Handmade Journals with Handmade Paper Covers

Hand bound Coptic sewn journal with sturdy Davey boards covered with my handmade papers.

Finally found some time to bind some books. This book is sewn with a Coptic binding that features braided stitching along the spine side of the book. I used some of handmade papers to cover the archival Davey boards. The golden paper is made of Japanese Gampi that was cooked for about 3 hours and then beaten into fine fibers in my Hollander. Then I dyed the gampi fibers in a dye from Lotus leaves. The other paper is made from beaten hemp and then layered with some bamboo fibers.

I love to use these books for travel journals, sketches and musings. The sections of the book has stubs that allow me to add bits of ephemera or memorabilia.  

Aloha Letterpress Handmade Books

I made these books with my own handmade paper. The first with the sky blue and white pages, began with deciding what type of paper I wanted to make. I decided to beat cotton fabric from an old t-shirt in my Hollander and then beat some kozo for the cloudy overlay. The story is of the Hawaiian warrior, Maui, trying to capture the sun. The second book tells a metaphorical tale of my swimming with the waves, trying to find the words to express myself. The book was made with a blend of beaten cotton and straw fibers. I then binded it with an accordion fold. I love to make books with my handmade paper, and hope to find more time to do so. There's just not enough time to do all that I want to.

Making Books and Paper

Some of you might be interested in these books if you're interested in making your own books.

• The Art and Craft of Handmade Books by Shereen LaPlantz

• Creating Handmade Books by Alisa Golden

• Keith Smith Books (Online site listed under Reading and Resources)

Interested in hand papermaking?

• The Papermaker's Companion: The Ultimate Guide to Making and Using Handmade Paper by Helen Hiebert

• The Art and Craft of Papermaking by Sophie Dawson

There are many other books that I found informative and helpful, but these are ones I'd recommend highly to begin. If you do a search on Amazon or other book shops, you'll be able to find more information about them. I also love Keith Smith's books, especially his Volume II.

My "Romance" with the Bamboo Forest

These are the two poems I wrote in the book. Yes, we have bamboo forests in Hawaii although you'd think it's more likely in Asian countries. Every summer, some friends and I go and visit these beautiful bamboo forests. The peace and solitude refreshes the spirit as the breeze dances with the bamboo leaves. I also made some paper using some bamboo fibers mixed in with some other fibers.

Bamboo Night

Swaying

with the wind,

they bathe their

sleek bodies

as rain falls.

Leafy arms glisten,

fingers beckon

as they dance

with the silver moonlight.

Singing to the spirits

of the forest,

Voices tangle

with the mountain breeze.

Tasting the earth,

they drink the rain,

stretching their arms

to the sky

until the stars

shower down

upon them.

Bamboo Day

The morning sun raises it head,

casting sleepy grey clouds away.

The road to Hana

twists and turns

like currents of the sea.

Golden hau blossoms, ferns,

ruby red mountain apples

shimmer in the sunlight.

Trudging up

the jutted road,

sentinels of ginger,

hau, kukui, bamboo

lead the way.

Deep in the forest,

bamboo

live in solitude,

a quilt of leaves

at their feet.

They gather and pray

to the earth,

wind, rain, sea,

moon and sun,

chanting in the

morning light.

(I'm sorry about the formatting of the poems. I tried to place it into two columns, but that didn't work out.)

Making Books and Secret Belgian Binding

I became interested in letterpress printing because of my involvement in paper making and making books. This is a dos a dos (two by two) book that I made that depicts a bamboo grove at night and at early morning. The binding is known as a Secret Belgian Binding. It's interesting how the spine has a weaving effect. The handmade papers are made of Hollander beaten cotton rag and straw. No dyeing of the paper and I liked how the pages had rich, deep olive colors and sunny green hues.

Handmade Gampi and Straw Paper

These are sheets of Gampi and straw. After cooking and beating the gampi, I added the processed straw fibers. The more pronounced fibers are the straw. The paper is crisp and strong. The deckled edges of these sheets give the paper its distinctive handmade quality. Because the mould and deckle is dipped into the vat of pulp, some fibers seep slightly beyond the deckle.