A Bit of Freelance

Because I am someone that likes, or maybe 'needs' is the correct word, to be busy, when things slow down between work, teaching, and the little business, I've been known to pick up a bit of freelance work. In addition to a couple of custom French linkstitch bindings, I've had the pleasure to also bind a couple final projects for local art students. 
{all content, design, layout, etc. is solely the property of, and copyright belongs to, the artist listed in the caption of the image it explains. Binding work was that of the author of this blog, Nina Eve Zeininger.}

Japanese stab stitch binding for senior review of Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) graduate Melissa Co.

Two French linkstitch journals made upon request for a client.

Spreads from a Japanese stab stitch binding for senior review of Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) graduate Jessica Metcalf.

Scrap Notebooks

Embossed camel notebook

After cutting down all the paper for the workshop I'm teaching this week, I was left with a lot of scraps that weren't good enough for class but were too good to throw away. 

So, I admit it, I skipped class on Saturday, pulled out my embossing gun, rubber stamps and embossing powder, and made little Japanese stab notebooks from the scraps.

Class Books

workshop handouts

After being a teaching assistant this past fall, I've taken over as instructor for a few session of Introduction to Bookbinding at the San Francisco Center for the Book. In the workshop students learn about the basics of bookbinding: folding, paper grain, stitching; as well as how to use some tools: bone folders, awls, needles and waxed linen thread. They learn all this while making 5 basic book structures: single sheet book, accordion book, 3-hole pamphlet stitch, combined concertina and 4-hole Japanese stab. The classes have been great so far; in fact, the students I taught this past Tuesday were so enthusiastic we were able to make a sixth structure. 


Here are a few pics I snapped during our break on Tuesday night:

my supplies for the evening: punching jigs, scissors, ruler, linen thread, wax and a glue brush

yellow combined concertina (with some coffee--not made in class)

single sheet books, combined concertina and 3-hole pamphlet stitch

single sheet book, 3-hole pamphlet stitches, combined concertinas and an accordion book with a butterfly cover