2024 & ORIGAMI FOLD BOOK

 

Welcome to 2024! What will this year offer for NORBAG book artists? What are your goals or wishes for 2024? Do you hope to learn new structures or techniques, or are you looking to perfect the skills you currently possess? Probably it is a little of both. Have you made any resolutions regarding book art for 2024 that you could share with us? We would love to hear about your ideas, accomplishments or suggestions. Let’s make 2024 the year we all try something new and share it with our fellow NORBAGERS!

Our first workshop of 2024 will be an Origami-Fold Book taught by Carol DuBosch. This delightful, folded structure is made without sewing or gluing: the folds on the spine both secure the pages and hold the book together. If lightweight paper is used for the pages, two or more pages can be inserted into each spine section and folded together. The size and proportions of the book can be varied; however, the structure works best with a horizontal or square format. Regardless of the proportions of the Origami-Fold Book, the width of its spine is always equal to the height of its pages.

Supply List:

• Printed PDF files: to be sent upon your RSVP
• Bone Folder
• X-Acto Knife
• Cutting Mat
• Metal Ruler

When:   Saturday, January 13 at 10 a.m. PST

Where:  On your computer, tablet, or smartphone via Zoom

RSVP:    To Dolores Guffey by January 8 to receive the password and PDF

Workshop Questions: Carol DuBosch

Zoom Questions: Bobbie Hayes

Contact information is in the Newsletter

A Book of Days

by Betty Steckman

Stuck? Out of ideas? Maybe a Book of Days is just the thing to get your mind in gear again. A Book of Days is like a small journal or scrapbook that you can work on for a week or a month or as long as you like, and put into it whatever pleases or comforts you. You can use scraps from your paper stash and odd bits and pieces that you've been saving for no particular purpose. You can get fancy with your book structure, but you don't have to--this book is just for you.

The discipline of making a Book of Days is to do something every day of the month. It doesn't have to be much--a rubber stamp, a sticker or two, a leaf, a limerick or a favorite quote. Or it could be more elaborate, like a tiny collage. Sometimes I've written about what happened that day or how I felt. I write about the weather sometimes, or the phase of the moon. Some of my books feature historical events or celebrations. I've included poems appropriate to the season, haiku that reflect my grief or joy, silly rhymes or sayings, a Biblical quote or two, a song lyric. the point is to put something, however small, on paper every day.

Sometimes my pages are all one color and type of paper, but often they're a hodgepodge of different colors and textures. You can add pockets, pop-outs, inserts, folds, pull-outs--whatever pleases you. You can bind your pages any way you like. Many of mine are bound as multiple signatures over ribbons, with hard covers. A few are stab-stitched; and two have a Coptic binding. Sometimes I do the pages first and then bind them, and sometimes I make a blank book with enough pages for the month, and fill it in as the month progresses. Sometimes a day takes a double-page spread, sometimes only one page.

The first Day book I made was in March 2012. It was a real mess in some ways because I made it quickly with odd scraps pieced together. I was in a hurry to get the structure made in February of that year because my favorite cat was dying, and I wanted a blank book to write in after she passed. Many of the pages include haiku or quotations about loss and grief, but there were also happy days, and I was sure to commemorate them as well. It's still a comfort and pleasure to turn those pages and remember those times.

And then there were the two books I made in 2020--May and December. It was important to me to chronicle what it was like to live through that first year of the COVID lockdown. Several of the pages feature cartoon images of knights in full armor setting off to go grocery shopping or run some other errand. I noted on two or three pages the terrifying statistics on hospitalizations and deaths. There were some dark cartoons here and there, like the iconic doctor of the Middle Ages, fully cloaked with his black hat, stick and beaked mask. These books are sobering to look through, not much fun but they tell an important story.

But I have the most fun with the books that focus mainly on notable events and people, with a sprinkling of quotes and poems appropriate to that month. Famous people's birthdays, holidays and commemorations offer many possibilities. All of the books I've made so far have given me a little project each day, supplied an outlet for my thoughts and emotions, and like a snapshot, have frozen in time things that were important or enjoyable. It's a very freeing exercise, to make a record of whatever you want in whatever format you want, and in the process use up some scraps and have a creative blast with just the nudge of doing something every day. 

Give it a try!

HOLIDAY CARDS

Our annual Holiday Card exchange took place on December 9. Once upon a time this event was a great opportunity for our local members to get together to celebrate the season and display the cards at Sandy Vrem's lovely home. Sadly the pandemic put a stop to that, but it also got us acquainted with Zoom so that we could expand the celebration to include our out-of-town members. Around 30 members attended the event to see the unveiling of the 22 cards in the 2023 exchange. The difference between this exchange and the rest of our monthly exchanges is that members sign up in advance and then make one card for every member in the exchange, plus one for the NORBAG library. We rarely have more than 30 participants so it isn't too difficult to get all the cards finished in time and delivered or mailed to Dolores before the second Saturday in December.

