Just because

This page is really an excuse to show you some of my handmade books that don’t fit into either of the other two categories.

I often make things just because the materials speak to me and make me use them! As an avid collector of paper ephemera this is quite a regular occurrence. I am also part of an international online community of book artists who take up the challenge each month to respond to a word and create a book. Some of these books are from that challenge. Visit areyoubookenough‘ on instagram to learn more or if you would like to see plenty more handcrafted book inspiration.

Recycle

I am a lover of all things paper. For both of these books I was thinking about reusing and recycling what I had.

The first book is made from handmade paper created by mulching scraps of paper I had collected over the previous six months. Wrapping paper, brown paper packaging and old books all made into usable textured new sheets of paper. The paper is then made into lots of small sections sewn together using a coptic binding, enabling the finished item to be playful with the ability to become a number of different shapes. I particularly enjoy creating circles, I find them fascinating as a shape and in this instance it echoes the concept and process of recycling. The second book is created using paper towels I have used to clean my paintbrushes on. They are dried out ironed and cut into smaller sections. Using the same coptic stitching process as the first one, a similar structure is created to compliment the first one.

Human

When we move together in the same direction how strong that can makes us.

My thoughts around the word ‘Human’ were along the lines of the ties that bind us together as a human race and how we very much need each other. So the structure for this is a scroll, firstly because I wanted a single page and secondly because a scroll is a very ancient form of book. The green cloth represents our planet and the colourful threads represent the human race in all its colour, vibrancy, uniqueness and versatility. It is hand stitched, in a wide range of colours, to naturally create unique marks, as we are all different and uniformity is not particularly a trait of humans, and things can get a little messy at times. The button is an H for obvious reasons. The bobbin has age to it and was made for very strong thread, hinting at the strength we have when we work together. So this piece is an ideal and a glimpse at what is/can be possible…

Hexagon

Hexagon was made during Hexagon month in March.

It was simply about playing with the form of a hexagon and seeing what happens.

After some research about hexagons in nature I was quite blown away by just how many things have a hexagon as a building block for their structure. I had thought I’d choose one thing to focus on, but ended up thinking about nature in general, picking the colours of the rainbow to represent everything. This piece is really playful, thinking of hexagons as building blocks so I wanted the pieces to come out and become a number of structures. I kept the back of each piece white, as white is the sum of all colours. The box it sits in shows all the workings out for the patterns, the basic structures within structures that a hexagon has. When the pieces are used to build, you can create a flower and a tree that represent the life that is touched in some way by the hexagon. This project was very time consuming but extremely worth it in the end.

Let me help you to ‘remember well’. Collecting your memories and encapsulating them in a unique handmade book.

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