Saturday, May 30, 2009

My Very Own Handmade Hardcover Journal


Today, on the third of a three-Saturday classical bookbinding workshop, I finished this. It's 192pp, with a cranberry-colored Philippine handmade paper cover and a yellow bookbinder's paper spine.


Don't mind the dark blots on the left-side endpaper. That's archival glue that hasn't dried fully yet. This is also Philippine handmade paper. The swirls are made of paper as well - it's NOT a print. I believe this paper was made in Batangas although it is being sold at the malls or in National Bookstore, in different color varieties.





The pages open flat, which is what I love about sewn bindings. We used lock stitch. I love how neatly I was able to do this. (One day I will learn Coptic stitch.)


Next time I will add a ribbon page marker. I also want to try a smaller format, like a pocket-size journal.




Some of my classmates are librarians, but some, like me, wanted to learn how to make pretty and useful things. This three-day workshop was held on May 16, 23 and 30, at the Lopez Museum in Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Paper artist Loreto Apilado, our teacher, is conducting a Book Repair workshop soon. I want to study that too!

For more details on activities at the Lopez Museum, visit their blog.