This year was another wonderful example of the creativity of our members. Some cards featured Christmas, some the New Year or the Solstice and some utilized recycling techniques. We asked each artist to introduce themselves by saying where they live and how they learned about NORBAG before they described their card. It was amazing to learn that some of us have been members for more than 20 years while others have just joined this year. Here is an interesting statistic from Dolores, the keeper of all the records. This year we had 22 members who made 22 cards each for a total of 484 cards. If we go back to the first year of exchanging holiday cards in 1995 and add up all the cards made since then, it is a grand total of 21,670 cards!  With members participating from the UK and Canada as well as across the US, we are truly a global organization! 

Individual photographs of each of the exchange cards will be on our Flickr site in about a week. Until then please enjoy these two group photographs of the cards.

Happy Holidays from NORBAG!

HOLIDAY CARDS & EXCHANGE THEMES

 Our December Zoom meeting will be the presentation of the Holiday Cards Exchange. Twenty-two members participated this year, and they will share with us their inspiration along with the structure and design of their cards. The photograph below of cards (from previous years) shows many different ideas that our creative members have found to illustrate the spirit of the season. As time permits, after sharing the cards, we will have a "visiting" time amongst us to exchange best wishes and hopes for the new year. May it be one of continuing creativity.

When:    Saturday, December 9, 10 a.m. PST

Where:   On your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom

RSVP:     To Dolores Guffey by Dec. 4 to receive the password

Zoom Questions:  Bobbie Hayes

Contact information is in the newsletter

Notes from the Art Lab

by Bonnie Halfpenny

I get excited every time the newsletter comes, but especially in November, when book themes for the new year are unveiled! I immediately photocopy the page and put the list where I can often refer to it. Eventually I rewrite it, as I find I need more space between each suggestion to scribble down my ideas. My first thoughts are pretty basic, but at least they get me going.

January - Old photos (Who can't wait to use them? Vacations? Kids? Historical?)

February - Valentines (There is always a new way to tell someone they are special.)

March - Junk Journal (Don't we all have plenty of "junk" or "treasures" waiting to be displayed?)

April - Book with a Surprise (Pockets? Boxes? Foldouts?)

May - Compendium/Project Page (From the vast assortment of earlier newsletters--almost any idea works.)

June - The Private Lives of Everyday Objects (Guaranteed to get your imagination going!)

July - Exquisite Corpse (I have loved these crazy mix and match books since I was a child.)

August - Pangram (A real mind stretcher for me!)

September - Second Chance (Who doesn't have a couple around to choose from?)

October - Leaf (So perfect for Fall; then, there is the other kind of leaf.)

November - A Fabric Book (An excuse to stitch and show off some of those fabulous threads, buttons, ribbons and fabric scraps that collect over the years.)

December - Holiday Cards (A favorite part of the season.)

Just thinking about the possibilities and what kind of structure fits these ideas is a fun thing to do. Meeting a deadline can be a challenge, but even if I don't finish I can usually apply those ideas or pieces to another project. Receiving an always interesting book in the mail a bit later and seeing how someone else took a completely different approach to the same idea just adds to the payoff.

Here's hoping we all have a happy & creative 2024!

HERRINGBONE WORKSHOP & NOTES FROM THE ART LAB

 The November workshop provided an opportunity for us to make a small book that could contain monthly calendar pages for 2024. This little book could easily fit in your purse, pocket or not take up much space on a desk. It was a fun, easy structure to make that provided different ways to sew or glue the binding. Any artwork could be used on the pages instead of the calendar pages that were provided. Thank you Dolores Guffey for teaching us the Herringbone structure.

Here are some examples of our books.

Bonnie Julien

"Birds" book, only 2" tall, features bird postage stamps.

Calendar book with pamphlet stitch binding.

Margaret Beech
Butterfly book with Japanese stab binding.

Margaret Beech

Margaret glued the pages together first, then

punched holes with her Japanese screw punch 

before stitching over a strip of black cardstock.

Sherrill Story

Sherrill's book opened out.

Notes from the Art Lab

by Bonnie Halfpenny

Recently I was at Indiana University in Bloomington and toured the Lilly Library.  The Lilly is an exceptionally fine manuscript and rare book institution with a sizable collection of artists' books.

To showcase some developments in publishing, they had an interesting exhibit on the proliferation of book formats in Victorian times.  We saw stacks of penny dreadfuls with titles such as Black Bess, Knight of the Road, or The Wild Boys of London.  There were copies of the earliest "magazines" with serial novels, all printed on poor quality wood pulp paper to keep costs down.  Nearly every aspect of printing became mechanized during this period and demand for low-cost reading material was overwhelming.  At the same time, the development of inexpensive printing and color techniques helped make books more attractive.

From the rare books collection we were shown an exquisitely decorated medieval Book of Hours, a Gutenberg Bible, a First Folio of Shakespeare, a book on foot care from Marie Antoinette's library, and Thomas Jefferson's personal copy of the Bill of Rights (with some corrections).

Also available upon request are items from the extensive collection of artists' books at the university.  Some are housed in the Lilly, while the Wells Library, also on campus, has over 2000.  Lilly's website at https://libraries.indiana.edu/lilly-library has a wealth of information on various topics related to their holdings.

