intense

So much is happening here at PBI it is a bit hard to process. Everything is intense. Bookbinding in the mornings and making paper in the afternoon. Hardly time to think, so much to learn. I am not sure I will ever be a great paper maker – but I have enjoyed learning and trying, but the sewing – oh the sewing. I am in love.

All the models in the binding class are (loosely) based on historic examples from the manuscript collection at the Uppsala University Library. The originals have held up well over the last 600 years. It has been amazing to see the images of the collection. I hope one day I’ll be able to see the books in person!

Tuesday we learned this binding – a long stitch with weaving.

here’s the spine..

and the cover

Wednesday night we were working late into the night in the studio when Adam Larsson showed me this image from the collection at the library at Uppsala. Well, that was it, I had to figure out how that long forgotten anonymous seamstress had mended that book, and yep, I had to fix the hole in my parchment too. I am so happy. Here’s the result.

a close up of my attempt

One of the images we saw had a split spine, so I decided I wanted to try that as well, so here’s the whole book. It has some issues, but as a trial it is not so bad.

and the whole book

Session 1 is over, and today everyone is catching up on laundry, and I imagine like me scribbling down ideas and dreaming about the work they will do when they get home to their own studios. It has been an incredible experience so far – how lucky I am to be here! Can’t wait to dive into the next session…