I am an artist and designer who loves to wander and explore…in many different ways and levels. Whether custom letterforms and fonts, mosaics of broken stained glass, or hand sewn books, my hands are always creating something. These blogs are my way of sharing with the world the oddities I produce. If you have any questions about any of my work, please ask!
Can’t wait till you do another “W”. I needed one today, since I decided not to use WordArt (having been severely chastised for using it by a certain graphic designer!)
love your investigations on bindings
Fantastic mosaic work, where are you exhibiting in the fall?
I looked you up based on Paul Neeley’s recommendation.
Hello Becca !
I´m from Argentina, i´m 39 years old and like very much your blog! You have beautifull designs of stitches!!
I´d like learn the greek and celtic wave binding. Do you have some tutorials of this models?
Thanks you very much!
Alex
Hey Alex! I just realized I’d never responded to you. The Greek and Celtic binds on my site are not my own, they are from this book: http://www.amazon.com/Non-Adhesive-Binding-Vol-Exposed/dp/0963768247/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321981445&sr=8-1
I hope that helps!
Hello Becca,
I would like to invite you to contribute to my typographic blog http://www.mytypeof.wordpress.com – I think that the single images you have posted on your blog of NYC typography would make a great post, along with any others you may have. Or perhaps you would like to shows us a typographic tour of your neighbourhood!
You may even wish to submit your own typefaces for our monthy showcase.
By the way, I love the images of the Luther Bible – you may be interested in this post http://lestaret.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/a-genesis-of-sorts/
I hope that you will consider contributing – look forward to hearing from you.
Christopher
I found you book stiches via Pintrest and I love them all! I have been reading through your blog and love your posts. I am in a book arts class and I will be practicing with some of your tutorials! Thank you!
Amanda T.
Your blog features gorgeous, creative work which all others who love book arts can aspire to! Will you be publishing a book of your designs, with more tutorials? Where did you study art?
Thanks, Tammy! Yes, I do hope to one day publish a book with my patterns and tutorials. Not sure how or when, but it IS in the works. I’ll be sure to post all about it here whenever I do! My Master of Fine Arts degree is from the University of Texas at Arlington. I did an independent study on bookbinding, and the rest is history!
I have a Print Shop and was googling different types of binding that we can offer our customers.. Saw your site.. WOW!! Love it!
Such creativity and it is so nice of you to also share.
I just completed my first blank book using the classic 4-hole stab binding and started browsing around for tutorials and information…and your was the first site to come up. And may I say: wow! I can see how easy it is to become addicted to this fascinating, elegant method of binding. I used Ikegami’s book _Japanese Book Binding_. I’m curious if you are experimenting much with different cover constructions?
Thanks, Chris! I have Ikegami’s book too. I admit though that I was kind of disappointed after going through it.
Which was why I started to experiment with my own binds. As far as covers go, I’ve used a few different methods, with thin paper and bookboard. But for now I’m more interested in the design of the actual bind.
Hi Becca,
I’m from Holland and I’m so glad I found your site! Just tryed the ‘Tornados’ pattern. So beautiful. I had some dificulties with the scale but finally I succeed. I’m gonne make a drawingbook for a friend of mine with the ‘Tornados’ binding. When it’s finished I will send you a picture of it.
Thank you very much for sharing!
Bye for now.
Ineke Hooghuis
Hi, Becca:
I just randomly found your blog after doing a lot of searching about Japanese stab-stitch. Have a quick question, and I thought maybe you could help: I want to make a 8.5 x 11 book. I don’t have access to a printer for extra large paper so I think I have to loose-bind the book, which is why I’m considering the stab-stitch. I think it would work to loose-bind pages instead of using signatures. Anyway, my question is whether or not you can use a hard (binder’s board) type of cover with Japanese stab-stitch. I can’t tell if the cover has to crease when opened. I’m ordering materials and I don’t know if I should go with a bendable cardstock cover or if I can use a board. Thoughts?
Thanks!
Jenica
Hi there,
Im a graphic design student and LOVE your experiments with Japanese stab binding!! I would love to try and come up with some of my own designs but don’t know where to start! Is there a certain number of holes/places that the holes need to be in order for the pages to be secure? Would love to know your process so I can have a go too! So inspiring
Claire
Hi Becca, I love your site there is so much here i am interested in!
You seem to know quite alot about JSB, your patterns are great! what thickness paper do you advise using for the pages and for the cover? because I dont know if i have been using the wrong types, but i was put off this particular binding because you cant open the book flat? Maybe its just me i dunno, but id love to hear your advise
And im going to go and get the Vol 2 of Keith’s books next week! Thanks for all your info on here its great x
Becky
Becky,
I KNEW I was forgetting something in my ‘theory of JSB’ post! I’ll update that post soon. In the meantime…JSB works best on landscape-oriented books, not portrait. This bind won’t ever lay completely flat, but if it is long enough, it should at least stay open.
The paper should be on the thinner side… too much more than 24lb weight (normal copy/printer paper) and it will be tough to turn pages.
Hey, I really like your blog and the tutorials you’ve posted on stab binding and I was wondering if you had a tutorial on the star binding you did a few months ago. Id really like to use it for an upcoming project.
-evan
Happy new year, I nominated YOU for a Liebster Award because I like your blog! Part of the award is for you to nominate eleven other bloggers with fewer than 200 followers, to answer eleven questions, and ask eleven more…
See here for details. http://whippetpost.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/the-dog-ate-my-homework-2/
All the best, Christopher
Hey Becca my name is Taylor Cornelius, I am 22 and attend Georgia State University. I am currently enrolled in a book making class and our first project was to create 2 books using the Japanese Stab bind method. I found your website while looking for interesting binds and your step by step method worked great for me. All of my classmates have now been visiting your website looking for bindings. I would like to send you some photos of how they turned out. Could I possibly get your email address to send you them? Thanks a lot for sharing.
Hi Becca!
Your blog is so inspiring! I’m a graphic design student, and for an independent study class, I am making a book, which will be a timeline of a section of my early family history. Since it will be my first book and I don’t have much time, I was looking for something simple to start with, and I came upon your “japanese ledger binding” (as your professor called it), but I can’t find any other examples or tutorials on this. Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks a lot!
Hey Aimee!
You know, I’ve looked for other examples myself, and I’m not sure I ever found any. Maybe the original was from an out of print book. I did actually draw a tutorial for this bind a couple of years ago…and you’ve just made me realize that I never posted it! It’s actually a very simple bind. I’ll upload it very soon!
HI Becca
I am writing a book about handmade books and would love to include some of your work, can you drop me an email so we can discuss… charlotte[dot]rivers[at]mac[dot]com
Hope to hear from you soon!
Charlotte
Hi Becca,
How are you?
I made two booklets with your Japanese stabbindings (tornados and kissing fish). It worked out very nice. The friends I made them for, were impressed! They loved it.
Now I’m planning to make another one with the butterfly binding. First I made a test of it and I’m not quit sure but is it possible there is a fault in the tutorial? I miss a part of the wing that goes from nr. 14 to nr 8 (or the other way round). I’ve read back the description a few times but I can’t find it.
Can you help me out?
Thanks in advance!
Wit love
Ineke (from Holland)