Below are a few photos of handmade books I saw there.  The first work was by an amateur artist, and the second set of three photos are images of work by Timothy Ely, a contemporary professional. Ely's work is readily searched online from Wikipedia, also from https://aplanetarycollage.com/ and other sources.

The photo below is of a long "letter" by a 19th century sailor to his girlfriend detailing his voyage, and asking her to wait for him.  Alas, he was rejected.

                                                 

The following photos are contemporary books, unique and hand-drawn, by Timothy Ely, a Northwest native.

HERRINGBONE CALENDAR

It's hard to believe, but we're now less than two months away from the start of a new year. If you haven't found a new calendar for 2024, you're in luck because Dolores Guffey has one for us to make. This structure is an accordion variation where the pages are sewn together rather than folded upon themselves. Calendar pages will be provided, but you are welcome to make the structure without them and use your own artwork and/or content. Please notice in the photos that there are several ways for the pages to be sewn together.

Japanese Stab Binding

Calendar pages displayed

Bound with Washi tape

All the binding versions displayed

Pamphlet Stitch

Pamphlet Stitch

Chain Stitch

Sewn on sewing machine

Sewn on sewing machine

Materials Needed:

• Seven (7) pieces of cardstock (either plain or decorated) 2 3/4" x 5 1/2" (grain short) * Note that the measurement of the cardstock is incorrect in the newsletter. Correct measurement is 2 3/4" x 5 1/2".
• Thread - waxed linen, perle cotton, or embroidery floss
• Needle
• Glue stick
• Seven (7) paper clips
• Metal graduated rule 3/4" (if you have one) OR a piece of matboard 3" x 3/4"
• Scoring tool
• Bone folder
• Piercing tool
• Sturdy piece of cardboard for hole piercing

When:    Saturday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. PST

Where:   On your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom

RSVP:     YES! To Dolores Guffey by Nov. 6 to receive the password

Workshop Questions:  Dolores Guffey

Zoom Questions:  Bobbie Hayes

Contact information is in the newsletter

WORKSHOP FOLLOW-UP AND LIBRARY KIOSK

The October workshop taught by Margaret Beech was a very versatile structure that can be modified in many ways. It is simply decreasing sizes of single fold cards that can be arranged in different ways to showcase photographs, art, or text. Thank you Margaret for sharing this structure with us. Below are some examples of the cards that were finished after the workshop.

Sue Reynolds

Emmy Nelson, card cover 

Emmy Nelson

Emmy's card opened up

Sherrill Story's cover

Sherrill Story

Sherrill's card opened up

The following photograph is a beautiful example of the circle book structure that was taught by Kit Davey in September.

Barbara Ristaino used flower decals for her book.

Library Display

The Kiosk display at the Humboldt County Library in Eureka, California is featuring books made by Michele Kamprath this month. Thank you Kenzie Mullen for arranging the display. 

EVER DECREASING UNFOLDING BOOK

Our October workshop will be taught by our very prolific member from the UK, Margaret Beech. The structure is made of decreasing sizes of single-fold cards. Margaret said that it's the way they are attached to each other that makes it work, but it is easier to show than describe. For that reason, Margaret suggests that we complete the structure before decorating the pages. There is lots of space for content, plus the spines on each section give allowance for slender enclosures.

Materials:

Use a light to medium cardstock for the six different card/pages. Cut one each of the following sizes, but do not score or fold them until we receive direction during the workshop. Note: In order to reinforce the cover page, Margaret suggests that we also cut two 4" squares of the same cardstock to glue to the two sides of the Cover card.

• Size A (Cover) - 8 1/4" x 4"
• Size B - 7 1/8" x 3 1/2"
• Size C - 6 1/8" x 3"
• Size D - 5 1/8" x 2 1/2"
• Size E - 4 1/8" x 2"
• Size F - 3 1/8" x 1 1/2"

Tools:

• Glue stick
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Bone Folder
• Craft Knife
• Double-sided Tape

Here are more examples of the structure to inspire you.

When:   Saturday, October 14 at 10 a.m. PDT

Where:  On your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom 

RSVP:    By October 9 to Dolores Guffey to receive directions and password

Workshop Questions: Margaret Beech

Zoom Questions: Bobbie Hayes

Contact information is in the newsletter.  

Notes from the Art Lab 

by Bonnie Halfpenny

 Whoever said "there is nothing new under the sun" was not thinking about rock paper which was developed by Molly Grosse, artist, and her mother, a process engineer.  After years of trials and experiments they are producing beautiful paper not from fiber, but from rock.  This product comes in different styles from light, translucent, and barely tinted, to heavy and opaque pieces in vivid colors.  The color is sometimes variegated on one piece. It folds beautifully, can be hand or machine sewn, and cuts like butter.  It accepts many pens, pencils, and markers although it cannot be used with printer ink (it smears).  

The cost is comparable to origami paper.  What makes it stand out from other papers is that it is waterproof-- it is from rock, after all!  To find out more about this innovative product, go to https://rockpaper.store online, or search that name on Facebook.