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.

Gampi Papermaking

This is the Gampi paper I made. I added some cooked and beaten straw, so the larger fibers you see are actually the straw fibers. Gampi actually did not have distinct fibers and by itself, is a creamy tan color. This particular view of the gampi and straw paper was held up to the sunlight for better viewing of the fibers in the paper.

Papermaking with Gampi

(Bubble. Bubble. Toil and Trouble. Strips of cut gampi cook in water and soda ash.)

In addition to letterpress printing, I love to make paper. Today, I am preparing some strips of gampi (fiber from the inner bark of the gampi branches) in some hot water with soda ash. After "cooking" for about 3 hours, it will be rinsed several times and placed into my Hollander that will crush the kozo and separate the fibers. That may take about another two hours or so before it can then be used the for papermaking. What do I do with this paper? I might use them for cards or binding into a book.