevius for teaching your Flag Book with Pull-Up Envelopes at our February workshop. Who knew that adding cute little envelopes with special pull-up messages or artwork to a simple accordion structure could make such a great gift card or book. A very nice aspect to this structure is that it can be made as just a single fold card or an accordion of any length. The sizes of the envelopes and the base structure are easy to change. Featured below are some of the books made during or after the workshop.

Cover of Mary Elizabeth Nelson's
 (aka Emmy) larger sized book

The accordion size is now 3"x30".

Emmy used paste paper for the envelopes.

A fun discovery was that it would stand up in a star shape.

Margaret Beech

Margaret used flower cut-outs from a card 
for her envelope inserts.

Bonnie Julien

Eco-dyed paper was used for the envelopes.

Cancelled stamps with flower photos
were used for the inserts.

Dolores Guffey used ponytail bands as a closure.

The poem, Monday's Child, was used in the inserts.

Dolores used her beautiful marbled paper.

Sherrill Story

Very cute plaid envelopes with flat paper "beads".

Notes from the Art Lab

by Bonnie Halfpenny

 Create a Little Magic! 

 
When I am involved in creating individual works, my piece sometimes seems too small a thing to spend so much time on.  I would like to share some quotes from Rick Rubin's book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, that Michele Kamprath highlighted back in the August newsletter.  Although known mostly for his work with musicians, Rubin has insightful things to say about all forms of creativity.

• "It's not unusual for science to catch up to art, eventually.  Nor is it unusual for art to catch up to the spiritual.
• We tend to think of the artist's work as the output.  The real work of the artist is a way of being in the world.
• The work reveals itself as you go.
• Failure is the information you need to get where you are going.
• A work of art is not an end point in itself.  It's a station on a journey.  A chapter in our lives.  We acknowledge these transitions by documenting each of them.
• We are dealing in a magic realm.  Nobody knows why or how it works.
• Living in discovery is at all times preferable to living through assumptions.
• Making art is a serious matter.  Harnessing creative energy from Source.  Shepherding ideas into the physical plane.  Participating in the cosmic cycle of creation.  The opposite is also true.  Making art is pure play.
• The reason we are alive is to express ourselves in the world...art is a universal way to send messages between each other and through time."

I especially like the idea that art is about recording where you are at the moment.  It is hard to read this book without feeling that participating in the arts is essentially helping to create a better world, right now, as we work, one piece at a time. 

FLAG BOOK WITH PULL-UP ENVELOPES

Our February 2024 valentine month workshop will be a wonderful little flag book with many envelopes to hold messages or small pieces of art. Our instructor will be Kris Nevius. Templates and paper suggestions for the envelopes and inserts will be sent when you register.

SUPPLIES FOR CLASS:

• Accordion Cover: 2" x 18" grain short
• Envelopes: 6 envelopes for inside of the book and, optional, 1 or 2 more for the front cover and inside or outside of the back cover.
• Inserts: one for each envelope
• Belly Band: 5/8" x 8 1/2"
• Envelope folding guide: (on the envelope template page) and insert guide (on the insert sheet)
• Thread: 8" or so for each envelope. Waxed linen is good.
• Attachments for pull string: beads, at least 2 per envelope. Or use a 3/8" circle punch or 3/8" square punch to punch out 2 circles or squares per envelope. Or just cut out small squares.
• Tools: scissors, Exacto knife, ruler, pencil, cutting mat, awl, bone folder, corner rounder, glue stick or other glue to glue the envelopes, scrap paper to glue on.

PLEASE DO THIS BEFORE STARTING TO MAKE THE BOOK

Print out:

• Envelope template page onto cardstock or acetate
• Insert page onto cardstock or heavier scrapbook paper or the like. Add content if desired.

Cut out:

• Accordion cover paper: Mi-Teintes works well for this.
• Envelope template and envelope folding guide
• 6-8 envelopes, using envelope template. Use a paper that will fold easily, but not tear easily. Kris used paste paper done on Arches Text Wove.
• Inserts: 6-8. Use a corner rounder on all 4 corners if desired.
• Insert guide (on insert page)

Keep envelope template handy for reference during class.

When:  Saturday, February 10 at 10 a.m. PST

Where: On your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom

RSVP:   Dolores Guffey by Feb. 5 to receive the password & PDF's

Workshop questions: Kris Nevius, krispaperstudio@gmail.com

Zoom questions: Bobbie Hayes

Contact information is in the newsletter

LOOPY BOOK PHOTOS

For our April workshop we made three books with a different "loopy" binding. Kris Nevius was our instructor and she patiently led us through the stitching directions. One of the best parts was seeing Kris' photographs of her examples and learning how easy it is to add even more variations to this very versatile stitch. Thank you Kris for another fun workshop.

