Single Flexible Binding

This is a binding I recently finished. I am very pleased with the way it came out. The cover is calf that I dyed and then blind tooled. This book is blank on the inside but I am in the process of doing a similar binding on a bookbinding dictionary. Tooling the cover is very stressful but so rewarding when you are finished. I think the things that surprises people the most is that the "bumps" on the spine are part of the sewing structure. Most of the time when you see this type of spine on a new book the "bumps" are fake but in this binding they are cords that were sewn over. Sewing over the cords is what gives this binding it's name. You can also have a Double Flexible that is sewn over two cords at each sewing station.

Bookbinding is cool!

You have to watch this video from If'n Books.

Lost Week

Well, I haven't gotten a single thing done this week. It is another "Lost Week" for me. I have Fibromyalgia and some weeks are harder than others. This week I haven't been able to get to sleep and then in the mornings I have not been able to wake up. So I have made a list of all the things that I have to finish to graduate and I have nine projects and nine weeks to compleate them. If I can stay healthy than I think I will be okay.
I am most excited to compleate my Fine Binding of the Edward Curtis book that I am working on. Each person in my class has a copy and we are each doing something different. The book will be bound in full leather and I am working on the design that I will tool on the leather. I will post a picture when I a finished.

Some of my work...

This is a box that I made to hold a classmate's book. They were both given to the architect that designed our new classrooms at the North Bennet Street School.
It is hard to see but in the lower right hand corner there is a leaf.

Welcome to the 21st Century

Well, I have finally joined the 21st Century and started a blog. I decided to create this because I am opening a new business selling my handmade books. I have a website on Etsy, www.blueskybindery.etsy.com, where I have sold three already! I am looking forward to graduation on June 1st but it is also pretty scary. My husband will be returning to school in the fall to get his bachelor's degree and then he wants to go to Law School so I will be the only income for at least the next four years. Can I make a living selling my books? I don't know but stay tuned to find out.