Here are some of Kris' examples

This version had two loops at each station.

This version had three loops at every other stitch.

Using variegated thread gives a new look.

This version has three signatures with different loopy variations.

Another three signature book with two different loopy stitches.

Dolores Guffey shared her version of the two loop stitch.

Michele Kamprath's three books

Mark your calendars now for our next workshop on Sat. May 14 when Sandy Vrem will teach us how to make a Gallery Book to display small artwork.

LOOPY BOOKS

At our April workshop we will be making three books with different single signature "loopy" bindings.  Kris Nevius will show us this fun alternative to the pamphlet stitch, and challenge us to create our own variations. These books could be just the thing to add to Easter baskets.

Supplies:

• 3 signatures, 6 to 8 sheets each, 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", folded to 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"
• 3 covers: Canson Mi-Teintes is a good choice. 8-7/8" x 5-5/8", folded in half
• 3 pieces of 4 ply waxed linen thread or something similar: one each at 25", 35", and 45"
• Needle
• Scissors
• Bone folder

Before the workshop please get your books ready to sew.

Insert each signature into a cover and punch the holes for the three books we will sew. Punch the holes in the spine, through the cover and signature, measuring along the signature for each book as specified below.

Book 1: 1/4", then every 1/2", which will leave 1/4" at the bottom. Use a post-it note and mark this one #1. There should be 11 holes.

Books 2 and 3: 1/2", then every 3/8", which leaves 1/2" at the bottom. There should be 13 holes.

When:    Saturday, April 9, at 10 a.m. PDT

Where:   On your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom

RSVP:     To Dolores Guffey by April 4 to receive the password

Workshop Questions: Kris Nevius

Zoom Questions: Bobbie Hayes

Contact information is in the newsletter

SUNSHINE FROM NORBAG MEMBERS

Since we, and most of the world, are staying home in hope of flattening the curve of coronavirus cases, this blog will strive to offer suggestions and projects from some of our members. We will try to update the blog every two weeks, so be sure to check in for new ideas as well as information about when regular NORBAG workshops will resume. Remember to scroll down for previous projects sent by our members. We've had some problems with the blog program and photos have disappeared to be replaced with a box with a hyphen inside. We've reinstalled photos and hope the problem doesn't happen again.

Bobbie H. was challenged to make a mask out of paper and she accomplished the task in ten minutes. She said she “made it exactly like the ones I’m sewing, including the bedsheet bias tape and the sewing machine. (And just like sewing the real masks, I ran out of bobbin thread right in the middle.)"

 

Bobbie H. modeling her paper mask that matches the cover of her book.

Here is a new structure from Margaret Beech. She calls it “Sending Sunshine” and says it is easy to make and guaranteed to bring a smile to the recipient. Using a sheet of A4 copy paper you can make an envelope to fit your card. Make it exactly the same way as you make the card but change the measurements from the center of the diagonals to 1 cm.

The following are some wonderful examples of how our members are spending their time at home.

Michele K's star book

Michele's star book showing the covers.

Michele's reverse piano hinge book using her eco-dyed papers.

Michele's Diamond X book also uses her eco-dyed papers.

Edge's fish book under construction.

The fish attached to the accordion.

The finished book.

Randi P. makes miniature boxes and books. This book is 1"
square when folded closed. This book is a sample model.

The book highlights shapes and colors.

Molly M. took Helen Hiebert's online Paper Weaving class. She wrote, "Instead of using all strips, I cut my weft strips into the cover paper for these journals and then wove the other two colors through.  It was great fun!!  All of the journals will have ribbon bookmarks with bead embellishments."

Molly's "tumbling blocks" style weaving.

The delicate colors would be perfect for a wedding book.

Cards made by Kris N. Kris wrote, "one of my projects for the “retreat” time we are having is to send a card a day to someone. I have been making 'inchie' cards, which use one inch squares in a variety of ways. The first batch were from calligraphy inks dropped onto paper that had been squirted with water, and then sometimes squirted afterwards. My papers didn’t look like much but the inch squares were really fun to work with. I ran low on them and now am using papers made with alcohol ink on Yupo paper. I am using sparkly markers and line stickers for borders." 

More beautiful cards ready to be sent to lucky recipients.

Thanks to everyone who sent examples of their wonderful projects.